Neighborhood friend Asa shares his tennis ball. It was after my dad died six years ago that I understood I had joined a new club, one whose entry requirements are unfathomable until a parent dies. Late last month I made another transition, one carrying its own membership criteria: adult children caring full time for a … Continue reading Caring is creative, gratitude nourishes us all
Blueberries, blueberries and more blueberries
Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCluskey. One of the joys of late for me has been to find spare moments to read books aloud, particularly to my mom or my special neighborhood friends. When I received the invitation to read a book for our West Linn Public Library's virtual storytime, I knew which one I … Continue reading Blueberries, blueberries and more blueberries
A story hidden in the mist
Lake Oswego Log Hoist building, Sept. 2020 (NOTE: Are you reading this in January of 2023? I'd love to know how you found it on Facebook! Feel free to let me know in the comments - thanks!! DDM) I suspect only those most familiar with this special stretch of the Willamette River can readily identify … Continue reading A story hidden in the mist
Hello West Linn! Local Authors Book Break
Watch the recorded event. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xK9jhEdrOXU Recording from November 8, 2020 West Linn Book Break Note: Hi readers in October 2025 - I'd love to know what brought you to this webpage post these several years later? What link or search did you use or find? Feel free to respond in comments or privately on the … Continue reading Hello West Linn! Local Authors Book Break
A river meanders nearby
The Willamette River is featured in much of my writing. The river is a theme that permeates my memoir, My Music Man and my blog-based Then, Now and In-Between: Place, Memories and Loss in Oregon. My family last gave and heard public tributes to our dad while on the Willamette River. Just last month our … Continue reading A river meanders nearby
October three years ago…
How can it be a mere three years since I first became a published author? Remember back to those seemingly delicious times prior to 2020? A friend recently shared that the futuristic movie Soylent Green was placed in the year 2020. (When I fact-checked this I found it to be set in 2022, oh no!) … Continue reading October three years ago…
What a difference a year makes
Just over a year ago I worked a full day at OHSU, boarded Tri-MET and conveniently jumped off a few blocks from Portland’s Amtrak station. Within an hour or two I boarded the Empire Builder train and undertook my overnight journey to Whitefish, Montana. I traveled without hand sanitizer or mask, and my biggest fear … Continue reading What a difference a year makes
A tribute to Clackamas County
This is the first week in awhile I haven't been able to distract myself from all that is going on to continue to focus on my Work in Progress. Most days, even with COVID-19, I get to my day job stuff early in the morning so to try to leave some brain space for late … Continue reading A tribute to Clackamas County
Oaks Park: Portland’s Coney Island on the Willamette
This photograph, taken by F. Sowell around 1912, shows Edward Klees pulling taffy at Oaks Amusement Park. Image credit: Oregon History Project. My oldest memory tied to Portland's Oaks Park mostly reminds me of the Don McLean song American Pie. When it was first popular on the radio, early in the 1970s, I was an … Continue reading Oaks Park: Portland’s Coney Island on the Willamette
Grief: from journal to blog to memoir and back again
I have often felt I write "best" when I am sad. This feels like an odd thing to share, and it isn't to say that I don't enjoy writing about humorous or light topics. I have been thinking a lot about grief lately. I've been feeling it too, like so many of us at this … Continue reading Grief: from journal to blog to memoir and back again
Dede's Books and blog 