The twenty-fifth anniversary of 9/11 is coming up next week. I was in the hospital recovering from gallbladder surgery and pancreatitis when it happened. The entire week I was there was nothing but news coverage, and it was traumatic as hell.

Then I got to thinking about the difference between terrorists crashing planes into buildings and what the current administration is inflicting on Americans and the rest of the world. It isn’t as concentrated an event: the entire horror of 9/11 took place in a matter of hours. But here we are, 19 months into the second Trump administration: we have 70,000 people in concentration camps here in the US; Americans are being terrorized by a domestic police force whose mission is to arrest, or kill, anyone they don’t like; we’re being priced out of healthcare, groceries, gas, and shelter; most of our food and water protections have been dismantled, leaving thousands sick; and we’re being told by the government to ignore decades of scientific proof on vaccines and other health topics, on the word of a man whose brain has been addled by heroin and eating literal shit. We are fed lie after lie from the White House, and policy gets made over a post on Trump’s personal social media site. The Supreme Court has been bought and paid for, and has completely lost the plot (of the Constitution). How did any of this happen?

I don’t know about you, but I don’t see much difference. We’re being terrorized from inside the house, and for some reason, none of the Republicans in Congress have any moral fortitude to stand up to the Terrorist in Chief.

It is going to take decades to repair the damage that Trump and his cadre of villains have wreaked on America. My great-grandchildren will still be digging out from the foreign policy nightmare caused by this administration, not to mention the financial destruction from his ridiculous tariffs and other policies. Will our former allies ever trust us again? Not if we ever elect another Republican administration, that’s for certain.

So let us remember the horror that took place twenty-five years ago, and remember how it brought America together in some really beautiful ways. The terror we’re being subjected to now is only tearing us apart: from each other and from the entire world.

Midterms are coming. Please vote.

On a happier note, a new primary care doctor turned out to be a wonderful surprise after years of being shuffled between providers. Plus: a fun visit from her nephew and his girlfriend, a Patreon rescue for a rainbow axolotl sock pattern, book talk on The Shampoo Effect, a so-so thriller, and book five of the Dan Armstrong/Oscar mystery series, plus a heads-up on an upcoming interview with actor/stuntman Matt Merchant. Wrapped up with some real talk on doom-scrolling, midterms, and hoping for cooler LA weather.

Books Mentioned:
The Shampoo Effect by Jenny Jackson
Murder at the Matterhorn by T. A. Williams
10 Marchfield Square by Nicola Whyte

There’s Titanique, the parody musical, where Celine Dion thinks she was on the boat and I’m committing to the bit, Lost Boys the movie-musical (if you like vampires flying, great; if you like a plot, maybe don’t), and a third-row-center Book of Mormon upgrade care of my co-host, who apparently knows every box office in Manhattan. And then the actual point of the trip: thirty General Hospital Snark listeners packing a bar on the Lower East Side to meet David and me in person, because it turns out New York was the beating heart of daytime TV once upon a time, and it still remembers.

Plus: two finished socks, one adopted hand-mitt pattern for my wicked stepmother in rehab, a Sherlock family tree so incestuous it needs a flowchart, and a hard pass on any book that promises to “wreck me.” Grab your coffee before it gets cold, because mine already did.

Books Mentioned:

The Shampoo Effect by Jenny Jackson

The Armstrong and Oscar series by T. A. Williams

10 Marchfield Square by Nicola Whyte

Knitting:

Hibernal Socks by Summer Lee

Dream in Color Smooshy Cashmere Socks – pop-up color for August 2026

She is like my own personal travel supervisor. She made sure I had enough water, enough rest, enough protein, and enough silliness to keep me on track.

We cruised Manhattan, pedicabbed through Central Park, hung out with rabid General Hospital fans, and saw THREE Broadway shows!

I have so much to share, but alas, my IQ parachuted out of the plane somewhere over Lincoln, Nebraska, so it’s going to be a minute. In other words, I am really tired, and not just physically, but that kind of tired where you wonder why you haven’t moved or blinked in 15 minutes.

