Colapinto and Re-entering the Race.

photo: RN 365 Franco Alejandro Colapinto is a 5’ 9” Argentinian. His mom is of Ukrainian descent and his dad is of Italian descent. He was born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina and at the age of 13 he won his first Argentine Championship. Less than a year later he moved to Italy by […]
What the heck is Parkin Cake?

I am fully immersed in the latest season of The Great British Baking Show, like many of you! And maybe it’s due to my OCD tendencies, but the part I love best is the Technical Challenge. During the Technical Challenge, all the bakers are asked to bake the same surprise something (often several of […]
Precarious pumpkins – and managing our overwhelm.

Precarious Pumpkins and managing our overwhelm. I drove behind a pick-up truck on the freeway today that had its bed CHOCK FULL of pumpkins. Like really, really full. Those pumpkins were not tied down or secured and I found myself wanting to pass quickly by. One bump would have sent one – or many […]
Red, Dad, and Blue – and Utah’s Holy War.

I grew up in a split home. No, not that kind of split. Let me explain. There’s a college rivalry in our state that dates back – depending on who you ask – at least to 1922, maybe earlier. We’re talking over A HUNDRED YEARS. It’s the face-off between the University of Utah and Brigham […]
Hercules and allowing some mourning.

I recently had a chance to make a visit to The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Housed there is a Roman collection of marble statues, including the one pictured here of Hercules. I’m a little fascinated by Hercules. And not because of the Disney movie. I’m fascinated with him because among many things he’s known […]
Korean Stairs – and embracing your ‘uneven.’

My sister-in-law, who spent time in Korea during the 1990s doing church service, recently told me something fascinating about how traditional Korean stairs were built. Apparently, construction focused more on function and adaptability than precision. Builders had to work with local materials and uneven ground, often without using standardized tools or measurements. As a result, […]
Levi Strauss & 7 Iterations.

In 1853, a young 24 year old immigrant named Levi Strauss, settled in San Francisco. According to Kat Olvera, Levi Strauss was born in Germany in 1829 and moved to the East Coast of the United States in 1847, where he began to work for his brothers’ dry-goods business. Strauss made the move to San […]
Standing Tall.

Peter Wohlleben, in The Hidden Life of Trees, tells us that “When there is a drought, trees pause their growth. They reduce water consumption and halt photosynthesis, but they don’t give up. Instead, they wait, conserving their energy until conditions improve. During these waiting periods, they still function and endure, even though growth may not […]
Rim to Rim and a big ‘ole belief.

A great big group of my greatest bestest friends are doing something Great and Big next week: they will take lots of water, layers of clothing, trekking poles, and nutritious snacks and hike the Grand Canyon – a strenuous 20 miles from Rim to Rim. I have 0% desire to take on this particular […]
3 things you don’t know you need to know from the Solar Maximum.

In a really sad song written by Neil Young (and also recorded by Johnny Cash) you will find the lyrics “Aurora borealis / The icy sky at night / Paddles cut the water / In a long and hurried flight …” The Aurora Borealis, also known as the Northern Lights, is a natural light display […]