News blast! Two acorn woodpeckers stored 700 pounds of acorns in a Glen Ellen vacation rental! Wowza! The woodpeckers had been drilling holes and storing acorns in the side of the house. A nice pantry wall. When the owners put up vinyl siding the woodpeckers couldn’t penetrate, the birds drilled a hole in the chimney …
International and long-distance domestic travel has become increasingly difficult for us as Rick’s Parkinson’s Disease advances, so we have resorted to mini “staycations.” There is so much to see right here. We live in Sonoma County, California, one of the most beautiful areas in the country. Thousands of people flock here each year to see …
I love to read. I don’t plug in a device to hear a book being read to me. I like the weight of a book in my hands, the smell and feel of the pages. I’m not a fast reader. My husband, Rick, reads three to four books to my one, but he says I …
Sometimes I get restless, especially after a long cold spell or a week being drenched by “atmospheric rivers” (i.e. heavy rain). There’s nothing like taking a drive without having a destination or appointment at the end of it. Or visiting a favorite shop and drinking in the colors, textures, and variety of items on display. …
I was out for a drive recently and noticed cows in the green pastures. There I was — racing along the road on my way to run errands and feeling a bit stressed. And there was a sign about happy cows and good California cheese. Pleeeese… Are cows really happy? I don’t know, but I …
Rick and I grew up in Pleasanton, California during the idyllic 1950s, before malls, ten theater cinemas, BART stations with trains running into the Bay Area and corporate office buildings. It was a small town and friendly where the biggest event of the year was the Alameda County Fair with its competitive arts and crafts …
Friends of ours had a stinky problem that was not easily solved. They awakened one night and heard noise coming from downstairs. The husband went to investigate. Midway down the stairs, he spotted an animal with a white stripe wandering around the living room. Yikes! A skunk! Thankfully, the animal didn’t lift its tail and …
I’m a native Californian, born and reared one valley over from the East Bay Area of San Francisco. In my lifetime, California has been in a cycle of flood, fire, and drought. I remember the rains coming so heavily in the Pleasanton-Livermore valley that there would be a lake where there are now houses. Over …
I wonder if anyone ever does anything all by themselves, if any idea is unique to one person or if all art, all life, actually, functions on collaboration and interdependence. Where do my stories come from if not from a thousand different sources collected over years of life experience, conversations, observing and reading books. People …
I’m always on the lookout for good things to see, read, do, and there are always so many from which to choose. Here are some of my favorites over the last year. Shadia Hrichi Bible studies. I met Shadia at Mount Hermon a few years ago and found her a passionate witness for Jesus. I’m …