May, 2008
IN THE EYE OF HURRICANE HAYLEY 
The bodies are everywhere. They drape across sofas. They loll on cushions tossed on the floor. They curl into fetal positions and sprawl like dreamy skydivers midflight. They turn up in the strangest places — sometimes even in beds. Welcome to Saturday morning at the Hayley house.
The Spice of Life
My German grandmother baked the most scrumptious desserts. Her fancy, many-layered tortes and coffee-cake-like kuchens were magical, and her cookies just plain wonderful. Oma died when I was 10 years old, and while I could never forget those flavors, it took me years to decode the secrets hidden in her pastries.
What's in your bag?
If you spend your days tending to the beauty needs of Lee County women, what do you tote around everywhere you go? Makeup galore! On the theory that the key to a woman’s mind is her purse, here’s what the women of Spa Auburn won’t go anywhere without.
The many small worlds in your yard
While in college, one of my classes spent a few days in Boxley Valley along the Buffalo National River in Arkansas analyzing the historic site for a design project. Emerging from our tents in the cool morning, desperate for a hot cup of coffee, we saw another tent in the campground was frost covered while ours, under evergreen trees, were not. The pine canopy kept our tents a few degrees warmer and protected from frost.
This way to Coolsville
Everything old is new again in fashion this year, and that retro sensibility even extends to sunglasses. If this keeps up, we’ll all be wearing peace signs by fall and feeling nostalgic for Sputnik. Any good fashionista knows that sunglasses are never just sunglasses.
Keep 'em busy
Parents: Man your battle stations. Summer vacation is almost upon us. Soon, very soon, your children will chant their favorite mantra, “No more school!” followed quickly by, “Mom, I’m bored.” And you’ll be ready with your secret weapon — your summer calendar. It’s easy to make, but the trick is in the planning. Start now.
The nag, the critic, and the kvetcher
I’m a patient person. I wait for my 17-year-old daughter to realize that if she doesn’t clean her room she may succumb to a deadly fungus from forgotten Mexican take-out. Too bad she inherited my patience. She waits me out and I end up scolding: “Kirsten, you need to clean this upright now!”
The genius of motherhood
While out shopping for that perfect Mother’s Day gift, remember this: Your mom is lucky to have you. It’s growing ever clearer that if it wasn’t for you, she wouldn’t be nearly so smart. When you were born, you gave your mother a fabulous gift, far better than that lame perfume you’re about to buy. You gave her brain power.
Visions of the South
A dumpy woman in a frilly skirt. A train station in Decatur. A granite quarry in South Carolina where tiny men beetle amid the giant stone.
Hot reading
Here’s the fantasy: A tall cool drink, a comfortable chaise longue, a shimmering turquoise pool nearby for an occasional dip, and possibly handmaidens to attend to your every need. Now we’re ready to begin our summer reading.
