I’m impressed with the way people in our new town do business. One of the first days, Steve and I had to pick up some things at the local hardware store. An employee asked if he could help. After he escorted us to find the first item on our rather lengthy list, Steve told him we didn’t mean to take […]

The coldest (and longest) cold snap in anyone’s memory has finally ended here in North Carolina. Yesterday, it was warm enough for Steve and I to walk two miles downtown and eat lunch outside in the sunshine. We felt like we were back in California. Everyone we know here apologizes to us about the cold […]

I’ve been a Tarheel for six weeks today. Eight years ago, when I arrived in California via Eastern Europe, after detoxing from my second-hand smoke withdrawal, I grew to love being able to eat in restaurants without hanging my clothes outside afterward to air them out. (Of course, that’s ignoring the fact that clotheslines are considered eyesores and thus frowned […]