Every autumn I take photos of trees.
Photos of trees that are red orange gold.
Red orange gold, colors flaming under a sky lit with sun and salted with clouds.
Salted with clouds, the sun sifts through creating light and shadow.
Light and shadow of an autumn day.
After I made the Pumpkin Bundt Cake, I had six ounces, or 3/4 of a cup, of pumpkin left. (Cooking math is the most important kind of math, and if I could go back in time to my freshman algebra class, I would tell Mr. W, “Who cares about solving for x — there is no x in cooking!”)
So, what to do with the leftover pumpkin? I hate to throw food away. It’s like throwing money in the garbage. And there are other more important considerations when food is thrown away. The waste ends up in landfills. The energy used to raise, cultivate, package, and distribute the food has been wasted. All that investment and those expended resources with no caloric intake to show for it. And as weather patterns change, food will become more scarce.
My husband suggested I make pumpkin pancakes, so I found a recipe that called for a 1/2 cup of pumpkin. All you math phenoms will know this left me with two ounces or a 1/4 cup of leftover pumpkin. (Now, I’m just showing off my math skills.)
This morning I made a batch of pumpkin pancakes, which yielded nine pancakes. We have a few leftover, but my husband will eat them. I put sliced bananas and maple syrup on mine. My husband opted for butter and maple syrup on his.
I still have two ounces of pumpkin. I could try making a pumpkin spiced latte, but that looks like a lot of work, and I don’t have anything to froth the milk. I could try feeding some to my dog, Ziva, but she’s turned her nose up at pumpkin in the past. I could just eat it. I tried a teaspoon when I made the cake, and it’s not bad. The two ounces are back in the fridge. I think I’ll mix them in with my oatmeal along with a sliced banana.
Simply Pumpkin Pancakes
Ingredients
Yields 4 servings of two pancakes each. (I ended up with nine pancakes.)
Directions
Yesterday I made a pumpkin bundt cake from scratch. I discovered the recipe on the blog In Diane’s Kitchen. I’m proving a point to Betty Crocker.
On Tuesday I called Betty Crocker. Well, not a real Betty Crocker because she doesn’t exist. Instead, I talked to a representative in the General Mills customer care department. I lodged a complaint because Betty Crocker cake mixes have shrunk — again.
For most of my life, cake mixes were 18.25 ounces. I have some great cake recipes that call for an 18.25-ounce cake mix and build from there, like a decadent chocolate rum cake and a tasty pistachio cake. So about ten years ago when the cake companies dropped the mixes to 15.25 ounces, I wasn’t happy. At the time, I called Betty Crocker and Duncan Hines to complain. (Unlike Betty Crocker, Duncan Hines was a real person, but he died in 1959.) Neither company cared that I was concerned my cake recipes could become obsolete — 15.25 was their new standard. They weren’t rude, not at all. They were apologetic and sympathetic, but I could read between the lines — I could like it or lump it. (The phrase customer care is an oxymoron.) Fortunately, my cake recipes still worked with the 15.25-ounce size.
But last week I discovered there has been another shrinkage. Betty’s cake mixes are now 13.25 ounces. So far Duncan Hines is still weighing in at 15.25 ounces, as is Pillsbury. When I called Betty Crocker’s consumer care department on Tuesday, I told them I would no longer buy their cake mixes. I explained that I wasn’t about to experiment by using a cake mix that is 5 ounces less than the amount called for in the recipe. I further explained that if other companies followed suit, I would make all my cakes from scratch because I have some good recipes. The customer care representative was sympathetic and kept saying, “I’m sorry about that.” She said she would pass my concerns along. But I know nothing will change, except in the future when the cake mix loses more weight.
You can google to find out how much extra flour and other ingredients, like baking soda, to add to the prepared mix. But go ahead and call me “my father’s daughter” on this one: I’m not buying a product then adding what the company should have added in order to make up the difference. One website suggested buying two boxes of cake mix, and adding six tablespoons from the second box to the first box. Then I was to seal up the leftover cake mix and save it to use for other cakes. AS IF!
So yesterday to prove my point to Betty Crocker, I made a pumpkin bundt cake — from scratch. Because I follow the blog In Diane’s Kitchen, the recipe landed in my email a couple of weeks ago. Pumpkin mixed with a dash of cinnamon, ground cloves, and ground ginger makes this cake taste like a slice of autumn. It has the consistency of a pound cake, which pairs well with coffee. And, in my experience, baking a pound cake is more forgiving than baking a regular cake.
