So this is climate change.
I could not believe the size of the trees hurtling past. Despite warnings of serious Western Washington floods, I’d chosen to make my usual midweek trip to our Index-area riverside cabin. I wanted solitude to meet a writing deadline. I also wanted to be on hand to support a close neighbor and friend who has even less river experience than
Can reading rewire us for empathy?
One of the reasons I recently decided to read more books, especially novels, was the study-supported assertion that “fiction provides “a workout in emotional intelligence.” It supposedly rewires the brain to “increase empathy and social cognition.” I thought of that claim as I sat down to read the two books I chose for the month of October—
How ‘Bout Those Mariners?
Reflecting, not for the first time, on how I’m shaped by where I choose to direct my attention. Am I the only Boomer whose parents have transformed them from sports-phobe to sports-fanatic?
Before my parents moved to Seattle, I could barely tell the difference between baseball and football. I knew they had different-sized balls, and one had a field
Re-Learning to Read
October is National Book Month. And…
And I would be mortified to admit how many books I’ve read since the start of the year. Can’t make myself tell you. Listened to—that’s another story. I listen to audiobooks every day. And of course I consume a lot of printed stuff online. But not with the same attention and focus I bring to
Caring in Coronaville
The Seattle-area retirement community where my parents live is just a few miles from the nursing home at the epicenter of the coronavirus epidemic in the US. We have had quite a week.
Until this week, my relationship with my parents has been uneventful and pleasant. Well, there are a few challenges. My father recently received a cochlear implant, but the
