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
How does one grieve a car? Is that even a thing, or am I weird? They're just things. Expensive, useful objects that require maintenance and insurance. Yet, one can grow attached to them. My two oldest brothers named their first car, purchased from an uncle, Gomper. It was green, one of those large, bulbous 1950s… Continue reading Grieving a Car
A few days ago, I received an email, copied in along with a long list of recipients, all of whom were cell phone numbers @mms.att.net. As was the sender. No names attached. Mine was the only typical email address. I didn’t recognize any of the cell numbers. Area codes came from all over the country.… Continue reading My Father’s Stetson Goes on a Road Trip
It started when Brian, someone I grew up next door to in the 1960s and 70s, texted to say he’d found some slides when going through his father’s things. The slides showed my father standing next to his beloved bi-plane, the 1924 Boeing P-12. Did I want them? Of course! I had no way of… Continue reading Connections
Recently, I’ve experienced an intriguing confluence of coincidences. They all involve my father. It started a week ago. *** First, my friend Brian—we grew up next door to each other—emailed to say he’d found some slides while going through his recently-deceased father’s belongings. Some were of my father and his beloved P-12 (a restored 1926… Continue reading Hot Chocolate
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
A month ago I read an article about a man named Al Nixon. Al spends nearly every morning on a park bench in St. Petersburg, Florida, watching the sun rise and the people go by. His simple, consistent presence - and his open body language as he sits, legs outstretched, arms resting on the back… Continue reading Green Lake George
Sorting through 15-plus years of accumulated stuff in preparation for a move puts one in a nostalgic mood. Nostalgia (n): A sentimental longing or wistful affection for the past, typically for a period or place with happy personal associations.Oxford Dictionary I'm amazed at what I'm unearthing, in cabinets or closets I've ignored for years. I'm… Continue reading Nostalgia
Not long ago I received a USPS package. Inside were two pieces of concrete from a demolished road. Upper piece shows the underside, lower piece shows the road surface. Let me explain. I was recently hired by a friend, Brian, to edit an article he wrote for a collection that will become a book. I… Continue reading Concrete Memories
When grappling with major life events, or facing life-altering decisions, some of us often seek - and see - signs. Signs from the universe that help us make sense of loss, or allow us to see a door opening, an obscure path beckoning. Signs which we can interpret to mean we're not alone, or that… Continue reading Sentimental Signs
Wild Sensibility 