personal takes on life, the universe, and everything
Progress on the new house for Thor and me continues in what our builder calls the “impatient final pregnancy trimester” with interior detail work. NOTE: People have been asking to follow our progress as Thor and I pursue our quest for our dream home with sunsets over the Salish Sea. So starting with my post of …
The Rambling Writer’s Quest for Home, part 15: Cabinets, Doors, and More Read More »
Originally published April 2019 I’m packing. Retirement is coming up fast. Someone asked me, “How do you feel about retiring?” and I answered, “I don’t know. I’ve never done this before.” I’ve quit jobs, yes. Took time off between jobs, yes. I’ve always had a job. In nursing school, I worked as a nurses aide. …
Some farms are pretty. It’s mid-April and as I write this the temperature outside is approaching 90F—unusual up here in New England. Past experience has suggested that you don’t plant vulnerable crops until Memorial Day to avoid a frost but that rubric is pretty much gone. Spring has been coming earlier every year for some …
Originally published September 2020 Today it’s a two-dog, one-cat writing space. Outside blessedly cool coastal clouds ward off, with magical signage, the 90-plus days before and to come—ugh. The two dogs will alert me to phantom car-door closings and the approach of the TomTom Club—four tom wild turkeys who have made our little neighborhood their …
More dirt gets dished, literally, as excavations and installations continue at the new seaside home for Thor and me. NOTE: People have been asking to follow our progress as Thor and I pursue our quest for our dream home with sunsets over the Salish Sea. So starting with my post of 5/21/22, we set out. Not …
The Rambling Writer’s Quest for Home, part 14: A Lot of Dirt Read More »
Strictly speaking golden tea is not a beverage, but medicine. The spices are warming and comforting, the turmeric reduces inflammation, the coconut fat aids digestion, and the honey helps it all go down. Mix a couple of tablespoons of this with hot milk or hot milky tea when you’re feeling cold, sick, sad, or all …
Originally published January 2019 I recently listened to a lively call-in show on which experts (dieticians) and callers (complainers) discussed food politics. Among the many maladies that food and eating inflict on us were 1. the impact of food production on the environment, 2. the zeolousness of vegans and those who challenge the vegan diet, …
Join me for a celebration of Easter on my first trip through the Greek islands, inspiration for my Book View Cafe novel THE ARIADNE CONNECTION. NOTE: This week, I’m revisiting memories of my first backpacking trip around Greece in 1981, including an Easter week stay at a remote village on the south coast of Crete. I …
Originally published May 2020 I’ve been trying to pull stories out of my brain that have nothing to do with the Plague, but the sad fact is other than spilling out fiction every morning—the endless historical, another romance dredged out of the sink-hole to finish, and the Wednesday serial scenes, I am basically doing nothing …
Treasures in the Iraklion Museum of Archaeology illustrate the story of the ancient goddess of nature and fertility. NOTE: This is a rerun due to technical difficulties…. Of course, Thor and I had to make another trip to Greece, as he’s fallen as much in love with the islands as I am. This time, in …
The Rambling Writer Returns to Crete, part 20: The Minoan Earth Goddess Read More »
In early September, 2000, my daughter Nikki came home one evening while I was watching TV, carrying a cardboard box. “Look what I found!” I eyed the box, knowing what she’d probably found. More than once she’d brought in a baby rabbit or other prey caught and damaged by our mighty hunter cat, Spot. I …
This was one of my mother’s foolproof recipes. All Mom’s most edible dishes contained either corn or pork, except this one. I think she learned it while her parents were touring Appalachia in their Airstream trailer stuffed full of kids and dogs and cameras. In some parts of the country this is called Smothered Chicken and …
Thor and I continue our journey toward our dream home as our builder and his crews start on more interior projects. NOTE: People have been asking to follow our progress as Thor and I pursue our quest for our dream home with sunsets over the Salish Sea. So starting with my post of 5/21/22, we set …
The Rambling Writer’s Quest for Home, part 13: Tiles, Flooring, and Stairs, Oh My! Read More »
