by Chrysa Smith Take some European marble, add some ornate, carved plaster and gold leaf, some rococo shells, a few good luck charms and there you have it---Newport, Rhode Island. Well actually, the mansions of Newport that line Bellevue Avenue, overlooking the Atlantic. I had been there once before, but it was mid-winter. And walking through expansive grounds and admiring the pounding shoreline wasn't all it could be. So just this past weekend, [...]
by Chrysa Smith The Price of a stamp. What is it now? $.46? How many stamps would you have to save before you were able to buy a brand new set of dishes? Sounds like an elementary school math problem, but truth is, it's all coming back. Yes, remember those S&H Green Stamps,? Plaid Stamps? Other savings programs? It dates back to when Lay-A-Ways were all the rage. And people weren't spending hundreds [...]
by Chrysa Smith Sounds lofty, doesn't it? The Heights! I wasn't sure if this acclaimed Broadway show was about society folks. Long story short, it ain't. Set in Washington Heights, New York, an uptown 'barrio' located near the George Washington Bridge, the set was realistically portrayed as an economically deprived urban neighborhood. Stores encased by steel gates, decorated by graffiti, the residents gathered in the streets to share their lives: good and bad, [...]
by Chrysa Smith My Dearest Friend, …should I draw you the picture of my Heart, it would be what I hope you still would Love; tho it contained nothing new; the early possession you obtained there; and the absolute power you have ever maintained over it; leaves not the smallest space unoccupied. I look back to the early days of our acquaintance; and Friendship, as to the days of Love and Innocence; and [...]
by Chrysa Smith Like many women, I love to look at the fashion magazines. I get the buzz on what's new in beauty, what I might want to buy and the latest fashion trends. I fully realize that some of the products might be well out of my limited budget, and that I won't look quite like the anorexically gaunt models wearing them. But I really get annoyed when a magazine is supposedly [...]
By: Chrysa Smith It may be a beautiful floral arrangement for the table. Maybe, it’ll be some fancy hors d’oeuvres. It might even be my outfit. That’s about my special touch for a get-together. But a mermaid? A customer of my husband has extraordinary tastes. Crocodile shoes. Fancy cuff links. Aviators in almost every color combination. Italian cars. You get the picture. A great guy with a completely matter-of-fact style, there’s no mincing [...]
by Chrysa Smith I thought I made a mistake. The opening act of ‘Tales of the Allergist’s Wife’ featured the aging wife of a physician draped over a couch with a box of tissues. She was having a crisis. And as I sheepishly looked over at my husband’s face (a husband who enjoys musicals), I thought he might be too. Oh no, I thought. Is this going to be one of those dark, [...]
