January 30, 2024 It seemed extra quiet in Oysterville today. Somehow, I expected more traffic, more looky-loos driving by. But I didn't see even one car. Not that I spent my day looking out my west windows at the street, mind you. But after a...
January 29, 2024 We all live in wood houses in Oysterville. We warm ourselves in front of woodstoves and fireplaces. In our gardens are the vestiges of the orchards of a hundred years ago and more. Old, gnarled trees that speak to us of our...
When we got to the section of the third grade arithmetic book that dealt with "story problems." I was fond of telling my students that this was the part of math that they would use for their entire lives NO MATTER WHAT. After all, I'd tell them,...
If you are lucky enough to know singer-songwriter Fred Carter, you know that there isn't a song he's ever heard -- even if it was only once -- that he cannot play! Usually, his instrument of choice is a guitar -- but he's a master of almost any...
So... here I am, early in the morning -- it's still BIG DARK outside -- looking at my new computer screen and trying to figure out where I am and how I got here and, most importantly, what to do about it. My coffee cup needs refilling which...
I spend a lot of time at my computer. More than with any of my friends or loved ones and certainly more than with any other screen device. It holds all my "secrets" (such as they are) and is the repository for much of my memory -- both in...
Last night I had the rare privilege of attending a belated Astoria Art Walk Tour -- one gallery only, musically enhanced, and attended by a very select group of folks -- Tucker, Carol, two young women from Astoria and me! The event was held at the...
Long ago, someone introduced me to the concept of "Your Other Place" -- not home, not work, but your other place that offers comfort, friendship, and a feeling of familiarity and security. I suppose for some people it might be a tavern or a bar...
Yesterday I finally managed to visit the Columbia Pacific Heritage Museum to see their current exhibit, "The Heart of the Museum Part II: Seeing Local History Through Scrapbooks." And about time, too! The exhibit has been up since January 5th...
I'm beginning to think those words -- "better and better" are getting hard to come by in this old world of ours. But I do want to give a bit of a shout-out to the Chinook Observer. If you subscribe to our stellar weekly newspaper, I hope you...
If you remember the character Dorcas Lane in the BBC TV series, Lark Rise to Candleford, you know that her favorite fallback "reason" for misbehavior was "It's my one weakness!" Definitely my kind of woman and, for a short period of time (when I...
A three-day weekend A school holiday MLK Day sales And who remembers? We were still reeling From the assassination Of our president Not five years before Two months after MLK Bobby would also be shot Three...