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
Cathy Salter Cathy Salter

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.

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Toasting Kit at 84
Cathy Salter Cathy Salter

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.

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Savoring Sour Cherries
Cathy Salter Cathy Salter

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.

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My Pal Louise
Cathy Salter Cathy Salter

My Pal Louise

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

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The Exultant Song of the Thrush
Cathy Salter Cathy Salter

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.

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What Things Can Teach Us
Cathy Salter Cathy Salter

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.

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Culinary Journeys with Indian Cuisine
Cathy Salter Cathy Salter

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.

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Beneath the Pain
Cathy Salter Cathy Salter

Beneath the Pain

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

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History Matters
Cathy Salter Cathy Salter

History Matters

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

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Where the Crawdads Sing
Cathy Salter Cathy Salter

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.

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Baking for Ukraine
Cathy Salter Cathy Salter

Baking for Ukraine

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

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