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Some love the hustle and bustle and all things shiny associated with the wintertime Holidays. For some, it’s a celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, the messiah, the holy one whose very existence signifies hope and joy. For others, Hanukkah tells a story of a desperate battle fought and won by the Maccabees over the Greek army in 164 BC. The symbolic lighting of the menorah signifies the miracle the Maccabees received when, having only enough lamp oil for one more night, it stays lit for eight nights, marking the end o...
What is an iron lion? He or she is a warrior who doesn’t quit. Or rather doesn’t know when to quit. I guess quit is a big no-no word when it comes to lions, especially the human kind. Last night I watched the Mike Tyson- Jake Paul fight. I’m not a boxing fan, so I didn’t understand some of the subtleties of the match. However, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that match. Jake Paul, a twenty-seven year old boxer in his prime realized a life-long dream of fighting one of the greatest boxers of all time, Mike Tyson, ag...
Venus Bratsveen The sound of chatter, laughter and friends calling to friends could be heard across the theater. It seemed every age group was represented to see the first showing of Haunted Reverie, the latest horror film by Paul and Patrice Platypus. Halloween is just around the corner. The theaters, semi-vacant for the past month were now filling up daily with horror fans, waiting for a good scare. Some would say that this is their favorite season- not autumn, but Halloween. A different scarey movie played each week of Oct...
September is one of my favorite months. Life begins to slow down, and there’s a crispness to the air in the early morning- a whisper of what’s to come. Time to start winding down, time to harvest and process the so called fruits of my labor. I cover the tomatoes, cucumbers, parsley and basil in the late afternoon while the sun still kisses them. I want to hold in that warmth to help my babies stay warm through the night. In late morning, I uncover my sleeping beauties and joyfully watch as they stretch towards the sun. Sum...
“Tootles,” Carol called out behind her shoulder as she made her way out the door. Before she knew it, she tripped on the edge of the new door mat which had a rather sarcastic phrase written on it. Don’t let the door hit you where the good Lord split you, it stated in plain lettering. Negotiating a graceful four-point landing, Carol read the words to herself, while emitting a colorful phrase of her own. Grrr, she thought. That’s the second time this week! She made her way to the car in the garage without further inciden...
I will always enjoy being called a girl. There are some who f ind the term girl, as referred to a woman, demeaning. When I think about it, however; I was never as free as I was when just a girl. I don’t find the term insulting. It is inclusive of all the generations of femalehood. (I may have just made that word up, but you get my meaning.) We go from playing with Barbies to side-eye ing boys to obsessing over men to caring for children and finally to enjoying our independence again. That’s not to say an adult woman doe...
“A priest, a rabbi, and a minister walk into a bar…” is the start of many silly jokes that get a good chuckle out of most of us. Why is humor so important to humans? Just look at any social media outlet and you will see it chock full of funny memes or silly stories. For those who read newspapers, the Funnies section is often the most sought after. When I worked for Cheney Free Press, I fielded customer phone calls regarding the Funnies section. Some would be concerned if news content was such that our funnies were short...
The girls teased Uncle Mike about his mystery lady all the way home. Mike took it all in stride. He had other things on his mind. Who was she? Why hasn’t he seen her before? He wasn’t buying her story about being in town to care for sickly parents. Why did she salt her ice cream? Nobody does that, except his little fish face. The girls noticed his distracted behavior and chalked it up to him being smitten with Asherah. They talked quietly in the back of the car. “I’m going back to the library tomorrow night. You have to invi...
6 a.m. October 1st, 2023. The early morning autumn light gently filtered through my eyelids, waking me slowly, easing my foggy brain into another day’s existence. A languorous stretch produced the effect I hoped for- a furry headbutt to my shoulder as Tika rolled into my side. This was the magic hour; sleep slowly leaving my head, dawn lifting the veil of dreams and a rather insistent pup vying for my half-awake attention. I love this moment between worlds when nothing is required of me yet, just pet the dog and try to d...
Nothing tastes better than homemade pasta sauce. No jarred sauced in the world can compare to fresh ingredients slow simmered for hours on the stove in your own kitchen. I’ve been making homemade sauce for as long as I can remember. When I was younger, I mixed up cans of tomato sauce with paste and canned tomatoes, added spices, onion and garlic. I cooked it for an hour or two, then let it cool to be put into bags for freezing. At the time, I thought it was the best ever. Apartment living in the 80s didn’t allow for much mor...
My husband and I love going to the movies. We both grew up enjoying a darkened theater, hot buttered popcorn and the thrill of the unknown unfolding before our eyes. We met and married in a small town in southern New Mexico. As adults living in Tiny Town, USA, there wasn’t a whole lot else to do on a sweltering hot weekend. Fortunately back then, the summer time was prime time for new movies to come out. As the years progressed and we moved to the booming metropolis we call Spokane, we still headed to the movies, r...
When perusing the treasures found at the Spokane Valley Veteran’s Thrift Store, I discovered quite a few cans of Cabot’s Australian Oil stain. Fifteen dollars for a gallon of stain that normally costs sixty or more seemed like a great deal. Our deck needed to be stained about three years ago and still hasn’t seen one ounce of the good stuff. It looked pretty rough. I bought six gallons of stain with the intent of finally getting to it. Proud of my purchase and feeling ambitious, I planned to stain the deck the next week....
Lizzy was a busy wife and mother of three. Three precocious children who never sat still. They even slept restless. Each morning Lizzy would wake her little angels, remake beds from scratch, sigh and get on with her day. Lizzy’s husband Carl worked as a car salesman at one of the local dealerships. He was a friendly, hard working and honest man who put in long hours and sold many cars and trucks. They were doing well financially and decided to invest in a Family Portrait Plan from a well known local photography studio. L...
