Author Archives: Kim Baumgaertel

Once upon a time, Mr. Mo brought Kitty to OmaOpa’s house.  Kitty, who is orange and scruffy, waited patiently on the bench until nap time. Then she joined Mr. Mo in his bed, along with his special nighnie blanket and … Continue reading →

Oma thought, “what a brilliant idea!”  She had leftover cake in the freezer (from the near disaster of that @drakeoncake episode), scads of sprinkles, a bag of powdered sugar, and a cube of butter.  The preschoolers were coming tomorrow.  She … Continue reading →

  Oma’s pie making skills are top notch.  Never afraid of crust, she learned early in her marriage to throw flour, fat, and warm water into a bowl and voila!  Out came pie dough.  It rolled well, it held its … Continue reading →

English teachers, as you know, love to teach writing.  They also love seeing their students’ faces, even virtual faces. Today was the last Zoom meeting with my writing students — not the preschool kind, but the older kind — until … Continue reading →

Although our tots haven’t lived long, they’ve traveled far.  Each week one or three reminds us about flying to London, training to “the queen’s castle”, or sailing on the ferry.  They want to do it all again. “Who should we … Continue reading →

Well, that was easy, thought Oma.  The harvest moon was rising in the west, and she had just spatchcocked her first chicken.  Snipping along the bird’s spine with kitchen shears, flipping it breast-side up and flattening it slightly into a … Continue reading →

Some things float, and some things sink.  Some things are magnetic, and some things aren’t. Sometimes we understand terms like “magnetic strength”, and sometimes we just feel like creating “magnetic sculptures”. Sometimes magnets are loads of fun, but other times … Continue reading →

so much depends upon six pretty magnets held by little hands beside a pile of stuff  

Who among us hasn’t needed a bit of tech support of late?  Who has never experienced a login fail? A glitchy app?  Lack of RAM? Incorrect password? Eh? Even in last year’s world, we’d call upon tech support– or Opas– … Continue reading →

Deep in the backyard forest, far from the green grass and beds of blooming things, a table stood.  In it, inches of white powder.  Nearby, cylinders of jewel-toned liquids lined rustic benches, each for its own small scientist. They approached … Continue reading →