At the start of the season, there was a special on PBS after Downton Abbey called The Manners of Downton Abbey. For those of us borderline obsessed with the show and hungry—after nine months—for as much of the Grantham/Crawley/everyone else world as we can get, it was magical. The historical expert for the show explained […]

Here we are, at the dawn of 2015. I must be intimidated by multiples of five, because that number feels so much more dramatic than 2014 did. It sounds like a Year Something Happens. And maybe it will be. Or maybe I need to take the significance of dates less seriously. My family is young […]

It’s nearly halfway through December, and I am still on a NaNo high. Apparently, the results are long lasting, especially when I consider the unexpected consequences of being a first-time NaNo winner.   The cookies and coffee I shared with my husband the night I finished (a day early, because there wasn’t the time on […]