Some thoughts to keep in mind if you make this cake:
I will make this cake again. It was worth the extra time and effort. Besides while I made the cake, I listened to A Lady’s Guide to Gossip and Murder, the second book in Dianne Freeman’s Countess of Harleigh Mystery series.
[To read my review of Freeman’s first book in the series, click here.]
The winds howl, trees drop leaves, and squirrels, in a frenzy, bury seeds. Halloween decorations are coming down, and Christmas decorations are going up. I wear my down coat and knit hat and sometimes my mittens when walking my dog. It’s the perfect season to enjoy cozy mysteries. I like to tuck them between the more serious books I read.
I enjoy a good cozy mystery, as long as it’s not too cozy. There has to be some close calls, some murder, and some despicable characters. But there also has to be some humor, some quirky characters, and it has to be tame enough to read or listen to before bedtime. Of course, the line between a cozy and a not-so-cozy mystery is subjective, but I know where my line is when I read one.
I have recently discovered two cozy historical mystery series, both set in England, that I like well enough to read the next book in each series.
A Samuel Pepys Mystery: The Brampton Witch Murders by Ellis Blackwood
The Brampton Witch Murders is the first book in the Samuel Pepys Mystery series. It’s set in 1666 in England. Samuel Pepys runs an investigating agency in London. He has two inquisitors, Abigail Harcourt and Jacob Standish, who work for him. Pepys learns that his sister, Paulina, has been accused of witchcraft, and Simon Hopkins, a devious, zealous witch hunter has been sent to prosecute her. Pepys dispatches Abigail and Jacob to the village of Brampton, where they are to gather evidence to prove that the charges of witchcraft against Paulina and her friend are false. To complicate matters Paulina and her friend are accused of using witchcraft to commit murder.
[Note: The term inquisitors threw me at first because it made me think of an inquisition. I had to re-read the first few pages to understand that Abigail and Jacob were called inquisitors because it was their job to question other characters in order to uncover facts and evidence that would prove Paulina and the other women in the story were being falsely accused of witchery.]
Why did I like this book?
I liked the historical setting and subject matter of this cozy mystery. It’s scary how many characters in the story are willing to believe in Simon Hopkins and his accusations of witchery against the female characters without any proof. While men were sometimes found guilty and executed as witches, it was mostly women who were convicted and executed. Makes you wonder.
This is a fast-paced story and a quick, easy read. Because the book is small and a lot of the chapters are short, I kept it in my purse, so I could read it should I become stuck somewhere waiting for something or someone. The characters are interesting, the dialogue is good, and there are enough plot twists to keep readers engaged and guessing. And while it’s not thick with historical description, I still felt like I was in another time and place. Its themes of hysteria, greed, zealousness, and small-minded thinking are timeless.
A Lady’s Guide to Etiquette and Murder (A Countess of Harleigh Mystery) by Dianne Freeman
Set in 1899, A Lady’s Guide to Etiquette and Murder is the first book in Dianne Freeman’s series featuring Francis Wynn.
As a young naive woman, Frances was a wealthy American with an ample dowry. In a Downton Abbey move, she married Reggie, an aristocrat with a large crumbling manor and a shrinking bank account. Unlike the marriage between Cora and Robert Crawley, romance does not blossom between Frances and Reggie. After nine years of marriage, Frances’s philandering husband dies of a heart attack while in bed with his mistress. There is a cover-up because scandal among the British upper class is to be avoided at all costs. After a year of mourning, Frances leases a house in London and packs up her daughter and her possessions. She is determined to start a new life.
But life becomes complicated for Frances. A Metropolitan police officer shows up at her new home to inform her that the police are investigating Reggie’s death as a possible murder, and she is a suspect. Her brother-in-law has filed a suit against her and her bank account is frozen. Her sister arrives from America for her first London season. And, someone is stealing expensive items at society parties. On the upside, Frances’s next-door neighbor is handsome, intelligent, and helpful. Joining together, Frances and her friends, along with the Metropolitan police officer, work to solve the mystery of Reggie’s death and the rash of thefts at society gatherings.
Why did I like this book?
