The Beauty of By Chance
How did I find myself weeping on a church pew at a memorial service of a woman I didn’t know? By chance. The day my 4th grade daughter made the choir team, she was also asked to perform in a memorial service for the …
Author: jmerhar
The Warmth of Winter
Grandma’s house during winter was filled with the scent of citrus and baked bread. Surrounding her home were acres of fertile land. You name it, she could grow it. Next to her house was a concrete storm cellar where glass jars filled with bounties from …
Every Thorn Has a Rose
Balancing two trays of lunch specials on my forearm, it was impossible to avoid the Alan Rickman glare of distaste on Mr. Z’s pale face as I approached he and his wife’s table. As I set down their lunch fare, he grabbed my arm, “My …
Boarding with Reluctance, Disembarking with Gratitude
I was nervous embarking on an international flight to Frankfurt with Fern and Edith, two ladies I didn’t know. Their expressions on board were a cocktail of mixed emotions. Doubt, love, anticipation and fear culminated into one mind numbing elixir, Remembrance. This wasn’t a vacation, …
Culinary Curiosities (Update)
I have a trail of crumbs to follow, some are my own… I want to visit Les Deux Garçons, where M.F.K. Fisher sipped sherry while her girls indulged in glasses of lemonade in Aix-en-Provence. I want to find the lounge in Paris where Craig Claiborne …
Anna Reckmann Pâtisserie & Chocolaterie
“Pâtisserie is like alchemy: it is the art of bringing diverse substances together and transforming them into something new and wonderful.” – Anna Reckmann The space is meticulous and streamlined, “mise en place”, everything in its place. Pristine stainless steel and granite workstations …
The Mainz Market Hen: Remembering My Days in the Pen
Dr. Who needs a TARDIS to time travel. I only need a hen and produce stand to take me back in time… In the summer my purple stained palms tightly clinched a bucket handle. My aunt and uncle had a produce farm and paid one …
Xocoatl-Feine Schokoladen: Where Exquisite Chocolate & Whimsy Reside
Sitting on a pedestrian street in the shadows of the Marktkirche cathedral is a pint-sized shop Mary Poppins and Willy Wonka would likely tip their hat, a chocolate emporium called, Xocoatl-Feine Schokoladen. Its presence doesn’t need to shout “look at me”, the intoxicating aroma of …
Pecans and Patent Leather Go-Go Boots
Like her cigarettes, Granny was unfiltered. A Catholic school girl who married a red-headed tattooed sailor in the back of a bar in New Orleans. Her lips were always painted crimson, earlobes decorated with clusters of pearls and a purple hand-knitted beret topped her silver …
Sunshine Through Singed Meringue
Two days ago I did something I haven’t had the courage to do alone. I boarded a bus. The last time I did this, I had my entourage – my girls. Since they returned to school, I’ve been battling a demon by the name …