Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

EndNotes

THURSDAY, NOV. 17, 2011

Through Eternity into Forever

The third week in November holds magic for our family when we celebrate National Adoption Day. My teen-age son and I opt out of our routine and slip over to the courthouse where families gather. Today we witnessed nine children joining seven families. The judge…

Continue reading this post »

TUESDAY, NOV. 15, 2011

Morse code or megaphone - listen

Social media can be fun: finding long-lost loves, keeping close with far-away friends and family and even getting a glimpse into the details of co-workers' lives. But at some point, we have to listen, really listen to the tweets and posts and texts. No one…

Continue reading this post »

SATURDAY, NOV. 12, 2011

Mt. Spokane is framed in the frost rimmed branches of trees north of Deer Park at sunset in 2000.  The  blues and orangish colors of the setting sun add a backdrop to the brillant white of recent snow and frost . (Christopher Anderson / The Spokesman-Review)

Too soon, too young

The accident which killed two University of Idaho students seems too familiar a story. We learn about these tragedies each year. And each year I think of Tyler. Tyler and I were in high school together; he played a wind instrument in Varsity Band while…

Continue reading this post »


George Clooney was the only cast member of “ER” to become a big screen superstar. (Kevork Djansezian / The Spokesman-Review)

You just never know...

Seems that suffering and pain are no respecter of persons. Recently George Clooney spoke out about his suicidal ideations during the time he was hospitalized and experiencing excruciating pain. Health care professionals look at pain management as an essential component of treatment and as a…

Continue reading this post »

SATURDAY, NOV. 5, 2011

60 Minutes Correspondent Andy Rooney (CBS). Photo courtesy of http://www.cbsnews.com/ (Andrea Shearer)

Did you ever wonder...

…how Andy Rooney spent the minutes outside of 60 Minutes? The legendary commentator died Friday from post-surgery complications. He was 92. His words, his attitude, his I'll-say-whatever-I believe voice gave us perspective and always something to think about after the second hand stopped. He earned…

Continue reading this post »

SATURDAY, OCT. 29, 2011

A simple mason jar can be transformed into a Halloween candle with a little glass etching. (Maggie Bullock)

Hallowed, holy and fun

A trilogy of holidays is upon us. While the children are counting their trick-or-treat candy pieces, other folks will be preparing for the other holidays which are attached to Halloween (All Hallows' Eve). November 1 is All Saints' Day - a feast day in the…

Continue reading this post »

FRIDAY, OCT. 28, 2011

Fall colors and autumn leaves light up a foggy morning on the Coeur d'Alene River. (Jesse Tinsley)

Lessons from Autumn

The leaves are turning and the weather is finally great for walks in crisp, cool, intoxicating air. The seasons give us lessons - dormant rest in winter, the eager new life of spring, full passion in summer and the brilliance of autumn. Autumn offers final…

Continue reading this post »

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 26, 2011

TUESDAY, OCT. 25, 2011

A Turkish medical doctor carries Azra Karaduman, a two-week-old baby girl saved by Turkish rescuers who continue to work to save people trapped under debris of a collapsed building in Ercis, Van, eastern Turkey, Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2011. At least 366 people have been killed after powerful  earthquake in eastern Turkey. (Associated Press)

Miracle in Turkey

When the human spirit is filled with hope, miracles occur. The story today out of Turkey is welcome news after reading about all the death that the earthquake has left. A baby is alive and deemed healthy; her mother and grandmother pulled out alive, too.…

Continue reading this post »

SUNDAY, OCT. 23, 2011

A rose is a rose is a...? 

In India unwanted girls know they are unwanted, because they are named "unwanted." Now, an effort to change a negative self-image begins with a new name. A central Indian district held a renaming ceremony Saturday that it hopes will give the girls new dignity and…

Continue reading this post »

SUNDAY, OCT. 16, 2011

Football poster, 1904. From King collection (Courtesy: Rebecca Nappi)

Crunch those leaves

Becky's story today reminds readers of what has endured in the Inland Northwest over the last several decades: marching bands as football teams rally for a field goal; men setting out in early morning to hunt for the prized deer and quiet lakes serving as…

Continue reading this post »


Friendship, now, forever

My good friend would be 76 -years -old today; she died last year. Yet, we will remember and celebrate her life today. Her humor and grace remain. And, oh, those stories! When I brought my fiancé to meet her, she gushed over him with oozing…

Continue reading this post »

SATURDAY, OCT. 15, 2011

Ca$hing it all in 

In these cash-strapped times, some Washington residents are cashing in on their future residence: their burial plots. Depending on one's future "neighborhood," owners can sell their sites for thousands of dollars. However, like all real estate situations, well-heeled buyers are few and more people than…

Continue reading this post »

FRIDAY, OCT. 14, 2011

Battling a disease...and disordered insurers

A recent New York Times story reports the battle that people who suffer with eating disorders are fighting: insurance company wars. I was stunned to read the following: "An estimated 11 million Americans, mostly young women, suffer from eating disorders…These disorders, particularly anorexia, have the…

