All this Charlie Sheen phenomenon is lost on me.

I don’t think he’s funny, and I think his recent TV show is crass and crude. I’ve watched some of the recent news coverage of his rantings, and it’s an awful lot like watching a train wreck. He’s a mess, and I feel sorry for him, really. Then my next thought, as a journalist, is why this is worth so much valuable media coverage.

A friend even asked  if I wanted to buy a ticket to watch his live “performance.” No, I said, and wished her a good time at the show, but secretly I was scratching my head as to why anyone would pay to see more of Charlie Sheen’s bad behaviour. Then this weekend he opens his tour in Detroit, and the show is so bad people walk out. They were surprised?

On the other hand, I have experienced plenty of things recently I would recommend people spend time and money seeing. Here’s a brief  list for those needing entertainment suggestions:

• The very fun and creative Apron Chronicles exhibit at the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame.
• Sipping wine in a Grapevine, TX winery.
• Browsing the lovely china displays at downtown Dallas’ Neiman Marcus.
• Checking out the antique shops in McKinney.
• Reading “The Help” by the Katheryn Stockett.
• Seeing Tommy Tune explain the difference in a single, double and triple time step at the Music Hall at Fair Park.

So if you’re needing entertainment, there are other options besides witnessing the outbursts of a disturbed Hollywood bad boy. Let’s promote more positive things, shall we?

Don’t tell my girls because they would never believe it, and my husband not only wouldn’t believe it but would argue the fact ,but some people think I have something interesting to say.

The Arts League, a support group for Northeast Tarrant County’s Arts Council (www.artscouncilnortheast.org), has invited me to speak Tuesday evening at its annual gathering, “Wine, Women and the Arts.” I will speak along with some of the other authors of “Grace & Gumption: The Cookbook,” which TCU Press published last year. The gathering begins at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Hexter-Fair Title Company, 102 Grapevine Highway, in Hurst, and our program will begin at 7 p.m.

So if I don’t have anything interesting to say, I better figure out something very quickly.

One of the things I have to say before the show even starts is I don’t much care for the book’s title, because this book is much more than a cookbook. It is a social history of some of Tarrant County’s leading ladies, and sprinkled among those stories are some recipes that are for everything from squirrel to chocolate truffles.

This program is free and open to the public. TCU Press will have some of the books available to purchase, but that’s not why you should come to the event. Come see if we have anything interesting to tell you.

RSVPs may be given to Connie Nichols at 817-577-0754 or artsleaguenortheast@gmail.com.

Wine, love it. Especially with friends.

Tried a new spot the other day with some friends, and we all got to taste as many kinds of wine as we wanted. The place? Tastings, A Wine Experience at 909 S. Main St., in Grapevine.

Here’s how it works…you put whatever amount of money on a little plastic card they give you. Then, card in hand, you peruse the bottles of wine lining the wall. Descriptions displayed with the bottles help you narrow your selection, and so do the prices. Insert the card, and then choose a quarter glass, a half glass or a full glass of any wine. The amount you sample is deducted from the pre-paid amount loaded on the plastic.

Clever idea and part of a franchise with five stores in the U.S. and a sixth one in the works. We had a great time tasting wine, and the noshes were good, too.

Oh, and there’s happy hour, too. 4 to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday. Check www.awineexperience.com for more info.

The ladies of the club pose with 'Marilyn.' Photo courtesy of Mike Lewis Photography. www.mikelewisphotography.com

 Think back to a time not so long ago, such as 10 days ago, when the swine flu did not occupy our thoughts or cancel events.

Yes, the good ole days when a recession was all that complicated our thoughts. And it was great timing for the Southlake Women’s Club. The club’s 10th anniversary celebration of Art in the Square came off without so much as a face mask. No swine flu, but with the way the wine was flowing at the Friday night sponsor party at Southlake’s Hilton, perhaps there was some wine flu. Not that I saw any evidence of that…just heard that wine was running low just as the party was getting into full swing.

And while we’re on the subject of swing…the Southlake Swing Band provided the music to dance–swing, if you wanted–at the party. Check them out…great band!

Festival chairwoman Lisa Quinn and her husband Bill seemed to be relaxed and having a good time, even with the millions of details she must have been thinking of. Last year’s co-chair Carmen Evans, who just happens to be this year’s club president (are we seeing an emerging pattern here?), also seemed calm about an art festival that has grown enormously in the 10 years its been held at Southlake Town Square.

Thousands now attend this family event, and the club uses the proceeds to benefit local charities. It’s expanded through the years, including special wine tastings. Monica Mainard, Mariann Nichols and Sherri Whitt were overseeing the one I attended Saturday night. Gina Puente-Brancato, owner of La Buena Vida Vineyards, presented wines from her winery plus others for us to try with Vermont cheeses.

Among the ones we tried was La Buena Vida’s new sangria, “Redheaded Stepchild.” Gina kept calling it a “party in a glass.” So with the outbreak of flu threatening to cancel any and everything around us, I suggest you swing by her Grapevine winery, pick up a bottle or two and just proceed with your own “party in a glass.”

She also provided a recipe for wine you won’t drink. I think it could be just one more way wine is good for you:

Red Wine Sugar Scrub

5 T raw sugar

5 T Mascavado sugar/brown sugar

3-4 t. honey

2 T. Spingtown Sweet Ruby wine

Mix all the above ingredients together in a bowl until sugar turns into a sticky paste form. Mixture is ready for use and can be stored in the refrigerator for two days. The measurements are enough for a one-time use.