My closet is a mess. I hate to even stick my head in past the first rod. I live in an old house. A hundred years ago, the architect of my house apparently thought that narrow, deep closets with (get this) built-in cupboards WAY AT THE VERY BACK of the farther end of the closet were desirable. All I can figure out is that nobody had hanging clothes back then. They simply used pegs on the edges of the closet walls that the wearer hug her chastity belts and peplums on, leaving the chests at the…

It hit me suddenly, as I was admiring some particularly brilliant tweets. What are so many of us doing, writing columns, stories, novels, and memoirs? When all a writer really needs to do is to come up with one good aphorism? Just think of the time saved. No word counts, not a whole lot of editing, that’s for certain. And talk about memorable. Who remembers the brilliant fourth paragraph on page 326 of “War and Peace?” But ask the average Joe on the street for that thing about sewing, and…

I have been warned by my daughters since they entered their teens. I mustn’t embarrass them. There is nothing worse than a mother who says things like “far out” or “gnarly.” Additionally, it is nearly a mortal sin to wear clothing that indicates the generation of the wearer, especially if this means the wearer is over the age of fifty.

I am guilty as charged, and it is getting harder and harder for me to get dressed every day. I mustn’t wear a cardigan. Fred Rogers ruined…

DATELINE: Yoga mats everywhere: It seems as if the real world has finally caught up with what my joints have been telling me for years. An article in the January 8, 2012 edition of the New York Times reveals that yoga, for years thought to be healthy, spiritual, and something that every schlub in America ought to be doing, is actually not good for you!

It seems that yoga teachers all over America have a dirty little secret: years of awkward positions and impossible stretches have…