Entertaining

Julia Sneden writes: The fad for matched napkin rings has grown and nowadays even the catalogues feature such sets. They weren't meant for decor, and they certainly weren't meant to match. They were simply a means of identification that allowed us to reuse our napkins, usually for a week at a time. In the days before miracle laundry machines, before detergents with or without bleach, (never mind cold-water soaps or power boosters) people didn't toss napkins into the laundry after every meal. more »

Roberta McReynolds continues her cake decorating saga: Holding the frosting nail in my left hand, I examined the blob with a critical eye, noting it tended to resemble a hunchback slug more than the emergence of a rose bud. I brushed it off into the bowl and tried again. This time I made a giant amoeba, with all the charm one could expect from a protozoon sagging upon a frosting nail.be impossible for one of my classmates; her homework for last week was flawless. The… more »

Portable. Rechargeable. Powerful. Lumio unfolds, seemingly by magic, from a book. Simply open the cover to turn on the warm, high-performing LED lamp. Sunglasses that help with fishing and cataract floaters. Slippers, bow ties and MLB team cufflinks. A pasta maker for the microwave and before that a rangefinder for golf. The Fire Store work gloves and medical bag. Lifetime maps from Rand McNally. What more could you want? more »

Russell Shorto’s gifts include a keen eye for individual little stories that add a delicious depth to his writing, and thus to our understanding of times and events in Amsterdam; A History of the World’s Most Liberal City; The Virgin of Bennington becomes a meticulous and admiringly recorded history of Betty Kray’s dedication, imagination, and development of the Academy of American Poets; DVD Tips include a look at Doc Martin's long-waited Season 6 and the beginning of filming for Foyle's War's next season more »