“The Woman Upstairs”
I’ve finally come to understand that life itself is the Fun House. All you want is that door marked EXIT, the escape to a place where Real Life will be; and you can never find it. No: let me correct that. In recent years, there was a door, there were doors, and I took them and I believed in them, and I believed for a stretch that I’d managed to get out into Reality – and God, the bliss and terror of that, the intensity of that: it felt so different – until I suddenly realized I’d been stuck in the Fun House all along. I’d been tricked. The door marked EXIT hadn’t been an exit at all. Read more
Blackfish
I used to be one of those mothers who took her kids to SeaWorld but I won’t be a grandmother who takes her grandchildren to SeaWorld, the Miami Seaquarium, or any park that holds orca whales in captivity. Years ago, I would watch the seal, dolphin, and whale shows at the SeaWorld in Orlando, laughing at the big tail splash and the human-like learned behaviors but never gave a thought to what the lives of those animals were really like, especially the orca whales. The audience sees crystal blue water, healthy looking animals, and trainers who appear to love them, so not much thought is given to what life is like for a 20-foot 12,000 pound animal who is meant to swim a hundred miles a day in vast open waters but, instead swims in a tank day after day, year after year. Read more 
Sugar Hearts by Eleni’s
What’s not to love about outrageously delicious and exquisitely decorated custom-made cookies by Eleni’s New York? With Valentine’s Day near, there is no better way to celebrate than with sweets and if your favorite Valentine happens to fancy sugar cookies, there is no sweeter gift than the Sugar Hearts Cookie Tin: 48 hand-iced and decorated sugar cookies in a rainbow of colors: blue, yellow, pink, purple, orange, red and green. The cookies are beautifully packaged in a signature Eleni’s rectangular gift tin and wrapped with a red bow, making it the perfect gift for Valentine’s Day or whenever you want to send your loved one some sugar. Read more
“No Cheer in Amazon’s Holiday” – Are You Kidding Me?
Last Friday (January 31, 2014), the top headline on page 1 of Marketplace in the Wall Street Journal read:
No Cheer in Amazon’s Holiday
Online Retailer’s Revenue Rises 20% but Profit Disappoints: Shares Tumble Read more
“The Goldfinch”
Maybe sometimes – the wrong way is the right way? You can take the wrong path and it still comes out where you want to be. Or, spin it another way, sometimes you can do everything wrong and it still turns out to be right?”…this is a question worth struggling with. What if our badness and mistakes are the very thing that set our fate and bring us round to good? What if, for some of us, we can’t get there any other way?” Read more
Chocolate Gifts
All you need is love. But, a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt. -Charles M. Schulz
Finding the perfect chocolate gift for that special someone can be daunting with all the choices – dark, milk, or white, truffles, ganache, nuts, caramels, assortments – but zeroing in on the recipient can make the decision easier. Is the token of your affection an athlete, a baker, a Francophile, a chocolate connoisseur, a vegan, or a cookie lover? If so, consider the following possibilities: Read more
Christopher Elbow Chocolate Turtles
There is a running debate in our home over which Christopher Elbow Chocolate Turtles are better – the dark chocolate or the milk chocolate. With my preference for the dark chocolate and my husband preferring the milk chocolate turtle, there is no hope for a compromise although I keep telling him that if he eats dark chocolate, he will acquire a taste for the richness, subtle differences, and the bold flavor that dark chocolate offers.He then goes into some tirade about how women always want to change men and I realize there is an upside to him not enjoying dark chocolate turtles: I don’t have to share. Read more
The Joy of Jeff’s Peppers
Central Valley, California is a 450 mile long, 50-mile wide flat valley known for growing some of the best peppers in the United States. At Jeff’s Naturals – a Napa Valley-based company specializing in jarred Mediterranean food products – red peppers grown in the Central Valley are roasted, sliced, and packed within 24 hours of harvest to ensure a pepper with a light, smoky flavor and a smooth yet crisp texture. Read more
“If I’d Known You Were Coming”
Everybody needs somebody. Just one other person who is as faithful to them as they are to themselves.
Winner of the Iowa Short Fiction Award (the John Simons Short Fiction Award) in 2013, If I’d Known You Were Coming is a collection of 12 short stories written by Kate Milliken. Although each story stands alone, many of the colorful characters reappear in several of the narratives which makes parts of the book appear to be a novella. The common theme that runs through all the stories is the dysfunctional characters – people who abandon or neglect their children, chase addictions, skirt responsibility, or succumb to their fears or desires – whose flaws impose great harm upon others.
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Next Organics: Dark Chocolate Nuts
One month from today – February 25, 2014 – is National Chocolate Covered Nuts Day. If you’ve never heard of this holiday, you’re not alone….but I’m all for celebrating anything that involves chocolate. Unlike Valentine’s Day which emphasizes chocolate and roses, National Chocolate Covered Nuts Day celebrates two of earth’s most perfect foods: nuts and chocolate, providing the perfect excuse to devour a variety of wholesome nuts covered in rich dark chocolate. Read more
Paddock Post 