Jersey BBQ
My mother-in-law, Duckie, is 90 now, and she spends a lot of time watching cable news and reading the newspaper, and since she has the mind of a healthy 30 year old — she remembers everything she sees. Everything.
The Fogger Truck
The trouble with summer in South Florida, if you can ignore the heat, the humidity and the hurricanes, is the mosquitoes. It may be my imagination but it seems like the critters are larger, more numerous and way more aggressive than when I was a kid. The mosquitoes that make it impossible for me to
The Wicked One
I was heading into the men’s room when a middle-aged woman with a really bad haircut approached me, smiling broadly. “I’m Jan,” she said in a friendly manner, shaking my hand. I was immediately wary; I am generally distrustful of friendly strangers and tend to treat them as though fearful they may ask me for
Of Elephants & Avocados
Dinner conversations with my family are quite confusing for Ryan who comes from a family of logical, structured New England Puritans; this is why he was delighted when my middle sister married Judson. Since Judson is a CPA, Ryan was certain he would bring a sense of logic and order to our table talk. Ryan
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The Highbrow Life
When I was in college my friend Elizabeth’s parents were the most sophisticated people I knew. They were both college graduates, they had season tickets to the Coconut Grove Playhouse and went to New York City on a regular basis to catch an opera at the Met or see a ballet.
Grasshopper Talk
At a recent dinner with my two sisters, it occurred to me that their conversation would mystify anyone with a working right brain. Of course, it may well be that my middle aged, male brain is simply not agile enough to follow their discussion.
Some Assembly Required
At lunch my friend Eric told me he bought a TV console on-line for a fraction of what he would have paid at a local furniture store. He showed me a picture of a handsome credenza with a beautiful maple finish. “It was cheaper than you’d pay for a TV tray at Target,” he gloated,
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The Scrapbooker
As I boarded the plane for the long flight to Seattle the ticket agent pulled me aside. “A window seat just opened up in First Class,” she said, “and you’re the next one on the upgrade list. Do you want it?” Of course I wanted it and even though I prefer the aisle I was
Like Mother Used to Make
I sometimes wonder why we Baby Boomer are so obsessed by food. We idolize the Top Chefs and love to try new food at trendy restaurants. We spend our nights watching the Food Network and we search for the ultimate hot sauce. But why?
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Tea for Two
Mid-life crises come in many shapes and sizes. My younger brother’s came after he had his second heart attack before the age of 45 after which he quit his job, sold his South Florida house and bought a double-wide outside of Ocala where he can commune with nature and listen to the dueling banjos.