Why are you always watering the flowers?” my preschooler granddaughter wanted to know. Redirecting the spray to yet another flower, I responded, “When it’s so hot like this, do you drink water?” “Yes,” she replied. “And sometimes lemonade.” “Well, it’s the same with flowers. They love water. I’m not so sure though about lemonade.” Since […]
To Ponder
Perspectives on words
Have you ever said to someone, “I’m going to have to have words with that [wife, brother, son, daughter, cousin, or husband] of mine?” Usually that means we need to communicate something to that person, and most likely in a manner that will not always be pleasant. We use words to communicate. We communicate to […]
Around the World and the Pacific Northwest
I enjoy reading our daily mail, from advertisements to happy greetings from friends or relatives, but what I really, really enjoy is the latest Archaeology magazine. I like reading about the past, but especially noting the information from today about what happened ages ago in many places around the world. My favorite section is called […]
Letter: The Courage to Go On
Ever since I lost my wife not five months ago to cancer, my happy place has been among the flowers. It is incredible to me to see how beautiful, how exquisite, how delicate, and detailed are these displays of an artistry the great painters of history would be hard pressed to design. I think the […]
In the Book Nook with … Alle C. Hall
Author Alle C. Hall from Seattle, Washington, used to be a national sales and marketing manager and freelance writer before she became a stay-at-home mom. She started as a journalist in 1991 and, in 1998, began to write her novel, which was published this past March. Her book, “As Far as You Can Go Before […]
Across the Fence: Leitmotif
For the first time, I came across the German term “Leitmotiv” (spelled with a “v”, pronounced ‘light-mo-teef, meaning leading theme) in music when I was in fifth grade, my very first year in grammar school. We had a music teacher who was simply amazing when it came to explaining the difference between rhythm and meter […]
Letter: The Two Guests
As purposeful as weeping is to the one grieving the loss of a loved one, so needful are the thorns on the rose blooming in the garden. Introspection for the sufferer, protection for the flower. “It takes all sorts of weathers to make a year, and all tend to the same issue, of ripened harvests […]
Letter: The Far Side, Part II
My wife and I stood at the trailhead where I reminisced about the hike my dad and I had taken over a half-century before. As I reflect now upon the loss of my wife to cancer after 50 wonderful years together, I think how walking that trail with my dad was so like our married […]
Book Review: The Port of Tacoma… yesterday and tomorrow…
On the 26th of July, I visited Sunrise Rotary. My friend, Rod Koon, from The Transportation Club of Tacoma was speaking about his Images of America book “Port of Tacoma.” He began his talk with an image from an 1885 map. It was interesting to note that just a little under a hundred and fifty […]