Do we inherit specific skills from our parents? If we do, then I inherited the desire to write from both of mine. Or, maybe it is something I just learned from them. Maybe both. My dad was a journalist. Mom was an English teacher. She was also sometimes a poet. Both were English majors in…
I lost an RVing friend yesterday. Actually, he was more of an acquaintance since I only interacted with him socially about half a dozen times at the most. However, in the nomadic community, every kindred spirit is automatically a friend, so I tend to think of him that way. I was not impressed when I…
Tango is 11.5 years old! When we walk and explore, he seems like a much younger dog because he is spry and active. When you look closer, he is showing his age. I see a bit of cloudiness in his eyes and gray around his muzzle. I have been told that Aussies can live a very…
I don’t know if this is a positive thing or not: as I grow older I see through people’s pretensions when I first meet them. Life experience seems to give us X-ray vision into a person’s motivations and behaviors. When we were younger, I think we projected all kinds of traits onto someone new and…
It is a classic image: A mom walking in the park with her child, watching the ducks. In an urban park, the ducks would be mallards – drab brown females and the green-headed males. “Look at the duckies, sweetie.” On this Mother’s Day, after my son in Spokane declares, Happy Mother’s Day and Love You, I…
I did not fall off the face of the earth….wait, yes I did. I enjoyed early fall in the Inland Northwest, away from phone, Internet, and political news. I saw an entire river valley in the Idaho Panhandle take on a golden hue this past week. I heard a male elk bugle daily for the…
My mom is in a nursing home for one reason: she is in a wheelchair now and can no longer stand up without help. None of us is strong enough to help. Mom fell too many times and the next fall might be the last. For her and many others, falling means reduced mobility and a…
Bumblebees play an important role in our gardens by pollinating flowers. Without them, we would be without juicy tomatoes and luscious sweet corn. We would live in a world without cucumbers and squash, chilis and eggplant. Considering their all-important role, I think bumblebees deserve a loftier name, such as Emperor or Empress Bee. Why not!!…
Time to visit Mom and Marvin in the nursing/rehab center. I go late in the afternoon because, if I arrive earlier, they would likely be in a rehab session or napping. Once there, we chat about the day’s dramas and dilemmas. All of us share news of assorted aches and pains; theirs are more severe, mine…
Mom likes to call the rehab/nursing home food slop. I can’t think of any other name for overcooked frozen veggies; noodles and whatever leftovers the cook finds; and cold Tater Tots. Their only gastronomical redemption comes in the large dispensers of fruit-infused water set up in the central hallway. I guzzle a glass of lovely…