Author Archives: janishaag

I wrote this on the ninth anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, at the beginning of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year, on the first day of my Saturday fall writing workshop. We’d had a six-week summer hiatus, … Continue reading →

Ms. Coralee Hoffmaster Johnson of Cerritos, California—this is for you, darlin’.   I know that this week you had planned to find yourself on a small raft on the Colorado River with two of your closest women friends—Connie and Shirley. … Continue reading →

Evan Mendonsa is five years old, and he has just completed his third week of kindergarten. He is beyond excited about school. “It’s fun!” he enthuses with the big grin of a shiny new student. He can recognize a few … Continue reading →

It’s been nine and a half years, almost, since he died, and though I wrote a book of poetry called Companion Spirit about his continued presence in my life since then, it still sometimes surprises me when he turns up. … Continue reading →

Traveling home from Canada is always bittersweet, partly because it means vacation is over and partly because I’m looking forward to getting home to (this is embarrassing) my cats. I know they sit around waiting for me, looking for me. … Continue reading →

A word or two about surfing in British Columbia. Some of you are probably thinking what Dick and I thought a decade ago when we learned about this: Surfing in British Columbia? Isn’t that like water-skiing in Death Valley? Like … Continue reading →

Dick loves this name of this family of roses. He says it with great enthusiasm on the last two syllables—flori-BUNDA! We are amazed by the array of plant life in Tofino, B.C. It is a rainforest, after all, but still…. … Continue reading →

You may note the Canadian spelling above. As soon as I hit the border, I am compelled to add the letter “u” to words that do not require it in the U.S.—like “colour” or “harbour.” Also the letter “s” must … Continue reading →

There may be finer desserts in the world, but since my first trip to Vancouver Island in 1999, I will kill for a Nanaimo Bar. They are unheard of in the U.S., much like hard cider, which Canadians also love. … Continue reading →

So the reason Dick and I have driven up to Vancouver Island to be here for the last weekend in July is, as I mentioned in an earlier post, to come to a family reunion. Actually, it’s a two-family, international … Continue reading →