Common Cold By Odgen Nash Go hang yourself, you old M.D.! You shall not sneer at me. Pick up your hat and stethoscope, Go wash your mouth with laundry soap; I contemplate a joy exquisite I'm not paying you for your visit. I did not call you to be told My malady is a common cold. By pounding brow and swollen lip; By fever's hot and scaly grip; By those two red redundant eyes That weep like woeful April skies; By racking snuffle, snort, and sniff; By handkerchief after handkerchief; This cold you wave away as naught Is the damnedest cold man ever caught! Give ear, you scientific fossil! Here is the genuine Cold Colossal; The Cold of which researchers dream, The Perfect Cold, the Cold Supreme. This honored system humbly holds The Super-cold to end all colds; The Cold Crusading for Democracy; The Führer of the Streptococcracy. Bacilli swarm...

When was the last time, you raked up a large pile of leaves, getting the heart pumping, and the other muscles working?  Then, once that pile was finished and ready to shred and place in the compost pile, what did you do? Did you drop your rake and jump right in? Why not?  Too busy, too tired, just too . . . ? When did we forget to be spontaneous like children? Starting with Thanksgiving and moving through Advent, this is the season of gratitude, peace and love. Oh, and don't forget.  Joy. Happy Advent everyone.  May you find room in your heart for that babe in the manger so long ago.  If you celebrate another holiday this time of year, may you also find:  Joy, Peace, Love, and most of all, Gratitude.  It is the savory seasoning which brings the rest of those emotions into being. My wish for...

Last month, as I worked in the garden, picking the last of the green tomatoes, ripe 'Yummy' peppers and a couple of overlooked carrots and green onions, I reflected on  how my tomatoes performed this season.  The best grower and producer of any tomato was 'Giant Belgium.'  GB outperformed every other tomato in the group, with the plant itself eventually growing to seven feet tall.  Because I didn't stake it properly (I am not a good staker), GB sprawled all over my pricey 'Rhapsody in Pink' crapemyrtle and 'Belinda's Dream' rose.  Fortunately, these two, tough plants didn't seem to mind. In spite of the wicked, early summer heat (hovering around 107F every day for two weeks at the end of June), I still picked a dozen or more of GB's gigantic fruits.  Unfortunately, I found this pink tomato to be mealy in texture and not acidic.   Diva and I (the...

with a few survival tips and a recipe to boot! For those of us with food allergies and intolerances, the holiday season is difficult and sometimes painful.  I am often asked what happens when I eat gluten or dairy.  After several years of trying to delicately answer this question, I now say, "it's gastro-intestinal" and let it go at that.  But, really, it goes much further and is much, much worse.  Sure, there's the initial sickness which lays me low for a day, or two, or three, but it also causes more long term effects, including debilitating exhaustion; brain fog I can't explain; horrible muscle and joint pain; and weird moodiness. So, when I say I can't have it, I really can't, not even a little. If you have food intolerances, here are a few strategies for getting through Thanksgiving next week.  If you're eating with friends and family, and...