OUT OF AFRICA AND IN INTO ONESELF I’ve recently finished reading Alexander McCall Smith’s eleventh book in “The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency” series and was stunned to read his description of the Africa veldt. As his central character steps out of her van to look

THE SNAKE IN THE GARDEN Christopher Hitchens is an English author and journalist whose work spans 40-years. Currently he’s put the promotion of his memoir, “Hitch-22,” on hold as he struggles with a virulent form of esophageal cancer. In the June edition of “Vanity

THE POETRY OF LIFE I rose early this morning to take my park walk, wanting to be home in time to meet with my gardener. At that hour, I had the place to myself and sauntered along, admiring the rain that had begun to fall and the pearls it deposited on the dusty leaves of the Rhododen

THE ENEMY WITHIN I read a curious article in the Yahoo news (5/24/11) recently about a Canadian couple who was refusing to divulge the sex of their 4 month old child, hoping to allow the infant to develop without suffering a gender bias. Not long after, I came across a report that sai

SCRAPS OF LIFE ON A TELEPHONE POLL The telephone poles on my way to the park are often plastered with posters. At the busy intersections most of them advertise entertainment events but as I move deeper into the neighborhood, the messages are of a personal note. A poster is a literary

A READING STATE OF MIND Authors write books in a mood and about moods. I suppose that’s why I have several tomes lined up beside my armchair with bookmarks sticking out of them.  Some take me into realms of thought; others are an opportunity to kick back and allow myself to be take

THE TWO SIDES OF METAMORPHOSIS Recently, I met a group of friends for lunch. The day was warm and pleasant and there was much friendly chatter at the table for we hadn’t seen one another in some time. It felt good to be in their midst. They were contemporaries who’d worked in coun

THOUGHTS ABOUT A STORY BOOK QUESTION The Caterpillar in Lewis Carroll’s “Alice in Wonderland” pauses from his high perch to ask the title character, “Who are you?” The question seems simple enough but when the answer doesn’t satisfy, the child is subjected to a lec

HOW TO AVOID ARGUMENTS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING We all know that reasonable minds can differ in spite of the facts. Now science is beginning to understand why. In a recent article that appeared in the May 20 edition of “This Week,” Chris Mooney, a science writer, discusses th

LIVING IN FEAR OF THINGS THAT GO BUMP, DAY OR NIGHT “Waiting to Exhale,” a novel by Terry McMillan, is the story of four women who are “holding their breaths” until they find men to whom they can commit their lives  (Wikipedia). I’ve never read the book nor have I s