"Give a Piece a Chance." — Books. Blog. Pie Classes. And a Pinch of Activism.
This post originally aired as a commentary on Tri States Public Radio. To listen, go here. Author E.B. White once said, “I get up every morning determined to both change the world and have one hell of a good time. Sometimes this makes planning my day difficult.” For me, planning my day is never the … Read more
(You can also listen to this on Tri States Public Radio) I hear myself saying a little too often these days that I’m glad I grew up when I did, before cell phones and selfies. Before the internet became a runaway train of disinformation. Before being famous was valued more than being a good person. … Read more
Sometimes you come across exactly the right book at exactly the right time. A year ago, when I was in a funk and had lost my way, along with my sense of purpose, I read Elizabeth Gilbert’s book “Big Magic.” In it, she poses the question: “What is it you love doing so much that … Read more
Episode 7 of “Stay Calm and Bake Pie” is here. It may be my favorite one, because it’s a celebration of all the pies you’ve been making this month. After watching it, my friend Kee Kee (who you read more about below) texted me this: “When this pandemic started you told me you wanted to … Read more
My “Stay Calm and Bake Pie” series continues with episode 3, and my dad’s favorite pie: banana cream. A friend pointed out, “This is the first time I’ve heard your story where you didn’t talk about how your parents met.” That’s true. In fact, it’s a story that has become THE story of my pie … Read more
I want to get back to being a writer, to writing the book I started in early December, or to scrapping that and starting a new one, even just to blogging, but I’m too restless. Like most people, I am sitting in a prickly pear cactus field of fear and anxiety. With the world as … Read more
During the summer of 2015, I traveled around the world making pie in 9 countries. At long last, I have gotten the story down, but not on paper as you would expect. Instead, I taught myself how to edit a film using iMovie. Forgive my amateur skills, but like I always say about making pie: … Read more
In late March I began what became an extended break from Facebook. I use Twitter and Instagram too, but Facebook is my go-to social platform. It’s a place where I get to hang out with my friends and keep up with their news, which is especially valuable to me because I live on a farm … Read more
This essay originally aired as a commentary on Tri States Public Radio (Macomb, Illinois) LISTEN TO IT HERE Sticking to my New Year’s resolution to exercise more and spend more time outdoors, I’ve been doing a weekly Sunday morning hike with two other girlfriends. Near Farmington, Iowa, we discovered miles of trails through Shimek State … Read more
Here’s something I stumbled upon one day while going down an internet rabbit hole. These whimsical songs/cartoons made me smile and laugh, and since we could all use a little — no, a LOT — more smiling and laughing these days, I wanted to share it. Enjoy! Dark Pie I Jump on Cake To see … Read more