Suffice it to say, it was another wonderful traveling adventure that I will treasure forever, and annoy you with all the details next week.

xoxo

Lianne (Who is REALLY an Old Lady today)

But it’s what happens the days before I travel that the crazy really kicks in. Last year before we left for Europe, I was a freaking basketcase for about 5 days. I couldn’t sleep, my digestive system went bananas, and I made obsessive lists where I even listed my lists.

As you know, the Europe trip last year could not have gone better.

So, this time around, my pre-travel mode is much better. Like, much, much better. I’m still a titch crazy today, but it’s a manageable crazy.

Why on earth do you get so weird before travel, Lianne? Are you afraid of flying? No. Are you afraid something bad will happen? No. So what the freak is wrong with you?

It’s very simple. I am an introvert completely in love with my routine, and when you disrupt the routine, whether for an hour or a day or a week or more, I get weird. Good grief, even the day the housekeepers come to clean, I feel my routine disrupted. Let’s face it, I can occasionally be an exceptional hot mess.

I’m about to lie down for a little nap, and then I’m going to get up, eat something, and then start packing.

Will that make me feel less crazy? Likely no. But at least I can check it off my list.

Welcome to the Old Lady Podcast!

This week on the Old Lady Podcast, I’m deep in New York week prep. Between packing lists, an impulsive new phone purchase, and Julia’s new gimbal ready to capture Sunday’s big event, I’m trying to keep my nervous system calm and my lists longer than my worries. I also give you an update on Wicked Stepmother’s recovery and share a sweet moment with my daughter that reminded me why all this family chaos is worth it.

I’m also sharing what I’ve been reading and watching. I finally finished Cleopatra, and let’s just say I did not love her. I found a new cozy mystery series set in Tuscany that I’m already obsessed with, and I’m loving a surprising sci-fi spinoff that’s made Thursday nights appointment viewing again. I also tell you about a couple of books I started and abandoned, because sometimes a book just isn’t right for you, and that’s fine.

Finally, I catch you up on my knitting, including a sock pattern I regret a little, share some thoughts on stepping out of my woo woo era and into something steadier, and tell you a story involving my daughter, a nose ring, and a potato bag that you really just have to hear. Grab your tea and settle in.

Books Mentioned:

Cleopatra – Saara El-Arifi

Murder in Tuscany – T.A. Williams

Welcome to the Old Lady Podcast!

Okay, here’s my week in a nutshell: I watched a beautiful musical, discovered The Lost Boys is objectively bonkers (and we’re still going to see the musical in NYC), finished a pair of socks I initially loathed, and had a full-blown Alexa meltdown because a book character happens Alexa meltdown because a book character happens to share a name with what's coming out of my speaker. Truly living my best chaotic old lady life over here.

I’ll also tell you about the moment I nearly threw my knitting across the room, the book that’s a solid B for me right now (sorry, Cleopatra), and why I’ve decided this particular stretch of summer is just not my reading season, no matter how hard I try to fight it.

And then I get real with you. Some stuff came up this week that knocked me sideways, and I ended up talking honestly about fear, faith, and something deeply personal from my own life that I don’t share lightly. It’s not the funny part of the episode, but it’s the part that matters most, and I think some of you needed to hear it as much as I needed to say it. Come sit with me for this one.

Books Mentioned:

Single Girls – John Searles

Deadly Does It – Abbi Waxman

Cleopatra – Saara El-Arifi

The Parisienne Heist – Jo Piazza

The Calamity Club – Kathryn Stockett

Welcome to the Old Lady Podcast!

I’m easing back into life this week after a full, joyful weekend with the stepfamily; around twenty people, a rented Airbnb with just enough room for everyone to breathe, pizza at our local favorite, and the sweet realization that even the extroverts in the family needed a long nap to recover. A real highlight was getting to visit with Nina’s friend Maryanne, who’s been quietly working on a biography of Nina’s grandmother, silent film star Nell Shipman.

