Appetizers

My sister-in-law Jen asked me last Thanksgiving why I couldn’t just toss everything on one big board instead of fussing with separate platters. I started … Read more

There used to be a little sports bar on the corner of Elm and 4th in my old neighborhood, a place called The Rusty Nail, … Read more

I was standing in the cheese aisle of our local market last Tuesday when it hit me — that faint, honeyed scent of ripe figs … Read more

My sister-in-law Lena wasn’t trying to impress anyone. I’d stopped by her place on a gray Tuesday in early November to drop off a casserole … Read more

There used to be a tiny dive bar down on Harbor Street in my old neighborhood that made the most incredible snack mix. I’m talking … Read more

Jen wasn’t trying to impress anyone. I’d stopped by her place on a rainy Tuesday to pick up a book I’d loaned her months ago, … Read more

I was getting my car’s oil changed—a Tuesday, 3 PM, the kind of afternoon that feels like it’s wasting itself—when the mechanic, a guy named … Read more

I was standing in the middle of a grocery store parking lot last October when the smell of drying leaves and cold pavement hit me … Read more

Introduction My neighbor Karen wasn’t trying to impress anyone. I’d stopped by to borrow a ladder—our gutters were clogged and it was threatening rain—and the … Read more

I was standing at the counter of my local hardware store, of all places, waiting for someone to cut a new key, when the woman … Read more