tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-119195672024-03-09T21:48:45.692-05:00a bit of earthmusings and fumblings from a poet of social change, remarks upon the landscape, praise for the effortless endurance of simplicity, interspersed with recipes, illustrations, and dry humorsusannah eaneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15692505605582396364noreply@blogger.comBlogger181125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11919567.post-61175688308839403272024-01-04T14:52:00.008-05:002024-01-04T14:52:56.158-05:00Book Review: The Salt Bairns, by Cynthia TidrickThe Salt Bairns by Cynthia Tidrick
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I was fortunate to receive an advance copy of THE SALT BAIRNS and have to say, it was one of the most meaningful and insightful fiction reads I've been privileged to find in a very long time. Cynthia Tidrick has constructed a magical world, full of shadows and vice, and yet the colors and characters within the narrative surround each susannah eaneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15692505605582396364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11919567.post-43810298550545130812023-08-11T13:16:00.001-05:002023-08-11T13:16:04.479-05:00Book Review: Necessary Trouble: Growing Up at Midcentury by Drew Gilpin FaustNecessary Trouble: Growing Up at Midcentury by Drew Gilpin Faust
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Parts of this book seemed like a mirror to my own past, even though I am at least ten years younger than the author. However, I did grow up in Virginia and the attitudes and experiences she describes are so familiar that I could hear them in my head as I read the words. Her writing could have been just as Susannah Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13599873853464387718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11919567.post-21261040404768518902023-07-12T13:36:00.002-05:002023-07-12T13:38:00.082-05:00Review: Five Rules for Tomorrow's Cities: Design in an Age of Urban Migration, Demographic Change, and a Disappearing Middle Class
Five Rules for Tomorrow's Cities: Design in an Age of Urban Migration, Demographic Change, and a Disappearing Middle Class by Patrick M. Condon
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I participated in a workshop of Dr Condon's back in 2020, and purchased a copy of his book as a result. Although his ideas, radical they may be, seem to be based in common sense, in my opinion he susannah eaneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15692505605582396364noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11919567.post-566751577403601952023-04-19T20:03:00.001-05:002023-04-19T20:03:25.505-05:00Review: The Snow Hare
The Snow Hare by Paula Lichtarowicz
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
What a magnificent story. Generally, I shy away from stories about people during war, especially if it seems there may be character death. I’m easily triggered by famine, torture, and painful things involving children, so I was a bit anxious from other descriptions and reviews, and as I read, there were susannah eaneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15692505605582396364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11919567.post-21988612092988854212023-04-03T09:08:00.002-05:002023-04-03T09:08:21.580-05:00Book review: Funeral Songs for Dying Girls
I absolutely loved this book. It was written with a clarity and authenticity that is simply too rare these days.
Winifred Bright lives with her father in the cemetery where he works, among quiet tree-lined paths, headstones, and ghosts - real and perceived. When her 16th birthday plans don't quite go over as planned, she encounters an actual spirit in the cemetery, who leads her on an inner susannah eaneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15692505605582396364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11919567.post-69623699994979918112023-02-23T15:45:00.003-05:002023-02-23T15:45:30.881-05:00Finding Hope in a Confusing, Sad, and Painful WorldThe Book of Hope: A Survival Guide for Trying Times by Jane Goodall
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This was definitely a needed read, for me at least, at this time. So much to worry about. So much to consider and sometimes it seems so overwhelming.But Goodall's calm, reasoned, considered responses to the interview questions that became this book and the format it is written in bring the reader into her susannah eaneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15692505605582396364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11919567.post-36944480662914992522022-09-19T10:20:00.003-05:002022-09-19T10:22:28.859-05:00Book review: Evening in Byzantium, by Irwin ShawEvening in Byzantium by Irwin Shaw
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
A writer's book, Evening in Byzantium is an excellent story. In spite of what others have said, this work provides an elucidating window into the turbulent yet laconic past, to a time when, even as now, people thumb their noses at good advice, and act out against their own interests. Highest recommendations.
