RANCHO LA ZACA-Calif. I’m on a gratitude kick lately. Decorating tips to follow, I promise, but bear with me: In last Thursday’s post, One Little Thing, I talked about the big benefit of doing the one little thing of a gratitude journal. The idea came from author and motivational speaker Jerry Posner, who, in his… Continue reading An Al Fresco Autumn Dinner and Thanks to Jackie
News & Notes
An Easy Sunday Supper – With Thanksgiving Leftovers
RANCHO LA ZACA , California – Everything about Sunday night supper should be easy. I had a girls’ night (not a Sunday) at my NYC pad a few weeks ago, and you’ve never heard so much cackling. There was a bit of eating and, ahem, drinking, too, but the point was I wanted to focus… Continue reading An Easy Sunday Supper – With Thanksgiving Leftovers
Thanks for the Wineries…
SANTA YNEZ VALLEY, California-While we’re in the mode of giving thanks, and heaven knows eating and drinking, let us give thanks for the harvest and for the folks who make wine from it! The beautiful Santa Ynez Valley, Santa Barbara County, where I am lucky to live part of the time, is part of California’s… Continue reading Thanks for the Wineries…
One Little Thing – Gratitude!
We all know how One Little Thing can change our lives, but making it happen means practicing it. Daily, every day. “Did I mention daily? Or so asked a fellow named Jerry Posner, whom I heard speak a few days ago at Canyon Ranch in the Berkshires. Boy am I thankful for being able to… Continue reading One Little Thing – Gratitude!
An Easy, Elegant Seating Plan You Can Make in an Hour
Seating plans, like most forms of etiquette, have their origins in thoughtfulness and practicality. If it is a large seated affair it’s terrible for a guest to be lurching around the room in desperate search of his place card. If it is a smaller party – even for 8 or 10 – it is nice… Continue reading An Easy, Elegant Seating Plan You Can Make in an Hour
The Perils and Pleasures of Thanksgiving Decorating
Doing something for the first time can be daunting, even if it’s something you know how to do. This is as true in decorating and entertaining as in anything. I will never forget the feeling near terror as I faced decorating the great room at Rancho La Zaca last year for Thanksgiving. My sweetheart Tom… Continue reading The Perils and Pleasures of Thanksgiving Decorating
(Last) Postcard From Havana-Part 4: Sketchbook
Here is one last look at Cuba, in my simple, scribbled drawings. If you said your 5-year-old could do this, you’d be correct. It doesn’t worry this “artist” (liberal use of the term) in the least. For years I have kept little sketchbooks of my travels and I find they amuse me as much as… Continue reading (Last) Postcard From Havana-Part 4: Sketchbook
Postcard From Havana-Part 3: Vicente Wolf and Hemingway’s House
One of the most memorable meals of my life was with a small group of friends years ago at the restaurant Georges, atop the Beaubourg (Centre Pompidou) in Paris. It lasted from 2 until 7 – or was it 1 until 8? – and went through I don’t know how many bottles of wine and… Continue reading Postcard From Havana-Part 3: Vicente Wolf and Hemingway’s House
Postcard From Havana-Part 2: Vicente Wolf Weighs in
It occurred to me I really should speak to renowned Cuban-born New York designer Vicente Wolf about Cuba – how it has influenced him as a designer and how Cuba has inspired him. Graciously he obliged. His answers, which might have surprised me before I went there myself last week, do not surprise me now.… Continue reading Postcard From Havana-Part 2: Vicente Wolf Weighs in
Postcard From Havana
Am just back to the ranch with jet lag and a cold, but what a fascinating four days we spent in Havana, frayed and falling apart as she is. The people are friendly and warm, and the vibe is energetic and lively. There’s a burgeoning contemporary art scene, and the Buena Vista Social Club plays… Continue reading Postcard From Havana
Great Gift Ideas, Personal, Practical, and Pretty
NEW YORK-On-the-ball go-getter that you are, you’ve already made your Christmas list and have started shopping. I’m always in the hunt for gifts that are both personal and practical. But finding them ain’t easy, and you do need to start early. Here you go… I had lunch at Doubles the other day, and they definitely… Continue reading Great Gift Ideas, Personal, Practical, and Pretty
A Sauce That Will Rock Your World
As promised, a beautiful green sauce of herbs, capers and olive oil that will rock your world. It could also profoundly enhance your Thanksgiving – or at least your Thanksgiving leftovers – and it’s certainly not too soon to think that. Good gracious, here it is November already! First referenced in my post from October… Continue reading A Sauce That Will Rock Your World