Are you off-screen? Ready to ponder another one of Tyrean Martinson’s prompts from her book? And my, doesn’t she throw us a fun curve ball today?! In other words: Holy socks! (Or was it holy smoke?!) My first thought – I have to admit this much – led me up a garden path. Because of […]
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Wine & Bacon Event at Steilacoom’s Topside Bar& Grill
Would you like to enjoy a couple of hours sipping wine, enjoying some food and a great view across the Sound while chatting with a local author? You are guessing right – the author part of the event will be delivered by me, the food and beverages part by the Topside Bar & Grill in […]
Across the Fence: Ahnenreihe
Little did I know that the German terms Ahnenreihe (pronounce: ‘Aah-nen-rye-ah, meaning line of ancestors) or Ahnentafel (pronounce: ‘Aah-nen-tough-el, meaning chart of ancestors, aka genealogical table or family tree) made it into the English language. I always thought that any people recording their history had such terms in their own languages without borrowing from others. […]
Let’s Talk! – Ocean Swells
One of my favorite places is on the coast of the ocean. Any ocean. But preferably a place with a wide horizon and plenty of water to watch. There is something infinitely soothing about the swell of an ocean. Lie on your back and float, and you feel the regularity of the mechanism of waves. […]
Across the Fence: Delicatessen
How many of your memories are food-related? As a foodie, I can recall flavors and fragrances in a moment – and often line them up with specific occasions of the past. Yet “Delikatessen” – the German word is actually spelled with a ‘k’ but pronounced the same as you are used to – defines not […]
Let’s Talk! – Marshmallows Melting in Hot Cocoa
What a typical American concept, I thought as I read this prompt from Tyrean Martinson’s book. Marshmallows and hot cocoa. Maybe, these days, it’s something common for kids in Germany as well. In my childhood I knew marshmallows and I knew hot cocoa – but they never came together. Hot cocoa is an item of […]
In the Book Nook with … Becky Garrison
Author Becky Garrison from Greater Portland, Oregon, has been a professional writer since 1994 with experience in nonfiction book, magazine, and online writing. She received a dual MDiv/MSW degree from Yale Divinity School/Columbia University in 1992, a background that led her to write about the rise of secular spirituality, religious satire, and faith & politics, […]
Let’s Talk! – What’s in a name?
This week’s dinner pondering is about a quote from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. It’ s claim is that naming is irrelevant, as “that which we call a rose by any other name would smell just as sweet”. In linguistic terms this means that the signifier doesn’t determine the significant. Let me claim that this might […]
Across the Fence: Wirtschaftswunder
You probably have heard of this Germanism in the English language, describing the “economic miracle” that happened to Germany after World War II. The Wirtschaftswunder (pronounce: ‘veert-shafts-voon-dah) was the rapid reconstruction and development of the Western German (and Austrian) economy after complete devastation. The term was apparently coined by The Times in 1950. This song […]