The pandemic is really changing things for Thanksgiving this week. I gave up in March any idea of going to Madrid or Sacramento where my daughters live with their families for the holidays. My hope is we can visit next year. Read more →

There are many systems for organizing your financial documents. I bought one earlier this year for $35. It’s still sitting in my file cabinet with nothing filled in. The other day, I contacted Nancy Juetten about a project I'm working on. Read more →

Although the world may seem dark right now with covid-19 now infecting even the president of the United States, we need to keep using caution and protecting ourselves. Stay home as much as possible, order groceries for pickup, and wear a mask. For the bloggers in our writing group, life goes on. Read more →

The world as we know it is changing due to the coronavirus pandemic. But as it exposes inequities in the health and food systems, many people hope that the pandemic offers an opportunity to build a new and more sustainable food system. To understand what it will take to move forward, the Food Tank has compiled its summer reading list to examine the issues that affect the country's food system today. These 20 books provide insight into food access and justice in black communities, food relief and school nutrition programs, the effects of technology on global food supply chains, the relationship between climate change and food production, and more: "Be My Guest: Reflections on Food, Community, and the Meaning of Generosity" by Priya Basil. Forthcoming November 2020 Priya Basil explores the meaning of hospitality within a variety of cultural, linguistic, and sociopolitical contexts. Basil uses her cross-cultural experience to illustrate how food amplifies discourse within families and touches on the hospitality and the lack thereof that migrants and refugees experience. Read more →

A big change has occurred in my life. My niece, the Lovely Linda Lee, passed away Feb. 17, 2020. Linda worked as a bank auditor, day trader, and real estate agent. She was really smart and got her master’s degree in economics from the University of Washington. Read more →

My dad was really good at guessing what was in his presents. One time, to fool him, I bought him a magazine subscription and I put it in a toy jack-in-the-box. When he turned the handle, boom. The clown delivered a note about the present. He was really surprised. This year, in the midst of the covid-19 pandemic, a lot of the activities we’d usually do with our dads, wouldn’t be a good choice for this year. For example, getting on an airplane to visit your dad is risky. Also, going to a restaurant with a large group of people isn’t advisable. Nor or hugs, unless you’ve been staying at home together. But, you can order a present and make plans for a get together later. Some gift ideas include: Read more →

Mother’s Day was different this year. Instead of celebrating with my daughter and her family in Spain like I often do, I was at home in the Seattle area following Washington state’s Stay Home, Stay Healthy order. I enjoyed a video call with my daughters and pizza and chocolate cake. I got the idea for the pizza and cake from my birthday request made earlier in May. It was so good, I repeated it for Mother’s Day. While staying home gets tiring at times, it’s giving me a lot of time to work on my book “Follow the Money: My Life as a Financial Journalist.” Read more →

In the past, I’ve written dozens of articles on how to celebrate Mother’s Day. However, this year is so different. Instead of being in Madrid celebrating with my daughter and her family, I’m at home by myself, picking up groceries once a week as my only outing. Fortunately, except for the people who have to work, you can still order things for Mother’s Day gifts. And, in some states, restaurants are opening. However, in Washington state where I live, we are still under Stay Home, Stay Healthy orders. I think it’s too early to go out to a restaurant, so I’m not putting that on my list. Read more →

During the coronavirus Stay Home, Stay Healthy order in Washington state, I’m doing well. The time is flying by. It’s difficult to believe that we’ve been doing it for seven weeks. Why are things going well here? I’m working on my book “Follow the Money: My Life as a Financial Journalist.” Since I love blogging so much, it’s been difficult to get my book finished. Now, I work on my book first, then, I get a reward to write a blog post. It’s working. I’m three-fourths done with my book. The photo is my dining room table stacked with articles I’ve written: well over 1,000 print articles. When I finish writing about my Tacoma News Tribune articles, I’ll pause and sent my book proposal out to interested agents I met at recent writers’ conferences. While waiting to hear from them, I’ll undertake the huge task of writing the final chapter – describing my blogging work, which includes more than 6,000 articles. Read more →

Depending on where you live, you may or may not be able to go out and shop during the month of May. However, even if you’re still staying at home you shop from home. While it’s important to continue to limit your shopping to essential items, because you don’t put a burden on employees who are still required to go to work to handle your order, there are important things going on in May, such as buying birthday presents for May birthdays and Mother’s Day. I mention that because my birthday is in May, and I’d like to get a present to cheer myself up. Here are tips from DealNews for May shopping: Star Wars items Star Wars Day is May 4 — as in "May the Fourth Be With You" — and companies often celebrate by offering deals on different kinds of merchandise. Even though May 4 is my birthday, I’m not longing for a Star Wars t-shirt. Mother’s Day Traditional gifts such as flowers and jewelry will likely jump in price right before Mother's Day, which is May 10 this year. Read more →