Freeman’s book is delightful. It’s narrated by the main character, Frances, who is witty, self-effacing, intelligent, unflappable, and perfectly charming. I enjoyed keeping company with her as she traded her widow’s clothes for amateur sleuthing.
With an undercurrent of humor humming through its pages, Freeman’s book gently pokes fun at the upper crust of British society in 1899. Embracing the bravado and the stiff-upper-lip mindset of the British upper class, Frances, her friends, and the police follow certain protocols and unspoken rules revered by Britain’s high society, even while solving serious crimes like murder and theft. (The rich do live in a different realm of reality, whether it be 1899 or 2024.) Freeman delivers a good mystery with an ending I didn’t see coming, except in hindsight.
I listened to this book on my library app. Sara Zimmerman reads this cozy mystery, expertly giving voice to a wide array of characters. I particularly felt her keep-calm-and-carry-on voice was ideal for the character Frances. I’m already listening to the second book in Freeman’s series.
Why did I buy this book?
This book was recommended by Gwen, the manager of Drury Lane Books in Grand Marais, Minnesota, one of my favorite bookstores. (Although, I have to say any independent bookstore I go into becomes one of my favorites! And, once I’m inside a bookstore, I don’t like to leave.)
What is this book about?
Backyard Almanac: 365 Days of Northern Nature covers plants, insects, and animals that can be found in northern Minnesota and northern Wisconsin. One day and one page at a time, readers can learn about birds, butterflies, mosses, mushrooms, berries, wild flowers, amphibians, and trees, among other amazing plants and creatures.
What do I love about this book?
I started reading this book on October 10 because that is when I bought it. I read one page a day, so today I will read the entry for November 6, titled “Jiggly Jelly Fungi of Fall.” I love that I can read about nature one page a day, and it only takes a few minutes. It satisfies my urge to learn about the natural world around me, and it leaves me with time to read other books.
Each page is beautifully laid out. Larry Weber writes clear, concise descriptions with interesting details about each plant, insect, or animal. Photographer Sparky Stensaas provides beautiful photographs and informative captions. And illustrator Judy Gibbs’s enchanting sketches grace every page. It’s fascinating how much life can be found on the forest floor, in low-growing vegetation, and in trees if a person knows where to look.
At the end of each month’s section, is a blank page where a person can record notes about nature. An index at the back of the book makes it easy to look up entries. Because of the book’s thick, glossy, high-quality paper, the photographs are sharp with great color reproduction. Also, the book is heavy — good for doing some arm-toning reps, which I actually do if no one is watching.
What makes this book important?
The more people understand about nature and its interconnectedness, the more they will respect and treasure all of its plants, insects, and animals.
My grandkids didn’t have school today, and they don’t have school tomorrow, so they came to my house. I was hoping for nice weather because I planned to take them on a hike to Lost Falls in Cornucopia, Wisconsin, today, and to Cascade Falls near Grand Marais, Minnesota, tomorrow. But rain, cold, and winds up to 30 mph said differently.
Instead we went to the mall. Our first stop was the bookstore, where I bought each grandkid two books for Halloween. Then we hiked to the indoor playground. While they played, I took out my book — A Samuel Pepys Mystery: The Brampton Witch Murders by Ellis Blackwood — and I began to read.
About fifteen minutes later, my first grandchild came for her book — Dipper’s & Mabel’s Guide to Mystery and Nonstop Fun! — and she began to read.
A few minutes after that, my third grandchild came for his book — The Wild Robot by Peter Brown — and he began to read.
Not to be left out, my second grandchild came for his book — Demon Slayer Kimetsu No Yaiba #1 by Koyoharu Gotouge — and he began to read.
My fourth grandchild ignored the trend and kept playing on an interactive screen. He enjoys its puzzles, games, and coloring app. He read his book — Creepy Carrots! by Aaron Reynolds — on the way home.
I didn’t give my grandkids candy for Halloween. They’ll get a stash of it tonight when they trick or treat in the rain and cold and wind. I gave them candy for the imagination.
As a writer, I love that they love books.
Below is a slideshow of our books.
Bayfield, Wisconsin, has two wonderful bookstores: Honest Dog Books and Apostle Island Booksellers. Last week I wrote about Apostle Island Booksellers. Today, I will write about Honest Dog Books.
