Category: From My Book
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Jigsaw Puzzles
North winds are whipping, and the ground is frozen, so yardwork is out of the question right now—hooray! That gives me the excuse to dig out a jigsaw puzzle and get busy building a picture. Sometimes I glue the puzzle together when it’s done, frame it, and hang it on the wall. But most of Read more
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Snowy Days
As children growing up in Milwaukee, my sister and I didn’t care what the weather was doing as long as we could play outside. Mom bundled us up in heavy coats with scarves, fuzzy earmuffs, snow pants, boots, double socks, and warm mittens, and we’d brave the cold to make snow angels in the backyard Read more
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Two Years of My Life
When the first copies of my book arrived, Valerie, the matriarch of my bear collection, gathered some of the little bears around her to read to them. Sitting on piles of books, the stuffed animals were my first devoted fans, along with Walter, of course. My book, Finding Splendid Shelter, started out as a simple Read more
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Touchdown!
I grew up in Wisconsin cheering for the Green Bay Packers during football season. They are one tough team when it comes to playing in frigid weather—the more snow, the better. The fans are even tougher, filling the stands while bundled up from head to toe with blocks of cheese on their heads. Nothing stops Read more
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Veteran’s Day
My dad served in the Army during World War II. He rarely talked about that life event, but when he did, his face showed the pain of war. If I remember correctly, he worked in the military offices in the Philippines and fortunately did not see combat. Nevertheless, my mom said he came home a Read more
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Play Ball!
The World Series begins this week, and we will be glued to the TV. Walter is passionate about baseball, and now I’m watching it with him. It reminds me of growing up in Milwaukee when my dad took my sister and me downtown to watch major league baseball. He’d buy us each a team ball Read more
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I Love Pie
When we were kids growing up in Wisconsin, my sister and I learned how to bake pies on Saturday mornings. My mom tied aprons around our waists, and we helped her make two pies—egg custard was her favorite—to serve as dessert with dinner for the upcoming week. Those were the days when dessert was expected Read more
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Covered Bridges
After moving to Roanoke, I decided to find the covered bridges of southwest Virginia. I discovered four nearby bridges and set out on a mission to find them. All the while, I was thinking of the movie The Bridges of Madison County. The first one was easy to find—135 miles north of Roanoke on I-81 Read more
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Buena Vista, VA
When I moved to Roanoke, Virginia, I wanted to explore the surrounding area by visiting nearby small towns. Many of the towns celebrated the fall season with festivals, and I decided to spend my weekends driving through the countryside to find them. One cool autumn afternoon, I drove north on I-81 to Buena Vista, Virginia, Read more