Going Batty
Almost as soon as we moved into our new home last summer, so did an uninvited guest—a bat. He (though it might have been a she) took up residence under our screened porch. The underside of the porch has open support beams beneath its deck flooring. In one corner near the back door to the […]
Southern Oregon and Forest Fires: Then and Now
I spent many weeks (and even months) in Klamath Falls, Oregon, during my early childhood, but I don’t know a lot about Southern Oregon in general. I’ve been to Crater Lake several times, and I remember that my grandfather’s machinery company did business with a sawmill in Medford. But otherwise, I just remember endless forests […]
Census Undercount? Don’t Blame Me
The news reports recently have contained stories about the 2020 U.S. Census not reaching everyone. Given my experience with zealous census workers this year, I don’t see how this can be. I’ve had to respond to the Census Bureau four times. Last April I did my civic duty. When publicity began about the obligation to […]
A Baby Sister
Some events stand out in the mind firmly enough that we remember where we were on a particular day, even a day decades in the past. National and international incidents like the first moon landing or President Kennedy’s assassination or September 11, 2001, are among these occasions. But so are family events—the death of a […]
Piano Lessons: Then and Now
I wrote a few months ago that I started taking piano lessons again, after a hiatus of fifty years. I have continued the lessons through the pandemic, except for a few weeks during the early lock-down while the school of music figured out how to handle lessons remotely. That was a miserable experience. But since […]
When Errands Become Outings
One change in the last six months of pandemic sheltering is that annoying errands have become major logistical challenges. A trip to the grocery store requires more than just grabbing the list on the refrigerator door. I carefully peruse my list, add everything I can think of that we might need in the next two […]
Back to School . . . Or Not . . . That Is the Question
Today is Labor Day, the traditional last day of summer vacation. Though in recent years, as school seemed to begin earlier and earlier in August, the significance of Labor Day has diminished. We all have “back to school” memories. Maybe of our own first days of school—kindergarten, junior high, high school, or some other memorable […]
Advice for Beginning Writers
I’m preparing to give a presentation for The Story Center, which is part of the Mid-Continent Public Library in the Kansas City area. The Story Center offers a storytelling certification program for both writers and oral storytellers. One of the requirements of the certification program is to attend a session on writing in a particular […]
Another Year of New Technology
I’ve written before about all my technological devices needing to be upgraded at the same time. And now in 2020, I am repeating the experience. I needed a new tablet earlier this year, and was fortunate to get it in February before the pandemic hit. My old tablet was still functional, but starting to have […]
History of Smallpox in Oregon
As I research my next historical novel set in 19th Century Oregon, one issue I am looking into is when smallpox epidemics occurred. Some of my characters contracted smallpox in 1849 in Now I’m Found, and these same characters will be seen again in my next book, which will take place in 1864. How were […]