Mystery reading this week:  The puzzle of Blackstone Lodge   by Martin Edwards, first published 2022. Set in the 1930s, this book is crammed...

“The Rock” — an Ann Arbor Tradition In a little park (most people would call it a traffic island)… Here stands the rock, which is repainted ...

Rice in Japanese History and Cuisine I've been rereading the book Rice as Self by Emiko Ohnuki-Tierney, which mentioned the many images...

Totoro Sushi, Ann Arbor. At Totoro, a sushi place named for the Miazaki movie “My Neighbor Totoro” we had a pleasant dinner. Miso soup with ...

An elf must live here!   Maybe a troll lives under this bridge?

Maui in 2009: my memory is of a lush Garden of Eden. My thoughts are with the people of the island. (Photo © 2009 mae sander) Every day I re...

For a long time, I have been fascinated by Japanese film and literature. This month, I have been rewatching and rereading some of the classi...

We watched another historic-era film by Akira Kurosawa. It’s set in some unspecified medieval time period. The film stars Toshiro Mifune and...

Akira Kurosawa (1910-1998) directed 30 films during a career that lasted over 50 years. He also worked as a producer, a screen writer, and i...

Argus Farm Stop, Ann Arbor, MI Eggplant at Fusileir Farm Stand, Chelsea, MI.  Blog post and all photos © 2023 mae sander UPDATE: A comment o...