Yes, your dog is welcome in the store. And yes, treats will be provided for your dog while you shop for books. Also, you might meet the shop dogs, Elton and Matt — unless they’re at the beach or in the woods. (If I ever come back as a dog, I want my human to be a bookstore owner!)
When you walk into Honest Dog Books, it’s like entering a cozy rustic lodge. Warm wood tones gather you into a big bear hug.
The store is stocked with loads of wonderful books. You will find classics and new releases; local authors from Wisconsin, Michigan, and Minnesota; books on the great outdoors; and books for people of all ages. And yes, books about dogs, fiction and nonfiction.
You can walk in the front door of Honest Dog, buy a book, and walk out the back door into a beautiful courtyard, a wonderful place to sit and read the first chapter of your new book or talk about books with a friend.
If you walk through the courtyard, you will enter a separate space called the Dog House where you can buy rare used books and vinyl records displayed in a small charming building with painted murals of book spines. The book-painted stairs lead back to the courtyard. The books painted on the inside of the garage door decorate the ceiling when the door is open on a nice day. On a cold or rainy day, the painted books become part of the wall.
So, what did I buy at Honest Dog Books? The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon. The book has been on my to-be-purchased list for a long time, and it seemed right to buy it at Honest Dog Books.
During COVID, Honest Dog Books hosted author talks via Zoom. At a time when in-person social events were severely limited and businesses were closed, Honest Dog’s Zoom events gave readers and writers a chance to talk to authors. It also gave authors a way to launch their books during the lockdown. I will forever be grateful for the evenings spent meeting writers and listening to them talk about their books. It helped ease the isolation of COVID.
Below are the books that I bought — and loved — from Honest Dog during COVID after meeting the authors on Zoom. They are listed in no particular order.
Fox & I: An Uncommon Friendship by Catherine Raven, a memoir
Welcome to the Goddamn Ice Cube: Chasing Fear and Finding Home in the Great White North by Blair Braverman, a memoir
North of the Tension Line by J. F. Riordan, a novel
The Audacity of Goats by J. F. Riordan, a novel
Robert’s Rules by J. F. Riordan, a novel
Icebound: Shipwrecked at the Edge of the World by Andrea Pitzer, nonfiction history
To read a post from February 2021 about my joyful experience of ordering books from Honest Dog during a brutal cold snap in the middle of COVID. Click Here.
Bayfield, Wisconsin, has two wonderful bookstores: Apostle Island Booksellers and Honest Dog Books. Every time I visit Bayfield, I visit both places. I will talk about Apostle Island Booksellers in this blog, and Honest Dog Books in an upcoming blog.
Apostle Island Booksellers is small but gorgeous, and stocked with a wonderful selection of books. Walking through the front door, transports me back in time, into a warm and cozy and other-worldly space. A creamy-white tin ceiling with old-fashioned lights — the kind that bring old schoolhouses and libraries to mind — hangs over the natural-colored wood floors. Windows trimmed in decorative molding, wooden shelves, brick accents, and an old area rug catch my eye. But it’s the colorful covers of books that win over, and I look for something to take home with me.
I walk around the front part of the bookstore, then head for the small back room tucked away like a treasure. As I go, my eyes scan titles and cover art. Along the hallway and in the back room, more books are displayed, making use of every available place to shelve a book. I’m happy to see the room around the corner is unchanged. It has what every bookstore should have: a place for a reader to sit and read a few pages of a book, to see if it’s a good fit.
I think I’ve made up my mind about which book I will buy, but I finish looking around the store before I pluck Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut from its spot on the shelf. My nephew suggested I read it, and I’ve also read that it’s one of Vonnegut’s best.
I discover another book, The Shipping News by Annie Proulx, and snap a picture of its cover. The synopsis intrigues me, but I will think about this book. I might borrow it from the library, or buy it at another bookstore, or buy it from Apostle Island Booksellers the next time I’m in town. Like other book lovers, I wish I could buy all the books that catch my fancy, but I’m limited by the coins in my purse and the space in my home. And my mind becomes uneasy if my To-Be-Read piles mushroom too quickly on the flat surfaces in my home.
While I pay for my book, the clerk and I strike up a conversation about British literature. We are both huge fans and discover that in our early years, we read almost nothing else but British literature. Her love of British authors started with Shakespeare when she was in ninth grade. My love started with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes stories when I was in seventh grade.
I slip my new book into my large purse, and head to Honest Bog Books. I have one more book to buy.
