In 1998 Penelope Fitzgerald won the NBCC Award for The Blue Flower. Since then, many of my friends have read that book as their introduction to her and been confused, or worse, underwhelmed. I always recommend starting with The Beginning of Spring, the story of Englishman Frank Reid, proprietor of
We bemoan the rise of the McMansion, the slash-and-burn path of the strip mall--but the real problem may be lurking in the shrubbery.
It was with surprise that I discovered cottage cheese a few weeks ago. My mother says I ate it as a child, but I don't remember. So cheap, so versatile, and with so much protein (more than yogurt or peanut butter)--this is good food, and you can
Experts answer what they know. The Non-Expert answers anything. This week we offer ways to avoid being kissless on New Year's Eve.
Living in Charlottesville, Va., I sometimes have felt far away from the world's cultural centers. And then I discovered the Blackfriars Playhouse in Staunton, Va. Top-quality repertory in the middle of the Shenandoah Valley? Believe it. Performing in the world's only re-creation of Shakespeare&
Drooping flowers are no gardener's friend. So how can you fix them? And, more to the point, how did these things ever get by without us? A few simple ways to make the world bend to our will.
Common on greeting cards and dorm room posters, black-eyed Susans, known as an "aggressive perennial" (translation: a nuisance), are underappreciated. They bloom their hearts out from June to October--that's nearly half the year, folks!--and then, as the petals fade and fall, the center
One person's porch is another's stomping ground; one person's garden is another's view. This week: How to share the world with your neighbors or, failing that, how to suffer their existence.
In two days I'm headed to the place where my family gathers every August, my enthusiasm high despite a mixed historical record. In my suitcase: a copy of the summer issue of the Virginia Quarterly Review. Why? Because I'm making every member of my family read
Even in urban decay, nature can find a way to thrive. This week: Making the case for making friends with your neighbors, both human and insect.
