When I was a little child, anything sweet was an absolute treat. The icing on a cake was heaven on earth, and one of my favorite cakes was a Madeira cake with a blood orange sugar glaze. Not so much for the pretty pink color, but for the unique fruit flavor, the slight acidity, and […]
Across the Fence
Across the Fence: The End of a Road
This year, I’ve not been watching the Olympics so far. I remember happier games from way back when that stick to my memory. The 1984 ones in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, will stay my favorite ever. Maybe it’s my end of the road in following up; the Olympic games have become a muddle of impressions […]
Across the Fence: Poetry in Motion
When was the last time you were over in Gig Harbor, Washington? Seen everything? Done it all? Even the fun gnome quest that is happening in the area? Well, there is something new going on, and you might like to head over and explore it, while taking a pleasant, healthy walk. What’s it about? Echology. […]
Across the Fence: The Potential of What Ifs
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 […]