Encountering wildlife is a given on a daily basis in Western Washington. And I’m not even thinking of birds or butterflies or fish. What is stunning to somebody who grew up in the suburbs of a city with a greater population than Seattle is to run into deer grazing in front yards. Or into seals […]
Across the Fence
Across the Fence: Summer – Finally!
Has it struck you, too, that finally days seem to be light longer? Though, in fact they are shorter! Because the dark gray of the past six months has finally started lifting and lets us enjoy a few sunbeams in the late afternoons. Which also means that it finally gets warmer. A little. Yes, summer […]
Across the Fence: Fun on a Budget
Looking into our bank accounts and at the receipts for our expenses on bare necessities has stopped being agreeable a while ago. For some more than others. And as always, I won’t become political about it. Suffice it to say, that these days, I’m lugging home one bag of normal groceries at the same price […]
Across the Fence: Cool German Beverages
Finally, summer seems to have made up its mind to appear – just in time with summer solstice. And, of course, after a winter and spring that lasted a seeming eternity, the abrupt weather change leaves us gasping for what we just left behind: cool and wet. Not necessarily on the outside, but on our […]
Across the Fence: Apples That Are Not
One of my all-time favorite fruits bears a South-American name in my mother tongue – simply meaning “excellent fruit”: Ananas. That is something I just learned – I would have thought it to be a Hawaiian term, as it is associated with the islands in Germany so much. For whatever reason, the English named it […]
Across the Fence: An Oasis of Quiet Beauty
The other day, my husband brought me back to a place I hadn’t seen in a long time. Kind of a secret garden with lots of treasure to discover. Floral treasure, art jewels. A place that is like an oasis close to the center of a busy town. Its entrance is well-marked, yet doesn’t betray […]
Across the Fence: Where the Heart Is
I’m sure everybody, at one point in time, has experienced the feeling of homesickness. This intense yearning for the place where you know everything maybe even to the point of boredom, but where familiarness means coziness, comfort, and security. I last experienced it a few years ago. And it took me by surprise. As a […]
Across the Fence: Some Versatile Dough
Submitted by Susanne Bacon. One of the western world’s favorite doughs consists of no more than some unleavened wheat flour, egg(s) and/or water, and a pinch of salt. In Roman literature it has been documented as of the first century A.D. And today, there are around 310 specific shapes it comes in, dried or fresh. […]
Across the Fence: A Point of Quietude
It has been all over the media in Pierce County, WA, these past days: iconic 5-Mile-Drive in Tacoma’s Point Defiance Park has been closed off for good as of May 20, 2022. For motorized vehicles, not for bicyclists or pedestrians. Because the historical landmark is crumbling. And the next thing you know is that a […]