If you have a weather app on your phone and follow different cities, you no doubt have at least one city that consistently shows a bright yellow sun on more days than not — maybe Phoenix, Tucson, Las Vegas, or Sacramento. No surprise that these cities are among the top 25 sunniest cities in the […]
VALLEY LIFE
Valley Life: Lower Valley
Apricity: the warmth of the sun in winter. It is a great loss to the English language when this obsolete word fell out of use centuries ago. Look up “words for winter” and every entry is cold, severe and harsh. We need to bring a beautiful word back into our lexicon to describe these days […]
Valley Life: Twisp
It’s easy to curse it this year, as the piles have become akin to alien moonscapes of hardened boulders. Breaking fences, caving roofs, and letting the pesky deer step over 6-foot fences as if they are a mere logs, harbors some resentment. But, the ephemeral quality of the snow requires constant interaction to fully appreciate […]
Valley Life: Winthrop
If you happened to read my Aug. 24, 2022 column, you may recall that I like surprises. Not for myself! (I told my husband early in our relationship that if he ever arranged a surprise birthday for me, I’d — well, I don’t know what I’d do, but it would not involve happiness for either […]
Valley Life: Mazama
Socializing is good for your mind and body, so researchers have concluded. In fact, not only does socialization help lighten your mood and reduce loneliness, but there is evidence that connecting with people boosts brain health, lowers the risk of dementia, and promotes a stronger immune system. During the dark days and nights of winter, […]
Valley Life: Winthrop
During my years living in northern Maine, moose were as common as mule deer in the Methow Valley. As we drove around the primitive back roads that snaked through forests then owned by pulp and paper companies, we saw cars with Massachusetts and Connecticut license plates flanking the shoulders as tourists watched moose thigh-deep in […]
Valley Life: Twisp
Are your Christmas decorations still up? If so, don’t fret. For many traditions around the world, the season doesn’t end until the feast of the Epiphany and the celebrations that follow. The holiday marks the day the three kings, or magi, visited baby Jesus, bringing gifts and declaring him God. The Epiphany is typically celebrated […]
Valley Life: Mazama
I learned a new word this week. It has a cool sound to it, but if it’s used to describe this column, I’ll know now that it’s not a compliment. Jejune (ji-joon): without interest or significance; dull; insipid (first of four adjective definitions). Each week I contemplate what will be stimulating to readers with an […]
Valley Life: Winthrop
In the fall of 1992 I was teaching high school in Ojai, California, and one fall weekend another teacher and I went to the farmers market in nearby Ventura. As we stood in line at an apple booth, the vendor — whose pace cutting apple samples was outstripped by customer demand — offered us $50 […]
Valley Life: Lower Valley
These last days of January are the peak time to catch a dragon by the tail. Comet C/2022 E3 will make its closest approach to Earth for the first time in 50,000 years. The last time Comet C/2022 E3 swung this close to Earth was during the Ice Ages and the Upper Paleolithic period. To […]
