Friends are for Favoring

 When I was kid and would go to a friend's birthday party, I would  inevitably come home with a bag of goodies. Inside it could be candy, stickers, magnets, some small, strange sticky thing that's supposed to glow in the dark. Not only did little Jimmy invite me to his party... but LOOK what I had to SHOW for it.

Then I grew up (sort of) and will attend a wedding and inevitably bring home a memento: some chocolates, a bag of sea shells, a bird-feeder, a small candle that's supposed to resemble some object and smell like chamomile. Sentimental sap that I grew into, I appreciate a token from such happy occasion.

But what about all the parties in between?
What do I have to show for them?
I move to BRING BACK THE PARTY FAVOR! Full swing!

Came to my dinner party? Here is a pretty notecard with the recipe to tonight's dish.

Attended my Halloween Party? Here is skull shaped bar of soap.

Had a blast at Sunday's ladies bruncheon? Here is a satchel of  lavender for your sock drawer.

Come on! Let's get creative and thank our awesome friends for making our happy days happier.

parapluie.

I have always felt that the umbrella was something very special. Simple and useful. An accessory with an elegance, with lift. It carried Marry Poppins from chimney to chimney. And while is possesses a feminine charm that I find alluring (a reminder of the days when ladies wore proper lingerie) it is its allusion to our anatomy that intrigues me most.

Our ribcage. With its curved and rounded bones carefully closing in, it  protects that thing that pumps our blood. That place where we feel from. It is: the heart's umbrella.

So underneath it I keep things that are closest to my heart.

Fall: A Time for Repel Picking?

The mourning for a summer gone is natural (especially such a fickle, north-east one). Global warming does afford us some warmer days into October, but that does not change the movement of the sun, the length of the days and the back-to-business attitude. The leaves are changing, the wind smells distinctly different, and coffee houses everywhere are stocking up on pumpkin spice. You may even be wearing a scarf in the mornings. This year in, New England; however, one inglorious sign of summer is taking the autumnal trip with us. Expect this basterd buzzing in your ear:

Thanks to a rainy, rainy June and July, followed by a sweaty August, a higher number of mosquito eggs are hatching later.  Being a mosquito magnet myself, I  have to say, this plainly sucks. To make matters worse (warning: alarmist moment coming up) the Boston Public Health Commission announced on August13th that a mosquito pool in Jamaica Plain tested positive for West Nile Virus. Woo hoo!

Pending pandemic aside, no one likes a mosquito bite. AND dried, pink Calamine Lotion splotches on bare legs will earn you no street cred points at the office or at the fall wedding you are attending. So let's make it easy on ourselves and keep some bug spray next to our deodorant.

Now, let's be even EASIER on ourselves. Deet, an ingredient found in most OTC insect repellents is not so good for you and is no Chanel No. 5. Here is a simple recipe for a natural mosquito repellent that will do the job and make you smell like the 'at home aisle' at Whole Foods.

  *10-25 drops essential oil (lemon balm, eucalyptus, or clove)

  *2 tablespoons vegetable oil (olive oil is fine)

Use any combination of the oils you like. Dab the mixture on your wrists and neck and lightly over exposed areas.

Or you can switch from coffee to chai, and hope the clove on your breath will be enough to keep these bloodsuckers away until the real cold creeps in.

In any case, good luck. 

Saddle up and be a man about it.

Some girls like lace. I like laces--on  two-tone, brown saddle shoes, to be exact. I am on to my third pair (in 4 years) of Bass oxford style saddle shoes. My first pair, as some will remember, were christened: my magic shoes (and still cast spells from deep within my closet.)

Though the classic, black and white saddle shoe often brings to mind giggling girls named Joan in poodle skirts, drinking malted-milkshakes and watching a How to know if Bobby likes you video, the brown oxford style is more like something Bobby, himself, would have worn.

Something magical happens in that small step over the gender line. It's flirtatious androgyny and man, does it make me feel good. While, yes, I too fawn over the dresses in Mad Men, I feel I am at my best in amalgamated, boy-meets-girl style.