Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
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My garden awaits Spring, and I am back from my trip to Los Angeles. Daniel worked diligently to assemble the new patio furniture and did a great job. So, what should I write about now? Daniel suggested (jokingly) I ask ChatGpt to write this week's column. The Microsoft program is one of the hot topics in the news lately, so maybe it's time to learn more about artificial intelligence. I am fairly "tech savvy." I am as good as most, better than many, and not nearly as good as the very young. What...
Will the weather cooperate? That is the million-dollar question. If my trip to Los Angeles today is any indication, it’s not great. I will leave Walla Walla in the rain, only to arrive in Los Angeles in more rain. Typically, I leave Walla Walla in bad weather to enjoy the California sun; this time, it’s the opposite. It will be raining when I leave Los Angeles on Wednesday morning to return home. If my weather app is uncharacteristically correct, Walla Walla should be dry if a bit cloudy. Meanwh...
Do you think there’s any chance that Bob Dylan was singing about Daylight Savings Time? I doubt it, but it’s always a welcome change to have longer days and know that sunnier ones are on their way. Mugsy had been preparing early in anticipation of the time change by waking up a little earlier each morning for the last week and a half. A few days ago, he was up an hour earlier, nudging me awake to let him out and feed him. I admit he has me trained. Time and season changes turn very quickly as I...
Last year, we barely had any birds eat from the feeders we strategically placed around our backyard. A local birder told us that it wasn't our choice of seed, the locations of the feeders, or even the loud dog (Mugsy) chasing them away. Most likely, the bird population had suffered from the avian flu (the fowl version of COVID-19?) That has changed because this year, the birds are back. The other morning, I glanced out the back and saw flocks of birds energetically attacking our feeders. My firs...
Although I know it’s short-lived, I’ve been enjoying the glimmer of Spring to come. These past few weeks have even provided some sun and warmer temperatures. Warm enough to defrost the frozen dirt in our planters so Daniel can begin his project reorganizing the backyard garden. What does the current project entail, you ask? First, Daniel emptied all the dirt from the whiskey barrels and moved them from the side yard to the back area. Then he refilled them with soil and our first official bat...
We just returned from a weekend jaunt to Seattle for the sole purpose, to quote Daniel, “to eat properly.” To start our culinary weekend, we raced into our hotel and hungrily snatched up a bottle of wine and four snack boxes from Starbucks. Not gourmet, but when you’re hungry, culinary perfection is overrated. There was enough time before our dinner reservation for me to do a little shopping. My usual haunt is the Nike store where I cross my fingers, hope for sales, and if nothing else, kill...
To quote my late aunt, “The Golden Years aren’t really golden; in fact, they suck!” She had become a little forgetful when playing her weekly bridge game and had hearing loss, but she refused to wear her hearing aids. She had a single mastectomy, and the prosthetic breast was heavy and uncomfortable. She had a removable bridge, which she frequently forgot to put in her mouth. The bottom line, she was uncomfortable at family dinners and couldn’t hear or chew. So, yeah, it did suck for her. I...
Just when Mugsy and I were adapting to the pitfalls of winter, it’s spring (only temporary, I’m sure). Finally, after four years here, I am much improved and more confident at walking and driving on ice-slicked roads. Even Mugsy has learned, albeit begrudgingly, to negotiate the icy deck when he goes out first thing in the morning. He even braves the cold and wet to chase the neighbor’s cat. I know there is a good chance this “blast of spring” might not last, but while it does, I appreciat...
To quote the late Yogi Berra: It's like déjà vu all over again. We were diligent this winter, determined not to repeat last winter's frozen kitchen and bathroom pipes. We were aggressive with keeping water moving, heating the house, and keeping cabinet doors open. We did it all. We didn't wait for the temperature to drop into the teens but started preventative measures at above-freezing. Still, our hot water pipes in the bathroom froze by day three of our recent cold blast. Cold shower a...
I am not one of those who loves to travel but appreciates being back home to sleep in my own bed and use my own bathroom. I can sleep or have insomnia anywhere and in any bed. When I must use a bathroom, I don’t care whose, or where it is unless it’s too disgusting to fathom, then I manage to have amazing self-control. What is more appealing to me when I am home, is that I’m not living out of a suitcase. And this trip, more than most, was surely an “on the go” never unpack trip. For example, we...
Amazingly, we arrived in Bilbao, Spain, with all our luggage. Considering the insanity of the Lisbon airport, the short layover, and the flight change in Frankfort, we were shocked it all worked out. We had plenty of time for a shower and a leisurely walk to the restaurant we had reserved. According to the map and the concierge, we expected about a ten-minute walk. I don't know if it's Google's walking map or our pace that was deficient, but both in Lisbon and Bilbao, the ten-minute walks...
As a rule, I don’t believe in signs, and yet there’s a little superstition niggling in me. The day I left to start my European adventure, I noticed the bracelet I was wearing was missing. Though not expensive, it had emotional value to me. And, of course, losing it created an unwelcomed “is this an omen?” I soldiered on and headed to Seattle. Everything went smoothly at the airport. The plane wasn’t full, and I had both seats to myself. I could move without bothering anyone and even scored an ex...
