Muffett is our senior cat. She’s been with us for 18 years – which equals 88 human years. I remember the day we brought her home from the Humane Society. There were two kittens in the cage: a tortoise shell female and a ginger yellow male. When I held the girl, she quickly deduced
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“THE TARGET WAS ONE ENEMY CASUALTY AT THE END OF A RIFLE”
In his retirement, my father collected biographies about World War II leaders. He said he wanted to understand what really happened in the war that dominated his adult life. My father was a navy man then, a middle grade officer. I don’t know if he found what he was looking for. I don’t know if
DAY TOUR IN SEATTLE
I visit Seattle 2-3 times a year to visit family, eat, and take a break in familiar surroundings. I did my undergraduate BA degree at the University of Washington – before they bricked over the grassy area near the library to create “Red Square” above the Central Garage. If you know when that happened, you
OLYMPIC HOTEL: DOYENNE OF 1920s SEATTLE
OLYMPIC HOTEL. When I was a high school student in a Seattle bedroom community on the other side of Lake Washington, those two words symbolized all that was posh and sophisticated. I never dreamed I could set foot inside such an illustrious palace, let alone stay there regularly. The Olympic Hotel is a palace of
FISH LIBERATION DAY
Once upon a time, four or five years ago, I decided it would be nice to have a fountain in the back garden. Sort of a trickling brook. I found a nice place for it – or at least I thought so at the time. My daughter and her boyfriend were staying with us. I
CLEAN HOUSE – CLEANSED MIND?
Some of my Twitter followers know I recently cleaned out my closet (because I couldn’t find anything to wear) and rediscovered “the collection room” floor (I knew it had to be there somewhere). When Matthew Wright (no relation), member of the #myWANA hashtag group on Twitter, realized I’d inadvertently begun cleaning my closet,
PUPPY BLOGGER RIDES HIS FIRST TRAIN
As promised, I, Guide Dog Spencer McGarrett, am back to tell you about my experience riding the train in Canada. I wanted to show you a picture from Canada, but, alas, Sandra doesn’t take many pictures of me. I don’t know why not, since I am amazingly handsome. But, to her, I guess I’m just
SPENCER THE PUPPY BLOGGER GOES TO CANADA
Hello – Guide Dog Spencer McGarrett, puppy blogger, is back. Last time, I told you how I grew up at Guide Dogs Victoria in Melbourne, Australia and was assigned to join the Handsome Bloke in Hawai`i. Today, I’m going to tell you about my first travel adventure with the Handsome Bloke. I learned lots
THE “XX FACTOR” – REALLY?
Life is where we live when we aren’t traveling. In my life as women’s historian and writer, I’m continually intrigued by the question of whether women’s professional careers are blocked a “glass ceiling” or any other impediments. The latest author to catch my eye on this subject is Alison Wolf, Professor of Public Sector Management
THE BEACHES AT WAIKĪKĪ
Travel is a state of mind, an openness to new realities. It is challenging to travel close to one’s home. The terrain is too familiar; our eyes fail to see the nuances, the unique communities of place, or the historic context that can make the ordinary extraordinary. So, today I invite you to join me
ELLORA CAVES – SITE OF RELIGIOUS TOLERANCE
The Ellora Caves are eighteen miles northwest of Aurangabad, a small town in the Indian state of Maharashtria. Like the Ajanta Caves, the Ellora Caves are carved from a sheer vertical rock face. Unlike Ajanta, Ellora represents a more tolerant age during the Gupta period. At Ellora, Buddhist, Hindu, and Jain devotees coexisted and created
PILGRIMAGE TO THE AJANTA CAVES
It was a beautiful day in Augrangabad, India. The early morning was pleasantly warm. At mid-morning we neared the day’s temperature of 40∘ Centegrade – which is roughly 110∘ Fahrenheit for those of us who have yet to switch to metric. Either way, it was very warm. But, as the saying goes: “At least it
MONKEY BUSINESS AT PENCH NATIONAL PARK, INDIA, OR, CLOSE ENCOUNTER WITH THE COMMON LANGUR MONKEY
Namaste – I’m glad to be with you again. As you may know from my few Facebook postings, I’ve been in India for three and a half weeks. I have lots of stories to tell. I would have told them sooner, but 1.) Internet connection was not always the best, and 2.) I was doing
“THE LADY’S NOT FOR TURNING” – Margaret Thatcher, 1925-2013
Margaret Thatcher, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979-1990, died last Monday, from a stroke. She was 87 years old. Her detractors are ecstatic – making “Ding Dong the Witch is Dead” from the Wizard of Oz near the top of the charts and holding celebratory “Death Parties.” They hold her responsible for current
COMPUTERS & MAGIC or THE TECHS I NEED TAKE THE WEEKEND OFF
Magic: the operative word for anything relating to computers. I have seen IT personnel, in unguarded moments; wave their hands over the offending machine, and restart it. Sometimes, it works. Other times, they shoot a few hoops, and try again. When everything works, I take my computer buddies for granted. But when they
EASTER – SPRING – THE EXPECTATION OF NEW LIFE
OSTARA: PAGAN GODDESS OF SPRING Ostara, an obscure Germanic goddess, lent her name to the annual season of Easter. Anglo-Saxon accounts mention feasts in her honor held in April. EASTER: CHRISTIAN CELEBRATION OF CHRIST’S RESURRECTION The early Christian Church superimposed its teaching on many ancient holidays, among them celebrations to welcome Spring’s return. Easter is