Back to School Promises
I got a call this morning from an old friend, a woman who was there with me when our children were small. Those children are all grown up now (the "baby" is 15) but each year, at the beginning of September, we can't help but…
Home Planet
TUESDAY, SEPT. 7, 2010
SATURDAY, SEPT. 4, 2010
The Universal Language
What struck me most, on a quick trip to Vancouver, British Columbia, were the voices I heard as I explored the town. One nationality after another passed me on the street, laughing, talking in a dozen languages. On my last morning, I sat across the…
MONDAY, AUG. 30, 2010
Wheels and Wranglers
Each of us builds a future in our own way. Some are the caretakers of an established family legacy. Others roll up their sleeves, lay new brick and create a fresh start. Today, I experienced both. A bicycle built by two This morning, I rode…
SATURDAY, AUG. 28, 2010
Are you an EPL princess? Check your panties and Band-Aids.
When I was a little girl I loved to read fairy tales. I spent hours with my nose buried in beautifully illustrated books and my favorites were the classic stories of strong-willed maidens and castles far, far away. To overcome whatever obstacle bound them, each…
SATURDAY, AUG. 21, 2010
Savor Every Bite
Food. Books. Somewhere, at some time, the two became intertwined in my mind. It just didn’t seem right to do one without the other. I ate when I read and I read when I ate. I remember practicing sounding-out words on the back of the…
SATURDAY, AUG. 14, 2010
Why Worry?
It wasn’t just that the voice was familiar to me, but the tone of the voice on the phone was also instantly and unpleasantly recognizable. I would know it anywhere. It was, for those of you who’ve raised a family and know what I’m talking…
SATURDAY, AUG. 7, 2010
The Garden Secret
The thing about the park is that there are all sorts of corners where you can hide away. Secluded benches in the space under the boughs of a tall fir tree. Leafy rooms with walls made of hedgerows and stacked stone. A vine-covered gazebo tucked…
TUESDAY, JULY 27, 2010
Golden Gates
The tall, cathedral-like arches of the Golden Gate Bridge loomed ahead as I followed the line of cars in front of me. The day was overcast and traffic was shrouded in fog, draped in the mist blowing in from the bay. I was a rolling…
SATURDAY, JULY 24, 2010
Shadow Pony
I was instantly awake when I opened my eyes to a clear, bright, Montana morning. There was no swimming through murky dreams to surface into consciousness, stretching and yawning and blinking. One minute I was asleep, the next, I wasn’t. Through the open window I…
TUESDAY, JULY 13, 2010
Under a Starlit Sky
It’s been a long time since I was invited to a backyard campout. My children are old enough to get in the car and go to a campground with friends when they feel like it. Or, to take a climb into the wilderness and do…
SUNDAY, JULY 4, 2010
The Last of the Firsts
I picked up my youngest daughter from camp yesterday. This year, she wasn't a camper. She was a counselor-in-training. She spent almost two weeks away, learning to think and act like a counselor. It's a big transition with a lot of responsibility. Growing up is…
FRIDAY, JULY 2, 2010
Red-winged Blackbird
Driving across the country, watching the miles fly past, the view from my car window was constantly changing. Lush southern forests gave way to open farmland. The scarred landscape of the badlands flowed into the vast prairies. Miles of grassland rose to meet the peaks…
SUNDAY, JUNE 27, 2010
China: Ancient tools on a Modern Road
At four in the morning, in a dark hotel room in Beijing, a grim city that performed cosmetic surgery on itself to shine in the world’s biggest pageant, still fighting the effects of flying across the world, I found myself awake while the rest of…
FRIDAY, JUNE 25, 2010
National Nightmare
When my children were small they came to me crying when they were afraid. Sometimes they were convinced that monsters were hiding under their beds until I chased away each shadowy creature. In those days it was in my power to banish the scary things.…
SATURDAY, JUNE 19, 2010
New baby. New Life. Happy Father's Day to the family man.
One day you’re the man. You’ve got nothing more to worry about than where to go for dinner or what time the big game is on TV. And, then, one day, everything changes. Now, nothing is truly your own. Not your schedule, your money, your…
THURSDAY, JUNE 17, 2010
Inspired by a Garden
There is a garden near my house. It is a sprawling, rolling series of gardens, really. From the pond at the bottom of the hill, to the sunken formal garden on the other side of the rise to the rose garden at the top and…
FRIDAY, JUNE 11, 2010
Summer wings
It's officially the last day of school, in my household at least. Although the weather hasn't cooperated, I'm looking forward to slowing down. To long walks and time to think. To watching little girls ride bicycles... First published June, 2008 It was the best part…
THURSDAY, JUNE 10, 2010
Toasting another school year with a strawberry shake
The little girl who was going into 4th Grade when I wrote this has now finished her first year of high school. And, even though I was afraid the tradition would fade away, we still celebrate each last-day-of-school with the cheeseburger special... June 19, 2004…
Age and Beauty
A friend and I were discussing the way we see ourselves changes with age. That reminded me of a column I wrote a couple of years ago so I thought I would share it here... May 19, 2008 Home Planet: Fine lines between young, old…
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 9, 2010
Handmade Happiness
I got a call from a friend the other night. One of those late-night calls women make when they have a moment to themselves. She was alone in a quiet house full of sleeping children and a husband who was softly snoring in front of…
SUNDAY, JUNE 6, 2010
At Chaps, we had our "Cake" and a party, too.
Last night was perfect. The weather was exactly right. Not too cold, not too hot. Most of the clouds cleared away and left us with a beautiful sunset. It was a grand time for a party.As luck would have it, Celeste Shaw, the owner of…
SATURDAY, JUNE 5, 2010
Graduation Girl
Going through previous graduation columns... Home Planet: They grow up at breathtaking speed Cheryl-Anne Millsap The Spokesman-Review June 2, 2008 She came into this world after a labor and delivery so fast and efficient it left us both dazed and breathless. Exhilarated and exhausted, I…
FRIDAY, JUNE 4, 2010
The Hannah Project
My friend sat with her husband in a stadium crowded with of thousands of parents just like the two of them. One by one their college-educated children marched across the stage and picked up diplomas, given with a smile and handshake, before crossing to the…
THURSDAY, JUNE 3, 2010
Familiar Faces
If you have signed up to use Facebook, you’re probably familiar with the way the online social media format plays social matchmaker. Not in a romantic way, but by suggesting people you might want to add to your contact list. People who are friends with…
SUNDAY, MAY 30, 2010
Memorial Day: Decorated with Love and Respect
May 26, 2008 Love and respect are memories to cherish Cheryl-Anne Millsap The Spokesman-Review Tags: home planet Growing up in the house where I lived with my grandparents, this day was called “Decoration Day.”Each year, with my grandfather behind the wheel, they would drive my…
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.