Had a flood in my house last week, so I’ve been moving furniture and possessions, steamcleaning carpet and other fun things of this nature. But the good news is I found my biography of Ernie Pyle, written by his boss and friend Lee G. Miller. It has lots of excerpts […]

I remember years ago when the lieutenant governor of Massachusetts was pregnant with twins and people were talking about how much time off she ought to have. I was amazed at the presumption, made by all these seemingly intelligent people, that if the lieutenant governor did not show up for […]

I am still laboring happily through Edmund Wilson’s book Patriotic Gore, and, though difficult, it’s very rewarding. For example, James Russell Lowell wrote a lot of poems which you or I would not get much enjoyment out of, no matter how we worked at it. But Lowell wrote some funny […]

I just helped clear out my parents’ house in New Hampshire, and among the treasures I found were some columns I wrote for the Newton Graphic back in 1979. All the clippings from my 20 years in journalism were destroyed in a house fire in 1996, so the only reason […]

I would say that I am a Christian, because I belive deeply in the teachings of Jesus. But I have trouble associating with the various sects of the Christian religion, because I am wary of organizations that have a record of burning people alive, however long ago it may be. […]

I’m having tremendous fun with a book called Patriotic Gore by Edmund Wilson, my grandmother’s cousin. I’ve tried to read his books before, but they always seemed to be way over my head. But Patriotic Gore (great book, dumb title) has chapter upon chapter of  scholarship about Harriet Beecher Stowe, […]

Languages change as time goes by, and they get simpler, not more complex. Look at the elaborate phraseology in Shakespeare and Dickens and even Mark Twain, and you’ll see what I mean. They’re often difficult for the modern reader. I worked at a company that creates certification tests for teachers […]

  Lea’s friend Dan posted a link to smosh.com, 22 Most Uncomfortable Album Covers Ever

Kentski, you have been such a wonderful friend, ever since our first party at Essie’s house in Edgartown, not because you brought great wine and sushi, but because you brought yourself, and you are such a gracious person, full of love for the world and for humanity, as anyone can […]