When the Nazis occupied Norway during WWII, the Norwegians protested — nonviolently — by wearing red-knitted hats with tassels called nisselue. Now as our country’s democracy is seriously fraying, Minnesotans, many of whom are of Norwegian descent, are again protesting — nonviolently — ICE’s occupation by knitting and wearing these same hats. The “Melt the…
Editor’s Note: This painting, which I interpret as us oldsters walking each other home, is by American artist Dorsey McHugh, and was introduced to me in a Zoom presentation by author Judith Valente. *** I am now beginning my 8th decade on the planet. Whether I like it or not, I am aging. Will I…
What better place to muse about America than sitting on a visitor’s bench high on a bluff overlooking the Great Mississippi River Valley. What we call a perfect Arizona-blue-sky day ushered us across the deep-black soil of Minnesota’s prosperous farmland, from Rochester to the muddied deep-blue waters of the Great Mississippi River at Alma, Wisconsin….
Editor’s Note: Recently my husband Ken and I attended Mark Nepo’s thought-provoking, quiet weekend retreat in Racine, Wisconsin at the Siena Retreat Center, right on Lake Michigan. The retreat was about his almost-latest book You Don’t Have to Do It Alone: the power of friendship. However, just that week his latest book was published: The Fifth…
Editor’s Note: Maybe it’s an era, maybe it’s an age, but I’ve always been fascinated by trains. Here are my MiniMemories of my most memorable train rides, weaving back and forth in time from Cheney, Washington to Boise, Idaho, from Africa to Europe, and back again in the U.S. Is there a last train ride?…
In 1969 one of my favorite films was released: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. It was sexy, fun, and thrilling, even if it didn’t end well. Here are my MiniMemories glimpsing the Sundance Kids IN PERSON. San Francisco, California (1980s): During my lawyering days, a group of us lawyers met for dinner at a…
MiniMemories are tiny stories: the little snippets, tidbits, and vignettes of our lives that flash unbidden through our minds. They are random, often activated by something we see or read or hear. They are little stories that we trot out with family, friends, and, sometimes anonymously with strangers while we wait for our turn at…
Editor’s Note: an essay and a memoir for these troubling times. *** The need to belong, to be considered part of a group, is hardwired into us humans. Since we are basically all alike, my story will be your story in one way or another. Here’s mine while you think about your own. When my son…
Editor’s Note: For this Icelandic film, an artistic image of an iceberg on an Icelandic black sand beach. *** I am not a regular movie “goer”, much less a movie reviewer. However, to distract myself from the earth metaphorically tilting on its axis this coming Monday, January 20th, Inauguration Day, I have been earnestly searching…
Editor’s Note: This is the edition we must have had 1965-1966. I put it to novel use as you’ll see in this story. You’ll also see how humor saves many a day. *** I recently read in the New York Times that Arthur Frommer has died (November 18, 2024). I have a story to tell…
