Friday is Swiss National Day. I'm so proud that I know this fact and that come Friday night I won't be scared out of my wits when some loud and overwhelmingly spectacular thing happens. Like last time. Last month I had been enjoying a quiet afternoon until all of a sudden there was an ear-splitting…

Recently my husband told me I was behaving exactly like a 10-year-old. We were scheduled for a morning train trip somewhere and I was very cranky. I hate early morning travel and rushing around early. I like to enter into the morning hours gently with my mug and my newspaper, enjoying the post-dream state. Anyway,…

The rain is coming down in a cold, solid drench. It's a day I could call a wash. A day I might pull my arms out of the sleeves of my raincoat and zip up into a ball until the sun comes back. After a two night business trip with my husband, we check out…

Then your tail will divide and shrink until it becomes what the people on earth call a pair of shapely legs.  But it will hurt; it will feel as if a sharp sword slashed through you.  Everyone who sees you will say that you are the most graceful creature they have ever laid eyes on…

Mid-June in Copenhagen. A summer rain. The wind is steady and the air is cool enough for a sweater. The fog is heavy even though it is near noon. A woman of a certain age sits alone at a wooden table in a small cafe.The interior light is golden and the old stone walls are…