The other day, a friend of mine posted a caricature on Facebook that presented one’s life’s plans as a straight diagonal in a graph. Have you ever wondered where you would be if, at some point in your life, there hadn’t been that certain event or that certain person which or who twisted it to […]
Across the Fence: At Home With Salmon
My friend, Suburban Times columnist Don Doman’s recent article about the goodness of salmon has inspired this piece. Because, indeed, salmon is a tasty fish, healthy because of its Omega 3 oils, and very, very versatile. Also, here in Washington State, it’s one of the native fish and, therefore, widely available. My husband and I […]
Across the Fence: Save the Gnomes
“Not long ago, there was a small earthquake near Mt. Rainier, too small for humans to feel, but it sent a ripple through the underground Underplace where all the gnomes live.” Sounds like the beginning of a fairy-tale? Well, there is way more to it. Because all the little gnomes fled and only returned when […]
Across the Fence: The Sky Is the Limit
There is probably nobody in Steilacoom, WA, who hasn’t come across woodwork or wood artwork by Jim Anderson. When he first moved there with his family, he was self-taught, and he was already that skillful that he had long customer lists for commissioned wood artifacts. “But I felt like I had hit the ceiling,” remembers […]
Across the Fence: A Town of Uniques
Most of the Suburban Times’ readers probably know that Steilacoom is “the Town of Firsts” in Washington. And you might have been there at one or the other time if you are not as lucky as to be living there anyway. But there is another town I need to tell you about today, also well […]
Across the Fence: Yarns of Yore
The other day, my friend Denise and I took a walk around Waughop Lake. It had been over a year since we last did anything of the kind, and there was too much to say than a single loop around the lake would have held. So, we made it to a bench on which we […]
Across the Fence: Fryxell, Falls, and Fame
Life is short. And if you want to fill it to the brim with the good stuff, make a bucket list of things that you are capable of doing or achieving. When I came over here almost eleven years ago, my husband had told me to come up with a list of places that I […]
Across the Fence: No News
Some of us have probably heard the term “resilience” ad nauseam. It is defined as “the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness “; in other words, it’s the elasticity of the mind and soul. It is not even a natural capacity – because it can be learned. You dig into your inner resources and […]
Across the Fence: Off the Main Road
When the first beams of sunlight tear the sky on a spring weekend, who doesn’t want to go and enjoy the great outdoors again?! Well, last weekend, my husband and I decided we’d head for the Olympic Mountains and see what hiking opportunities are closer by where they are neither too high nor too steep. […]