As a young adult, admitting that I was from a small town was like fessing up to a misdemeanor in the school of cool. Today, I admit my growing-up-in a-small-townness with pride. (Yes, I know townness is not a word.) I’ve been wondering lately, why I have this new affinity and pride in my small-townContinue reading “Small Town Vaccine”
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Heading North
I have news. On the last Thursday of September, I boarded a train in The Hague with a backpack over my shoulder and headed north. Guess why? Weekend getaway?No.Visiting a friend?No.What then?You done guessing?Yes!Okay. I moved out of The Hague.Seriously?Seriously.With just a backpack over your shoulder? Where to and why and all that stuff? LongContinue reading “Heading North”
Crazy Lady Chasing Plastic Bag
One thing that really bothers me–besides males who leave the toilet seat up and all things Trump– is an errant plastic bag. Not just bags, but all plastics gone wild: plastic grocery bags caught in a tree, smeary sandwich wrappers discarded on the sidewalk, bottles stuffed into bushes, plastic forks and straws cracked and muddy inContinue reading “Crazy Lady Chasing Plastic Bag”
You Are What You Post
I grew up in Solvang, a small Danish-themed tourist town in California, and like many Americans, there was a soundtrack to my childhood. It started out with a hodgepodge of what my older brothers and parents listened to: The Beatles and The Velvet Underground (artist-musician brother), Blue Oyster Cult and Rush (football star party-animal brother),Continue reading “You Are What You Post”
My book signing is Today
Hi all. In addition to writing this blog, I also write novels. I just added that ‘s’ to novel very recently with the launch of my second novel The Things We Said in Venice. All info is on my author website post. Cheers! Kristin
The Passion Dutch Style
When you’ve lived in a country long enough–even if you tend to live in a bubble or under a rock–eventually local cultural phenomena infiltrate your consciousness. As Easter approached this year, I had one of those moments where something that had vaguely hovered on the periphery a few years in a row suddenly punctured my littleContinue reading “The Passion Dutch Style”
Pornographic Chickens & War
The internet is life changing. Even though I live abroad, I can see my friend’s children growing up through Facebook (or at least get little glimpses), I can ‘meet’ bloggers from Chile, Canada and the United Arab Emirates and find groups of people with similar interests. I can look up things on Wikipedia, read fromContinue reading “Pornographic Chickens & War”
He Got me at Ambulatory, but What about Gimcrack?
When we were first dating, my husband used complex English words, some of which I, as a native English speaker, didn’t even know. Consider the word “ambulatory”, which means to the ability to walk about (thus not bedridden). I don’t know how ambulatory came up, but he correctly guessed the meaning at a time when I wasContinue reading “He Got me at Ambulatory, but What about Gimcrack?”
Life Cycling
Have you ever had one of those days where you feel as if that voodoo guy in Indiana Jones’ Temple of Doom has just reached in and pulled your heart from your chest, exposing it to the world for all its vulnerability and capabilities? Today was one of those days. I got to keep myContinue reading “Life Cycling”
Good night Guineas
We have two adorable guinea pigs. The first is an albino escape artist we acquired by accident. Our relatively large garden was used for outside activities during an Earth Day Festival in 2015 held at the neighboring church. A woman who owns a small farm brought a dozen guinea pigs and created a mini petting zoo thatContinue reading “Good night Guineas”
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