We have all been there. Being presented with the dreaded fruit cake during holiday gift giving. This Americanized and far different version of the light and lovely, Italian Panettone, is often a leader in the well meaning but often sneaky world of “re-gifting.” Fruit cakes have been the core of cruel jokes the world over andContinue reading “Let Them Eat Cake”
Author Archives: Kathy Simmons
To David on his 60th Birthday
I hold a photograph in my hand. A picture from long ago. Though frayed and fading, it is one that tells a story. A melancholy tale of family, friendship, love and loss. And the unrelenting passage of time. I study the image taken with my father’s old Polaroid camera. Fifty years have come and gone,Continue reading “To David on his 60th Birthday”
The Soup Thief
This afternoon I visited the small market that inspired this story. There was a chill in the air which prompted the need to re-share with all my fellow soup lovers… Day One – Torture. It is nearing lunchtime and I am missing my daily fix. Surely I can make it till dinner. Or can I?Continue reading “The Soup Thief”
Where have you gone, Uncle John?
I remember how he would greet us, his four young nieces, with a cock of his head and a shy smile. Then without fail, that playful wink of his eye. And every time he winked at me, I felt like the most important person in the world. On each and every visit to our LongContinue reading “Where have you gone, Uncle John?”
Amazing Grace
I remember her laugh. That mirthful, contagious laughter which often caused her eyes to well up with tears as she relayed one of her many tales. She loved a funny story. Some days I drive slowly down Catbrier Lane, past her old house. It holds new owners now, people I have never known. Her familyContinue reading “Amazing Grace”
Magic Drinks
For my father…
The Marvelous, Mystical Cure of a Bath
What is your favorite hobby or pastime? “There must be quite a few things that a hot bath won’t cure, but I don’t know many of them.” Sylvia Plath I am addicted to baths. It began in my childhood, at what age I cannot say for certain. I can envision myself and my two sisters bobbingContinue reading “The Marvelous, Mystical Cure of a Bath”
The wit, courage, love, perseverance and humor of the Irish, particularly, my dearly departed mother☘️
What aspects of your cultural heritage are you most proud of or interested in? “On the Road Again” “Your mother,” began Jimmy Dillon, who sat contentedly perched on the bar stool next to mine. It was Christmas Eve and the atmosphere rang of reunion and festivity. Publicans was our beloved hometown bar; a place whereContinue reading “The wit, courage, love, perseverance and humor of the Irish, particularly, my dearly departed mother☘️”
Lee and Joanne
I first encountered her while doing laundry one afternoon, wordlessly, robotically, tending to our clothes. She taking them out of the dryer and me, placing them in. I can still recall that subterranean, no frills room, whose stark walls and dismal atmosphere would make the perfect backdrop for an Alfred Hitchcock horror film. That was,Continue reading “Lee and Joanne”
Memories of Bear Mountain
It’s the tiny bear trinket I remember, possibly more than the place itself. A delicate little figurine with a soft sprinkling of fuzzy fur on its body, which I loved to carry around and stroke as if it were a real pocket pet. My dad bought this cherished gift for me and my three sistersContinue reading “Memories of Bear Mountain”
Shangri-La 