A glacial facial

WE’RE STILL LOOKING FOR rain and not finding any. So, not one to fly in the face of providence, I went white-water rafting down Keystone Canyon along with John and Jan and eleven other hardy souls. It was so hot beneath all the rain gear and boots and life jackets that it was a positive…

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Take that, ChatGPT.

Those wonderful folks at Head of Zeus have reissued the Star Svensdotter trilogy in new digital editions featuring eye-popping new cover art. Excerpt– “You’ve got your martyr’s expression on, Star,” Archy said.  “The hell you say.”  Then, startled, I said, “How can you tell?”  “Didn’t you know?”  Archy sounded surprised, but it could have been my…

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This might be my kind of cruise

The first afternoon is spent finding the ship, and then finding the lounge and the theater, the two dining rooms (one buffet, one sit-down) and the library. Eventually and inevitably, we end up on stools at the Harbor Bar on the aft deck. About the ship. The S.S. Universe Explorer was launched in 1957, is…

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Dana’s Rustic Loaf

Morning of the day before: 20 ounces unbleached white flour1 teaspoon granulated sugar1 1/2 teaspoons table salt1 scant teaspoon yeast2 cups cold water Stir all ingredients together into a gooey dough. Spray lightly with oil, cover tightly with saran wrap, and let sit overnight on the counter. It will double, if not more. The morning…

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Shelob. Shagrat. Sauron. *shudder*

Seriously? Of course there will be spoilers. *** It’s been a long time since I’ve reread The Lord of the Rings first page to last (as opposed to pulling down one volume or another and rereading just my favorite parts, which I do all the time). It remains as compelling and as thrilling and heartbreaking an adventure…

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Adventure over, exeunt.

January 22, 2022 Reread this for the first time in decades. It’s even better than I remembered it, especially the narrator’s editorial asides, among which: …you could tell what a Baggins would say on any question without the bother of asking him. …one morning long ago in the quiet of the world, when there was…

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