On the reading front, I said a tender goodbye to the beloved Ruth Galloway series, dove into a gorgeous first-person retelling of Cleopatra, and have a handful of other books I’m savoring slowly in whatever quiet moments I can find. On the knitting front, a hand-dyed cashmere yarn didn’t turn out quite the way I hoped, a little too much neon for my taste, but the socks will find a happy home anyway.

There’s also a small kitchen mishap (a clogged sink, entirely my own doing, now in the capable hands of the handyman. UPDATE: It’s fixed!), a gentle invitation for all of us to take a break from the news this week, and a little riff on probiotics being sold as the cure for absolutely everything. Mostly, it’s a week about slowing down, getting grounded, and taking good care of each other. Cozy and gentle, as always.

Books Mentioned:

Single Girls – John Searles

Deadly Does It – Abbi Waxman

Cleopatra – Saara El-Arifi

The Parisienne Heist – Jo Piazza

The Calamity Club – Kathryn Stockett

Welcome to the Old Lady Podcast!

I’ve got a family reunion this week, a trip to New York in three weeks, a garden that has completely run away from me, and a Saturday that started with something a lot heavier than my usual to-do list. I’m talking through all of it with you, plus the tomato and zucchini recipe I invented decades ago for exactly this kind of overflow.

On the reading front, I’ve got a full shelf to report on: a fairy tale I turned out to love more than I expected, a quirky character study that won’t be for everyone (and I’m at peace with that), a new historical fiction about a magazine icon, and a stack of books lined up next, including one I almost dismissed before it called me out by name. I’ll also show you my finished socks, tell you about the new project I’ve already cast on, and share a TV pick I’m cautiously excited about.

And the big news is finally official: registration is open for our very first GH Snark gathering in New York City. Grab something warm and settle in with me.

Books Mentioned:

Lady Tremaine – Rachel Hochhauser

Country People – Daniel Mason

Single Girls – John Searles

Deadly Does It – Abbi Waxman

Cleopatra – Saara El-Arifi

The Foursome – Christina Baker Kline

The Parisienne Heist – Jo Piazza

The Universe Has Your Back – Gabrielle Bernstein

Welcome to the Old Lady Podcast!

Hi, I’m Lianne, also known as Mama Snark, and I had to change seats mid-episode because my hips staged a full revolt. This week’s report comes from a stretch I can only describe as cranky. Turns out parenting adult children requires less googling and more sitting with my own discomfort, which is exactly as fun as it sounds. On the bright side: my leg wax experiment is a resounding success, two weeks in and practically hair-free, even as my chin stages its own rebellion.

Also under investigation this week: the mysterious “Bed Void” that’s swallowed my ibuprofen lid and Apple Pencil whole, my completed Tristan sock that finally cracked the color-work code (five yarns, one dollar-store basket, zero regrets), and my very strong opinion on Love by the Book, plus progress reports on Lady Tremaine and Country People. There’s pizza with Julia, a family reunion around the corner, and a hard-won piece of wisdom about the ebb and flow of getting older — delivered with the crankiness finally in my rearview mirror.

Books Mentioned:

The Locked Room – Ellie Griffith

Love by the Book – Jessica George

Lady Tremaine – Rachel Hochhauser

Country People – Daniel Mason

Welcome to the Old Lady Podcast!

The kids went out of town, the house got quiet, and I had the best weekend doing exactly what I always do, just slower and with better takeout. This week I’m bringing you two finished pairs of socks (one bound for Hawaii, one I loved too much to give away), the story of how I ended up giving an impromptu hour and a half knitting lesson to my housekeeper’s very determined 12 year old, and a full confession about why, despite a California Clear teaching credential and two job offers from the LA Unified School District, I never actually became a public school teacher. Spoiler: it involves lost paperwork, twice.