View all my reviews
susannah eaneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15692505605582396364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11919567.post-77351593604017328112020-12-01T15:12:00.004-05:002022-05-17T10:44:57.374-05:00Book Review: Late, Late in the Evening, by Stephen Grant LATE, LATE IN THE EVENING, by the British philosopher Stephen Grant, is a beautiful book, a fast-moving but thoughtful and thought-provoking read. Imprisoned for his writings, the poet Gabriel Dorfman is allowed out on a sort of work-release program, and becomes the chauffeur to an influential party boss on his wealthy estate. The Britain of this story has become a fascist totalitarian susannah eaneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15692505605582396364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11919567.post-48246279717107633972018-06-17T17:19:00.000-05:002018-06-17T17:19:19.124-05:00Book Review: Potager, by Georgeanne Brennan
Potager by Georgeanne Brennan
A gloriously lovely book, full of recipes and ideas, illustrated with lush photographs of provincial gardens and simply prepared foods. Will keep it handy in the kitchen for inspiration when not feeling excited about the cooking ;)
View all my reviews
susannah eaneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15692505605582396364noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11919567.post-3276054417214530552017-06-03T17:24:00.001-05:002017-06-03T17:24:12.437-05:00George Butterworth - The Banks of Green Willow (1913)Susannah Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13599873853464387718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11919567.post-69200674538222973642016-08-31T16:04:00.001-05:002016-08-31T21:52:01.727-05:00Still Summer Harvest Muffins
It is late in August, nearly September, and even though fall is beautiful and I'm sure I'll relish it when it comes, like always, I do tend to feel a bit wistful this time of year, and savour each hot, humid afternoon like a cat, stretching its paws towards the sunlight playing on the trees outside our window. The berries from the market still give off that lovely aroma of fresh, ripe summer susannah eaneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15692505605582396364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11919567.post-38595948702937258582016-08-01T10:10:00.001-05:002016-08-01T10:10:32.059-05:00Poetry Monday: Grounding
Poem copyright Susannah Eanes 2016. All rights reserved.susannah eaneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15692505605582396364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11919567.post-87167219224394756272016-03-03T15:30:00.002-05:002016-03-03T15:35:03.035-05:00Review: Small IslandSmall Island by Andrea Levy
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Andrea Levy uses words the way a surgeon uses a scalpel - with fine precision designed to cut away everything that isn't story. The spareness of this technique takes a bit of adjustment, especially for someone like me who appreciates paragraphs filled with adjectives that fill in all the gaps and leave no room for guesswork or imagination. But susannah eaneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15692505605582396364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11919567.post-60773818691705303882016-02-22T11:15:00.003-05:002016-02-22T13:06:54.074-05:00Hating America
Innocent children accused of rape who would serve years in prison for a crime they did not commit.
Image from New York Daily News Archive/NY Daily News via Getty Images via The Guardian.
We can do better than this.
In a thoughtful, engaging piece in The Guardian, Oliver Laughland reminds us of the charade some folks are currently watching in a dangerous flirtation with "what if"?
susannah eaneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15692505605582396364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11919567.post-40165991962310661322016-01-18T10:07:00.005-05:002016-01-18T10:29:49.319-05:00Equal Opportunity for AllToday we honor Dr Martin Luther King, Jr, who fought for equal rights and opportunities for all people, no matter their race, color, or creed. He was adamantly supportive of fair labor laws, and warned against deceptive practices designed to diminish the value of individual workers.
“In our glorious fight for civil rights, we must guard against being fooled by false slogans, susannah eaneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15692505605582396364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11919567.post-76466940459692578202015-12-14T09:27:00.001-05:002015-12-15T12:53:48.755-05:00Review: A Place Called Rainwater
A Place Called Rainwater by Dorothy Garlock
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Sometimes this author really nails it with a story, and sometimes she falls a bit short. Elements and characters I loved were Blue & Radna, Hunter & Laura, Justine, and the setting in a small town undergoing great change due to oil fields nearby. Her villains are beyond creepy, and the one in this book takes the susannah eaneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15692505605582396364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11919567.post-37823482118099028282015-11-23T16:00:00.001-05:002015-11-23T16:00:23.827-05:00Black Friday MondayPost up at Daily Kos, here:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/11/23/1453557/-Black-Friday-Monday
susannah eaneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15692505605582396364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11919567.post-82730021933629002742015-11-18T08:00:00.000-05:002016-01-17T22:46:39.845-05:00the anarchy of nature
A forward shift in time and possibility ...eglantine - the sweetbrier rose - with graceful blushes lets us know that fall approaches, celebrating the last burnished notes of summer
...and in like manner, willow heralds the spring with effusive yet subtle gestures in palest green.
