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".

Remembrances of David McCullough
On August 10, 2022, a moving remembrance by Candice Millard of America’s beloved master historian David McCullough appeared in The Atlantic.

Toasting Kit at 84
My life with Kit began in the summer of 1977 when he walked into a classroom at UCLA and lit up the room with his energy and inner light.

100 Weeks of Notes and Reflections
On September 4, 2020, I wrote the first of what is now 100 blogs on my website.

Salter Family Reunion 2022
Family reunions are a tradition in the Salter family and not to be missed.

Salter Family Reunions Revisited
Whenever the Salter clan gathers en masse, it is by nature an international event.

Grits and Where the Crawdads Sing
There is always a story that connects us with food. And sometimes there is a book and movie as well.

Savoring Sour Cherries
I’ve never forgotten the taste of my first, fresh-off-the-tree sour cherry. It was late June in the Midwest.

My Pal Louise
My pal Louise Dusenbery just turned 98 this week. She and I have a special history.

When Life Gives You Lemons
There are times when life gives you lemons and you are left to make the best of the situation.

A Forgotten Plum and Depression-era Pies
Economic and political news is depressing these days, to say the least.

Enduring Messages to America’s Students
In October 1948, Dwight D. Eisenhower wrote an inspiring open letter to America’s students.

The Exultant Song of the Thrush
On the final morning of a rainy May, a solitary cinnamon-brown bird emerges from the leafy shadows at the edge of our Missouri woods.

On the Timeless Subject of Words and Family
Language has the power to connect us over distance and time.

What Things Can Teach Us
In dark times when the world becomes too much, I feel the need re-root myself in memories that provide a sense of balance in a world that has gone upside down.
Epistolary Journeys
When does a lifetime of letter writing begin?

Culinary Journeys with Indian Cuisine
Packing for a trip to London in late November 2016, I tucked along some recipes to share with our niece Kashya who was hosting a multi-generational gathering of Salters from Missouri and Madrid.

Beneath the Pain
With April, the possibility of an early spring snow is always in the air.

History Matters
We cannot understand events of today unless we understand where we have been as a nation and world. History matters.

Where the Crawdads Sing
While I was still living in Missouri, my “Book Club of Two” friend Marjo Price loaned me her own copy of Where the Crawdads Sing.

Baking for Ukraine
As spring gets underway, young people around the world have been moved by the devastating war in Ukraine.