Miscellaneous

After two years of neglect, I tackled the overgrown forsythia bush in my backyard.I could blame my sore knee or the tendonitis in my wrist, but whatever the reasons, I still let it grow wild, branches shooting out high and wide, criss crossing over each other every which way, taking over the side yard, smothering…

Several years ago, I was invited to speak at a conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and I took Peter, my five-year-old son, with me to have some father/son bonding time. I was paid to deliver two talks and after that I was on my own with Peter. I was looking forward to spending three or…

My parents taught me to love learning… and I didn’t even know it!​Pretty sneaky, right?​First there was Mom. She was a voracious reader. Once she borrowed a copy of War and Peace and returned it only a few days later. Reportedly, the person she borrowed it from was a bit offended and said, “Well, if…

Several years ago, I was staying at a hotel near the National Airport while I was in Washington, DC on a business trip. At the time, I was an avid jogger and on the first morning of the trip I decided to go for a 5-mile run. I set my alarm to wake up early…

I keep thinking about my husband, Cal. ​Imagine. A 30+ year career in public health, much of it dedicated to injury prevention. Then the past 2 years. Pandemic. War. School shootings. So much injury, so many ways prevention would be better than trying to pick up the pieces afterwards.​Ever since I met Cal 16 years ago,…

Monopoly is one of those games that has probably been around since man first learned how to barter for bread, butter, and meat. I would not be surprised if someday the rules for this game are found in the non-translated manuscript of the Dead Sea Scrolls. I am certain that ancient merchants used it to…

They’re blooming!It’s so exciting, my first azaleas. I planted them last year, and they made it through our cold winter to bloom on this lovely spring day.I never thought I could grow azaleas in my high mountain desert garden. I came to love them when our oldest daughter moved to Seattle for graduate school. The…