With the calendar advancing towards summer, those of us who are into it are approaching hiking times. And that means, it’s time for an inventory. Are our shoes still good enough for what we intend to tackle? Do we need special shoe accessories for icy areas in the mountains? Are our working sticks still working […]
Let’s Talk! – Wishing the Earth Would Swallow Me Up
Have you switched off your screens, and are you ready to ponder the above prompt? Wait – didn’t we already ponder something very similar at the very beginning of this column, “Let’s Talk!”? Something about a moment that defines awkwardness? Let’s recapitulate that I defined it as the moment when we get caught at something […]
Across the Fence: Loanword
What a fun word today, taken from the German language and adapted/translated into English – because “loanword” is the equivalent of the German “Lehnwort” (pronounce: ‘lane-vort). Which linguistically makes it a calque, NOT a loanword! Because a calque is the literal translation of a word from another language. Hah, I know this will be a […]
Let’s Talk! – In the Wide, Waiting Land
Are all your screens switched off? Are you ready for another pondering prompt by Tyrean Martinson? Then, what do you come up with when reading “In the Wide, Waiting Land?” First of all, I thought this might be a line from another poem. I found the Arizona March Song with the line “Where the wide, […]
Across the Fence: Jawohl, Nein, Ja
My first encounters with Americans as an adult usually started with them trying out the few German words they knew on me. All of these guys were military, and to run into them when going out was a given, as my native town, Stuttgart, Germany, stationed over 20,000 members of the U.S. Forces back then. […]
Let’s Talk! – Holy Socks
Are you off-screen? Ready to ponder another one of Tyrean Martinson’s prompts from her book? And my, doesn’t she throw us a fun curve ball today?! In other words: Holy socks! (Or was it holy smoke?!) My first thought – I have to admit this much – led me up a garden path. Because of […]
Wine & Bacon Event at Steilacoom’s Topside Bar& Grill
Would you like to enjoy a couple of hours sipping wine, enjoying some food and a great view across the Sound while chatting with a local author? You are guessing right – the author part of the event will be delivered by me, the food and beverages part by the Topside Bar & Grill in […]
Across the Fence: Ahnenreihe
Little did I know that the German terms Ahnenreihe (pronounce: ‘Aah-nen-rye-ah, meaning line of ancestors) or Ahnentafel (pronounce: ‘Aah-nen-tough-el, meaning chart of ancestors, aka genealogical table or family tree) made it into the English language. I always thought that any people recording their history had such terms in their own languages without borrowing from others. […]
Let’s Talk! – Ocean Swells
One of my favorite places is on the coast of the ocean. Any ocean. But preferably a place with a wide horizon and plenty of water to watch. There is something infinitely soothing about the swell of an ocean. Lie on your back and float, and you feel the regularity of the mechanism of waves. […]