I was casting about for something to read and picked up “Dostoevsky Reminiscences” by Anna Dostoevsky. The first edition was published in Russia in 1925, seven years after Anna’s death.

It’s fascinating reading for anyone interested in the life of the famous Russian novelist who wrote “Crime and Punishment” and “The Brothers Karamazov”, or for anybody with a hankering for a love story.
Anna thought of herself as a “woman of the sixties”, the 1860s, and believed women should support themselves financially, so she studied to be a stenographer.
Anna was 25 years Fyodor Dostoevsky’s junior, and he was already a major voice in Russian literature when she was a girl. When she landed a job as his stenographer, she was beside herself. They fell in love. Dostoevsky’s ill health, poverty and debt didn’t deter Anna’s resolve to spend her life with him.

They married in 1867 and had 14 years together. When Dostoevsky died, Anna was 35. She  said that her “personal life was finished” and she was “orphaned in her heart forever.”

What’s your favorite book that you’ve read this summer?

Every time I set foot in Easy Way or Schnucks, I can not resist buying one more bag of Ripley or Arkansas tomatoes, if they have them. I actually prefer the Arkansas variety, although this might be anathema to those who revere Ripley tomatoes.

One of my favorite summer dishes is tomato pie. I got the recipe out of a Southern Living book years ago and have added a few ingredients. You need the following: deep dish pie crust, green onions, fresh basil, mayonnaise, 4 or 5 tomatoes, Monterey Jack Cheese, frozen spinach and seasoned pepper.

 Poke holes in the pie crust with a fork and bake for about 10 minutes at 350 degrees. Slice tomatoes and dredge in flour and seasoned pepper. Layer tomatoes green onions and fresh basil (about three layers is sufficient). Mix about a half a cup of mayonnaise, about three fourths of a bag of thawed chopped spinach and about a cup of grated Monterey Jack cheese (Pepper Jack cheese is good also). Spread mixture over the top and add a few leaves of basil. Cook at 325 or 350 for about 30 minutes.

Do you have any recipes to share with those of us with a surplus of homegrown or store-bought tomatoes?

Today is day five of Wimbledon. The genesis of the prestigious tournament was a fund-raiser in 1877, put on by the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. Women’s singles and men’s doubles were added to the burgeoning event in 1884. But not until this year will men and women receive equal prize money. Read the rest of this entry »

Mrs. Philpot, my high school team tennis coach in the ‘80s, used to threaten to make me run laps around the court if I didn’t move faster. She also liked to say that I was going to trip over my hoop earrings, which were as big as my head. When I was a child, one of our coaches at the Memphis Center of Gymnastics and Ballet used to chase me down the runway toward the vault and tell me to pretend that she was a rabid dog, to get me to move faster. Historian Will Durant said, “No man who is in a hurry is quite civilized”; this is my motto.

This is not to say that I don’t believe in the mental and physical benefits of exercise. But I walk, instead of run, and I don’t participate in exercise that I don’t enjoy.

I’ve been going to the Push Pilates studio at 1882 Union — near the palm reading place and across from the West Precinct — for the last six months. Joseph Pilates, an athlete who was born in Germany in 1880, created a series of exercises that focuses on strengthening core muscles, stretching and breathing. (To see pictures of Joseph Pilates, the equipment he used and for a more in depth explanation of Pilates, go here: pilatesmethodalliance.org.

When I can’t make it to class, I pull out my mat, magic circle, roller and exercise ball and do Pilates in my kitchen, although I suggest first taking classes from trained Pilates instructors, in order to learn the techniques correctly. When you finish, you stand up straighter and feel relaxed and full of energy. It’s addictive.

And it’s therapeutic. Push Pilates is offering a “Divorcees Bootcamp: Pilates Therapy”. They claim on their Website that the price is equivalent to 3 hours lawyer’s fees.

My mom, the tennis coach, always says that spending time on the court is better than Lakeside and cheaper. What do you think?