The Path Not Taken

I wrote poetry before I wrote books; I spent about five years of my teens taking refuge in verse. Other choices lead to me becoming a novelist; had I not made them I think I would have instead become a poet. I'm very glad I decided to write books, but sometimes I wonder who I would have been had I traveled the road less taken. That's what I kept thinking as I read In a Dream You Saw a Way to Survive by Clementine Von Radics.

This is not an easy book of poetry to read. The author was (or is) mentally ill. It's frank to a brutal degree, and howls with pain, and demands answers the poet will likely never get. I saw way too much of myself in the verses, and you might, too. I don't recommend reading this if you're feeling fragile; it might smash you to pieces.

With that disclaimer, this is a brilliant, intimate collection of intensely personal thoughts that draw you into a silent conversation with the poet. I haven't been this impressed by someone's verse since reading Ariel by Sylvia Plath. So there's that, too.

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Better than Fried

I cut some chives from the kitchen garden to make garlic-chive baked fries for dinner. This is a great side dish for veggie burgers. Click here for the recipe from Taste of Home.com.

Stuff

After finding this Caron one pound skein of lovely peach yarn in my thrifted lot I raided my stash for two cakes of Mandala in Pegasus, which matches it perfectly. For practice and hand therapy I'm going to make another Worth Street Afghan with this free pattern , but this time I'll use the yarn that was recommended for it plus the one pound skein. I'm not quite ready to do the vintage/recycled linen quilt I had planned (still a bit too nervous about the idea), so I'm going to use some color therapy and make a quilt from these thrifted green fat quarters. I considered doing another Yellow Brick road patchwork pattern, but I might go with a split rail fence like this one.

Make It Yourself

As we head into December, here are ten ideas for easy handmade gifts: Cookie Exchange: If you live close to your friends invite them over for a cookie exchange. Basically everyone bakes a set amount of their favorite cookies, and these are exchanged at the gathering by lottery, sharing a little from each batch with everyone, or however you want to do it. You can also exchange recipes, too. My neighbor did this once and it was wonderful. Favorite Recipe Cookbook : For my favorite person I found a copy of my favorite cookbook from a vintage bookseller (yes, I am that old) and went through it making notes on all the recipes I used, how I tweaked them, etc. Ornament: There are probably a million free tutorials on how to make your own holiday ornaments, so do some research online. I like to make hanging pomanders , which smell heavenly and are biodegradable after the holidays. Mug Rugs: If you sew, making up a set of mug rugs is simple and easy; I add these every year to my ...

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