Author Archives: Fran Gardner
Advice
“To thine own self be true.” “Never get involved in a land war in Asia.” “Plastics.” Most advice I’ve gotten over the years I’ve forgotten or ignored. Sometimes I listen. Lately, two pieces of advice from 50 years ago and … Continue reading
Pressman’s hats
September 17, 2019 It was Crazy Hat day a few days ago here at Hawthorne Gardens, my new home in assisted-living land. Robert and I are wearing historic hats—the kind worn by generations of newspaper press workers dating back to … Continue reading
A dot of happy
I use vintage handkerchiefs, found over the years in a dozen places. Some are in better shape than others, and as I carry them about from day to day, they wear out in their different ways. Some of them I … Continue reading
Same as it every was
I’ve been reading History of the Great American Fortunes, a book published in 1909 by Gustavus Myers. Myers may well have been a Marxist, but his social commentary is right on the mark as he calls out the rich and powerful … Continue reading
Bucket baloney
Despite my resolution for this month (February), to avoid thinking, saying or writing negative things, I can’t get a recent Editorial Notebook from the New York Times out of my head. The title is “Last Things First for Patients With … Continue reading
Happy Birthday. I saw it on Facebook.
My birthday is in a couple of days, January 1 to be exact. If this year is like previous years, I will get several dozen Happy Birthday messages on Facebook, most of them from people I know more or less … Continue reading
Don’t sweat the pumpkin seeds
Just a seasonal reminder: if you are roasting seeds from your Halloween pumpkin, you don’t need to clean off all the pulp from every last one. Separating the seeds from the pulp is messy but fun in a visceral sort of … Continue reading
It's just a kitchen, cluttered –but the colors! I love color.
Memories and fabric
On her While She Naps blog, quilter and designer Abby Glassenberg describes a new project, a quilt with 99 hexagons, each one representing a fabric in her stash. “I’ve had some of these fabrics for more than 10 years,” she … Continue reading
A little notice
Jessica Skultity at The Wonky Press (issue #39: Why I’m Writing a Book, Bright Yellow Quilts, and Some Great Links) has said some kind things about a little quilt I made earlier this year. Since it was for a baby, I used … Continue reading