Burnt Chocolate Stories

I grew up in an apartment and had never lived in a house until we moved to Evanston in 1974, just a few days before our fifth child, Rebeccah was born. I had no idea what to do with the yard, the raised beds, the endless lilac bushes along the fence. With a new baby and four small children, I had the winter to think and plan and learn. While I definitely made mistakes along the way, gardening became a favorite hobby of mine which I shared with my new friend Jeanie who remains close to my heart to this day. Each May, we would go to the garden sale by local gardeners and add to our gardens, a lovely memory. From Evanston, we moved to Long Grove, then a near north Chicago town house, then Dodgeville, then Madison, then Fitchburg. No matter where we lived, I managed to create gardens in small and large spaces. I planted a grove of fruit trees and five perennial circles in Dodgeville, peonies in Fitchburg. The downtown garden was small but held a cone shaped hydrangea and a small stone pat...

  Zoe, Barry, Sarah and Me at the Tower of London Sarah and I had a wonderful cruise down the Danube. And now that I've actually done it, I can check that off my bucket list. On the one hand, it was great being with Sarah for a week. We saw the sights, played rummy 500, met some nice people, ate lots of delicious food. Steve and I had a plan to do this cruise in 2020, then covid hit and we were cancelled. When covid ended, it seemed a river cruise was no longer possible for him. In truth, and in hind sight, a river cruise would not ever have been Steve's choice at any stage in his life. He was my live in travel guide, loved planning the places we'd go and the things we'd see. I so enjoyed those rides with him. Seeing London through my granddaughter Zoe's eyes was great fun. She knows the best restaurants, train schedules, bus stops - you name it, she's on it. In 2015, Steve and I took her and her cousin Mackenzie to London and Scotland for a couple of weeks. We ...

My week on the Romantic Danube River Cruise ended yesterday. Fortunately, my daughter Sarah thought to purchase walking sticks for me to use on the many walks we took in Regensburg, Vienna and Budapest. I honestly think I would have been lost without them. My steps have tripled on my apple watch - up to 5 miles a day. I've always wanted to take a river cruise, which was very enjoyable, and I can now check off that box on my list.  One highlight of the trip was visiting a monastery in Regensburg, beautifully restored and home to seventy monks. Local children attend the school housed there and the view was spectacular. Wine and apricots provide income as do the many tourists that visit daily. Budapest is home to the largest and most gorgeous synagogue in the world, but I regret not seeing it for a second time, having visited it in 2006.  Today I am in an apartment in London with Sarah and her husband Barry, visiting my granddaughter Zoe who has made London her home for the next ...