Labor intensive but fun to make and eat-love biscotti. Happy Father’s Day and birthday to your uncle and dad!

Great job with the thrift store finds-I love buying everything 2nd hand when possible. I feel so virtuous. And, one of my mantras for summer is, “Staycation better than Nocation!” And, I drink tons of water for desert living survival. I add tons and tons of ice, and try to drink in the evenings and in the morning when…

My friend in London loves to mock them, but I adore ‘Pret-A-Manger and was happy to see them in NYC. Also, I drink a TON of Peet’s Coffee every week, so this story was fairly disturbing to me. Maybe if we dig hard enough into the ethics and level of social conscience demonstrated by corporations at present and in the…

I was thinking something similar. If I’m not mistaken the counselors at our high schools have unbelievable and unmanageable caseloads. A student/counselor of 1/600 might make it highly likely that some students could sadly, get overlooked or unseen. It’s not right, but it is real life for schools in the criminally…

Wonderful for both of you! 

I know there’s a sizable Mexican (and Mexican descendants) population in the NW. But growing up here in AZ and having lived in Tucson for over 2 decades I’m pretty familiar with great Mexican food. So I am very skeptical to order or sample Mexican food when I travel outside of this area. The NW has a ton of foodstuffs…

I know what I’m doing early June next year; thanks for educating me. How did I not previously know about this? 

“I saw the sheep shearing demo Vashon Sheep Dog Classic”-- I’m jealous of your amazing life!

I hate myself for clicking on that link and totally didn’t watch all the way through. It’s really painful to watch, and WW is clearly not doing well. 

Oh, gosh. How exciting is that? I’ve got a big smile on my face as I’m sure you do. If you end up staying for a while, consider signing up for language classes. I stayed in France, in the Loire Valley, for a month to study French, two different summers. I was never able to figure out a way to swing it financially when…

“In this age of such income inequality it can feel so odd to suddenly have a bunch of money... it’s not an issue a lot of people will be sympathetic to, but it happens. Try to enjoy it.” Great point, and I also admire you commitment to donating to the charities of your choice. I have traveled a lot over the last 10…

Oh, gosh. My mistake on both counts. And you aren’t able to access PBS programs from outside the US I believe. So I guess the point is to educate yourself about how to protect your savings while maximizing access to the funds and limiting the fees. A very nice problem to have. Enjoy! Oh, and I’d take a train to Berlin…

OMG!! I like British Air because they fly direct to London from my southwest city. I hate connecting flights, it never turns out well, is never worth it even if I do save a few hundred bucks. But whatever, if it takes 3 planes to get there, I’m super excited for you! Please be advised: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontlin…

OMG, BEST comment of the night. Maybe of the whole ‘take your kids to Buckingham Palace at taxpayers expense’ summer vacation. Please change your name to ‘Master’ Piggins, right away!!

Before you do anything please take the advice of someone who is better informed than I am. I only offer this info because, I have been advised by a professional that those funds are accessible without a “premature withdrawal” penalty, as in the IRA situation. I mean, there are always going to be fees and taxes but at…

I’d be a bit skewed out also. In one of the towns here in the metro area, I found a city site online that posted information about how to have them come to pick up deceased pets. Maybe in your city that would be an option? 

Going to NPR studio in DC? What’s up with that, sounds very cool. Hope you can report back to us. 

Berlin, what a great idea! Just last night I was watching the Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown Season 11 Berlin episode on Netflix. Looks like it might the perfect environment for someone wanting to create a new life. Many remarks during the episode about how “affordable” it is to live in Berlin, and I swear I just saw…

Two words: money market accounts. Consider housing the money in a money market account where it can earn some interest while you sort out your emotions and plan your future. Sounds like you might have a lot to look forward to, so that’s very nice.

This portrait from Berlin showed up on my FB page today via somebody’s blog. It served to remind me it’s been a year since ABourdain’s death. I never met him, and I doubt he’d be terribly interested in me had we met, but I have always loved the Anthony Bourdain shows about travel and I’m still really really pissed…