Continue reading this post »

THURSDAY, OCT. 13, 2011

Kinda corny

The couple who took their 3-week-old baby on a little journey through a corn maze - and stayed lost - have attained national attention. The couple ended up calling 911 to be rescued. But their brief maze in the maize gave radio talk shows a…

Continue reading this post »

TUESDAY, OCT. 11, 2011

Doctor shares cancer wisdom 

Our EndNotes column alternates on Tuesdays in the S-R with Dr. Alisa Hideg, a family medicine physician at Group Health’s Riverfront Medical Center. In this week's column, Dr. Hideg tells readers of her breast cancer diagnosis and debuts her bald look - a result of…

Continue reading this post »


Rosellini: former governor dies at 101 

Albert D. Rosellini, who served as Washington's governor from 1957 to 1965, died Monday in Seattle after complications of pneumonia. He had turned 101 in January. "He was a trusted mentor and beloved friend, and the countless lives he touched, including mine, may be his…

Continue reading this post »


Looking at 60: Leap years

Our class reunion – minus Becky – called a group of us to California where we laughed, reminisced, and discussed what middle-age people discuss: jobs, kids, lovely grandkids and a few aches and pains: “What do you take for your blood pressure? “ I overheard.…

Continue reading this post »

MONDAY, OCT. 3, 2011

Amanda Knox breaks down in tears after hearing the verdict that overturns her conviction and acquits her of murdering her British roommate Meredith Kercher, at the Perugia court, central Italy, Monday, Oct. 3, 2011. Italian appeals court threw out Amanda Knox's murder conviction Monday and ordered the young American freed after nearly four years in prison for the death of her British roommate Knox collapsed in tears after the verdict overturning her 2009 conviction was read out. Her co-defendant, Italian Raffaele Sollecito, also was cleared of killing 21-year-old Meredith Kercher in 2007. (Pier Cito / Associated Press)

Welcome home, Amanda

After four years in prison, Amanda Knox is coming home after her conviction was overturned today on an appeal. Our blog and EndNotes column deal with grief, loss, illness and suffering. Amanda has suffered through all of these life experiences - while locked up for…

Continue reading this post »

SATURDAY, OCT. 1, 2011

Cell phone magic

When 67-year-old David Lavau drove away from home, he had his cell phone turned on, a decision that saved his life. After missing for six days, his children, relentless in their effort to find their missing father, followed information that a sheriff's detective provided: the…

Continue reading this post »

THURSDAY, SEPT. 29, 2011

Amanda Knox arrives at the courthouse for the appeal trial in Perugia, Italy, Friday, Sept. 23, 2011. Prosecutors began closing arguments in a bid to uphold the murder conviction of American student Amanda Knox in the 2007 slaying of her roommate, with Knox's family hopeful that a review of DNA evidence during the long appeals trial will lead to her release. A verdict is expected in early October, after the defense, the victim's family and probably Knox herself make their case. (AP/Stefano Medici)

Freedom Knox? 

The Amanda Knox appeals trial will soon yield its verdict: will her conviction be overturned, allowing her to come home to Seattle? When I was a woman of 20, I spent a year in Florence, Italy, as a college student. Our class of American students,…

Continue reading this post »

MONDAY, SEPT. 26, 2011

A moment… to honor his service

We continue to read about them each week – soldiers killed in Afghanistan. It is good to pause, to honor, to read their story and hold their loved ones in our hearts. Sgt. Tyler Holtz, 22, a member of the 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment,…

Continue reading this post »

SATURDAY, SEPT. 24, 2011

Go, granny, go 

Our boomer generation is again making headlines as we become grandparents: The newer grandparents are still working, with greater disposable income and now make up 1 in 4 adults. And more than ever, grandparents are once again parents - to their grandchildren - either offering…

Continue reading this post »

TUESDAY, SEPT. 20, 2011

Grief of place

We grieve the loss of loved ones, but today I wonder about the grief created by the loss of place. Not a home, but a work space where people evolved into a community of supportive colleagues, caring for each other as they went about their…

Continue reading this post »

SATURDAY, SEPT. 17, 2011


A hand-drawn illustration for the Gospel According to Matthew is on a page from The St. John's Bible, pictured in May, at St. John's University in Collegeville, Minn.
 (Associated Press / The Spokesman-Review)

What would Jesus think? Cool! 

St John's University in Collegeville, Minnesota, and Donald Jackson, scribe to the Queen of England, have completed an amazing project: the only hand-scribed and illuminated bible (well, in the last 500 years). The St John's Bible project began with a conversation between the renowned scribe…

Continue reading this post »

Spokesman-Review features writer Rebecca Nappi, along with writer Catherine Johnston of Olympia, Wash., discuss here issues facing aging boomers, seniors and those experiencing serious illness, dying, death and other forms of loss.