In the fall, the summer birches shed their green for pumpkin, burgundy, rich yellows, molten gold. They stand,susannah eaneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15692505605582396364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11919567.post-66386739851406625922015-08-16T14:55:00.000-05:002015-08-16T18:05:13.360-05:00Sweet, Sweet SundaySunday is a day of rest, goes the old adage, and I do subscribe to it. But today I'm making jam with plums my aunt, uncle, cousin, and I picked last Sunday afternoon from the ancient tree in my yard. I also hung out a load of laundry earlier, a ritual I crave for its simplicity and tactile pleasure.
It isn't work if you love it and it relaxes, reaffirms you. No, I truly believe it's part of the susannah eaneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15692505605582396364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11919567.post-47065788469374799612015-07-22T13:43:00.000-05:002015-07-22T13:43:03.461-05:00Goodreads Giveaway: Free Copies of Lucky Southern Women!
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Susannah Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13599873853464387718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11919567.post-51085798884442233342015-05-25T00:22:00.001-05:002016-01-24T12:37:15.093-05:00The Five Basics of a Healthy DietOften, people ask me if I might help them shop for groceries. It seems that they believe I must know some secret for making quick and efficient work of this chore.
Well, perhaps I do.
Over 20 years ago I was diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus, or SLE - commonly referred to as just "lupus." Through trial and error I found a few keys to making life easier. One of these was a diet based susannah eaneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15692505605582396364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11919567.post-16569945731433413462015-05-03T08:54:00.000-05:002015-05-03T08:56:05.631-05:00UpdatesSusannah Eanes Pledges Proceeds from Lucky Southern Women to SavingSweetBriar
Lucky Southern Women now available in paperback
Read about Lucky Southern Women on Goodreads
susannah eaneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15692505605582396364noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11919567.post-27400529808159276442015-04-26T15:49:00.001-05:002015-04-26T15:50:12.713-05:00A Handful of Breakfast"Handful of Breakfast" Bars
Yield: 9 bars
Pre-heat oven to 375 and prepare baking sheet with light coating of vegetable oil
Into large bowl, sift together:
1 c whole-wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
Add in and combine:
1 1/4 c old-fashioned oatmeal
2 tbsp whole flax seed
1/3 c currants
1/3 c blanched almonds
1/2 c toasted pepitas
1/4 c brown sugar
1susannah eaneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15692505605582396364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11919567.post-73605459868579719112015-03-06T10:04:00.001-05:002016-01-18T16:47:18.058-05:00Dreams and Second ChancesHeartbreak Ridge to Heartsong Rise
It sat on the high hills surrounded by a magnificent view, overlooking a cool and inviting stream, as it had for over two hundred years. Each brick had been formed by hand from the clay of the riverbottom, and painstakingly laid in neat rows, held in place by mortar of ash and lime. A small but beautiful plot of land remained of the original plantation, thesusannah eaneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15692505605582396364noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11919567.post-86973135135188829572015-02-05T16:41:00.001-05:002015-02-05T17:21:19.825-05:00the writer as pilgrimTwo articles leapt at my consciousness this week, both about writing. And suddenly, I know how to go forward from here.
The first, The Price I Pay to Write, by Laura Bogart and published online in Dame Magazine, reflects on the difficulties of wedging time to write within the framework of days fraught with other responsibilities having to do with caring for children, putting food on the table, susannah eaneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15692505605582396364noreply@blogger.com2