The Magic of the Sea
My husband and I were just in Southern California and spent most of our time near the ocean – driving along the Pacific Coast Highway, walking on beaches and on cliffs above the sea, looking at boats in the harbors, and kayaking in Newport Bay. (But no sunbathing; not active enough for Al.) I was […]
Cady Killers
Those of you who have read this blog for awhile know that I hate spiders. I have a new enemy now – cady killers, more formally known as “cicada killing wasps.” My husband thought he found evidence of termites in our backyard a couple of weeks ago – holes under the concrete pad of our […]
Another Pie Story
Readers liked my gooseberry pie post, so here’s another tale about a summer pie – this time a banana cream pie I made myself. You’ll see I had issues with it, just like with the gooseberry pie my future mother-in-law and I made together. In 1969, Home Economics was a required class for girls in […]
The “Nature” of Kaleidoscopes, by Beth Lyon Barnett
Note to readers: Today I’m sharing a guest post by Beth Lyon Barnett, which she posted on her blog, Beth’s Everything Blog, on April 16, 2010. Beth writes one of my favorite blogs, and if you like this post, I encourage you to check out more of her posts. Theresa If you look deep into […]
That Vision Thing
In addition to our 35th wedding anniversary, I have another 35th this year – thirty-five years of wearing contacts. I began wearing glasses as a child, and switched to contacts in the summer of 1977. My opthamologist that summer first tried me in soft lenses. They were easy to wear, and I could do everything […]
After South Pass, the Parting of the Ways
By the middle of July, the Oregon emigrants in the 1840s hoped to have crossed the Continental Divide. Most of them crossed through South Pass. Native Americans had known of this route through the Rocky Mountains for centuries, but it was “discovered” by John Jacob Astor’s fur traders in 1812. South Pass made wagon travel […]
The Dailiness of Writing
When I first decided to spend my time writing, I read everything I could on writing. Five years later, I still try every few months to read a book on some writing technique or on what other writers say about life as a writer. Most recently, I read Making a Literary Life: Advice for Writers […]
Writer’s Block, Mrs. Tuller, and Real Life
I’ve been stuck a few times while writing my historical novels. My characters got into situations and I didn’t know how to get them out. When that happened, I brought in Mrs. Tuller. Mrs. Tuller is one of the main characters in my Oregon Trail books. She is the wife of Doc Tuller, an older […]
Pie Week, Pi Day, and Gooseberry Pie
Last week was Pie Week, I learned on National Public Radio. Why Pie Week in the U.S. is in July, I have no idea – I didn’t catch that on NPR. The British celebrated Pie Week March 5-11 this year, which at least is closer to Pi Day (March 14). No, that’s not a typo […]
Independence Day at Independence Rock
Emigrants to Oregon in the 1840s knew that if they reached Independence Rock (located in what is now central Wyoming) by Independence Day, they had a good chance of beating the snows in the Western mountains. Independence Rock, 800 miles from the Missouri River, was a huge landmark along the Oregon Trail. Most emigrants were […]