MY TOWN HAS A NEW BOOKSTORE! And I’m shouting with joy. Maria Lockwood opened Foxes and Fireflies Booksellers on August 31. For the time being, her bookstore will be open on Saturdays and Sundays from 10:00 to 5:00, and some occasional evenings. During the week Maria works as a journalist for the Superior Telegram. That’s a lot of dedication to the printed word.
Since visiting the store this morning, I’ve been walking around in a state of happiness. The last bookstore in Superior closed down seventeen years ago. It was a well-loved, successful bookstore, but the owners wanted to retire. And when they locked their doors for the last time, they left behind many bereft bibliophiles.
But now we have a new bookstore. Foxes and Fireflies is currently located in the old post office building in Superior. It’s in a business incubator space — a place where Lockwood’s bookstore can grow and gain a clientele before she relocates to another, larger space.
Lockwood’s bookstore has several places to sit, where a reader can peruse the first pages of a book, trying on a story to see if it will be a good fit. There are kid-friendly spaces with puzzles, some games, and children’s books. I have two grandchildren with birthdays in September and October. They love books, and I plan to take them to the bookstore. They will find the store as magical as I do.
Lockwood has created a warm, inviting space that makes me feel at home while I hang out with books waiting to become my new friends. While most of the books are new, customers can also find some gently loved used books for sale. Besides books, she stocks some beautiful journals, coffee cups, and dish towels, among some other fun objects like stickers.
Today I bought two journals, one decorated with sea creatures and the other with owls; a dish towel scrawled with Shakespearean insults; and the novel North Woods by Daniel Mason.
I’m thankful to have a bookstore in my town. In a couple of years, one of the two bridges connecting Superior and Duluth will close down while the bridge is being rebuilt. It’s hard to know how that will impact travel to Duluth, but I’m guessing it will be a challenge. There are three independent bookstores and one big-box bookstore in Duluth, but when that bridge closes down, driving to them won’t be convenient.
I would rather buy books than clothes or jewelry or dinners out. I would rather read than watch TV. At the end of every day, I ask myself, “Shall I watch something on Netflix or BritBox or shall I read?” Ninety-six percent of the time I choose to read and let the stories play in my head.
When I travel, I love to visit small independent bookstores. Perhaps I’ve been to a bookstore in your town or will visit one in the future. If you come through my town on a weekend, visit Foxes and Fireflies at 1401 Tower Avenue, Superior, Wisconsin. There is plenty of parking on the side street or behind the building.
Get thee to an indie bookstore, or as Shakespeare said, “Fie on thee, jolt-head.” (I’m going to have fun with my new dish towel.)
After fifty-three years, I believe I’m finally ready to get up on a stage and play the Wizard in The Wizard of Oz. When I performed the role in seventh grade, I developed severe stage fright. My voice, which was supposed to roar from behind a curtained booth, stuttered and whimpered instead, barely audible.
Saturday night I went to see Liberace & Liza, A Tribute at the Depot Theater in Duluth. David Saffert and Jillian Snow, two excellent entertainers, became Liberace and Liza for the evening. The show was a wonderful ninety-minute escape into a bygone era from my youth. My sisters and I grew up watching TV variety shows starring Liberace, Dean Martin, Carol Burnett, Sonny & Cher, and Flip Wilson.
Near the end of their act, Liberace and Liza performed a skit called “Liberace OR Liza.” They explained they would read scenarios, and two volunteers from the audience would take turns guessing if the statement was about Liberace or Liza. However, when they asked for two volunteers to come up on stage, the audience went silent. Finally, Liberace and Liza encouraged a young man from the second row to join them. The man, named Kevin, wore a black T-shirt and a pair of gold sequined pants. I had seen him forty minutes before the show started. I had admired his outfit, figuring it was a nod to Liberace and Liza, who both loved sequins. But I had also wondered if he would be part of the show.
No one else raised a hand.
I waited. I mulled it over: a chance to perform with Liberace and Liza, who kept pleading for a second volunteer. All I would have to do was smile big and answer questions in a cheerful, audible voice. I thought some more. I had a chance to be part of a variety show, even if it wasn’t televised. I could smile big and have some fun. After all, I reasoned, the real Liberace was a hometown boy from Milwaukee, so I should help him and Liza. I, too, was born in Milwaukee, and lived there until I was five, when we moved to Franklin, which is still in Milwaukee County.
