Living and Cooking Solo

            After my granddaughter Sierra and I spent June 14 in Kansas celebrating our joint birthday, I returned home to Colorado and began the process of reorganizing my life.  Starting on Monday and continuing each day throughout the rest of the week, I cleaned every corner, crevice, closet and cupboard in my small house although I can tell you “small” seemed an inappropriate adjective by the time Friday arrived.             T his kind of thorough cleaning caused me to question how well I perform my weekly housekeeping tasks; not good it seems as indicated by the dust, cobwebs and other unlikely debris found in the corners and crevices and the amount of clutter found in closets and cupboards.             My housekeeping influences came from polar opposites.   My mother detested cleaning and her house showed it.   My father came from a family that...

          I apologize to my fans.  Every single three of you who hung in during my four-months of blog neglect.  If there is a hell for fallen bloggers, I suppose I’m headed down there, so confession might redeem my soul.  Here goes my “Act of Contrition.”  “The Devil made me do it.”  Actually, the devil was nowhere in the mix.  My excuses are other writing, yard work, gardening and maternity leave.             The other writing involves the biography of a wonderful 90-year-young local woman commissioned by her daughter.   Lola’s story contains all of the elements of a great character-driven novel: love, tragedy, happy and sad times, thrills and spills, struggles, accomplishments, unlimited courage through the difficulties of life and appreciation for the joys around her, including her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.   It should be a best selle...

           At a book signing back in November at the Julesburg, Colorado Community Library, I happened on a box of cookbooks that the librarian planned to weed.  Cookbooks just happen to me.  By that, I mean I cannot resist the temptation to buy bargain cookbooks that seem to magically appear where least expected.  What can I say?  It’s an addiction that I have tried desperately to break to no avail.  I have looked for a Cookbook Anonymous group but if there are such groups, they stay well hidden.             I also clip recipes and when my friend Rose, http://oldbroadsheet.blogspot.com , recently posted a blog about the collecting of recipes, reading it was like peering into a mirror except I’m not nearly as organized as my dear librarian friend.   My clipped recipes just go into a drawer rarely to surface again for actual use.   Periodically I do after much he...