July 17, 2020 The port-a-potty stands directly outside our living room window, on the parking strip of our across-the-street neighbors. They are having their house painted, so the port-a-potty is for the house painters, who happen not to be working today. Crossing my living room intent on one errand or another, I look out the…

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Since people aren’t speeding their cars bumper to bumper on our streets,  I’ve seen a much better use of the word bumper: we have a bumper crop of bunny rabbits and squirrels in our Seattle neighborhood. And songbirds! The mornings are a symphony. On a walk a couple days ago, in the afternoon, we saw…

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My brother recently sent an email to family showing how the corona virus surrounds us by sending along a picture of the Peanuts’ character Pigpen. An apt analogy, I think, and with the advantage of making the invisible visible. Worth thinking about as we consider re-opening our stores and restaurants and planning large gatherings. What’s…

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Tough times, all around. But it’s also spring. Here in Seattle, that means our back gardens are doing their best to cheer us up. But even that is a mixed blessing, when it’s my friend Barbara’s garden. Barbara BonJour died April 18 of cancer. She was my friend for almost 40 years. We traveled together,…

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You’d think I had all the time in the world these days to write blog after blog, essay after essay for this website. Here I am, self-isolated and socially-distanced as strictly any old person ought to be. Seattle may no longer be the hottest spot for this virus to congregate, mutate and plan new attacks,…

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  Spent most of January in Antarctica. Wanted to go to a place that humans haven’t yet had the chance to destroy. It was spectacular. The ice, the rocks, the sky, the water and the wildlife drew me in like nothing else. Here’s some photos. I don’t have enough words.

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Alcott on Gerwig’s Little Women Alcott on Gerwig’s Little Women The author of Miss Alcott’s Email wonders what Louisa May would make of the new Oscar-nominated film adaption of her most beloved book. By Kit Bakke Director and screenwriter Greta Gerwig lets her audience know right away that her adaption of Little Women will be…

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What do you think of when you think of Germany? We spent several weeks there in October—so Octoberfest tends to come to mind. We did see lots of beer, but no fests. In fact, some cities have their Octoberfests in September. Other connections we Americans might make about Germany is to cars (German engineering, etc.)…

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