Thanksgiving embodies the idyllic family feast, at least for us here in America. Our literature, movies, television shows, and commercials (!) all pick up the theme: Thanksgiving is for family. Even our statistical data bears this out: 95 percent of American families gather for Thanksgiving, according to a Harris Poll of people surveyed four years …
November 2020: Plenary Indulgence Extended
I pray for the dead. Yes, it’s a Catholic thing, but I think even if I wasn’t Catholic I’d still pray for the dead. I have a natural pull to do so. Maybe because I know that one day I will be among their ranks, and when that day comes, I would love to have …
Hamilton Becomes Skelilton in New Orleans Thanks to 2020
There is a house in New Orleans they call the Skeleton House. I can’t say that it’s been the ruin of any poor boys, but it has been known to draw big crowds…. One of our cherished Halloween traditions as a family consisted of driving down to the corner of St. Charles Avenue and State …
Don’t Get Spooked: Make Something Delicious with What You Have
The summer heat in south Louisiana can be oppressive. It’s not like the dry heat of southern California or Arizona. No. It’s a heat with teeth … and a fiery humid tongue that licks right through you. It’s a heat that bakes your bones. I am not a fan of the heat. The older I …
Anticipating Christmas
In November 1971 Carly Simon released her second studio album, which was titled Anticipation. The title track of that album soared to number 3 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart, and the following year it nabbed her a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Female Vocalist. It’s a song, she later revealed, that she wrote on the guitar in about …