Author Archives: rike52

After our magnificent dinner at Half Door (1), Mom got a hankering to go to a pub and hear some real Irish music.  She’d heard O’Flaherty’s was a good spot (2), so off we went.  It wasn’t far, but the little side streets and Gaelic signage proved a challenge. Fortunately, the proprietors emblazoned their nameContinue reading “innealtóireacht iontach Éireannach*”

One of the joys of this Ireland rip has been to hang out with Jolene, a.k.a. “Ish”, my 6’1” favorite sister, a pharmacist who became that when her plans to become a vet fell through.  The main reason we’re here is to celebrate our mom’s 90th birthday, with a big blowout planned for Killarney nextContinue reading “Ish”

When yesterday (Sunday) afternoon, after close to 24 hours of travel , we finally landed in Shannon prepared to head to Dingle to start our 2 week family Irish adventure*, you can guess the first place I sought out after clearing customs and heading to baggage claim.  SNN is a charming airport – all directionContinue reading “fualán iontach eile”

This time, that stands for “power shortage”, a bedevilment of electric car drivers much worse than when we see our gas guzzler’s gauges dip into “reserve”.  So, what do you do when your fancy Tesla runs out of “juice”?  Tesla drivers get a lot of warning.  On the top left corner of the Tesla display,Continue reading “p.s.”

“People.  People who meet people, are the luckiest people in the world” (1).  Not a trite Broadway show tune, but so true. The older I get, the more I enjoy reconnecting with those people I once called friends but have somehow slipped away.  You could say it’s a hobby of mine, and a fun one. Continue reading “connections”

It wasn’t quite Ferris Bueller’s day off (1), but my day without my beloved MacAir proved to be pretty fun, nonetheless. My 2-year-old computer had to go into Apples & Oranges, our local shop.  The virus it caught from that Facebook hack a month ago was working its way through, but a scam two nights’Continue reading “a day without…”

After I totaled my car last week (1), my friends had me dreading the replacement process.  The used car market is insanely overheated and if you do manage to find something, it will be vastly overpriced (2).  And new cars, fuhgeddaboudit, especially if you want to order one according to your specs.  Parts shortages fromContinue reading “car tip”

Last Thursday was a beautiful sunny day in Kalamazoo until… Coming the 100 miles from Ann Arbor, I dropped Kathy at River Street Flowerland (1) where’s she’d buy her own Nessie and learn how to stuff it with foliage.  She’d become enamored with the topiaries she saw in Bronson Park the previous week and theContinue reading “ouch!”