Sue Stories
Week 49: Holiday Hearth and Home Bread
When did December become a month that I dreaded? For most of my adult life, the month of December (albeit stressful) was filled with joy, sparkle, music, magic, generosity, decorations, surprises, big hearts, friends, and family. In fact, most years my home looked as though it had been pulled off the set of Radio City Music […]
Week 48: Boozy Bourbon Balls With a Shot of Joy
‘Tis the season to reflect. I’m pretty sure that the Ghost of Christmas Past will be visiting with a vengeance this year. And, while I’m hoping to keep my cool with the Ghost of Christmas Present, the Ghost of Christmas Future needs to leave me the f—k alone! I desperately wanted to find my mothers […]
Week 39: A Jerk Two Ways
“I need help.” Why are these three words so difficult to say? Is it an admission of weakness? Is it that you don’t want to be a bother, or take precious time from those you care about? Is it pride, shame, or guilt? It used to be really hard for me to ask for help, […]
Week 32 : Hello Sailor!
Combine the grandeur (and romance) of tall ships, curious boy-crazy teenage girls, and handsome foreign sailors and I’d say you have the makings of a very good story! But, only if one those boy-crazy teenage girls (me) had a better memory and took a great deal of creative license, which I’ve not done, but it’s […]
Week 30: Auntie Does Fish
When I selected this recipe, I thought for sure that it would be easy to write something of relevance, because it was my mom’s Aunt (my great-aunt) Dot’s recipe. But, after five days of stewing, I’ve got nothing. What’s the reason, you ask? I have virtually no personal memories of my Aunt Dot, and the information I’ve […]
Week 29: Maine, Chocolate and a Mystery
A few months before my mom died, she sent Kara a gift—an author signed book titled Miss Rumphius—to celebrate her 5th birthday. As I’ve mentioned before, my mother valued words, reading, and books above most things, therefore most gifts given to my kids were books. At that time, she was living in subsidized housing in New […]
Week 28: Peppers and the Past
For most people, Grandma (or in my case, Nana) is synonymous with warmth, tenderness, well-worn aprons, fresh-baked cookies, snuggles, silly games, and front-row cheering during school concerts. While I have every intention of making sure that image is true for my grandchildren, this was not the case with me and my mom’s mother, my Nana. […]
Week 27: Sangria Rocks
Do snakes and sangria have something in common? Not really, but in today’s blog post they do…sort of. To celebrate the Fourth of July I went on a hike with my dog Willow in Snake Rocks Preserve in Woodstock NY. For many years I’ve driven past the trail sign and each time I think to […]
Week 23: Taco Salad with a Kick
I am clearly not mentally stable because… horrific baby oil-induced sunburns, gritty PB&J and sand between my butt cheeks are my first thoughts of a beachtown summer upbringing. In all fairness, it’s not my fault that I don’t have pavilion cotton candy, beach ball, sailing, cute tan lifeguard memories, because I only spent a few […]
Week 17: The Crazy Cake Cure
Cake is the ultimate problem solver. Or so I thought when I was a kid. I was eight when I baked my first cake for my mom to cheer her up, using a recipe from my Betty Crocker Cookbook for Kids. I followed the directions to a T (unlike the way I cook now). When […]