Word count, dental visits, complaints about the weather, lies, and the lying liars who tell them. I hope I don't often complain about weather or climate, but any time the snow and hail wants to stop for the season is not too soon for me. It hailed off and on all day yesterday, and I … Continue reading LIARS&ICE
running
YOU OTTER
That critter was galloping along the shoreline when we spotted it from a distance. "What is that?" Gary said. And it was someone totally unexpected. "ASHES ASHES ON THE WATER, BURN THE HAIRY LITTLE OTTER. GEE IT LOOKS LIKE SO MUCH FUN, I CAN'T WAIT UNTIL HE'S DONE." Don't take this silliness too seriously—Gary and … Continue reading YOU OTTER
PAWNSHOPS, STARBUCKS, and RUNNING
When we were in college in the early 1970s, my future husband and I used to take the bus to downtown Seattle and walk through the city, visiting 5 and 10 Antiques sometimes, where my mother worked part time. I have a necklace from that shop. We always went to what Gary called the "Pubic … Continue reading PAWNSHOPS, STARBUCKS, and RUNNING
DISTANCE
Sometimes I lie to myself. For example, I promised myself a short run yesterday morning. I held out a single-mile run like a carrot. When I began running north, I was running straight into a 40mph wind and it was cold. The tide was going out and I repeated, "Just one mile." I didn't need … Continue reading DISTANCE
WHAT I SAW
Thanksgiving, holiday memories, oystercatchers, Pilgrims, and my Thankful story about a small child. Sea lions, and giving thanks. Among my earliest memories are holiday visits to my grandparents' home on the western edge of Portland, Oregon. The house where my mother grew up was a huge Dutch colonial fronted by a quarter (half?) acre of … Continue reading WHAT I SAW
GENTLY USED
The tiny closet of our condo is already stuffed with clothing I rarely wear. I need to purge. This is the story of our times. We focus on gathering until we run out of room and have to wonder: Why do I need this? This raven came closer to me than any corvid (I originally … Continue reading GENTLY USED
FRESH BREAD
This is what happens when you bake weekly for almost three years. A high rounded loaf just the way you assumed it would come out of the oven. Without support beyond experience, bread is the result of healthy ingredients and practice. That's the way life goes, I think. We work at it, do the best … Continue reading FRESH BREAD
SEVENTY
Yes, today I am a septuagenarian, seventy years old. (Please don't say "seventy years young"—I find that too sticky-cute and somewhat insulting. I've earned my years.) I made myself an applecake yesterday evening so that we could have it for breakfast after my run this morning. I used heritage pink apples gifted by a friend … Continue reading SEVENTY
RUNNING A RACE
The Great Columbia Crossing, a 10k run mostly on the Megler Bridge, limited entries this year to 3,500. It filled last month. We started on the Washington side at Dismal Nitch, ran west a mile to the first suspension section on the north side of the Columbia River, over that and then south three miles … Continue reading RUNNING A RACE
CLEANING HOUSE, pt. 2
One day I only sorted a single box, the next day I powered through six. Negatives and family photos defy intentions. Nevertheless, I have made progress even during a "Very Bad Week." My grandfather's canes and my dad's fishing poles remain undisturbed, but the stacks of boxes on the bed are gone, and some of … Continue reading CLEANING HOUSE, pt. 2
IMPERFECT PATIENCE 