Sophie's Story

                One of the discussions C and I have sometimes is about recycling. It usually starts when I see something in the garbage that belongs in the recycling basket. In the interest of fair disclosure, this conversation doesn't happen as often as it used to.               My family started recycling when I was in grade school. There was a recycling center in town where we took cans, glass bottles and newspapers. I remember taking the labels off metal cans and glass bottles, then I would put shoes on and smash the cans flat. My dad would take them to the recycling center.          Reusing and repurposing things were done in my home long before before it became fashionable. My dad made the grocery lists on envelopes from bills and letters. He would look through the Sunday coupons and cut out the ones he would use. The coupons he needed would go inside the envelope with th...

           Last Friday was rainy and windy in northern Door County, not the best weather for the annual Fall Fest. C and I wanted to walk around and see what there was to see. It's also a nice place to grab a bite. We put on our raincoats  and warm hats and ventured out.           We were able to find a really good parking place. We got our of our car and started to walk toward the places where vendors had set up. The only places set up were the larger booth and tents which had most likely been set up the previous day before the wind started blowing. C crossed the street while I was looking at something else. When I  noticed where he was, my first instinct was to run and catch up with him. Before I took one step, my foot slipped and I found myself flat on the ground at the edge of the street. I immediately got up as I knew the cars in the street would be able to see me. Gingerly I crossed the street and joined C on th...

           It's raining outside right now and I'm glad to be inside our comfortable little home away from home. I finished washing the dishes which are drying on the counter.  The rain is pattering against the window and dripping off the apples on the tree outside our window. I have a small load of laundry in the washing machine down th e hall.          This is the 23rd trip C and I have made to Door County.  In the beginning, this was a badly needed break when both of us worked full time. When we first started coming here, reliable cell phone coverage was only available in the southern part of the peninsula. There was Wi-Fi access at the B&B we stayed at, but it wasn't available every where. We were, to a small extent, cut off from the outside world for one week and one day while we stayed here. It was nice to get a break from work, but also from checking messages and email all the time. C would bring a guitar and pla...

           Last spring, when C and I were making our Door County reservations, we found that the room rates at the place we normally stay at went up again. This is partly due to the fact that the family that owned it, sold it recently and it was bought by a man who owns several other properties in the area. We decided to look around at other accommodations to see what else would be available. We thought maybe we could find something a little less expensive but still on the peninsula.          After some searching, we found the place we are staying at right now. It's farther north than we have every stayed and unlike the previous two places, children are allowed.  I was a little nervous about it as I've had bad experiences with children in hotels. The reviews that we read said this was a fairly quiet place and we always come when school is in session. We both thought it would be all right.          We ar...

           Several weeks ago a social media group posted a question. "What do you consider to be the best written song?" There were many answers spanning from classical music to country to rock. It was interesting to read the comments.          Although I didn't comment, I pondered what song I would choose. I wasn't sure I was even in a position to have an opinion on this subject. I'm not a composer or a performer so my choice comes from the position of being a listener. My musical taste is pretty broad, but was it broad enough to answer this kind of question?     I thought about it now and again for several weeks and decided that, in my opinion, the best written song is Year of the Cat by Al Stewart. It was written by Stewart and Peter Wood and released in 1976.     One of the things that I like best about the song is the lyrics. The lyrics describe an unexpected romantic encounter and does so in very visual ter...