RattleBag and Rhubarb

Mist on the River

Thick mist on the Hudson this morning. No sign of the water or either bank from the center of the…

3 years ago

What Shall I Love if Not the Enigma?

Digging into the women writers of WW2 led me to the short stories of Anna Kavan whose life and work…

3 years ago

Cat Pandering: A New level

As cats age - the leaping and jumping that once was so effortless is more of a struggle. You may…

3 years ago

On the Border: The Odd Uneven Time of August

“I love borders. August is the border between summer and autumn; it is the most beautiful month I know. Twilight…

3 years ago

Danger comes: Tove Jansson and The Island

The second half of: “The Island,”  by Tove Jansson. Part one is here. It’s a rickety structure, one pays for…

3 years ago

Dreams become simpler: Tove Jansson and The Island

The IslandFrom: “The Island” by Tove Jansson There is a surprisingly large number of people who go around dreaming about…

3 years ago

All the Islands

All the islands I have known become one island whose Eastern coast spreads sandy arms to welcome bathers and sea…

3 years ago

Women Artists of WW1: Anna Coleman Ladd

In his series of WW1 epitaphs, Rudyard Kipling comments on the all too common fate of a new soldier at…

3 years ago

Evacuee Story Lines #3 Evelyn Waugh

I did, in the first weeks of the war, before I got my commission, suffer severely from 'evacuees'.- Evelyn Waugh in…

3 years ago

Hemlock and After and Angus Wilson

‘Oh, I know all about goats,’ Sonia was saying. ‘People give them the same recommendation as the billeting officers did…

3 years ago