When I first came to Washington State, I was surprised about the enthusiastic welcome Germans get over here. I realized quickly that it had to do a lot with American military being deployed to my mother country. And, as ever so often, the way to a (wo)man’s heart is through their stomach. Yet, not everybody […]
Across the Fence: Gifting
Are you in the mood for the upcoming holidays? Have you been to one or the other Christmas store already? Have you maybe even wrapped your first gifts for your loved ones? Some people have started their Christmas shopping early this year. And for a good reason. We have been warned for months, now, about […]
Lakewood Author Susanne Bacon Launches New Novel Series
Have you ever read a fictional book centered on a military spouse? I haven’t. And as I have been pondering to write a series for years now, I thought I’d make my protagonist one of this literarily neglected species. It is obvious that I could use some of my few years’ experiences as a military […]
Across the Fence: Apples
The other night, there was a knock on our front door, and our next-door neighbor brought us a bag of apples. They had ripened on her tree all summer long, and are filling our dining room with their fresh, crisp fragrance now. And they have caused an entire load of connotations with me. Interestingly, the […]
Book Signing with Susanne Bacon at Steilacoom Museum
It is a bit over a month till Christmas. Do you have all your gifts yet? Or even your advent calendars? If not, why don’t you come and join me this Saturday, November 13, when the Steilacoom Holiday Museum Store opens its doors again?! I’ll be there from 1 p.m. through 4 p.m. signing my […]
Across the Fence: Neighborhood Candy
Some of you may remember a long past Suburban Times article of mine in which I mentioned that candy was a rare thing in my early childhood. My mother would hand me maybe one hard candy or a soft caramel a day if I had been good. I was quite average. But in average, I […]
Across the Fence: Freaky or Funny?
Submitted by Susanne Bacon. I must have been four or five when a small traveling circus came to our suburb in Germany. It set up its one-ring tent in a meadow next to one of our supermarkets, placed their wagons into the back, and handed out leaflets. When my mother took my little brother and […]
Across the Fence: Frost
This week, Lakewood experienced its first morning of frost. Waking to a clear, sunny sky on Tuesday morning, I found that our neighborhood’s roofs were all glistening white, and so were the front lawns. The thermometer showed me a mere 31 degrees Fahrenheit. An hour later, the sky was clouded, and the magic was gone. […]
Across the Fence: Octopuses
November 8 is International Octopus Day. Now, you may wonder why I come up with such a seemingly exotic topic today. I was playfully looking into a website that deals with celebratory dates, and among others this resonated immediately with me. Because I love octopuses or octopods. And yes, that’s the plural, not octopi or […]