What’s kaffeeklatsch? It’s the German word that gave rise to our phrase, coffee klatch. It usually refers to a group of friends getting together at someone’s house to share coffee and gossip or kaffe and klatsch in German. The kaffeeklatsch became popular in the 1950’s here in the U.S. as a way for stay at…
Grand Canyon of the Pacific I’ve been dreaming a lot of pleasure travel lately. My husband and I, both recently retired, had several trips planned for 2020. We were able to get one in during early February before the shut down in mid-March of last year. This was a trip to Santa Fe, New Mexico…
I feel stuck about what to write about today. It’s not really a writer’s block, but more of indecision. I skipped my Silent Sunday post this week to write a post filled with text. Now, I’m wondering if that was such a good idea. One of our fellow slicers, Lainie Levin, encouraged me to post…
It’s March and I’ve been thinking about our gardens. We have a fairly big yard – 3+ acres – and quite a few large perennial beds. The perennial plants that were left for winter interest as well as food for the birds and hiding places for pollinators as well as moles, voles, and other hibernators,…
It was getting later and later. My watch told me it was now approaching five thirty! Club dismisses at 4:45 p.m.. It was early February and now dark outside. The school parking lot was empty and the outside lights were shining on the snow piles, reflecting with a glare. All but one of my garden…
Who will win this round? Molly, our 80 pound, yellow Labrador Retriever on the home team? Or, Peanut, an 8 pound visiting feline? Slow introductions of new animals are a must. We understand. But, eventually, you hope they will come to an amicable understanding of one another. Molly, our lab, will be 2 years old…
Mid-January, I traveled to New York with my husband to see my parents. They are in their mid-80’s, still living in their own home. The day we arrived, New York had just opened vaccinations for group 1b – those 75 and older. Much of my time there was spent trying to secure vaccine appointments for…
After our youngest son moved out at the end of January, my husband and I decided to get rid of our bundled cable, phone, and internet package. The house phone, which rarely rang anymore with the exception of robo-calls and solicitations, was hardly used. The cable T.V. was not used well enough to justify the…
Today I started working on a project for a local elementary school. Due to the pandemic, environmental day festivities – usually held on or around Earth day in April – are being planned as virtual festivities. My choice, as a presenter, was to do a live “Zoom” presentation on April 1st or to make a…
Birds Experiences in the Past My relationship with birds is not based on a great personal history. Growing up, I was afraid of the winged, flying creatures. I saw a red headed school girl about my age in the aviary at the Seneca Park Zoo in the late sixties be dive-bombed for strands of her…