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Back Porch

Back Porch is a monthly column with light-hearted stories and topics by Andria Frankfort. Illustrations by James Arturo. Also, see Andria’s weekly blog, Back Porch Table, for recipes.

READY, SET, GO

Thinking About a New Year: Pop culture insights

By Andria Dilling | December 27, 2024
People in this article:
Andria Dilling, Matthew McConaughey, Jay Shetty, Ina Garten
Private School Directory
Summer movies

Summer box office memories

By Andria Dilling | June 27, 2022
People in this article:
Andria Dilling, Joni Hoffman, Randy Uzick, Tommy Uzick, Caroline Siegfried, Kathrine Kiersted, Brooke Halverson, William Halverson, Heather Kearney
Summer reading

Summer reading 2022: A family tradition

By Andria Dilling | May 26, 2022
People in this article:
Regina Nolan, Bob Shadle, Ethan Nolan
THE REAL DEAL

What moms really want

By Andria Dilling | April 27, 2022
SILENT MODE

The group-text conundrum

By Andria Dilling | March 25, 2022
People in this article:
Andria Dilling

Riding the Wordle wave

By Andria Dilling | February 25, 2022
People in this article:
Josh Wardle, Elizabeth Elliot, Charles Fletcher, Anne Tulek, Elyse Kalmans, Barbara Catechis
TRUE LOVE

Un-romantic romance

By Andria Dilling | January 27, 2022
People in this article:
Jenny Guss, Kevin Smith, Donna Perillo, Joe Perillo, Samantha Melman, Gil Melman, Caroline Barnes, Greg Barnes, Nicole Longnecker, David Pesikoff, Scarlett Collings, Cam Hewell, Debbie Greenberg, Adam Greenberg, Erika De La Garza, Alejandro Chaoul, Ana Schick, Mike Schick, Debra Donaldson, Charlie Henke, Jacqueline Kenneally, Michael Kenneally, Ilse Rassin, Keith Rassin, Claudia Oelman, David Oelman, Jill Kaminsky, Neal Kaminsky, Carrie Fisher, Clay Fisher
HAPPY CHANCES

Coincidence and connections

By Andria Dilling | December 27, 2021
People in this article:
Jerry Seinfeld, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Carl Jung, Melanie Herz Promecene, Bernard Beitman, Laura Lynne Jackson, Martha Beck
DECISIONS

Simplifying the holidays – or not

By Andria Dilling | November 27, 2021
People in this article:
Meredith Barineau, Tina Pyne
THANKSGIVING

A tiny twist on tradition

By Andria Dilling | October 27, 2021
People in this article:
Dena Prasher, Mary Clark, Chris Granberry, Jenn Segal
FEELS LIKE FALL

How to fake a real autumn

By Andria Dilling | September 22, 2021
SMELL A WHITE LIE

But I thought you liked that

By Andria Dilling | August 27, 2021
People in this article:
Andria Dilling, Joni Hoffman, Michael Hoffman, Lana Rigsby, Tina Pyne, Anita Gaylor, Stuart Gaylor
CLASS IS IN

Back to school … for real

By Andria Dilling | July 27, 2021
People in this article:
Jennifer Levy, Laura Buchman, Jason Buchman, Sydney Buchman, Aidan Buchman, Max Buchman
teen vocabulary

Teen-vocab primer No. 2

By Andria Dilling | June 27, 2021
People in this article:
Andria Dilling
LISTEN UP

What to listen to this summer

By Andria Dilling | May 24, 2021
People in this article:
Michelle Frankfort, Tracey Blumrosen, Dionne Miller
WHAT A YEAR

Missing senior year

By Andria Dilling | April 27, 2021
People in this article:
Andria Dilling
COLD WARMTH

Big-hearted Houston

By Andria Dilling | March 29, 2021
People in this article:
Andria Dilling, Donna Gershenwald, Angela Furnari, Cara Adams
STOCKED UP

Where were you one year ago?

By Andria Dilling | March 1, 2021
People in this article:
Linda Elmer, Tracy Kapiloff, Julia Burke, Lana Rigsby, Samantha Sullivan, Joy Yeager, Deanna Sheaffer, Barbara Trautner, Margaret Trautner, Tevia McLaren, Diana Brackman, Stuart Rosenberg, Jose Ocque, Michelle Glickman
YES

A good Valentine’s Day

By Andria Dilling | January 27, 2021
People in this article:
Tevia McLaren, Tina Pyne, Peggy Haney, Susan Zeller, Bob Zeller
HIDDEN OPPORTUNITIES

Resolving to see the signs

By Andria Dilling | December 24, 2020
People in this article:
Matthew McConaughey, Jay Shetty
HERE AND NOW

New year, new thinking

By Andria Dilling | November 25, 2020
People in this article:
Gretchen Rubin, Henry Richardson, Lisa Helfman, Sean Fitzpatrick
Holiday celebrations

New traditions or holiday detours?

By Andria Dilling | October 27, 2020
People in this article:
Andria Dilling, Barbara Burgower Hordern, Leslie Wade, Susan Zeller
KEEPING IT SIMPLE

Love in the time of Covid

By Andria Dilling | October 1, 2020
NOT NORMAL

Jake Ryan and our 2020

By Andria Dilling | August 27, 2020
People in this article:
Andria Dilling
LOVING SCHOOL

Classes we’ve loved

By Andria Dilling | July 31, 2020
People in this article:
Josh Rassin, Sophia Rassin, Ilse Rassin, Keith Rassin, Robyn Rosenblatt, Ian Rosenblatt, Talia Rosenblatt, Molly Holub, Chanse Holub, Charlie Holub, Caroline Holub, Hannah Loev, Jordan Loev, Marisa Loev, Charlotte Krasner, Amy Krasner

Summer reading: 2020

By Andria Dilling | June 30, 2020
People in this article:
Stefanie Trachtenberg, Jacob Trachtenberg, Yaa Gyasi, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Kamila Shamsie, Georgia Hunter, Lisa Wingate, Marjan Kamali, Ann Patchett, Charles Belfoure, Elyssa Friedland, Yuval Noah Harari, Mohsin Hamid
quarantine

What do we miss?

By Andria Dilling | June 1, 2020
People in this article:
Andria Dilling, Tracy Kapiloff, Tina Pyne, Peta Rubenstein, Wendy Burgower, Peggy Haney, Amy Krasner, Sarah Gibbs, Buddy Herz, Nancy Beck, Stuart Hudson, Nicole Gibson, Denise Rashti, Bernie Milstein
TOGETHER TIME

That quarantine mom

By Andria Dilling | May 1, 2020
People in this article:
Andria Dilling
mean girls

Mean girls: Take 2

By Andria Dilling | April 1, 2020
People in this article:
Andria Dilling, Betsy Rapoport
SEEMS LIKE YESTERDAY

Coming clean (sort of)

By Andria Dilling | March 1, 2020