After taking the plunge into downsizing a big life into a little house, I love to read about anyone who has gone really small. It takes a lot of determination to resist the temptation to start living large again.Dee Williams, an Olympia, Washington woman, will…
No Sunday drive to Green Bluff is complete without a stop by Trezzi Farm. Walking into the one-of-a-kind barn-style home and kitchen, we were warmly welcomed, as always, and came away with a box full of delicious homemade lasagna, meatballs, pesto and polenta to stock…
I am a great admirer of the kitchen skills of my friends. So many seem to posess a magic that escapes me. In my kitchen, in my pots and pans, most recipes never turn out quite right. I get close, but, whether due to my…
When the signs are subtle but strong. When the wind shifts and the sun’s arc across the sky changes a bit. When the perfume in the air takes on another scent and something deep inside me responds to a silent signal, I take walk. Not…
Years ago, the week before Easter Sunday, I sat beside my sister’s hospital bed watching her fever rise and listening to her struggle to breathe. She was so sick, fighting for every breath, and I was powerless to help her in any way. The only…
It was one of those beautiful spring Saturday mornings that thrill you. When the sun is out, the air is suddenly warmer and there are tender green shoots peeking up in the flower beds. The kind of day you remember. The kind of day that…
Last week at the bookstore, I spent an hour moving slowly along the rows and bookshelves, my head tilted to one side, reading titles. After an hour or so of skimming titles and sampling chapters I had three books I couldn’t leave behind so I…
My middle daughter Becca swept into the house on Friday night. Like spring, she comes into any room with a lion's roar.After takeout from Gordy's, and spending some time visiting with us, she turned herself over to the little sister. They disappeared upstairs and we…
photo by Cheryl-Anne Millsap Undressing, I slipped my hand into the pocket of my skirt and pulled out one single small flower. A forsythia bloom. A tiny yellow bell. I’d forgotten it was there. I have a habit of dropping things into my pocket, like…
Photo by Cheryl-Anne Millsap I am, and I have to believe it is true of most others, two people in one body. On one side, I am a contented hermit. I love nothing better than time at home surrounded by the rooms full of furniture…
I wish I knew why cold rainy days (look out the window!) make me crave a grilled cheese sandwich. I also wish I knew what childhood psycho/emotional conditioning makes me crave a mug of hot chocolate with my grilled cheese. This is a dangerous and…
Two years ago when my son took his first job on a restored 1949 oceanographic research vessel, I wrote the column below. He was to be the boat's new engineer. It was his first time at sea. And my first experience with sending a child…
So, I had this little thing I wanted to write. I tried all day to get it right, but the words played a game of chase and stayed just out of reach. Finally, out of patience, I walked away. "I don't care," I called over…
In case you're luxuriating in the warm wonderful springness going on outdoors: You're welcome.You see, after last winter's endless snow fell on top of my half-prepared vegetable garden, roses and flower beds, I learned my lesson. I made sure all the winter preparations were made.…
I'm planning another trip by train to Portland. It's one of my favorite vacations. I don't mind the late departure, I don't even mind riding in coach. There is plenty of room to stretch out and I usually find someone interesting to talk to along…
Special to PinchMarch 2, 2010By Cheryl-Anne Millsap Waking early in the February morning, it took a minute to get my bearings in the dark Missoula hotel room before I dressed for the day’s drive. We were crossing a swath of the wide Flathead Valley in…
February 25, 2008 Home Planet: Kids often leave us hungry to know more Cheryl-Anne Millsap The Spokesman-Review The first person on my mind when I opened my eyes in the morning, was my son. I suppose that was because I had talked to him the…
Special to PinchFeb. 25, 2010By Cheryl-Anne Millsap The lights glowed in tiny pools on the sidewalk, piercing the darkness every few yards or so, reflecting in the polished steel as I walked along the idling train. Stepping up into the railcar, I stowed my heavy…
Special to PinchBy Cheryl-Anne MillsapFeb. 21, 2010 We drove into the west entrance of Glacier National Park late in the clear February morning and our tires crunched into the frozen crust of last week’s snowfall. The cold, sweet, air bit at our faces as we…
Dear... Well, I don’t need to put your names down on paper. You all know who you are... This morning when you woke up and stumbled into the kitchen for that first cup of coffee or bowl of cereal, or woke up and stumbled out…
True love is truly ageless Cheryl-Anne Millsap Staff writerFebruary 13, 2006Standing at the window, high above the busy street, I watched them. The elderly couple walked slowly down the sidewalk. He was tall. His head was bent low over the woman at his side, and…
It looked like a child’s Valentine, a square of red construction paper glued onto a lacy white paper doily. I noticed it on the floor, one edge trapped under the leg of a chair in the coffee shop. I picked it up and opened it…
Thursday, February 11, 2010Another vintage Home Planet Valentine... Real love is the kind we are surrounded by every day Cheryl-anne Millsap The Spokesman-ReviewFebruary 14, 2005Chances are you've got love, or something like it, on your mind. After all, it's Valentine's Day.Did you buy roses? You…
Here's another vintage Home Planet Valentine... Oh, to be able to read others’ thoughts Cheryl-Anne Millsap February 12, 2007 I walked down to the card shop and joined the other last-minute shoppers standing in front of the racks of Valentine’s Day cards. Obviously, I wasn’t…
The older I get and the more I watch the world around me, the more I realize that - good health allowing - eventually we all seem to sort ourselves into one of two groups. We decide to be happy or we don’t. We all…
Cheryl-Anne Millsap's Home Planet column appears each week in the Wednesday "Pinch" supplement. Cheryl-Anne is a regular contributor to Spokane Public Radio and her essays can be heard on Public Radio stations across the country.
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