Yesterday I had the pleasure of being the keynote speaker at an awards ceremony honoring twenty-six students from our two local school districts – Ocean Beach and Naselle-Grays River Valley. The event is an annual one sponsored by the Masons. The...
Some days it seems that we spend an inordinate amount of time looking for things – the car keys, my camera, a coffee cup, Nyel’s checkbook. We fault ourselves for being overly busy or having too many things on our aging minds. We try to remember...
When I was a child, we counted the days until Santa would arrive. By the time I had children of my own, the media was letting us know how many shopping days we had until Christmas. Nowadays we are besieged by news of “Black Friday” and “Cyber...
They say we’re to expect a storm later today with gale-force winds by evening. Yesterday, though, it was bright and crisp – a good day for working outside. I worked on winterizing; Nyel prepared a bed for planting bulbs. I wondered briefly, as I...
Last week my new friend Linda came calling. She arrived at my door wearing a bright pink hat and new pink shoes to match. She brought with her a copy of Dear Medora and her Grandma Stephanie. Shyly she asked for my autograph. Linda has just...
Hal Buttrell is among our Friday Night Irregulars, though he is more regular than most. Since Diane (his other half) often works on Friday nights, Hal comes by himself. He always brings an appetizer – usually one that he has concocted on his own...
Four beautiful young girls, all with lovely names – Sofia, Athena, Phoebe, and Frances – came calling yesterday afternoon. They had each been given a Dear Medora book and they had come to get an autograph. It was Fred Accuardi, our Red Cottage...
My grandmother’s letters to her children (written almost one hundred years ago) are sprinkled with comments like: Be sure not to sit up late. With all the afternoon at your disposal you should always be in bed by 9:30 and Be careful of your...
When you share your home with a ghost, Things Happen. We, of course, know that Mrs. Crouch is always nearby. She manifests herself in various ways – usually playful, seldom mean. She causes doors to open or shut, a single sock to go missing...
Medora and Me Back in February, I posed the idea of doing a book talk modeled on our House Concerts. The proposal came from my knee-jerk reaction to receiving the news that my Dear Medora book had earned less than $10.00 in royalties for the...
"The Cyclist" by Al Barela Toward the end of World War Two everyone was humming or singing Johnny Mercer’s new song, “Ac-cent-tchu-ate The Positive” popularized by Bing Crosby in a movie called “Here Come the Waves.” The song was catchy and...
A few days ago I received my annual royalty statement from WSU Press – no check, just a statement. Dear Medora, Child of Oysterville’s Forgotten Years, the accompanying letter said, had sold seven copies last year and had earned $4.42*. ...