Of cats and clam chowder

I MADE CLAM CHOWDER FOR DINNER TONIGHT. That's not remarkable in and of itself, but one part of the process brought me sadness. You see, our cat, Chuckie, used to meow like a lunatic whenever he heard us use the can opener. Never mind that the last time he was fed from a can that …

Look what 30 years’ll do

We had a family reunion in July, and it was the first time in a long while that all six of us first cousins were together under one roof for an overnight in... well, a whole lotta years. My aunts had scanned some photos of us when we were kids and put them into one …

Traditions

Dear family: KIDDING! SERIOUSLY! Our holiday season tradition for some years has been this: Travel to see them on Thanksgiving, and invite family to visit us over Christmas.  My kitchen stays clean and tidy that way, and Santa doesn't have to figure out where in the world we are. We alternate sides of the family …