It’s this grayish, wet time of the year in which we don’t know whether we might expect snow in the Lowlands of Western Washington or not. Personally, I find it a cozy time of year when you can appreciate your home and take care of it, and maybe even enjoy walks in the drizzle. What […]
Across the Fence
Across the Fence: Inauguration
Inauguration Day is nearing in the United States. We all know that this is the day a president elect is sworn in on their office. But where does the term “inauguration” come from? Yes, from the Latin language. But what does it mean? Let’s go back to the ancient Romans and their customs. Whenever there […]
Across the Fence: A Route of Surprises
Do you catch yourself getting bored with a specific traveling route to a destination? Well, it happened to us the other day when we headed to the coast near Astoria, OR, to celebrate my husband’s birthday. In the past, we had done the I-5 route all the way to Longview and from there straight into […]
Across the Fence: Communicating on a Deeper Level
By profession, Stefanie Skupin from Tonasket, WA, is a veterinarian. But she doesn’t practice in the United States. Instead, she has created her own field of work – that of a communicator and facilitator. With animals and with people. Something that began way back when she started out in Cape Town, South Africa. “I have […]
Across the Fence: An Ending
As this is the last weekend The Suburban Times is published in 2020, I wish to thank the readers who bore so kindly with me this year and commented so wonderfully. For once, I thought on a festive occasion like this, a poem – in this case, a sonnet – might be an appropriate response. […]
Across the Fence: … and Peace on Earth
Apart from this pandemic to end that has cost so many lives already, what do we most wish for these days? Apart from the stuff that we can buy with money … I think, the angels’ Christmas message in the Bible puts it pretty close to what every other religion in the world makes their […]
Across the Fence: Caroling
I come from a musical family. We were all singers, and wherever we traveled, we sang traditional songs and, in Christmas season, carols. My father and I improvised harmonies. Advent Sundays were a foursome, sometimes with guests, singing along to my father’s guitar strumming. And, of course, as a semi-pro soloist, I sang on stages […]
Across the Fence: Branches of a Saint
Every year since I remember, my mother used to buy some budded, bare branches on December 4. They were most often willow or hazelnut branches, as these seemed to bud pretty much as the earliest in Germany. They looked somewhat austere; and they were usually placed into a puristic designer vase on a medium height […]
Across the Fence: Left-overs
Yesterday was Thanksgiving – one of those feasts when a lot of people have way too much food on their table and way too many left-overs. I remember when I made a whole turkey for the first time, and we were only three eaters. I had turkey left-overs for ever so long, and not being […]