On the books side, it was a genuinely great week. I finished The Windsor Affair, a juicy historical novel about Wallis Simpson that reads like The Crown with better gossip. I also closed out the penultimate Ruth Galloway mystery, The Locked Room, which had me nervous for a main character’s safety. I’m deep into Love by the Book by Jessica George, a gorgeous meditation on friendship that has completely rearranged how I think about the people I love. And I started Lady Tremaine, the buzzy Cinderella retelling from the stepmother’s point of view, which grabbed me at 9:30 at night, a time I never start new books.

Plus, a very happy 8th birthday to my dog, a 9 year anniversary in this house I still love, and an honest look at how full my yarn bins have gotten (too full, if we’re being honest with each other).

Knitting, reading, and the everyday joys of being 70 in Southern California. Come sit with me for a while.

Books Mentioned:

The Locked Room – Ellie Griffith

The Windsor Affair – Melanie Benjamin

Love by the Book – Jessica George

Lady Tremaine – Rachel Hochhauser

Welcome to the Old Lady Podcast!

It’s the last Monday of June, it’s 67 degrees in Southern California, and I am sitting here in a sweater at 84% capacity. The tummy situation is ongoing, the vertigo made a surprise Friday appearance, and yet here we are. As my body regularly reminds me, pain is just part of the conversation at 70. The hips, however, are doing beautifully.

Books were a rollercoaster. A C-plus, a solid B, two DNFs, and one absolute winner that has been on my radar for years. Royal drama, royal politics, and a story I have been waiting for since I finished The Crown. Also, two more books in rotation and two more I am considering, despite being cautioned against one of them.

Julia and I had a Saturday adventure involving two enormous bridges, container ships, a first-time experience I am now fully evangelical about, a ten dollar find I am very smug about, and a hot sauce booth that left us both fanning our mouths on the way out.

There is knitting news, there is pattern drama, there is a yarn that is no longer in production and slightly sticky and completely worth it.

The 4th of July weekend is coming, the kids are heading to Utah, and Pond and I are staying home to enjoy the quiet. Family reunion next month, New York City the month after, and somehow it will already be fall.

Thank you for being my people. Hold onto democracy like it matters -- because it does.

Books Mentioned:

Villa Coco – Andrew Sean Greer

The Midnight Train – Matt Haig

The Locked Room – Ellie Griffith

Off the Record – Sara Goodman Confino

The Windsor Affair – Melanie Benjamin

The Calamity Club – Katherine Stockett

Yesteryear – Caro Claire Burke

Welcome to the Old Lady Podcast!

It’s the first Monday of summer, the solstice is behind us, the cucumbers are almost ready to pick, and I have stories. Oh, do I have stories.

This week I take you along to the OB-GYN with my daughter Julia, where we discovered the size of her fibroids, the limits of my composure, and exactly what my vagus nerve thinks about medical imaging. Spoiler: the margarita we had planned afterward became a Sprite. And then it became nothing at all. The good news is I am not dying, Julia has a medical plan, and the doctor assured us he will not be seeing me again. (He was kidding. Mostly.)

I also tell you about our great Saturday escape from a house full of boys and video games, knitting at the bar like the woman I am, a margarita that was approximately 40% tequila, and a long evening in the gazebo with Julia talking about my grandparents, my high school, and the random memories that came to mind. I am the Keeper of These Stories, and I want to share before they are gone.

On the knitting front: the Field of Poppies socks are done, Linda’s cactus socks are in progress and have already defeated me twice on the short row heel, and Westerly’s socks are waiting patiently in the wings. (I want to cast on! I want to cast on!) I’ve got some muscle fatigue going in my right forearm, so the knitting needs to be dialed back.

Books: Whistler left me with a genuine hangover, Almost Life was fine but long, The Nighthawks was wonderful, and Villa Coco is delightfully unhinged in the best possible way, and The Midnight Train is… interesting.

Summer is officially here. The tomatoes agree.

Books Mentioned:

Villa Coco – Andrew Sean Greer

The Midnight Train – Matt Haig

Almost Life – Kiran Millwood Hargrave

The Knight Hawks – Ellie Griffith

Off the Record – Sara Goodman Confino

Welcome to the Old Lady Podcast!

