The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

Depending on the day, the weather has somewhat improved, being more conducive to outside activities, like gardening. However, I still have an open wound because I was impatient (as usual) and had the...

Good riddance meltdown May 2022. For some reason, this year May has been a month filled with meltdowns, including one of my own, (a rarity for me). Although they minimized in severity as the month...

It was great fun to see the Celebration Days Parade this year. It brought back so many parade memories, from attending and marching in parades. I marched in New York with my 4-H troop. Later, as a...

While playing tennis and chasing tennis balls at Waitsburg High School, a song from “My Fair Lady” played through my head. “Why can’t a woman be more like a man?” became “Why can’t a tennis court...

I recently read an article in the New York Times about a woman who inherited her mother’s germaphobia. The pandemic amplified her phobia, and she became obsessed with the variety of disinfectants a...

I have been told that the “rule of thumb” is not to plant flowers and summer vegetables until Mother’s Day, or at the earliest, May 1. First, what exactly does “rule of thumb” mean? Do thumbs ha...

The day has come, and this is the test; am I ready to travel maskless? I had an early morning flight scheduled for my next sojourn to Los Angeles this last Monday. It’s a dreadful time to wake up a...

Schizophrenia doesn't even begin to describe the weather this "spring." Daniel declared, "this year, I'm not planting anything until May, even before the snow predictions." I rolled my eyes and...

Is it the water? Relaxed and friendly Lifestyle? Homegrown veggies? The fact that our area has 9 (plus) people over 90 years old is impressive and has given me a push to rethink my procrastination...

Happily and reluctantly, I have shed my mask, knowing that this is most likely a temporary reprieve. The virus is thriving in Europe and Asia, so I assume we will eventually be inundated and back to...

I am still grief-stricken about the war Putin has declared on the people of Ukraine. I did go to the World Central Kitchen website to see if there was anything I could do. Even though I am not a...

These past few weeks have been heart-wrenching. The feelings of grief, sadness, anger, and hopelessness are all swirling within me as I watch this dreadful war unfold in Ukraine. My paternal...

I love music. My parents and many relatives had both musical talents, a great appreciation for music, and there was almost always music playing in our house. My father loved classical music and grew t...

The day before we left for Los Angeles, we enjoyed lunch with our friend Eric on our backyard deck. Eric declared, "I'm calling it, Spring is here." Right! Heard that before. While in LA, I received...

While some people study great philosophers like Aristotle, Socrates, and Plato, my current frame of reference are more Broadway Musicals and popular songs. Lerner & Lowe’s clever lyrics, “Why can...

We have shortened the hours at the restaurant to dinner service only on Friday and Saturday nights. No more lunches, and no longer opening on Wednesdays and Thursdays. We have added Take & Bake, a muc...

Cole Porter, known for his profound lyrics, was “en pointe” with this particular song relating to our recent reopening of the restaurant. I have familiarity with this song title from the Broadway sho...

I am finally mobile again since the weather has warmed up, enough rain fell, and my car is now out of its “stuck in the ice and snow” mode. It is no longer an ice sculpture but a dirty, mode of tra...

This past week of rough weather has been an important lesson and slapped down my hubris. I recently discovered, or instead, learned the hard way, that over confidence was a huge mistake. It seems...

As I’ve frequently written, I am not a reflective person. However, I do appreciate traditions. Therefore, as I did columns for my first and second anniversaries in Waitsburg, I decided to make it t...

My life seems weird now that we have decided to slow down the operations at the restaurant. Our new focus on catering, take & bake, and working with some winemakers for special dinners is more fun...

What are the odds that this Thanksgiving would be as good if not better than my first “Friendsgiving” in Waitsburg? My first pre-Covid-19 gathering was terrific. It was the group effort, no str...

When we were kids, and my mother had reached the end of her rope with our mess, complaining, whining, and general bad behavior, she would halt all activities, give us “the look,” and let us know in he...

Although I am not a great tennis player, I love to play. It’s good exercise for someone competitive and social. I’ve told my coaches over the years,” What I lack in talent, I make up for in stamina....

I apologize for my uncalled-for pity party indulgence last week. In retrospect, although I don’t live a charmed life, I do live a pretty good one here in Waitsburg. Moving here was a difficult d...