Let’s be clear. Blogs are blogs. Power Point Presentations are not. According to my more seriously-minded techie pals, PPP are something else entirely. They are more, well, seriously minded. Humph! After watching a PPP listing ten potential benefits of them, we seemed almost on the same page. I especially honed in on (1) Broadening…
A DAY in the LIFE of a RANGER
Since the mid-1990s, with a time out for Michael-care, I’ve been a volunteer wilderness ranger in the Colorado Rockies. During those 25-some years my life has changed dramatically but the one constant has always been my ranger gig. Hitching myself to Smokey Bear’s wagon was a bit of a stretch. Never considered a rough-and-tumble outdoorsy…
JULY from EVERY ANGLE
Last summer my USFS volunteer colleague, Deb, was on bus duty at the Maroon Bells pick up station. It was July, peak tourist season and we were overwhelmed by the crowds, sometimes welcoming over 1,000 visitors each day. The Bells, a priceless treasure, is the most photographed site in Colorado/Rocky Mountains. After work, during our…
WHAT’S ON YOUR BACK BURNER?
Count on it. The day I drive back to Aspen, after a winter absence, it is always snowing. My last Thursday’s arrival didn’t disappoint, a real blizzard. But after picking up my keys at The Gant’s office and corralling Dan, who drew the short straw, we got my car unloaded. Home, very sweet Home. This…
WHAT’S HAPPENING in YOUR BACKYARD?
Can you spare five minutes to be silly? In these somber times we still need to step outside our life box of concerns and shake it up. You have lots of happy breaths stored beside those worried and stressful ones. Just dig deeper and gulp. It’s CooktheBookFriday, time to share the exceptionally-talented David Leibovitz’s recipes…
LIFE on the SAFE SIDE: A LIST
Can you handle a How-To List? Realizing you’re involved in your own lives, I can hear heavy sighing. Take a deep breath. Grab that leap of faith. Today’s post is loaded with gems of wisdom. Lifesavers. For you. And, loved ones. It’s also CooktheBookFridays. Our recipe is Fattoush, David Lebovitz’s ingenious salad loaded with ‘a…
HOW TO PICK & CHOOSE DELICIOUS
If you’re ever in Aspen and receive an invitation to have dinner with Cathy O’Connell and her husband, Fred Venrick, say, “Yes.” Until last September their back door was a short two blocks from my front door at The Gant. Although I never heard her complain, Cathy’s kitchen was tinier than my present mini-one. When…
WELCOME to MY FOOD BLOGGING UNIVERSE
The Good News: For the first time in my Adult Life I have no one to care for. The Bad News: For the first time in my Adult Life I have no one to care for. One of my dearest friends recently lost her husband. In our frequent conversations she once lamented that she has…
HUGH, BEES & WILDLIFE REFUGES
My end-of-month post is often a favorite since I’m meeting unique recipes and buying ingredients that have never graced my pantry. Michael was a meat and potatoes, Oreo cookies, chocolate marshmallow pinwheels and Häagen-Dazs guy. If there was a bag of Snickers around, hip, hip hooray. He did love spinach, if it was creamed, but…
IRRESISTIBLE FARE and SNORKLE UPDATE
Last summer when we finished cooking through Dorie Greenspan’s Around My French Table, I seriously considered signing off. The major reasons I began LightsonBright. as I’ve often said, were not only to bring structure to a chaotic time but also to chronicle the journey of rebuilding a life. Besides completing the cookbook, I also felt…
LIFE-CHANGING MAGIC: TIDYING UP
The Japanese word, Tokimeku, means joy. I’m 100% fully committed to joy. Raise your hand if you’re for joy. Good show. Let’s move on. This week my life’s been about finding magic. Japanese author Marie Kondo has sold over 3 million copies of her book claiming that one’s life improves dramatically, the joy thing, just…
LENTIL LOVE, MIGHTY MOOSE & OSPREY
If, as someone once remarked, August is the Sunday of summer, it’s a sure bet your Sunday was fast and furious. Remember Nat King Cole’s lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer? Here in the West, we’ve had crazy hazy days because of our 76 forest fires (latest figure). Last Wednesday, on the way to Rocky…
