Dear Reader Guest Column

I'm filling in today for the incomparable Suzanne Beecher at Dear Reader and invite you to stop by and read about my Grandmother, a thermos of gin, and the day I almost floated across the Atlantic.

(If you're not familiar with Dear Reader, take a moment to check it out. Suzanne offers a wonderful book sampling service ...and the best daily letters on the internet.)

(And if you haven't read her book MUFFINS AND MAYHEM: RECIPES FOR A HAPPY [IF DISORDERLY] LIFE, what are you waiting for?)