Today is Jewish Valentine’s Day, and there’s not a card in sight! While I didn’t really expect to see signs of Tu B’Av in my local Target, it’s a fun thing to think about. Today is Tu B’Av (the 15th day of Av), and it is both an ancient and modern holiday. Tu B’Av was…
It’s beginning to feel like summer here in Southern California: the days are warm, the fresh produce is amazing, and the landscape of summer evokes the feeling of possibility. Whether or not we have kids at home, many of us still measure our year by the old school calendar: it begins with…
I was at a luncheon last week, and a woman at my table shared how difficult she found it to have a conversation with her teenage grandchildren. Their politics were so different from her own that she didn’t even know where to start. Another woman chimed in that these days people have such…
I spent a good part of last week in western Massachusetts in and near the Berkshires. Imagine green rolling hills, crisp air, budding daffodils and tulips, and so many shades of evergreen trees. While it sounds very idyllic and vacation-like, it was actually the backdrop for a week with…
Did you ever have to explain to a child when to say “how much” and when to say “how many”? You may recall explaining that we use “many” for counting individual items, like rocks or trees, and “much” for counting collective items, like sugar or mail. Counting is an integral…
