First Footings

Posted by on Jan 1, 2012 in dish | 0 comments New Year’s Day is a big deal in the Scottish culture. Trust me, you haven’t partied until you’ve done it with people in kilts and bagpipes. “Auld Lang Syne” was written by Robert Burns, remember? Hogmanay, as the celebration is called, has a number of traditions, but one of the most fun is the First Footing. According to Scottish tradition, the first person to cross the threshold of your home in...
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Merry Christmas!

Posted by on Dec 25, 2011 in dish | 0 comments One of my favorite moments of Christmas is proceeding into a candlelit sanctuary on Christmas Eve, singing “Of the Father’s Love Begotten” accompanied only by handbells. That moment encompasses the mystery and hopefulness of Christmas. May you all have a day filled with many blessings!   Of the Father’s love begotten, Ere the worlds began to be, He is Alpha and Omega, He...
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Writers Behaving Badly

Posted by on Dec 10, 2011 in dish | 0 comments Years ago, when I first started writing, I bought a copy of Dangerous Men and Adventurous Women, a collection of scholarly essays about the appeal of the romance novel edited by bestselling author Jayne Ann Krentz. You see, reading romances was bad enough. Wanting to write them was tantamount to spitting in the Poet’s Corner at Westminster Abbey and betraying all my hard work as an English...
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Thanks and Giving

Posted by on Nov 24, 2011 in dish | 0 comments I’m sitting at my kitchen table, the smells of fresh bread permeating the air. Nearby are sleeping dogs and a happy family. In a bit, we’ll drive over the river and through the woods to one of the grandmother’s houses (my sister’s MIL). We will have plenty to eat today, plenty to laugh about, plenty to share. This weekend will bring the Florida-Florida State game, Wicked’s Chex Mix, my Daddy,...
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I’m a Mean One

Posted by on Nov 19, 2011 in dish | 0 comments Unless you grew up under a rock, you recognize this image from the incomparable How the Grinch Stole Christmas holiday special, characters by the inimitable Dr. Seuss, animation and direction by the peerless Chuck Jones. I am totally feeling the Grinch as he stares balefully down on Whoville right now. I’m sitting in a Starbucks and getting blasted by Christmas music. Note the date above. We...
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