The natural world, life, and dogs.
Several years ago, sharing photos of the rural valley where I live, an acquaintance commented, “It looks…bucolic.” Walking a country road as morning fog lifts. He meant it as a slur. He considers himself cosmopolitan, despite living in…Wyoming. The word bucolic is one I fully embrace, my raison d’etre for moving to Idaho’s mountains fifteen… Continue reading Bucolic
One of the delights of autumn, in addition to the leaves on the deciduous trees and shrubs turning color, is the abundance of bright berries. Like their earlier counterparts, mountain wildflowers, berries on mountain trees and shrubs come in bright colors, tickling not only our eyes but the mouths of the birds, deer, elk and bear who rely upon them as winter approaches.
As in...I finished that 30K trail race last weekend. Finishing was my only goal. After all, it's been three years since I ran this distance or longer, and I was thinner then. And faster. My longest training run this summer was twelve miles. Finishing was hardly assured, but given the remoteness of the course, bailing… Continue reading Success!
Old age and treachery will always beat youth and exuberance. David Mamet My father often shared the above quote as he aged, along with Growing old ain’t no place for sissies, which is attributed to Bette Davis. My father lived to be 85, and had he not smoked for 30 years, compromising his lungs, he… Continue reading Running Through the Ages
Late-season wildflowers in the forest of Idaho's mountains.
Here in the central mountains of Idaho, Sandhill cranes are a regular feature. In spring and fall large flocks travel through on their migrations, but a few stay for the summer.
I have a dog who delights in bouldering. Oxford Dictionary: bouldering (noun) - climbing on large boulders, either for practice or as a sport in its own right. I noticed Conall’s affinity for climbing downed trees and boulders soon after bringing him home as a puppy. I chose Conall and his breeder when she shared… Continue reading Boldly Bouldering
This afternoon I find a cricket on the floor in my kitchen. I retrieve the glass and folded magazine page I keep handy on the dining table for removing the occasional bee or stink bug that finds a way inside. I’m allergic to bees, and my dogs hate them, so much so that they come… Continue reading Uninvited House Guests
Prepare to follow me down a naturalist’s rabbit hole. Not long after moving to Idaho’s mountains in 2005, I became acquainted with an odd burr that kept attaching to my shoes and socks and to the coats of my two Malamutes when we explored the forest. Local friends told me they were called beggar’s lice.… Continue reading Beggar’s Lice
The plan, starting out, was to run what I call the grand loop, going up one side of the mountain to the summit, dropping off the back side to cruise a sweet three mile stretch of brand-new trail to the other side, then meandering one of two ways back down to the start. Eleven-ish miles… Continue reading Life Skills: Dealing with the Unexpected
Wild Sensibility 