The Garden, Part 1
An unexpected frost, Thursday May 20, 2021 I started to write a humorous piece about the storm; after all, couldn’t the extreme screw-up on the part of the weather service be food for a bit of ridicule? But then, the missed forecast turned serious for a hiker on Mt. Whitney that Thursday night. And there
The Blizzard of 2021
Back in February of 2019, just before the Super Bowl, a big snowstorm descended on the Sierra Nevada and blanketed everything in white. Our snowboard enthusiast nephews and nieces descended too, spilling into spare rooms everywhere in the house, two even flew in from Virginia having heard the news of the big winter blast. “Meteorologists
Dietary help for the holidays: Breakfast: The Most Important Meal of the Day—To Skip!
A few years ago, in early December, the stockings all hung by the chimney with care and trimmings on the tree, my son wrote that he had discovered the most amazing holiday treat: Alton Brown’s recipe for homemade eggnog. Easy enough, separate four eggs, beat the yolks, add milk, cream, sugar, nutmeg, then whip up
ASMR and Super Bowl Football
I tuned in to the Super Bowl on Sunday, not because I was a Patriots fan or a Rams fan, but just out of curiosity: Could anyone give Tom Brady’s team a good game? While the LA Rams played remarkably well on defense, the answer was, well, I guess not. Meantime, I wanted to see
Turn Left at San Cassiano
The first indication of any cultural rift in South Tyrol came when Andrea and I headed out on foot from the lovely Park Hotel Laurin in Bolzano and went north along the Talvera River to see Castel Roncolo. The 13th century castle is known for a long and convoluted history and whole rooms devoted to
A Moveable Christmas
[dropcap]A[/dropcap]nd then there was the Christmas tree. We have not had a Christmas tree for 7 or 8 years because we fled the country every year at the holidays mostly to escape the crazy aunt who was always there for Christmas dinner then for the opening of presents and she could be counted upon to
A Midsummer Night’s Reading List
OR…The Halligan TMJ Review of Books [dropcap]I[/dropcap] can’t claim to be a voracious reader but looking back on spring and summer I find that I have savored, enjoyed, waded through, occasionally endured, laughed and sometimes even wept through 11-1/2 books. Why should you read my opinions about these books? I’m not a professional critic, after
Blackie the Cat—A Love Story
I was once voted Least Likely to Ever Own a Cat. A farm kid who always owned dogs, and who–from the age of 4 onward– always had an old dog following me around Wisconsin woods and back roads, I never had much to do with cats; and in fact even got a few guilty chuckles
The Great Halloween Candy S’mores Taste Test
The idea germinated during a combined family camping trip in the local mountains over the summer. After all, what do you do on a campout? Roast marshmallows over a campfire, slap the softened, browned or charred result on a graham cracker, add half a Hershey bar, let the chocolate melt a bit, enjoy. Repeat. There
Kite Surfing at Windblown Jalama Beach
A brilliant turquoise-blue day in mid May, the wind is blowing hard out of the northwest like God’s own hair dryer. There’s no escaping the wind that’s a steady 25 knots down from Lompoc and Vandenberg Air Force Base. This is Jalama Beach and seems ideal for one thing and it’s not for taking the
