I’m not a big fan of Halloween, but it is the time of year when black cats crossing the road and other superstitious ideas seem to take a center stage. Even though I’m not superstitious AT ALL, my Russian friends can be very superstitious and attentive to various omens. Most these omens emerged in the pre-Christian era, and neither the Christianity that arrived in Russia more than 1,000 years ago nor the ideologues of the Communist regime during the 70 years of Soviet rule were able to stamp out some degree of faith in them. If you’re going to live…
What I’ve Been Reading – Free Books
What I’ve Been Reading: One kind of book I especially love is the genre of FREE. As in, no cost. Yes, I’m constantly on the lookout for a great deal for new books. Scanning facebook for “today only on Amazon. ” Looking forward to the first of every month when I get a “Kindle First” email and get to choose a pre-release novel with the price tag of $.00. For instance, for my October selection I’m reading a book called Wake in Winter. I chose it because it is written by a Moscovite, Nadeszhda Belenkaya, and translated by American Andrea…
Weird Bookends–how elation and anger defined my youth
Hello friends. Sorry for the hugely long silence here on my blog. We took a 6,600 mile coast-to-coast road trip in September, and I’m still unpacking. Not literally, as in unpacking my clothes. But still unpacking the impressions of traveling through 20 states and spending time with family, grieving, rejoicing, sweating, feasting, crying, and rubbing sore behinds from all the time sitting in the car. Anyway, I want to share a couple of things we did on our trip that were, for me, weirdly dissimilar strolls down memory lane. These influences from the past formed “bookends” around a period of…
Another Welcome and Thanks to New Subscribers
Perhaps a bit overdue, but just want to send out a truly heartfelt and grateful welcome to all my new subscribers. I hope you enjoyed the sneak peek at the chapter from Her Shining Eyes, and the glimpses into my crazy life through my blog posts. I also hope you’ve recognized my heart, which is to show you the authentic “me” and draw you toward considering authenticity for yourself. I know many of you are ahead of me on that particular path, which is awesome. I need you! This week’s post is brief, I know. And that brevity is also…
Fishing – My Decent Obsession
Fishing – My Decent Obsession After several sequential summers spent in the Eastern Sierra and the never-ending photos of trout, me with trout, hubby with trout, and scenery shots on Facebook, people have started to wonder if I really like fishing that much — or, if they know I DO like it that much – then, why? Fishing Like A Girl Granted, it’s a sport (or, in my case, an obsession) that caters more to men than women. You don’t see pink fishing poles in the Bass Pro Shop or clothing that looks girly. Fish are slimy and you have…