I stuck my hand high in the air and volunteered.
I was sitting near the back of the theater, so I had a long walk to the stage. Pushing aside the memory of my seventh-grade acting failure, I strode forward, feeling confident and fearless — I became Quiz-Show Contestant on her way to win jubilantly or lose gracefully.
When my sisters and I watched the real Liberace on TV, he performed in flashy colorful sequined outfits. His fingers, festooned with diamond-and-gold jewelry, flew up and down the keys on a golden piano that sparkled with mirrors and rhinestones. The combination of his fast-paced piano playing and his never-ending glitz mesmerized us. If he had played a plain piano while wearing a black tuxedo and using bare fingers, my sisters and I would never have noticed him, even if he had kept the same frenetic playing style. Liberace was an excellent showman who understood how to sell an image.
Before I went to the tribute show, I looked up Liberace and learned that from the 1950s to the 1970s, he was the highest paid performer in the world. I also learned that serious music critics panned his piano-playing skills, to which he responded, “I’m crying — all the way to the bank.”
Once on the stage, Liberace and Liza explained the rules of the quiz to Kevin and me. I smiled. I had no sense of dread or wishing they would get on with it, so I could go back to my seat. I was having fun. Liberace wore a sequined red-white-and-blue, stars-and-stripes themed jacket with long red fringe dangling from its sleeves; a pair of matching sequined hot pants; red-white-and-blue knee highs; and sparkling shoes. Liza wore a red-sequined top and pants, loosely covered by a flowing, floor-length black gauzy garment. Under the stage lights, the gold sequins on Kevin’s pants lit up like fireflies. I wore mostly black, sans sequins. My only bling was a pair of subdued silver earrings and two small rings.
Kevin’s personality matched the sparkle of his pants, and he embraced his role. I didn’t try to upstage him. I became the calm, composed character next to Kevin’s funny-guy schtick. I smiled, made a few restrained theatrical gestures, and answered three questions, earning one point. Using grand theatrical gestures and hammy facial expressions, Kevin answered all three of his questions correctly, so he won the big prize. I received a consolation prize, a very cool Liberace & Liza tribute sticker. Liberace and Liza shook hands with me and thanked me. I shook Kevin’s hand and congratulated him. I had become Quiz-Show Contestant Losing Gracefully. But I smiled because I was triumphant in defeat — not once did I experience stage fright, and I had a great time. I even wished there had been someone to take a picture of me up on the stage.
Liberace took my hand and escorted me off the stage. For a moment, as I made my way back to my seat, I wished that I could have felt fearless and confident in seventh grade while playing the Wizard. But my self-assured debut with Liberace and Liza made up for my seventh-grade acting debacle.
Kevin’s big prize was to be serenaded by Liza while he sat on a stool upon the stage. He embraced this with delightfully comic acting, even singing along with Liza near the end of the song. And, although he sang off key and seemed unsure of the words to the song, something about Kevin and Liza’s bit made me think he may have been a plant in the audience. I had even thought about this when he was encouraged to volunteer. On the one hand, Liberace’s and Liza’s interactions with Kevin seemed so spontaneous, but on the other hand, could they really leave finding the perfect contestant to chance? One who would be able to ham it up with Liza as she sang to him? Even Kevin’s outfit made two arguments. Had he dressed to be part of the act or had he just been an enthusiastic audience member? Either way, his glittering gold pants sure looked good on stage, making him the perfect accessory to Liberace and Liza.
The intrigue around Kevin’s role made it even more fun for me. I know someone I could ask, who would probably tell me if Kevin was a plant or not, but I don’t want to spoil the magic and mystery of the moment. Besides, Kevin was perfect up there. I would not have been as entertaining if Liza had had to sing her heart out to me.
Liberace, Liza, and Kevin didn’t realize it, but I did win the bigger prize. I had zero stage fright, and I didn’t worry if I was going to look silly. Something else that Liberace and Liza didn’t know, but the warmth and good humor they had exuded throughout their show, let me know I would be in kind hands if I went up on the stage
Wisdom doesn’t belong to seventh graders playing the Wizard. But thankfully, I have gained some as I have aged: Smile big, have some fun, and don’t be afraid to be silly. That’s what I did. And that’s what Liberace, Liza, and Kevin did.
Writing Near the Lake 