WHAT'S NEW FOR 2026

A New Kitchen Device, a Battery of Tests, a Starfish Update, and Two Forthcoming Books

The celebrations are over, and the new year is upon us. So what's going on for 2026? I've got lots of good things happening, as represented by these three Women of Note-- Model Dolores Erikson on Trumpeter Herb Albert's iconic 1965 album cover; Blind Lady Justice gracing an LSAT prep guide, and EdenH., a.k.a. Starfish, Angel of the Trails.

Who among us doesn't love whipped cream? I like to put it on everything from hot chocolate to pumpkin custard. What I DON'T like, however, is the list of ingredients on the cans of commercial whipped cream... too much stuff that I would never intentionally ingest. I've observed that even when they label it as "All Natural" or "No Artificial Ingredients," it still often contains a lot of crap I don't want in my system.

Left, a typical can of ready-to-use whipped cream in your grocery store; right, an

old school whipped cream dispenser for serving whipped cream made the way you want it.

For about $40 at a restaurant supply store (or online) you can purchase the sturdy, cool-looking device on the right, known simply as a Whipped Cream Dispenser. Just buy your favorite heavy cream (bottled without additives or thickeners, of course) simmer a glass of it with half a cup of confectioner's sugar (or more or less, to taste) and a splash of pure vanilla, then combine that with the remaining cream and refrigerate. Add the cream to the canister, secure the top, install a Carbon Dioxide charger, shake well, and refrigerate. To serve, simply shake well, point, and squeeze. (Carbon Dioxide chargers sold separately.) What (or whom) you put it on is your own private business.

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Loving whipped cream is a no-brainer, but am I the only one who actually enjoys taking written exams? As a devotee of all manner of logic puzzles, I recently assumed the task of coaching a young friend and aspiring environmental lawyer to help bolster her score on the LSAT, the standardized test used by most law schools as a primary criterion for admission. I shared with her my fondness for formal syllogistic and symbolic logic, dusting off cob-webbed memories from my favorite undergraduate classes. As I did so, I suddenly found myself pondering the possibility of taking the test myself. It was an idea sufficiently pointless to intrigue my inner absurdist, just crazy enough to make me say, "Why the hell not?" So I signed up to take it.

On the morning of Wednesday, January 7th I arrived at the testing site-- way less prepared than the twenty-somethings feeling their self-imposed do-or-die pressure to get into, say, Harvard or Yale; and yet unlike them I felt absolutely, completely relaxed. Hell, I had just gotten home the night before from two weeks straight out on the road in bad winter weather... whatever else it might be, taking this test would not be physically dangerous. It wasn't until I was driving home that it finally sunk in, and I was suddenly laughing like an idiot-- "I just took the freaking LSAT like it was a Sunday crossword puzzle at Starbucks!"

Compared to my practice questions, I found this iteration of the LSAT a really difficult test, yet I felt somewhat reassured knowing that it is scored on a curve. On the day after this part of the test, I took the writing portion of the test at home... on my laptop perched on folding sandwich table in our bathroom, since no other room in our artfully cluttered home complied with the exam's strict security requirements. I'll get my results in about 20 days.

Meanwhile, I'll be taking the GRE (Graduate Record Exam) in February, and the GMAT (Graduate Management Aptitude Test) in March. Why? Because after taking a few practice versions of those two tests, I realized that it was actually conceivable that I might get every single stinking question correct on one or both of them. Unlike the LSAT, the material they test for sits squarely in my wheelhouse. I relish the challenge, and I promise to post the results of all three.

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When we last left EdenH. (a.k.a. Starfish) she was in the early stages of recovering from the horrific accident that could easily have killed her. (See OPERATION STARFISH.) As soon as Andrea & I got word of her situation, we sent her a shipment of fancy dark chocolate and then another to make her painful days just a little brighter.

The Life of Starfish these days-- a little dark chocolate,

a total hip reconstruction, a little more dark chocolate...

Starfish has endured FOUR major operations so far-- a hip/femur re-build with a plate & screws (see x-ray image); repair of an open head wound on back left half of skull; surgical treatment for an infected lower right abdominal quadrant hematoma; and a right shoulder/arm re-build for a badly damaged glenohumeral joint & rotator cuff. She can't walk at a normal pace or for longer than a few minutes at a time, and then only with a pronounced limp. The head-to-toe pain is persistent, oscillating between bad and worse. She cannot stand for any amount of time, and only has one working arm at the moment.

Well before this accident, we knew that Starfish was extraordinarily tough and resilient from the sheer mileage she's logged on America's longest and most challenging trails. However, between the endless medical procedures, physical therapy, constant pain, and ongoing insurance battles, is it even remotely possible that The Angel of the Trails manages to find a silver lining in all of this? Amazingly (but perhaps not surprisingly) YES! This accident has re-united Starfish with the love of her life, a Merchant Mariner on a Puget Sound tugboat who is also a hiker-- trail-name Wildcat-- who has been with her either in person or spirit every step of this, the most arduous journey of her life. "I can't imagine life without him," she says.

And might she actually be contemplating a return to the trails? Absolutely! "I made a promise to a friend before this accident to hike the Camino de Santiago over in Europe next fall, 2026," she says, "and I think it will be perfect to dip my toe back in the hiking pool as it is not too strenuous - and it's a holy pilgrimage. Fitting, as I know I had angels looking out for me the day of this accident. I am not paralyzed, I am not brain damaged, and I am supposed to be able to make a full recovery. Yes, a pilgrimage is just what the doctor ordered. But the hike after that...I'm thinking BIG. Biggest I've ever thought about and I'm leaning more and more towards it. It would definitely require some training which would be good for me. (It'll) give me a reason to want to heal faster, too."

Godspeed, Starfish!

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And finally, I am pleased to report that I am presently writing TWO books. A PLACE TO HUNT will be a step-by-step chronicle of my recent rural land deal, an unlikely 28-acre purchase that necessitated everything from a little clever sleuthing to involvement with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. I'm not sure when that title will be ready because the story itself is still ongoing; however, Webmistress Extraordinaire WinH. & I have already collaborated on its cover--

Meanwhile, I expect to have THE GRUMPY OLD MANSPLAINER'S COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS ready for sale this coming April-- just in time for graduation season. Imagine if I were actually given the honor of addressing a graduating college class... what sort of advice would I give them? Spoiler Alert-- a lot of the same advice I've already given the readers of Danny's Table. Stay tuned.