There’s a fine line between cautious and paranoid, and I’m not sure which side of the line I’m on. Case in point: The phone rang a little while ago. When I answered it, the caller identified herself as being from an official and important-sounding government healthcare organization, and said she was updating my Medicare records. At that point I said, “No, thank you,” and hung up. I could hear her saying something as I was putting the phone down, but she got cut off before [...]

“What world events have played defining roles in your life? What memories do you have of them? How have they influenced you?” These were among the discussion questions at my last Book Club meeting. The book we read was When We Left Cuba, an historical novel set in the early ’60s. Among the events in the novel were the Cuban Revolution, the Bay of Pigs Invasion, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the assassination of JFK – events that many members of our Book Club remembered [...]

I always sleep well after a night out. By “night out,” I don’t mean an evening of wining and dining and dancing. Those days are long gone. Instead, I’m talking about setting my alarm for the middle of the night, slipping out the back door, and sitting out on the deck, wrapped up in a blanket, and staring at the sky. It’s that time of year again, when the Perseid Meteor Shower makes its annual August appearance. This year was promised to be a grand [...]

I’m taking a few weeks off, to take care of some business and do a bit of traveling. My blog will be back online sometime after the 4th of July. Whatever you’re doing this summer, whether venturing off to places near and far, or staying closer to home, I hope you have a safe and wonderful summer! June 18, 2021 ©Betty Liedtke, 2021 I welcome your comments, but please be aware that all comments will be moderated and approved before appearing on this blog. This [...]

“Okay, I’m leaving now,” I told my husband. He glanced up, with a momentarily confused look on his face. “Oh, you’re going there. I thought it was here,” he said, nodding toward the room where I usually “attend” meetings and events, sitting in front of the computer and logging in via Zoom. An understandable mistake, even though I had told him I would be going to the Writers Museum for a workshop. For a second, an old television commercial popped into my head, the one [...]

No one has ever accused me of having a green thumb. Yet I’ve enjoyed herb gardening ever since the day, years ago, that I read an article claiming that most herbs thrive on neglect. The more you ignore them, the better they grow. I try not to neglect them, but knowing they’re very forgiving – and that most of them aren’t finicky about growing conditions or treatment – gave me the confidence to try growing them. I’ve had an herb garden ever since. They’re pretty, [...]