It’s the weekend!

I’m in the middle of a bout with Covid and hoping to feel better this weekend. Maybe I’ll get out for a walk or two.

Have a wonderful weekend!

The news from Turkey and Syria is terrible. If you are looking for ways to donate, here are some suggestions: Here’s how to help victims of the earthquake (The New York Times). For those in the Boston area, some organizations are taking donations of warm clothing and other goods: New England communities send aid to Turkey and Syria after deadly earthquake (WBUR).

I have a few things to share.

• WALKING, LISTENING, REMEMBERING (OR: ICON, OOTD, FLOWERS OF HOPE) — In a recent Materfamilias Writes post, Frances discusses Liliana Segre, an Italian senator and a survivor of Auschwitz, where she was sent when she was 13 years old. Frances describes young Liliana using Latin to communicate with another child in the death camp, Liliana speaking out about her experience in the camp to educate people, and Liliana being under police protection now (at 92) due to anti-Semitism and death threats.
  I highly recommend reading this very powerful post and following the link to the interview with Segre and another link to an article about Segre in The Guardian. May we never forget. (Materfamilias Writes)
• I Ask Percy How I Should Live My Life — I recommend that you  scroll to the bottom of this Cup of Jo post and read the little poem by Mary Oliver. I hope that you love it as much as I do. For a little arm chair traveling, follow the link to Roxanne Gay’s and Debbie Millman’s article about their trip to Antarctica. (Cup of Jo)
• To Fall in Love, Drink This: A Wine Writer’s Memoir — I liked Alice Feiring’s book so much that when I finished the last page, I considered going back to the front and starting over. She describes wine with such vivid emotional terms, I want to try every wine that she recommends. For example, here is how she compares two different Jacques Selosse champagnes, Substance and Initial: “While the Substance is considered the most coveted of the coveted Selosses, it’s always too heavy for me and defeats the purpose of drinking champagne, to bubble along with the bubbly. But in this wine [Initial], I still almost taste the violet flowers running through the waves. This has verticality and a chiseled edge, like a well-honed knife, but the joy. The joy.” (Bookshop.org)
  While Feiring writes about wines in ways that I’ve never encountered before, her descriptions of relationships with her mother, brother, friends, and partners are equally compelling. She draws me in and makes me want more.
• Green Beans with Lemon Sumac Dressing — The fresh flavor of these beans is addictive. (Sea Salt and Sailor Stripes)
• Coeur à la Crème with Roasted Strawberry Sauce — This is a delicious dessert for an at-home Valentine’s Day dinner. (Sea Salt and Sailor Stripes)
• Goodness: 988 Lifeline sees boost in use and funding in first months — While this program needs more resources, it is already making a difference. (NPR)

About the photo: A neighborhood front door decorated with a straw heart and reflecting the trees in the yard.