I’m an early bird, you know. And I’m getting very excited about the new year, already. This one will be very special — cause it won’t be too long before I’m headed out of state.  A new year in a new place. I wish all the very best of everything  to everyone — even if you weren’t born Jewish. Just about everyone, I suspect, if you look closely enough, can track down a Jewish relative.  I feel so proud being part of the tribe and when I get called a Jewish mother — I smile! Can’t always tell by the name, you know. Marvin Hamlisch and I got along...

I used to tell people that my all-time favorite age was 35 — but I’ve changed my mind.  I think being 60 is far more fun — in different kinds of ways.  Sure, at 35 I wore a size 6 comfortably, made small waves in the national PR community, was a correspondent for a San Francisco journal, worked with my spectacular husband on designing our dream house, and was president of the local Bryn Mawr Club –la di da.  (Is that how Annie Hall said it?) But that was before I had a precious family — and that was before I learned to say what I meant — not what I hoped people...

Sometimes, when I know I should be taking a walk, drinking more water, doing all the things a girl’s gotta do — I give myself a very quick  three minute break. If I need something funny, I turn to a genius like Woody Allen for help.  I still can’t decide who’s funnier — Woody Allen or Larry David?   www.youtube.com/watch?v=EN2m5x4djaE After Jimmy and I finished reading “Bonfire of the Vanities” — see my blog tribute to Maestro James DePreist — I heard they were making it into a movie and that Mick Jagger wanted to play the reporter.  He...

I think my mother was the wisest woman in the world. She taught me how to set a table so it looked appealing — how to fold napkins the prettiest ways, how to cut sandwiches, — even  how to put my hand on my dance partner’s shoulder the same way her favorite ballerinas did.  How did she know?   She taught me how to make salad dressing, how to inscribe books, how important it was to be on time and what it means socially when you make someone wait.  (Wait a second–  that’s what my father taught me — he never wore a watch till later on and he rarely was late...

I don’t know about you, but I’m wearing the same top I’ve worn on this holiday for decades.  The background’s navy, and the stripes are crimson and white.  I bought it ages ago in Lincoln City at the original Eddie Bauer outlet out here. It’s July 4th today!  Land that I love.  I want to thank all the brave vets who were there for us when it mattered. Also — I want to say happy birthday to the house that Bill and I designed together, so that our family-to-be would have a roof over our heads.  July 4, 1988. My editor at Pacific Shipper, the late and so truly...

Could there have been a better year than 2008 for a kid smitten by politics to start college?  Forget Hurricane Ike and what it did to Houston!  Thank goodness, Rice University took care of its talented student body and helped Houston, too.  But what about us — 2000  miles away?  We missed our son so much! At first, we tried filling our empty nest with a sweet cockatiel called Tilly. She sat on our shoulders and chirped whenever we played “Mame” for her.  But the house still felt empty. So, I volunteered on a big Senate campaign. You know when you’re on the phone trying to...