I Ain't Said Nothin' But A Word...

For me, Halloween kicks off the holiday season.  Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year! When my kids were little I loved making their costumes for Halloween and they can tell you some of their costumes were really out there!  There are no costumes this year, but I still have my favorite holiday images that always make me smile.  This one always makes me chuckle out loud and for some reason I can't stop thinking about pie! Happy Halloween!!!

My beautiful daughter-in-law has joined the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's (LLS) Team-In-Training to run a half marathon in honor of my late son and her husband Allan Mello Jr.   I have written about my sonshine here before.   November  3 rd will be the anniversary of his passing, Allan Jr. having died after a too short battle with a very rare T-cell lymphoma.   Always the meddling in-law I would like to do everything possible to support her endeavor so I am sharing this information in hopes that there will be some who might lend a hand and make a donation toward her fundraising efforts.   I’ve written my check and only wish I had much more to give.   But since I don’t, I don’t have any qualms about asking for a little bit of help.   This incredible young woman has raised two amazing children without her life partner.   She continues to amaze and delight me with her fortitude, her spirit, and the sheer will with which she has persevered.   My son loved and adored her a

I read book reviews today, something I do periodically to remind myself what I’ve done right with a story and in some cases, what I might have done wrong. I happened upon the most interesting review of PROMISES TO A STALLION, the story of Luke Stallion, one of my billionaire brothers from Texas.   The reviewer HATED the book, acknowledging that she was clearly not my target audience.   The story was deemed MATURE and she noted that her mother would be more open to such a story line.   My book was reviewed with one other, a collection of homoerotic sodomy tales set in South Central LA, both books purchased for their potential use as masturbation tools. I found the whole scenario quite amusing (and slightly disturbing that my book was purchased for its masturbation potential).   But I also couldn’t help but wonder why a reader who acknowledges that they prefer hard-core erotica and urban literature would even bother to read a traditional ROMANCE just to snub their nose at it a

Steve Jobs, the visionary in the black turtleneck who co-founded Apple in a Silicon Valley garage, built it into the world's leading tech company and led a mobile-computing revolution with wildly popular devices such as the iPhone, died today, losing his long-time battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 56. With the ability to transform entire industries with his inventions, Jobs was one of the great innovators of our time, pioneering the concept of the personal computer and of navigating them by clicking onscreen images with a mouse. In more recent years, he introduced the iPod portable music player, the iPhone and the iPad tablet -- all of which changed how we consume content in the digital age. In 2005 Jobs spoke to the graduating class of Stanford University in Palo Alto, California.  He said: " Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great w

Well, I didn't win that About.me contest but I'm delighted to share news of the man who did.  Although I didn't come close to his 2,832 votes, I am still very proud that I placed in the top 5% and again, want to extend my sincerest appreciation to everyone who supported me.  So again, thank you, thank you, thank you. Times Square Awaits Stratford Artist Stratford resident Ricardo Murillo will have his name and a photo he took displayed on a billboard in Times Square next month for winning an online contest. By Jason Bagley - Stratford Patch   The story of a Stratford resident who will soon have his face on a billboard in Times Square begins 15 years ago. As a teenager growing up in Norwalk, Conn., Ricardo Murillo would sketch designs on T-shirts with a marker. "Art has always been a part of me," said Murillo, 30, now living in Stratford with his girlfriend of seven years and two sons. "I used to draw to clear my head." When, in 2

I have a favorite little haunt that I frequent too many times each week for dinner.   Having refined my eating habits, I’ve eliminated most meats and all fried foods from my diet.   At my favorite little haunt I usually eat the same foods with an occasional variation and I always leave feeling that I’ve had a substantial and healthy meal.   The veggie plate is my favorite, an eclectic mix of three vegetables, a fresh baked yeast roll and my must-have sweet tea.   The cooks are all Southern born and bred and it is home cooking at its very best.   Yesterday I met a friend for dinner.   I ordered my favorite plate with collard greens, pinto beans, macaroni and cheese, that roll, and my tea. After blessing the food, we dug in and I began to extol the many virtues of my very healthy vegetable dinner.   My friend smiled sweetly, nodding in agreement as he enjoyed his own meal of green beans, mashed potatoes and gravy and an oversized breast of fried chicken. When we were sated and co