Growing up in southern Louisiana back in the 1950s and 1960s, I remember daily summer rain showers. They never drove us inside; instead, they offered a cool relief to the oppressive heat. We would splash in the numerous puddles, gleefully run in and out under the “waterfall” from the one rai…
It has happened to most of us that – hic – indulge in alcoholic beverages: we drink a bit too much. I know it happened to me, at least my most…
Several years ago I read a delightful novel titled “Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine” by Gail Honeyman. It followed a 30-year-old woman liv…
Happy fall, y’all! Although temps are still balmy and we don’t exactly have a kaleidoscope of fall foliage to enjoy, it’s obvious the seasons …
After two years of attempting to “stream” movies at home and often, in frustration, resorting to watching “Golden Girls” re-runs, I – and mult…
I generally travel north every August to get a break from the oppressive heat and humidity of a southern summer. This year I extended my stay …
Can you feel the foretaste of fall in the air? It’s there. I caught a whiff of it over the weekend when, on a very hot day, an inexplicably co…
If you live here, plan to live here or even visit frequently, you’re no doubt familiar with the infinite kindness of the people who live in th…
The American author Candice Millard has a gift for delving into little-explored corners of history and turning out superb tales that illuminat…
The perfect garden design starts with you. It is based on personal likes and dislikes. It can be whimsical, abstract, geometrical, practical, …
After years of writing this column I have been asked by readers if I ever run out of topics. It is true that sometimes a deadline is looming a…
This week, I planted some portulaca flowers in planters along the front porch of my parents’ home in Florida to replace impatiens I had plante…
There are so many talented crime authors at work today, but, to me, there’s no one quite like Britain’s Ruth Ware. I was introduced to her a f…
Sometimes the timing is perfect. Today’s edition of Coastal Illustrated was written during my birthday week, and on the eve of that momentous …
Every once in a while my editor says, “be brief.” It’s likely a space issue or the size of the ads (I have no idea how the newspaper editing p…
