The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

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...

I doubt the person credited with that expression didn’t have a good grip on reality. Recently, I have learned that the “small stuff” becomes “big stuff” when it happens in a condensed time frame. As...

When I was very young, I had two nicknames. The first, Miss Perpetual Motion. From the moment I woke up, I was on the go until I would fall sound asleep wherever I happened to run out of steam. I'd...

Although Daniel and I enjoy many of the same things, we also have major differences in our personalities and ideas. For example, before he even starts boiling water for his morning tea, he gets...

And the seasons all have their beginnings and endings. The season for driving through the Walla Walla Valley with my top down, the wind blowing in my face, is ending. According to my weather app, it l...

My mother drilled certain behavioral lessons into our psyche, starting when we were very young. One that has stuck with me is, “Don’t blow your own horn!” No bragging, boasting, or puffing of the c...

Recently, I connected with friends that I hadn’t had contact with for several years. Our “catch-up” conversation was not the usual, as we all have had significant life changes to share. Without any p...

Early this week I had to make another trip to the Tri-Cities, this time to have my car serviced. Another great ride with my top down, music blaring, enjoying the perfect weather and empty highway. Of...

When I walk through town, I see flags of all sorts waving in the wind; they celebrate with "Small Town, Big Heart," support the Cougars, Seahawks, and of course, Old Glory. Recently, I noticed a flag...

I’m almost scared to write about my perfect Sunday (yesterday) for fear I will jinx any future Sundays, but I’m not superstitious, so here goes. Our plans for this weekend were to take off a few day...

Shakespeare wrote in his play The Twelfth Night, "If music be the food of love, play on!" Obviously, Shakespeare didn't have to listen to Daniel's playlist. I grew up in a houseful of music and...

Although I don't have a "charmed" life, I certainly have it easier than many people. I recognize that in the scheme of things, I have no right to complain. But, I admit, there are some days or weeks...

I recently heard an interview on one of my favorite National Public Radio shows, Wait, Wait Don’t Tell Me, with Dr. Ellen Stofan. She is currently the Under Secretary for Science and Research at T...

I’ve found that in owning a restaurant, gardening, and life in general, many of the rules and clichés I’ve learned throughout my eons in the business world still apply. First, the 80/20 rule, whic...

It certainly has been hot lately, not only is it bringing out the sloth in me, but it is also obliterating my garden. The combination of my heat-inspired slothiness and my normal forgetfulness has...

In keeping with my love of old movies, I was recently reminded of: It Happened in Naples. I admit with no hesitancy that I am no Sophia Loren. But sometimes things happen at the Weinhard that are...

I am an old movie fan, and lately, the classic flick, The Three Faces of Eve starring Joanne Woodward, has been on my mind. Probably because, in a small way, I feel like my life is emulating that stor...

I am now officially and happily the Ice Queen. Just in time for the brutal heat wave that struck this week, we finally have a functioning ice machine. Sometimes, the small pleasures in life (albeit...

My mother, a very wise woman, taught my sister, brother, and I that "you don't kick a man when he's down." A lesson I remembered this week when we purchased a new ice machine for over $3,000. Three...

In 2000, a new celebrity chef was born when Anthony Bourdain’s book Kitchen Confidential; Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly became a best seller. At the time, I was working as a “kitchen sla...

We’re all exhausted, my hands are raw, my nails are shredded, and my feet are so sore I can hardly walk. Somehow, we made it through the first two weeks as new Dayton restauranteurs. All without k...

We did it! We opened the café! I’m so glad we started with our “friends soft opening” last Saturday; it was a smart move. We found the kinks, what works and what doesn’t (the meat slicer). Also, si...

My sister and I are good friends when she's not trying to run my life. Being petite and the middle child, she's decided it's the reason (excuse) for her bossiness. Luckily, we agree on politics and...

Insanity doesn’t even begin to describe our recent business decision. There was a movie made in 2011 called “We Bought a Zoo.” Based on a true story, it stars Matt Damon and Scarlett Johansson. It chr...

Like beauty, organization is in the eye of the beholder (or doer). Daniel and I recently had a heated discussion about who is more organized. I think the issue is that we have different expectations a...