The natural world, life, and dogs.
One of the hardest parts of leaving Idaho for Vermont in 2021 was believing I would never again visit any of the cairns I built in the Payette National Forest to memorialize the lives of Maia and Meadow, my two Alaskan Malamutes who helped me explore wild forest places after we moved to Idaho in… Continue reading The Magic Remains
The only constant in life is change. ~Heraclitus I was away from Idaho’s Salmon River Mountains for 3.5 years. I’m so lucky to be back in the place that, as no other, feels like home. Yet as much as I feel I’ve returned to familiar ground, I’m continually surprised by how much has changed in… Continue reading Changes
My last post mentioned feeling lost for blogging words of late. Soon after, wanting to post something but not sure what I write, I came to understand part of my writing block was that so much had happened over the past year. Too much, it sometimes seemed. I needed to relay the bigger events and… Continue reading Life’s Wild Ride
Through the month of September, I'm running a "giveaway" on Goodreads, offering a free copy of the ebook version to one hundred readers, chosen by lottery at the end of the sign-up period (Sept 30). Sorry, but per Goodreads, the offer is valid for US customers only. (Not my choice!) I hope you'll take advantage… Continue reading Read Wild Running for Free!
It's been so long since I've posted that my WordPress create-a-post screen is different, updated! I've missed posting and reading the posts of others I follow. Sorry for being absent with my likes for so long. I'm happy to report two monumental things happening in my life: First, my manuscript is nearly done. At 98,512… Continue reading A Book and a Puppy
The photo memories dished up by Amazon – via my Kindle Fire – and Facebook in my newsfeed are often bittersweet. Every June I’m reminded of the passing of my Alaskan Malamute Maia at age 14 in 2013, and then six weeks later in July, my Alaskan Malamute Meadow, age twelve. Oh, the girls. So… Continue reading A New Cairn for the Girls
Twice this month, while walking with my dogs through the woods on the neighbors' acreage, we heard wildlife warning calls: Stay away! In both instances, the calls came from a few yards off the path, well into the trees. I couldn't see the animal issuing the call, but the first one I recognized, a call… Continue reading Wildlife Warning Calls
The phrase "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet’" usually means things are what they are, no matter what name they’re given. The phrase is from William Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet, one of several lines spoken by Juliet Capulet (Act 2, Scene 2) to herself on her balcony but overheard by… Continue reading A Rose by Any Other Name
After a long Vermont winter, and several weeks watching winter and spring battling each other for dominance, I feel I can finally announce: spring has arrived. In Idaho, I was used to April being the month when wildflowers emerged. Entire hillsides would be awash in the bright, happy yellow of sunflowers. Now, I've learned, in… Continue reading At Last, Spring
In the Northern Hemisphere, March 20th was the spring equinox, the first day of spring. It's also referred to as the vernal equinox, vernal meaning fresh, new. It may have been the first day of spring on the calendar. But not so much where I live, in Vermont. It's still snowing every few days, although… Continue reading Spring Equinox
Wild Sensibility 