Daniel is still working in Portugal, and although I miss him, there is a calm in the house that Mugsy and I appreciate. The kitchen is available whenever I want, and I can have dinner guests when I’m in the mood. That mood is usually indicative of my boredom and frustration trying to have an intelligent conversation with Mugsy. While living alone for the ten years before Daniel and I got back together, I was proud of my ability to manage most situations independently, assuming power tools w...
This extended summer has been great for selected veggies in my garden. I continue to find ripe tomatoes, cucumbers, and a copious bounty of green peppers for some unknown reason. But I just received a "pool update" notice from the country club that repairs are ongoing, and there will be no pool until next year. Between no tennis (hand still in a cast) and no swimming, it's been disappointing, and more tomatoes do not compensate! I grew up on Long Island (New York) and was fortunate to spend my...
Somewhat sadly, but with a little smile on my face, Daniel is in Portugal. He has been temporarily hired as a personal chef to work for a family currently in Portugal. This job came together very fast. He is the substitute chef, while their current chef is taking six weeks off. Within two days, we had to arrange his flight and accomplish as much of the heavy lifting house and garden work as possible, mostly because I am still hindered by a cast on my right hand. Timing wasn’t great, we had a cat...
It is a well-known fact that I am a klutz. Added to my determination to exercise, it’s become a dangerous lifestyle. Recently, I took Mugsy (all thirteen pounds of him) for a late-night walk along with two friends and their dogs. It was dark; Mugsy pulled, I didn’t see the curb, tripped, fell onto the sidewalk, and hit another curb with full force onto my right wrist. With a high pain tolerance and hope it was just a sprain, I filled zip lock bags with ice, took Advil, and tried to sleep. It...
Now that the pandemic is somewhat under control and travel has opened, the travel bug has bitten Daniel. Travel with Daniel can be challenging. Even before the pandemic, canceled flights, staffing shortages, delays, and missing luggage could result in a Daniel meltdown. He is not a “roll with punches” kind of traveler. This weekend we made a travel trial run. We drove to Portland for a weekend of food and wine. He drove my car, but since he has the patience of a flea, my rules were: we don...
With my car freshly washed, lubed and oiled, and gassed, my playlist relatively perfected, I put the top down and hit the road for my four-hour drive to Seattle last Friday. I was heading to the last of my cousins’ children’s Bar and Bat Mitzvahs. My music and I headed west to Seattle’s relatively cool 95-degree weather. My family is well known among my friends as one that comes together to attend family events no matter where they are held. And as usual, we all showed up in Seattle. Broth...
Cole Porter’s song is on point this week, “It’s too darn hot.” It’s too hot when even the dandelions popping up in the garden are dying from the heat. I thought those weeds were invincible; evidently, even they have a heat tolerance level. The weeds we planned to blast with Roundup are slowly turning brown and withering away. It saves breathing in some poison for the moment. Mugsy is not adapting well to the heat. Usually, he is anxious to join me on a walk or go outside to run around and chase...
Many years ago, I worked for an insurance brokerage firm that spent frequent time and much money on self-improvement, time management, and general management classes and books. In Pursuit of Excellence was a "must have" book for all businesses and their employees. The book's premise was that the focus should not be on perfection but on excellence. It presented the concept of perfection as unachievable and subjective; one person's "perfect" may not be another's. I am pragmatic, so perfection has...
Last month, we headed back to Los Angeles for Daniel’s surgery. Friday before our Sunday 5:30 a.m. flight, Daniel had a runny nose and scratchy throat. So, to be confident we would not infect the entire plane, we tested for COVID-19 at home and were both negative. We forged ahead with our plans after arriving in L.A., starting with dinner at a beautiful Japanese restaurant downtown. We stopped at our friends to unload luggage and say “hi” before dinner. We were off to a good start with good...
Depending on the day, the weather has somewhat improved, being more conducive to outside activities, like gardening. However, I still have an open wound because I was impatient (as usual) and had the stitches on my finger taken out too soon. With an open injury and a splint, I am trying to garden left-handed while keeping my injured finger clean. Not an easy task when you’re as clumsy as I am. However, my impaired gardening has not stopped me from bragging to my Los Angeles friends about e...
Good riddance meltdown May 2022. For some reason, this year May has been a month filled with meltdowns, including one of my own, (a rarity for me). Although they minimized in severity as the month proceeded, it was slightly disheartening. It started with a friend, who shall remain nameless unless she chooses to reveal herself. As she described her day, it started with receiving threatening hate mail while trying to meet a writing deadline with a computer that went rogue. To add to the madness,...
It was great fun to see the Celebration Days Parade this year. It brought back so many parade memories, from attending and marching in parades. I marched in New York with my 4-H troop. Later, as a High School band member in Tucson, I marched in a heavy wool uniform in 100-degree heat. In Flagstaff, where I went to college, I continued in the band and marched in ten below zero weather. In Los Angeles, I was just an avid spectator past my marching days. A Los Angeles parade would include...
While playing tennis and chasing tennis balls at Waitsburg High School, a song from “My Fair Lady” played through my head. “Why can’t a woman be more like a man?” became “Why can’t a tennis court be more like a bowling alley?” Or even a pool table. Bowling alleys and pool tables have bumpers, gutters, and pockets that return the balls to you. Tennis courts were not designed for easy ball retrieval. I was constantly chasing tennis balls as they landed on the other court, under the fence, in t...
