Notes and Reflections Blog

Cathy is an essayist who writes from her base at Boomerang Creek.  Her blogs  range from gathering persimmons to thoughts on global pandemics. To share her observations, follow her at “Notes and Reflections".

The Rooms of Our Childhood
Cathy Salter Cathy Salter

The Rooms of Our Childhood

For each of us, there comes a time when as a child, we make the momentous journey from the insular familiarity of family to the community of an elementary school.

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Episodes with Kit
Cathy Salter Cathy Salter

Episodes with Kit

On August 6, 1938, the world became a brighter place, for that was the day Christopher Lord Salter (Kit as his mother called him) was born.

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The World Needs Pie
Cathy Salter Cathy Salter

The World Needs Pie

July holds deeply rooted memories that link me to Grant Wood prairie landscapes, Prairie Lights  Bookstore and Summer Writers Festivals in Iowa City, and as it happened one summer, to an apple pie I made in the farmhouse kitchen of author Beth M. Howard many moons ago.

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Lavender Harvest
Cathy Salter Cathy Salter

Lavender Harvest

It’s late July and has been exhaustingly hot like much of the world these days.

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The Beautiful Game
Cathy Salter Cathy Salter

The Beautiful Game

These hot mid-July days, I find myself up before dawn, eager to open the screen doors and capture any early morning coolness that I can.

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Listening
Cathy Salter Cathy Salter

Listening

Eudora Welty, Grande Dame of American letters, loved gardens.

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World War I
Cathy Salter Cathy Salter

World War I

As so often happens, my writing journeys begin with a book.

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My June Calendar
Cathy Salter Cathy Salter

My June Calendar

When June and July rolled around this year, it was time to take care of essential appointments that come due periodically regarding the body as well as car care.

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The Wonder of Libraries
Cathy Salter Cathy Salter

The Wonder of Libraries

Before the invention of paper, the thin inner bark of certain trees was used for writing on;  this was in Latin called liber, which came in time to signify also a “book.” 

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Nico’s Amazing Journey
Cathy Salter Cathy Salter

Nico’s Amazing Journey

For almost thirty years, Kit and I have shared many memorable adventures across a wide range of geographies with our grandson Nico. 

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Garden Meditations
Cathy Salter Cathy Salter

Garden Meditations

When irises were flowering across the Midwest a decade ago, I received a note from my friend, poet Ted Kooser.

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A Terrific Gardening Show
Cathy Salter Cathy Salter

A Terrific Gardening Show

On Earth Day (April 22, 2026), American comedian Zach Galifianakis was on a mission to teach children and adults alike something about gardening.

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Marcellus Comes to Netflix
Cathy Salter Cathy Salter

Marcellus Comes to Netflix

In case you are one of the few people on the planet who has not read Remarkably Bright Creatures, Marcellus is a giant Pacific octopus living at the Sowell Bay Aquarium in Puget Sound.

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