Not-so-Wild at Heart
Like a lot of picky children, for much of my young life I avoided unfamiliar foods. I was raised on a farm so regional fruits and veggies, beef, chicken and pork were recognizable and safe, while everything else was suspect.…
Author: Melanie Warner Spencer
Down by the Riverside
New Orleans La Société de Saint Anne parade revelers march the ashes of those who have died the past year to the Mississippi River on Mardi Gras Day in New Orleans.
Louisiana Life Magazine Wins International Awards
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA — On May 16, Louisiana Life magazine won 10 awards, at the 42nd annual International Regional Magazine Association (IRMA) awards presentation in Ottawa, Canada. Louisiana Life was a finalist for Magazine of the Year. IRMA members…
Homeward Unbound
I often daydream about how cool it would be to live and work in a new city every year or maybe even every few months. In the past, I’ve cobbled together about two weeks of working remotely from about…
Pro-Tip: Lip Balm Life is Easier When the Balm is by Your Side
If like me, you aren’t fond of constantly getting up to forage around in your bag or medicine cabinet to find lip balm, this pro-tip is for you. Quick and dirty: Put them all over your house. Longer version:…
Backroads and Byways
A few weeks ago, my husband Mark was losing it. He’s an extrovert, at risk due to asthma and we are 24 weeks and 195 days into this COVID-19 dumpster fire. Our medically approved activities include: Neighborhood walks and bike…
Along the Way: Party Animals
During our first three Carnival seasons after moving to New Orleans, by the time Fat Tuesday arrived, we were too pooped to party beyond a brief amble out to the corner for a couple of the morning parades while sipping…
Along the Way: Bovine Blues
My people aren’t hunters. We shoot and we eat, but we don’t shoot what we eat. It’s just not in our DNA, I suppose. At least it doesn’t appear to be part of the genetic makeup of the five generations…
Along the Way: This Is Not a Bucket List
The term “bucket list” just doesn’t sit well with me. Not because of its allusions to death — there’s no stopping that canoe from its rapid whoosh down river. Rather, the idea of rushing to get entertaining and adventuresome things…
(Not So) High Rollers
On my 21st birthday, my mom and grandparents took me to a casino. It was the first time I’d ever set foot in one, seeing as you have to be of drinking age to get in, and it was…
Kitchen Tales
True confessions of a food-obsessed writer
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