It’s Advent, the traditional time of (quiet!) preparation for Christmas. But when it arrives, what does Christmas bring, really? Read more.
Barbara’s Riffs on Life
The Perfect Christmas Tree — I Finally Found It
At the Christmas tree lot, the kids played hide ’n’ seek amid the trees, leaving me to find the perfect Christmas tree. The responsibility weighed heavy. Read more.
Seven Reasons to Be Grateful This Thanksgiving: Starting With the Rain, a Leaky Dishwasher, and You
A book that’s done and ready to go. Enough rain to green up the hills for the holidays. Pumpkin pie. And you! I’ve got reasons to be grateful, big and small. Read more.
The San Juan Islands Ecosystems: The Woods Are Alive — And So Are the Meadows and Beaches
So many San Juan Islands ecosystems can coexist on a single island that an afternoon’s walk can take you to beach, forest, wetland, meadow. Read more.
A Patch of Fireweed in the Northwest — What Color Are Those Blossoms? Do I Need to Know?
I couldn’t make up my mind about that tall stand of fireweed I saw growing on the edge of a woodlet in the Pacific Northwest last summer. Were those blossoms purple? Blue? Pink? Or what? Read more.
San Juan Islands Flora: Or, I Cling, Therefore I Am
We cling. We cling to stuff. We cling to moments in time. On vacation last summer I clung to the verdant San Juan Islands flora. Read more.