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Unlike the fictional Southern belle Blanche DuBois, I have only rarely relied on the kindness of strangers, especially when it comes to travel plans. For help, I count on guidebooks and online travel sites such as Trip Advisor. Before a recent trip my husband, Joe, and I took to Washington, D.C., I found You Tube videos by Rob Pitingolo, who runs Trip Hacks DC Tours. I eventually adjusted to Pitingolo’s quirky speech pattern, which GOES something like THIS, paired with r...
The question recently overhead in a Hinsdale boutique wasn't meant for me but I could have answered it. "When do you leave for Europe?" I didn't catch the answer because I was on a mission. My implausible dream: Find chic attire that could lead to my being mistaken for someone fluent in something other than a Southeast Missouri drawl while traveling in - yes - Europe. Given multiple news reports on the high demand for transatlantic flights, perhaps Hinsdale boutiques are...
When my mom passed away in 2016, her legacy included some prime Missouri farmland and a household inventory that ranged from English collectibles, coffee-table books on Great Britain and more plastic storage containers than one could use in a lifetime. Even one that stretched for 93 years. But as I blow through milestone birthdays at an impressive clip, I'm also channeling my London-born mom when it comes to assessing fashion choices. Do these ruffles look silly? Is this...
When songwriters Paul Overstreet and Don Schlitz penned the country song “When You Say Nothing At All,” they didn’t mean keep your mouth shut when your loved one does something trivial that nonetheless annoys you. From the lyrics, it’s clear that we’re being told that a smile, a look or the “touch of your hand” says “I love you” just as clearly as speaking the words aloud. But I want to make the case that sometimes, keeping your mouth shut sings out how much you care. The din...
Hello. My name is Denise and I have struggled with alcohol all my adult life. And by "struggled" I mean I have never been able to convince myself that the stuff tastes good and is worth the calories. I would love to enjoy an occasional glass of wine with family and friends. But I've learned that drinking the wine isn't the problem; it's the "enjoying" bit. And I've tried. For years. And I'm envious of those who find something delicious and soothing in those cool-looking and in...
One would think that a stint in the Chicago Tribune's fashion section with experts who covered runway shows in New York and Paris would have put me on a path to confident fashion choices. But no. Or to add a touch of faux sophistication: "Mais non." I have studied Pinterest posts on "7 easy pieces that will take you through Europe for 10 days" and still ended up filling a suitcase the size of a steamer trunk. More recently, an online fashion dive led me to "coastal...
One of my favorite childhood memories is looking up at the night sky with my dad. After pulling into the garage/tool shed following an evening outing, my four siblings and I would follow Dad across the gravel drive toward the back door of our farmhouse. On clear, moonless nights, he would pause, tilt his head back and point out the Milky Way, the Big Dipper, the North Star. Now I find myself wondering what was going through Dad's mind as he stood there, surrounded by kids and...
I think the refugees currently living with my husband and me would have enjoyed Hinsdale's Fourth of July parade. By "refugees" I mean my daughter, Amanda, son-in-law Drew and my 5-year-old granddaughter, Avery. The trio made a hasty exit out of New York City at the end of March, just as the COVID-19 crisis made life there too uncertain for them. After an anxious 12-hour drive across Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and on into Illinois, the trio arrived on our doorstep in the midd...
