Living in a foreign environment even one that supposedly speaks English leads to many misunderstandings. Usually, if I listen closely and be patient I can appear to understand. That’s what my husband and I did on my first visit to Australia. We were visiting cousins I had never met in Bundaberg. We’d been driving all … Continue reading Understanding Australian
Memoir
Sneak peaks at my newest book, Getting Beyond, coming out in 2022.
Mustering the Cattle at Long Timber
My father was an organic farmer and raised beef cattle along with grade B Dairy cows in Minnesota in the 1950s. He died when I was eight years old and my family moved to the city. As a teenager, I became very interested in Eastern thought and at age 18 my fiance and I became … Continue reading Mustering the Cattle at Long Timber
Horseback Riding at Long Timber
I dreamed of riding a horse when I was a little girl. My brother had a horse on the farm. Her name was Mona, but they said I was too young to ride her. When Daddy died Mona was sold and we moved to the city. I had a little white porcelain horse that I … Continue reading Horseback Riding at Long Timber
Further Driving Lessons
My dendrites are slow growing. I need lots of practice, you can teach an old dog new tricks but you need to be patient with yourself, I tell myself. I say watch and learn, and do more research. I watched my partner negotiate the many blind curves between Peachester and Beerwah: The drive continued like … Continue reading Further Driving Lessons
Driving on the “Correct” Side of the Road
Lesson 1 My Aussie partner told me, "You know everyone drove on the left side before. Do you know why that was?' "No, I have no idea. I've always driven on the right side. In America, we keep right not left."He said, "In England when they drove in buggies, they had to sit towards the … Continue reading Driving on the “Correct” Side of the Road
Finding Mother’s Gravestone
My brother and I drove from Frazee, Minnesota to Gray Eagle, Minnesota, another town off the beaten path. We drove across lovely verdant farm fields the road curved up and down gentle hills. The corn was green and tall, the soybean fields often had corn that had come from last years crop. We arrived in … Continue reading Finding Mother’s Gravestone
Chasing the Past – Frazee, MN
My brother and I drove from 510 to Frazee, Minnesota. For one year we lived there, my mother, two brothers, and I. Mother worked as a housekeeper for the widower Dick. Dick had one young son, Hank, a little bit younger than me and another who had just gone off to college. We lived in … Continue reading Chasing the Past – Frazee, MN
510
Places hold such powerful memories. It used to bother me to go back there. But now I relish the experience, having made peace with the past. 510 brings alive memories of family joys, struggles, betrayals and bonding. My younger brother moved back to 510 and has an apartment and guest room on the third floor, two blocks … Continue reading 510
Researching at the Minnesota State Fair
I'm researching the second book. I'm at the Minnesota State Fair searching for my past. Every year until I moved away from Minnesota I went to the fair. This time I wore my T-shirt from the last trip in 2008. On the back in ALL CAPS purple letters is this quote from Garrison Keillor: THE … Continue reading Researching at the Minnesota State Fair
Home
The old cliches are: "Home is where you heart is"; "There is no place like home"; "Home is where you belong." My home is now in three places, my heart is in all three. There is where I belong, yet there isn't three of me. Since I can't clone myself I will divide the year … Continue reading Home
Visions from Two Continents. 