Notes and Reflections Blog
Cathy is an essayist who writes from her base at Boomerang Creek. Her blogs range from gathering persimmons to thoughts on global pandemics. To share her observations, follow her at “Notes and Reflections".
Nevada City’s Mystic Theater
On one of our early explorations of Nevada City’s historic downtown, Kit and I picked up a flyer announcing the reopening of the Mystic Theater.
Gardening Challenges in the Sierra Foothills
After leaving Boomerang Creek and its established gardens with a deep history, I am starting from scratch all over again.
What Makes Me Hopeful
Jane Goodall has inspired me for decades. In 1970 I returned from three years as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Thailand.
Botanical Explorations Across Time
Snug as a bug in my sun-filled studio in Nevada City, I am traveling back through time, retracing the history of flowering plants in gardens around the world.
My Conversation at Rolly’s Body Shop
As I backed up the car, an unfamiliar sound came from underneath our feet. Like when you run over something and don’t know if it’s a tree branch, bottle, squirrel, or heaven only knows what.
Taco Tuesday at One 11 Kitchen & Bar
Where and when did the tradition of Taco Tuesday begin? According to Thrillist—an online media website covering food, drink, travel and entertainment—its history goes back to the first use of the phrase in the August 20, 1973 edition of the Rapid City Journal in South Dakota.
What’s Cooking in Nevada City?
In addition to perusing cookbooks, I check out recipes that arrive from Sam Sifton’s “NYT Cooking” website and from “Cooking Professionally.” Recipes include classics by famous cookbook writers and others that are the newest craze. “Cooking Professionally” recently published a dynamite recipe for Bang Bang Cauliflower—described as “Crispy, seasoned to perfection and cooked in a sweet, spicy sauce.”
San Francisco Intersections
When planning a trip in the spring of 2007 to San Francisco, I asked a friend to list places that she never misses when visiting this historic city of bridges, bays, harbors, hills, culturally diverse neighborhoods and magnificent vistas.
Welcome to Nevada City
Welcome to Nevada City, described locally as “the prettiest and most interesting of California Gold Rush towns.”
Explorations in Our New Back Woods
As I unpacked yet another box this week, I found a postcard of a duckling about to take a plunge into a pond. The caption reads “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.”—Helen Keller.
The Frog in the Pond
Today, I am not writing of dark times, but rather of feelings one has when experiencing a seismic disruption to what was our normal for so long. When Kit and I made this commitment to move in October 2020, we had yet to experience the physical and emotional toll that such a move entails.
The Territory Ahead
In life, exploring new territory can be both an opportunity and a daunting challenge. For months, Kit and I have been downsizing in preparation for a life-changing move to California where we first met in 1977.
The Call from Afar
Journeys often take root in the blink of an eye. You begin the day in one place and end it contemplating a major life change.
A Spring Weekend in the Nation’s Capital
In the fall of 1967, I arrived at Pranakorn Teachers College near Bangkok, Thailand — a 21-year-old Peace Corps volunteer assigned to teach English.
The Purples of Spring
The first purple on spring’s palette always comes from the most delicate of flowers. Weeks before the official arrival of spring, crocuses push their way up through the hard winter ground.
The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating
This spring, I re-read a tiny book that is simply beautiful. A few years ago a friend wrote, “You must read Elisabeth Tova Bailey’s book, “The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating.” Intrigued by the title and a reviewer’s description of the book as “the earthly adventures of a woman and a gastropod,” I ordered it immediately.
Turkish Origins of Tulips and Quinces
In 2014 when the world was in a different place, I flew with a longtime friend to Istanbul. There is much about gardens that can be learned from a visit to Turkey.
President Garfield’s Dream Deferred
When Dwight D. Eisenhower was President of the United States and I was in the fourth grade, I memorized and could recite the names in full of every US President.
The End of Night
While thinning my library of books and magazines, I recently came upon a November 2008 issue of National Geographic. Like a nocturnal creature of habit momentarily mesmerized by unexpected light, I was instantly drawn into a luminous grid of lights radiating from the cover.
Where the Light Falls
I awake at my usual early hour to find the sky still dark. Sunrise is yet an hour away. The clocks have all been turned ahead to save light in anticipation of spring’s arrival.