A new year inspires us with the hope of a new beginning and opportunities abound. We see this as a chance to try new things, strengthen our resolve to do better, do more, be more. Winter is waning and spring is just around the corner. With spring comes new growth. Is it any wonder our hearts quicken at the thought? A new year means new adventures, new promises or renewed promises to ourselves and others. As I write, the very thought of it makes me smile. What will I resolve to do or do better in the coming year? There are so...
If you’re lucky enough to have great cousins and lucky enough to spend time with them growing up, you’ll have a story or two that carries through adulthood and gives you a chuckle every time. This is one such story. My aunt and uncle loved to camp every summer. Like most of us, my family included, they started out with a tent, moved on to a pop-up and eventually to a sturdy camper complete with sleeping areas, kitchen and bathroom. Sometimes our families camped together, but most of my youth was spent in separate cam...
The fair is a veritable smorgasbord, orgasbord, orgasbord, orgasbord, after the crowds have gone. So says Goose in the 1973 movie version of Charlotte’s Web by E.B White. And so it is, but not just after hours. My favorite childhood memories of the fair revolve around food and freedom the fair brings to us. Fair time, for younger me, was a time to run wild between the aisles of rides, games of chance and of course, food vans. All the bright lights, vibrant colors, larger than life imagery painted on the ride backgrounds m...
I love mornings like this. The sun was shining, a slight breeze blew and just a few people were walking in the park. Barker, my pride and joy mutt rambled along, sniffing the ground and chasing squirrels. As I ambled along, I noticed something shining out from under some leaves and dirt. I found a penny. I dug it out. It was shiny on one side, dull and dirty on the other. How interesting. I wondered what its story was. Maybe it’s good luck. I’m feeling luckier already. With a bounce to my step I continued my walk. It was jus...
In my travels, I’ve enjoyed places that had all the comforts of home and those that did not. Yet I still found joy in what I had. Perhaps it’s because I’ve gone without, lived poor, chose paying the rent over eating. It’s funny how strife shapes one. It can either make you more grateful for the smallest of comforts or resentful for the things one doesn’t have. I have always chosen to be grateful. That can be attributed to my upbringing. My parents taught us to be humble and grateful for the things we had. I don’t think I’m a...
My morning walks with Tika, our 5-year-old Border collie rescue dog, are always my favorite time of day. We tend to go to one particular park to throw the ball, followed by a short walk. Each season brings its own beauty to the scenery. Summer mornings are warm, the sky is clear and sunrise is sometime before we get up! It’s a great season filled with long balmy days and cool clear nights. The solitude of our morning walk in the park is often interrupted by other dogs playing with Tika and, for me, a nice chat with said d...
Tika loves her walks in the morning. She follows me endlessly, ensuring I don’t get off-track and do something useless like grab a tea or say, wake up before rushing out the door to go to the park. Mornings are time for fast, goal oriented movements. Get dressed, throw some mouthwash in that trash can you call a mouth and get out the door. And so my mornings go. Every single morning, rain, shine, snow, sleet and or hail—well you get the picture. There’s no sleeping in for me unless I’m sick. I know this sounds whiny and it...
How does the song go? “I close my eyes. Only for a moment then the moment’s gone.” (Dust in the Wind, Kansas- Eric Benet) Oh, but a sweet moment. There is a place I go to de-stress, unwind, and just relax. I don’t have to change out of my pajamas or comb my hair. I don’t have to drive anywhere. It’s my thinking place and I do close my eyes. This is a dreamy collection of several places that make me happy. I come here whenever I need it. It’s spring time in New Mexico. I’m walking in a forest edged meadow. The sun is warm on...
In this day of technology first, it can be hard to meet actual people. Swipe left, swipe right, whatever that means and a little cyber-stalking goes a long way towards not finding someone you can truly relate to. This isn’t that kind of story. You see, both Molly and John are folks 50+ years old. Once you reach a certain age (one that differs for each of us but generally involves a renewed sense of awe and appreciation for the simpler things) you really get down to the meat o...
In 1975 Simon & Garfunkel reunited to perform a song called My Little Town. It’s a sad tone about a grimy little town with no future. The streets are dirty, the people dull, even the rainbow is black, devoid of color, light and life. I could relate to that place in my youth. My own east coast town of 80,000 residents was dirty, sad and spent. Life was a series of days completed with no major mishaps or joys. Let’s just say the teen years were rough. Looking back, I realize that I saw only the negative side of city life bec...
Whatever you celebrate, be it a Christian Christmas, Jewish Hanukkah or the secular holidays of African-American Kwanzaa or Festivus (highlighted by the popular sitcom Seinfeld,) it’s undeniably a special time of year. A time when petty politics, disagreements and neighborly squabbles are set aside and replaced by a desire to do better and be better for each other. It is truly my favorite time of year. Recently, my company Holiday party was a wonderful example of just how giving people can be. It was a great party, catered b...
Sharpened axe and a killer instinct honed by years of dealing death. Slathered sunscreen and a brimmed hat secured with a strap. Tonight we dine on the blood of our enemies. Actually, tonight we dine on fried chicken, maybe some potato salad and fresh squeezed lemonade. I might bake a cake too. But first, its chicken chasing time. That’s the part I’m not too crazy about, but a must unless we want to go vegan. My chicken murder ritual consists of several parts. First, I prepare myself by protecting my ‘oh so fair’ skin with so...
