July 1, 2007
Happy Canada Day to our northern neighbors. Happy Independence Day to those of us who owe a debt of
gratitude for what happened before and after the Fourth of July 1776. And a Happy Bastille Day across
the ocean.
I suppose I should try to be professional and talk business first. A number of you have asked when
you can expect to see IT'S IN HIS KISS on the stands. The answer to that is easy: around Valentine's
Day 2008. Of course if you go into your local store and ask for it by that name they won't know what
you're talking about because the title has been changed to JUST DESSERTS. I know you're surprised
(so was I) but it works well with the story. Trust me. Then again, you don't have to trust me. You
can see for yourself. I'm posting the first chapter for you to enjoy. Let me know what you think
when you have a chance.
Kali, our food Goddess, and I have been talking capers for weeks now. We are both devotees of the
luscious little bud and are looking to expand our horizons beyond Puttanesca. Kali has come up with
a wonderful chicken recipe while I stumbled into a fairly good homemade tartar sauce. Toss some
mayonnaise into a bowl, finely chop a few teaspoons of capers, a touch of grated onion, a little
salt, a little pepper, a touch of sweet pickle relish and you're done.
My Grandpa Larry was the only one of my grandparents born in this country and, true to form, he
was by far the most patriotic man I've ever met. He grew up in Kansas (actually rode a prairie
schooner across the state with his parents and siblings), and somehow ended up as the quintessential
New Yorker. He spent a long time in the Navy and while there he became expert at working sailor's
knots. it wasn't enough for him to be able to form utilitarian knots, Grandpa quickly learned how
to adapt those functional knots into works of art.
In his 80s, before his eyesight failed him, he turned out some amazing bags and belts and pouches,
most of which I still have in my possession. One of my favorites is this Bicentennial memento that
he gave to me all those years ago. (I think I inherited much of my love of needlework directly from
him.)
Do you like contests? We're running a big one over at Romancing the Yarn all month. I call it
Yarnapalooza: 31 days, 31 winners. Stop by and take a look.
I'm also blogging on my own -- to my amazement as well as yours. I've made a pledge to blog both
at RTY and
here every day for the month of July. So far so good. We'll see how long it lasts.
One thing I know about myself is that the more I write the easier it is to write so fingers crossed.
Okay. Now here's an embarrassing admission. I wrote this all up, loved it, sent it off to
Willa and patted myself on the back for managing to write my July letter before June was
officially over. Only problem is I sent a half-finished draft copy and somehow blew away
the good one. #*@(#*@)!*!&!^!% and yes, you can quote me.
Let's see if I can remember everything:
- New contest here at BarbaraBretton.com
- New contests and posts at RTY and
my personal blog
- Great new recipe from Kali, our resident Food Goddess
- A sneak peek at February's JUST DESSERTS
- And probably some really terrific stuff that's lost now forever
What can I say? I meant well.
Have a great July!
Warmly,
Archived letters:
June 2007
May 2007
April 2007
March 2007
February 2007
January 2007
November 2006
October 2006
September 2006
August 2006
July 2006
June 2006
May 2006
