When my skeptical ten-year-old asked what we would see when visiting Paris, I said, “We’ll see Notre-Dame cathedral. It’s the most famous church in the world!” “Really? In the whole world?” she said. Kids often use the phrase, “in the whole world” to emphasize whatever thing they admire. “She’s my best friend in like, the whole world,” or “That place has the best smoothies in … Continue reading The Magnificent Secret Inside Notre Dame
Good Sunday morning! If you live in the Pacific Northwest, you’re probably enjoying a gorgeous, sunny day right now. We finally made it through an unusually cold and prolonged rainy spring. Now the peonies are in bloom and I’m feeling inspired. So inspired, in fact, that I have made a change to my blogging life. If you’re a Gardening, Seattle Style subscriber, you may notice … Continue reading Spring Has Finally Arrived
In my post “A Tribute to Natural Paris,” I talked about how plant beauty, whether it be trees or shrubs or flowers, pops up in unexpected places around the city. One place I forgot to mention was the plant shop, the small stores where residents buy their bouquets or houseplants or annuals for planters. As one walks through Le Marais or St. Germain, one might … Continue reading The Plant Shops of Paris
This is the first time I’ve looked back on a year and thought it was a good year. In 2015, I worked hard at getting a novel I’m proud of ready for the world. My gardening business was happily busy. My older daughter got more serious about her studies, my younger one relaxed a bit despite her disability. My son did great academically and became the best … Continue reading 2016: The Year of “Why Not You?”
People, like plants, are resilient. We suffer shock from our wounds, we go dormant and mourn, we heal and recover, and we continue to grow as best we can despite crippling circumstances. This is why I’ve been thinking about the natural beauty of Paris. In the sprawling, public gardens like the Jardin des Plantes or Tuileries, you find mostly hedged boxwoods and cypress trees. These … Continue reading A Tribute to Natural Paris