Big news first: Julia and I are going to New York City in August to see shows, eat food, and do something top secret that we’ll announce next week. (David has connections. That’s all I’m saying.) Also, we have our first zucchini of the season and I would like everyone to treat this with the reverence it deserves.

Saturday brought pedicures, finished knitting, and an unwanted education in Selling Sunset -- a show where professional women apparently conduct real estate transactions in their underwear. I have questions. Julia put her head down and refused to engage. Smart woman.

Sunday was genuinely moving: Sam sang with the LA Master Chorale for Gustavo Dudamel’s farewell concerts at Disney Hall. I had a tummy situation and could not attend, so I listened on the radio in my chair with my AirPods in while Julia got to watch Dudamel’s face the whole time. It was still one of the most beautiful things I’ve heard in a long time. Gracias, Gustavo.

Books: The Author Weekend was a hot mess in the best possible way (B/B-), Murder at World’s End stuck the landing (solid B, will read the sequel), Dear Monica Lewinsky is 75% done and still charming, and I just started Anne Patchett’s Whistler, because Anne Patchett is a living gift and apparently writes all her novels on a treadmill, which is just showing off.

Knitting: Julia’s sunflower socks are done. The green pair is done. I timed a stripe, and it took less than ten minutes. I am casting on something new today, based on a Pinterest picture that may or may not have been a sweater.

And at the end -- something worth sitting with. This too shall pass. Even the hard stuff. Even this.

Books Mentioned:

The Author Weekend – Laura Zigman

The Murder at the End of the World – Ross Montgomery

Dear Monica Lewinsky – Julia Langbein

Whistler – Ann Patchett

Almost Life – Kiran Millwood Hargrave

Music Mentioned:

Harmonium by John Adams

Cantata Criolla by Antonio Estévez

Sock Patterns

Clog Sock by Summer Lee Design

Field of Sunflowers by Charlotte Stone of StoneKnits

Welcome to the Old Lady Podcast!

This week: Allergy Armageddon hits at 4 a.m. (the CPAP did not help), the housekeepers arrive and actually clean the garlic holder, and Sam, the Mexican gardener, who happens to live here, is growing an empire of dahlias, guava, and zucchini in the backyard. We talk about Mole Man, a documentary on Prime about an autistic man in Pennsylvania who has spent 50 years building 25 structures from reclaimed materials without a single nail -- genuinely one of the most fascinating things I’ve watched in a long time. Plus, The Other Bennett Sister on BritBox, which is exactly as good as the book was.

Books this week: Enormous Wings (pro-choice, a little heavy-handed, solid B), Take Me With You (A-, one of my favorites of the year, Michael Urey reads the audiobook beautifully), Introducing Mrs. Collins (Charlotte Lucas gets her happy ending, light and lovely), and three new ones I’m juggling -- The Author Weekend, Murder at World’s End (1910 Cornwall, Halley’s comet, locked-room mystery, curmudgeon dowager in the attic -- yes, please), and Dear Monica Lewinsky, which has me laughing out loud on my walks.

And knitting. Always knitting. I weighed my socks, did actual math, and discovered I have been needlessly panicking about yarn for years. Also: yarn database, solid color stash sprawl, and a sunflower sock that briefly looked like Lakers merch.

Vote if you’ve got a primary. Your franchise is sacred. See you next week.

Books Mentioned:

Take Me With You by Steven Rowley

Introducing Mrs. Collins by Rachel Parris

Enormous Wings by Laurie Frankel

The Author Weekend – Laura Zigman

The Murder at the End of the World – Ross Montgomery

Dear Monica Lewinsky – Julia Langbein

Welcome to the Old Lady Podcast!

The funk is gone! And I have cracked the code on how to escape one, so pull up a chair. The cure, it turns out, involves a tiny cabaret room in West Hollywood, the wildly talented Emily Goglia, and fifty strangers belting out all 525,600 minutes of “Seasons of Love” together. Honestly, how can you not be reborn into joy after that?

