Author Archives: janishaag

She is amazing, my BFF. I’ve always said so. To be truthful, I’ve often also said that she is crazy, particularly around the time she decided to take in three special needs foster kids, whom she later adopted. All as … Continue reading →

Boarding the 6:20 a.m. to Seattle, the BFF nudges the Prius onto the main deck behind a red Fiat with an Obama/Biden sticker. “Fiat stands for ‘fix it again, Tony,’ ” she says, as I, the good audience, chuckle. We … Continue reading →

I am walking on a gravel road on Bainbridge Island in Washington state under a dove gray sky. There is no rain—and none is predicted—which is odd in this rainforest of a state. Sam, the golden retriever, walks ahead of … Continue reading →

I can hardly think about a new year. I’m sitting on the sofa, typing on the laptop, the detritus of Christmas just past in front of me on the coffee table–the cardboard rolls of ribbon, the tape dispenser, the marking … Continue reading →

I have been negligent about posting in this blog for some time, as I have been reminded by one of my long-time supporters (thanks, Mom!), so I am posting my annual Christmas poem. Some of you may have gotten a … Continue reading →

Well, now. I got a birthday present when I came home from the recent travels that did my old heart good. Make that “gud.” It came from a friend in Colorado who reads the blog and who is herself a … Continue reading →

All across Canada, the last weekend in July is a bank holiday–that is, the banks and governmental services shut down for a three-day weekend. But in Victoria, it’s more than a three-day weekend. It’s Symphony Splash weekend, this year nicely … Continue reading →

For those of you suffering with unbearable heat in places like, say, Sacramento or Texas or anyplace on the East coast, I’m going to suggest that you might want to pass on reading this post. It might make you a … Continue reading →

This may look like I’m fishing for presents, or at least birthday greetings, but it’s not. It’s just that not only does July 30 happen to be my birthday (the 53rd this year, if you’re keeping track), but it also … Continue reading →

I can’t believe how easy it is to make butter. This is not a metaphor. I’m talking literal butter here, the kind you spread on good, home-baked bread, like the kind my BF makes. It’s really no big deal. A … Continue reading →