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Current reading

“No matter which sex I went to bed with, I never smoked on the street.” — Florence King, Confessions of a Failed Southern Lady, one of several books I’m reading, this one suggested by the fabulous Joan Schenkar.

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A young Bertrand Russell guards his time

On September 3, 1894, Bertrand Russell wrote to Alys Pearsall Smith, his wife-to-be, concerning the importance of creating an environment in which he could cultivate his talents. (She was a Quaker, thus the “thee.”) And (I must confess it) horrible as such a thought is, I do not entirely trust thee to back me up. I have a passion for . . .

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Rocking chairs and strokes: the solidity of Texan family

My great-grandfather, Zone, the Texan communist carpenter and lothario, made this rocking chair a hundred years ago, give or take. It was good to sit in something so solid (and so tailored to short people) while visiting my mom for her birthday over the weekend. I planned the trip several months back. And then, a few weeks ago, my mom . . .

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