This recipe is over half a century old; a friend of mine claimed she paid $1000 for it to a professional cook in Chicago. I put it in my first cookbook. It's an easy by-heart recipe:

BUTTERMILK PANCAKES

Stir together: 2 C white flour, 2 C. buttermilk, 2eggs

.Melt together 2 Tbsp. honey and 2 Tbsp.butter

OOPS --FORGOT TO ADD: 1 tsp. each of baking soda and baking powder and salt - in the flour. SORRY!

Stir that into the batter and mix well, but don’t over-stir.

If you like a thin batter (more crêpe-like than flapjacky), add some cold water – to the desired consistency.

Bake on a hot, well-seasoned griddle – whatever size of pancake you like. When bubbles appear on the surface, turn the pancakes over and bake a little more.

Serve with (need I say?) maple syrup and butter. You can make these ahead so that you are not trapped in the kitchen away from your guests. Layer the pancakes between paper towels and keep warm in the oven until ready to serve everyone.

There. Enjoy.

Paper dolls were my favourite toy when I was a little girl. When my first play was being produced I was interviewed on television as part of the promotion and the host asked me how I liked having a play of mine produced.

"It's wonderful." I said. "Just like playing with real-live pap---per dolls!!!" Discovery time. I hadn't realized.

And it was. And wasn't. Because they have to come to life and breathe and be real and suffer, and I suffer with them. Which is what I am doing right now. I am finally inside them, inside the story, and I am so tired, hunched over the computer. I get up and stretch every hour or so (longer than that because I lose track of time) and I climb stairs to keep me limber.

I have to quit and cook for people over the next few days. I'll be back. I have to take care of my paper dolls.