Blog
“LORI’S WHIRLD” is the official BLOG of Soroptimist International of Palm Desert


100 YEARS INTO THE FUTURE
I love thinking about how long Soroptimist has existed. At its founding in 1921 my dad was in diapers, learning to walk. My mom wouldn’t be born for two more

The Juicy Ribeye Cookbook
When I say, “I read a book…” don’t believe me. I don’t read books. I collect books, cookbooks primarily, and I have thousands of books, including a very large collection

Ollie, Ollie Oxen Free
If you are reading this on the 1st of November, just know, I wrote it mid-October which is to say it is old news. It is 2020, which will surely

Connect the Knots
I live alone. I dine alone. I shop for one. I sleep in a twin-size bed. Everything in my closet is mine and mine alone. I’m the only signer on

Weather or Not
Minnesota weather…think fast! Did you think of snow? Or did your mind go to hot and sticky summer humidity? Well, if you were here this past week you thought of

A Unicorn Story
Have you ever heard the expression: “When you hear hoofbeats, think horses, not zebras”? I had heard the expression…but its full meaning had been lost on me until recently. My

From East or West, Friends are the Best
The time has finally come to point my buggy east, away from the beautiful suburban town of Troutdale, Oregon, a town virtually trout-free, to my darling Walnut Grove, where nary

Soroptimist Spirit of Success
“Successful people are those who can build a strong foundation using the bricks others have thrown at them.” This pretty much captures the Soroptimist spirit, don’t you think? I have

San Francisco
I’ve been to San Francisco many times. Over the years I’ve seen it go from a beautiful metropolis and vibrant commercial center, to a city under construction 24/7, with too

Were you born in a barn?
I live in barn country. Silo country. Truck country. Yes, Minnesota is the Land of 10,000 Trucks. My whole life I thought the expression “Were you born in a barn?”

It’s the most wonderful time of the year.
What an odd Christmas and new year this is. My daughter, Katie and her precious poochie-pie, Luci, are harking the herald angels and toasting the new year in the Scottish