Lists
The Grocery List Is a Love Letter
Read anyone's list closely and you'll find out who they're feeding. A reader sent us a photograph of a list her late husband wrote in 1998. It was found in a coat pocket last winter. Eleven lines, none longer than three words: 'milk, the good one', 'bread for her', 'oranges if sweet'. She said it was the most romantic thing he ever wrote.
From the desk · October 22, 2026
This week
Reader notes
Reader Notes: The Note on the FridgeA reader in Oregon on the one note her family actually reads.About Three Word Method
Three Word Method is a small notebook about writing less: the note on the fridge, the line in a card, the grocery list, the label on a box in the garage. Our working rule is that most everyday writing gets better when it gets shorter, and we test that rule one scrap of paper at a time.