Author: jmerhar

An Italian Year to Remember

An Italian Year to Remember

The plan was to move to Naples, Italy from the Berkshires, rent out the house and return to Massachusetts in three years. I only lasted one. I love archeology, history, art, pizza and gelato. Living in the backyard of Pompeii, Herculaneum, Baia and Paestum were 

Be Wary of the Power You Carry

Be Wary of the Power You Carry

I made a woman cry, and it wasn’t tears of joy. It was a new experience, one I don’t care to repeat. It was a jolt of lightning. Like a defibrillator, it zapped a dormant piece of my brain into attention and my heart into 

The Ant Who Loved Zelda: A Love Story from A-Z

The Ant Who Loved Zelda: A Love Story from A-Z

The Ant who loved Zelda  Was eager to win her heart,  So each day he brought her a flower It was a start. Each blossom held meaning Symbolizing: love, hope and dreaming, Along with hope Zelda might one day Open the door to see The 

Nine

Nine

I remember the shocking stillness of parents watching silently as their kids playedon the playground across from my dining room window. The scene defined tragic beauty, thefrolic and merriment of youth, blissfully ignorant of the sadness and worry consuming adults. It was May 24th, 2022, 

A Poem for Audrey Elaine

A Poem for Audrey Elaine

A beauty  Her wit could slay dragons Her charm could fill wagons When little she clung to the hip of her mother But as a young adult she chose instead – this, that and the other Except for the days when she couldn’t refrain She 

Bad Gastein: The Revival of Sleeping Beauty

Bad Gastein: The Revival of Sleeping Beauty

Female pedestrians prefer to shield their delicate torsos from her winter chill under soft mink coats linedwith silk, but like her pastel Belle Époque surroundings, Bad Gastein carries herself with grace andgrandeur. Her winter attire is a thick blanket of glistening snow. Lights flicker along 

A Polished Life (Fiction)

A Polished Life (Fiction)

Our mother always liked to say, “Sarah and Maurine, only a true southern lady can wear red nail polish and not look like a tramp”.  My sister Maurine and I longed for the day when we would turn 18, the designated age our mother applied 

Spelt Strawberry Muffins

Spelt Strawberry Muffins

Makes 12-15  ¾ c. granulated sugar ½ c. almond milk ½ c. applesauce (I used unsweetened) 1 lg. egg 1 tsp. vanilla extract ¼ tsp. almond extract 2 c. spelt flour  1 tsp. baking powder ½ tsp baking soda ¼ tsp salt 2 c. diced 

M.F.K. Fisher: Ghosts of Dijon

M.F.K. Fisher: Ghosts of Dijon

In 1929, a bright-eyed 21-year-old American woman stepped off a transatlantic ocean liner and found herself in Dijon. Mary Frances Kennedy Fisher, now better known by her initials, was unaware of the culinary and literary sojourn that awaited her on rue du Petit-Potet. Yet those 

M.F.K. Fisher’s Shrimp Cucumber Soup

M.F.K. Fisher’s Shrimp Cucumber Soup

“She would make it the night before and then just pour it from a chilled pitcher in the fridge when it was time to eat.  She loved the fact that it was made with buttermilk, which she knew many turned their noses up to, but