January 2023

I was so angry that I banged the side of my fist into the stockade fence until it hurt, which made me angrier. I wanted to go to the rodeo at the fair, but I didn’t have the five dollars to get in. My dad said he’d pay me ten dollars to clean out the […]

Social and Economic Tidbits On arrival at Oslo’s Gardermoen Airport, I knew something was different as we exited the terminal with our scheduled driver. He guided us to a 2021 Mercedes Benz minivan, but I didn’t smell exhaust fumes or hear motors running. As we pulled from the curb, I commented on the quietness. The

Welcome to another year. A time to make amends and change things we can if they disturbed us last year. Try to find a private place for grief and spread happiness by being part of what is happening in your world. Looking back, what is it that has plagued the world for a long time we still haven’t

Nap attack! Above: Perfect time to get a bargain. Shake her, hand her some coins and leave before she’s coherent. If a manager found her sleeping on the merchandise in the USA, her next nap would be in an unemployment line. Upper right: I wanted to buy a CD player but I thought he might

I have decided that instead of “growing up” I am going to begin the process of “growing down.” But how am I going to do that? I am going to swing on more swings! For certainly as time marches on, it is not all about what the body tells us is reality: that we are

What does it cost to care for a dog? Oh, not that much. But what about caring for 100 dogs? The expenses faced by The Ranch every month might surprise you. One hundred dogs eat about 28,000 pesos’ worth of dog food a month. That’s a lot of kibble! While all that dog chow is

It’s In Your Mind Yesterday had been uneventful. Daylight was fading to dark gray, and I was preparing to have a glass of wine when my husband’s phone rang. I could vaguely hear a mumbled male voice on the call, and there was a bit of gravity in both the tone and the dragging pace

DNA genealogy testing has become all the rage. One of the biggest companies conducting this testing has more than 20 million people in its database. Sad to say, I may be one of them. It turns out that I participated in a DNA research project back in 2006, long before today’s consumer genealogy companies were

We all know someone who insists on getting the last word, particularly in a disagreement. Or perhaps you are that someone. We say our piece and then move on. But there are folks who take the need for having the final word to a whole new level. In advance of their death they arrange for

We’ve all heard it. We all say it. But, I think, few of us consider its constant misuse and overuse, and, more importantly, what it says about us when we use it. The “it” here is the phrase “I love…” There are readers who say, “I love a good mystery.” Some classical music lovers may