Halloween is over, and the holiday season is near: Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s. Add maybe a birthday, an anniversary, a retirement, and you might feel compelled to change things up a bit, foodwise. Especially since most Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations include ham or turkey, or both. After three or four socials of this kind you […]
Across the Fence
Across the Fence: Why Marry At All?!
This weekend sees my husband and me at a big family wedding. We won’t be beholden to deliver speeches. But if I had the honor to speak at any young people’s wedding, this would be it: “Today is your big day. One that hopefully stays a single one in your lifetime. Certainly, one that will […]
Across the Fence: A Short Dictionary of German Eateries
Sometimes it’s the tiniest thing that inspires an entire article. In this case the term “Ratskeller” in a friend’s historical novel. It triggered dozens of wonderful memories. And no, it’s not a cellar filled with rats. But you got the word cellar or basement right. A Ratskeller (pronounce ‘ruh-ts-kellar, literally council cellar) is the restaurant […]
Across the Fence: So Close to Heaven
Submitted by Susanne Bacon. September and October are the best months to go hiking in the mountains, I think. The weather gets milder, the colors in Nature change from greens to flaming shades of red, orange, and yellow. It’s a feast for the eyes. And Western Washington’s Cascades are no different. Only recently, my husband […]
Across the Fence: A Sense for Scents
The other day, a Facebook meme set me thinking. It was the question, “What is your favorite fragrance?” To be honest, I don’t know. I like a lot of fragrances really well. But too much or too long might not be pleasant anymore. Any too much or too long of anything is not my thing. […]
Across the Fence: Scarecrows
Submitted by Susanne Bacon. The other day when driving through the Town of Steilacoom, we passed a scarecrow. I forget where I saw it. I forget what it looked like. But a scarecrow in Steilacoom means that the Garden Club is hosting its annual scarecrow event again. And this means that these critters are popping […]
Across the Fence: A Challenging Triangle
My husband and I like hiking. That being said, this year didn’t lend itself to much of that in Western Washington. Snow stayed until late in the mountains, and the rainforests must have been one soggy mess. But September proves to be an ideal month, once more. So, last week, we chose a hike from […]
Across the Fence: A Legendary Delight
My first meal after arriving as an immigrant in Washington State a dozen years ago was something that could have been my last on my mother country’s soil. And it took me totally by surprise as it tasted as authentic as could be – an Apfelsaftschorle (apple juice mixed with Seltzer) and a Swabian-style pretzel. […]
Across the Fence: First Days of School
Submitted by Susanne Bacon. Labor Day is gone. Here come fall and a new schoolyear. As we are driving through our neighborhood on our way to wherever, we encounter school buses again. Or groups of moms and kids waiting for them either to pick up one of theirs or to drop them off. It makes […]