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 […]
Across the Fence
Across the Fence: Fryxell, Falls, and Fame
Life is short. And if you want to fill it to the brim with the good stuff, make a bucket list of things that you are capable of doing or achieving. When I came over here almost eleven years ago, my husband had told me to come up with a list of places that I […]
Across the Fence: No News
Some of us have probably heard the term “resilience” ad nauseam. It is defined as “the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness “; in other words, it’s the elasticity of the mind and soul. It is not even a natural capacity – because it can be learned. You dig into your inner resources and […]
Across the Fence: Off the Main Road
When the first beams of sunlight tear the sky on a spring weekend, who doesn’t want to go and enjoy the great outdoors again?! Well, last weekend, my husband and I decided we’d head for the Olympic Mountains and see what hiking opportunities are closer by where they are neither too high nor too steep. […]
Bacon’s Double Take: Moving
Seeing my dear friend and co-author Joe Boyle’s photo for the first time, my instant thought was “Santa”, and quite a blue one, too. We all know that Santa is wearing red and white, not blue and white, right? So, is a blue Santa still a Santa? Or is he just blue? Or could he […]
Across the Fence: A Crisp Idea
You have probably heard that rumor has it that with Covid vaccinations we are implanted with chips. I keep telling people that I like the “Sasquatch Surprise” flavor of Tim’s Kettle Chips best, though I doubt that we get vaccinated with them. Or that they would help against a virus. Though they certainly make me […]
Across the Fence: Words That Matter
The other day, I asked my friends on Facebook whether they had any wishes as to which uncontroversial topic they’d like me to write about in my Friday Suburban Times column. Some asked for more food topics (I promise, I will sometime soon). One of my friends, German author Bettina Strang (https://wortstrang.de), suggested a number […]
Across the Fence: What’s in a Handshake
The other day, a friend of mine shared on her Facebook page how there were so-called obligatory Life Skills classes at a New York school’s ninth grade. While thinking that it is sad that a lot of parents these days seem not to be able to teach those skills to their kids anymore or lack […]
Across the Fence: Aggression Pays
Really?! Does this otherwise so peaceful columnist condone aggression?! Think twice, as you know me better than that, and let me enjoy the double-take I probably caused you when you were reading my headline. Today, I was clipped by another car while doing a left turn at a crossing. It was in the left lane, […]