We also need to discuss the Great Housekeeper Saga, in which I attempt to be nice, fail, and end up texting “do not come” to a woman driving toward my house. Was I a monster? Possibly. Do I feel guilty? Yes. Am I telling you all of it anyway? Obviously.

Then it’s on to the good stuff. The garden is exploding (we now have yard squash, because squash refuses to respect boundaries), and I’m dreaming of Greek nights with fresh cucumbers and Trader Joe’s hero meat. On the reading front, I’ve got a glorious pile going: Stephen Rowley’s “Take Me With You” (a man gets abducted by aliens and somehow it’s about being human), Laurie Frankel’s “Enormous Wings” (pregnant at 77, in Texas, yes really), another Pride and Prejudice spinoff because I cannot help myself, and a book that has me praying to Monica Lewinsky. I am not kidding.

Plus, the usual sock report (I’m deep in a green yarn phase and have made peace with ripping things out), more Stardew Valley with the family, and a reminder from your favorite 70-year-old that the worst things in life do pass. If the sky ain’t blue, it’s just the weather, and the weather always changes.

Come sit with me for a while.

Books Mentioned:

Mad Mabel by Sally Helpworth

Austen at Sea by Natalie Jenner

Take Me With You by Steven Rowley

Introducing Mrs. Collins by Rachel Parris

Enormous Wings by Laurie Frankel

Emily Goglia on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emilygoglia/

Knitting pattern: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/cider-house-socks

Green Sock pattern by Summer Lee: Cider House Socks

I am in a funk, friends. It’s been a rough week, and I am just barely crawling out of my self-imposed retreat. Maybe that’s why I needed the branding glow-up.

I also share a recent experience with online marketing, which left me wondering, with great seriousness and only a little dread, whether I have crossed some invisible threshold and am, in fact, just an old lady now. The 21^st Century is here, and apparently, there are things I still need to learn.

On the reading front, I have four books to tell you about: two I genuinely loved and want to press into your hands, and two that were... fine. Just fine. The sort of books you finish and then immediately forget you read.

And in joyful news, the sock for my Hawaiian friend Jenny is DONE. Off the needles, ends woven in, ready to travel across the Pacific, as soon as I finish the second one. My sister has dubbed it The Sisterhood of the Magical Socks.

Pour yourself something warm and come hang out.

Books Mentioned:

Island Calling by Francesca Segall (sequel to Welcome to Glorious Tuga)

A Deadly Episode by Anthony Horowitz (a Hawthorne and Horowitz Mystery)

Mad Mabel by Sally Helpworth

Austen at Sea by Natalie Jenner

Knitting Miscellany:

Charlotte Stone’s colorwork patterns: https://www.stoneknits.com/

Welcome to the Old Lady Podcast!

Hello, friends! Pour yourself something warm and pull up a chair, because today’s episode is a brilliant reflection of my very tired brain.

I just got back from a whirlwind 24-hour turnaround to Vegas to watch my granddaughter Lilli play softball, and let me tell you, that “four-hour” drive turned into seven and a half hours of pure traffic-induced character building. My hips have notes. My patience has notes. But getting to spend time with my daughter, Kjarsti, and cheer Lilli on made every sudden stop on I-15 worth it (mostly).

Once I made it home, I did what any reasonable person would do: I collapsed into bed with my knitting. This coming week is Second Sock Week, because I finished the first sock of two pairs, and I love them both.

Plus, I’m currently juggling THREE books, and we’re discussing my totally made-up Emotional Investment Scale, where I rank reads by how much anxiety my neurosis can handle. Spoiler: when life is chaotic, I want a book that’s a friend, not a project.

We’re also chatting about spring walks, blooming things, and the small moments that quietly make life lovely.

Come hang out. It’s cozy in here.

Books Mentioned:

The Lantern Men by Elly Griffiths (Ruth Galloway #12)

Go Gentle by Maria Semple

Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D. James