Struggling with Coronavirus Isolation? Look for What Needs to Be Done
Looking Inward Maybe I should say something – respond to all this coronavirus madness and, true to my nature, try to bring a light of hope or some nugget of enlightenment. For the past six weeks, I felt strangely caught without much to say, not because I’d lack thoughts, but because I simply don’t share…
Memes Debunked #001
A closer examination of popular social media memes, pop culture wisdom and famous quotations. A part of my personal Think before you share series. The idea of debunking superficial, shallow and populist memes has been in my head for quite some time. But this one got me started. I guess none of the six people…
Open Door Days / Dny otevřených dveří
— čeština níže — You know how we always say we should catch up but never do? Well, here is a chance. Jim is out of town and I’m having a party… sort of. I invite my friends, acquaintances, students, clients, collaborators or even just Facebook friends who’d like to meet me to my home:…
Welcome 2019
Toward the end of 2018, I found myself saying “I hope it will be soon over, good riddance.” It’s never wise to wish time away, but the past year was one of the most difficult so far. This time, I wasn’t in the epicenter of some drama, but many people around me were, all of…
Living in the Mountains
In conversations with friends, I often find myself saying “When we lived in the mountains” and realize just how much that experience altered me. In 1998, we decided we’d had enough of the bright lights and big city, moving to the mountains in Northern Bohemia, about an hour and a half away from Prague. We…
Living in the City
The city is, in my case, Prague. I was born here but, until a teenager, didn’t spend much time in the center. Although full of history, in those communist days the center was a rather gray area, with many crumbling buildings and sad looking shops. As a kid, I lived on the outskirts in a…
My Animals
Animals play a very important role in my life, both personally and professionally. So here are the icons of my life, the best friends of all… Barkley The ultimate and unforgettable pet of my life was a black Labrador named Barkley (1996-2010). He was a legend among our friends, family and neighbors and for good…
Jim Freeman
Because I work from home and work together with my husband, my personal life is fully blended with my professional and artistic life. It’s all part of the whole. If I were born a British aristocrat, I would jump off the cliffs of Dover. If my husband was born an aristocrat, he would have loved…
Gardening
Gardening for me is part dream and part reality. I’ve lived in five homes, always starting or maintaining a garden that was never mine. After we moved back to Prague, my focus shifted back to my parents’ cottage garden. The Garden of Bohemia When I was five year old, my parents bought a small lot…
Home Renovations & Décor
DIY Life I was supposed to be a boy and, having disappointed my Dad in this respect, he decided to teach me everything he intended to teach a son. I watched my parents build our cottage at the age of five. One of my earliest memories is having learned to open my own lemonade caps,…