It’s Memorial Weekend and my sweet peas aren’t up yet. Which is, I suppose, as it should be, since I didn’t plant any this year; my heart just wasn’t in it. Sweet peas were my grandfather’s favorite flower. My mother loved them too. So it’s no surprise that I...
“Are you an early riser?” asked Reneé. Although her tone was all sweet and innocent-like, I was pretty sure I was about to find my name landing with a resonant thump high on her new volunteer recruitment list. I laughed. “What do you need?” “Sunday mornings we serve...
The weather in McMinnville on Saturday was less than stellar—gray, overcast, and a threat of sprinkles that materialized just as the parade began. I hadn’t thought I’d be able to attend the UFO Festival this year, but apparently the Universe had other ideas....
A year ago this weekend, a friend and I attended the annual UFO Festival in McMinnville. We both dressed up in self-styled “alien” costumes, and enjoyed perusing the vendor booths, watching the parade, and dancing in the street to various bands. A few weeks later, I...
It’s possible that the three saddest words I’ve ever typed are “would have been.” Today Rick would have been 62. In February, he told me he wanted to have one more Christmas. “Cheri got one more Christmas, and I want one too. And I want to spend it down at the beach,...
