3 days agoIn a PickleIn elementary school. I often snuck off campus during the lunch period. The principal figured this out and called my parents. They asked him to follow me to see where I was going. The next day apparently watched from afar to see where and what I did. He called them…Dill Pickle Juice2 min readDill Pickle Juice2 min read
Sep 11Let Di be a LadyI don’t bother learning actors’ or singers’ names. I can’t tell you the name of a song or the lyrics. And yet why I was so intrigued with Lady Diana Spencer I have no idea. I hear it said that ‘every girl wants to be a princess.’ Not me. I…Lady Diana3 min readLady Diana3 min read
Sep 1OreoI’m at that age where I’m increasingly having to care for my parents while still tending to my children. As I’m talking to a case manager at an assisted living facility she said that I’m what’s called an Oreo. …Elder Care2 min readElder Care2 min read
Aug 8Seeing ClearlyI’ve always had 20/20 vision, until I didn’t. My eyes blurred everything up close and I ended up placing reading glasses in every room so that I could grab them if I needed to read. I tolerated this for about ten years. At my recent annual checkup, I asked the…Cataract Surgery4 min readCataract Surgery4 min read
Jul 21Kauai, HawaiiMarch 7 We left at 6 am from Fresno and arrived in Lihue at 2:15 pm. Walking off the plane and being hit with the humidity was a surprising remembrance of the five previous times I’ve been to Hawaii. We were picked up at the airport and greeted with lei’s and baseball…Kauai11 min readKauai11 min read
Jul 10Out in Left FieldEven as a baby, the pictures and videos show me as predominately left-handed. The only other person in my family to be so was my Grandfather. When he was growing up, they forced him to use his right hand for everything, including writing. As a result, his handwriting was terrible…Left Handedness3 min readLeft Handedness3 min read
Jul 3The Resurgence of Tulare Lake: A Spectacular TransformationIn the heart of California’s Central Valley lies a remarkable story of nature’s resilience and human ingenuity. Tulare Lake, once a…Tulare Lake3 min readTulare Lake3 min read
Jun 30What it Takes to Get a Bang for Your BuckWe’ve spent a lifetime enjoying fireworks shows on holidays, at games, and at a variety of events. But what is involved in preparing a fireworks show? Jennifer Waite, local show producer for PyroSpectaculars, jokes that there’s a lot of work in fireworks. Waite explained the process using the annual Kingsburg…Fireworks5 min readFireworks5 min read
Jun 15SenninbariWhen Bob Yano prepared to be deployed to serve in World War II, a woman living in the same internment camp took it upon herself to coordinate the creation of a senninbari for him. Traditionally, his mother would have taken on this task, but she was in Japan, unable to…Senninbari2 min readSenninbari2 min read
Jun 7Chillin’ (not) in AlaskaLet me start by saying that all experiences, good and bad, bring dynamics to our lives. It would be boring otherwise. I wouldn’t change a thing. We decided to go on an Alaska cruise aboard the Norwegian Cruise Line’s (NCL) Bliss, which is a fairly new ship. Robert, my husband…Ncl7 min readNcl7 min read