Last weekend, my husband and I were shopping at Costco. We arrived around noon, affording us the opportunity to sample goodies. Face it, one of the joys of going to Costco is scoring a bite of flavorful sausage or roasted chicken, a slice of imported cheese, sip of the latest sports/vitamin/health/fad drink, or in our […]

The other day, while huffing and puffing on an elliptical machine, reading a TIME magazine, occasionally glancing at the TV overhead, and observing the activity in the gym, I had an epiphany. Two of the stories I was reading were oddly related. The first story titled, “Dog Interrupted,” was about psychological problems experience by pets. […]

During a flight on Christmas Day, my husband and I struck up a conversation with a man originally from Guam. He touted the beauty of the island, commenting on its rich history. In particular, he mentioned during World War II, the native Chamarro people protected American service men from being captured by the Japanese who […]

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2014 annual report for this blog. Here’s an excerpt: A San Francisco cable car holds 60 people. This blog was viewed about 940 times in 2014. If it were a cable car, it would take about 16 trips to carry that many people. Click here to see the […]

I’ve always brought my lunch to work, mainly because I can’t justify spending money for something I can make for a few dollars and then eat all week. Granted, some weeks I have fabulous lunches of homemade soups I made the Sunday before. Other weeks, I prepare a hearty salad, made from grains, wild rice, […]

Originally posted on Quora.com Twice a week, I take a spinning class. The instructor on Wednesdays is an older man who wears jerseys from prominent local races; although, it’s unknown whether he purchased them as a participant, spectator, or off eBay. Nevertheless, his instruction style is grating with his barking directions every  5 to 10 […]

(This articles was originally published on Quora) Reading my title, you may have jumped to the conclusion I’m going to share the secrets to crafting engaging, beautifully constructed prose. The puzzle of great writing solved! Alas, my title is a double entendre. The challenge of writing isn’t like a puzzle, where the pieces neatly fit […]

Last week, after a tiring spinning class, I noticed a Fortune magazine in the gym’s reading rack. Wanting an excuse to rest, I plopped down on a rowing machine, and flipped through the page of the magazine to Best Companies 2014. I was surprised to find Wegmans Food Markets 12th on the list, dropping from […]

Whether we realize it or not, we’re trained to act a certain way when we visit certain retail locations. Step onto a car lot, and you probably used to looking both ways, expecting a sales person to hasten out of the showroom or materialize from between a car. Should you want to purchase a car, […]

Several years ago, I planted bare-root strawberries at our Mount Vernon house. Purchased at a local feed store, I questioned whether they’d grow since they were nothing more than shriveled foliage with stems attached. Within weeks of planting, they awoke from their dormancy, producing beautiful foliage, and subsequently delectable strawberries and runners. Last year, there […]