“Let me help you with that.” “Oh, that’s okay. I’ve got it.” Newly graduated from high school, I was going to spend ten days in New York City visiting my sister. She had been adamant in her warning NOT to let anyone help me with my suitcase when I arrived because they would expect a tip. There I was struggling with a load that was at least half my weight, lugging it down the sidewalk to the waiting bus. Of course this was long before the day when any luggage had wheels. The i

“Now if everyone agrees to abide by these rules, we should get along just fine this year.” I smiled at the class, at the same time making sure they understood my expectations for their behavior. As one former student said, “I don’t know why some kids have a problem with Mrs. V. She tells us what she expects and she follows through.” Indeed, I made it clear I would not tolerate, abide blatant misbehavior. This kind of “abiding” is not often expressed these days. Yet the meanin

“It’s the Vogelsangs!” With that announcement, the receptionist hurried to the back room of the Wawona Hotel and called out the rest of the staff to meet us. Well, this was an unexpected greeting! We discovered that our last name was also the name of a nearby trailhead leading to Vogelsang Lake, Vogelsang High Sierra Camp, Vogelsang Pass and even Vogelsang Peak. Were we related to the famous Vogelsang for whom these Yosemite Park locations were named? We hated to disappoint t

“Look, Mom! Look what I got in my Happy Meal from McDonald’s! Seeds! Radish seeds! Do I like radishes? Can I grow them? Please?” I wasn’t sure what quality those seeds were or how long they’d been sitting around in that packet. But I wasn’t about to disappoint my youngest. I just hoped the seeds wouldn’t be the ones to disappoint him. I showed Noah a small, out-of-the-way spot where he could cultivate his crop and then helped him prepare the soil to welcome those tiny, tiny s