Sweet Spot Up the Hill
After several years, we’re still exploring our acreage in northeastern Oregon. We’ve vaguely named some places through habitual reference: The Rocky Knoll, The Frog Pond. But there are other special places we just call “sweet spots.” Somehow, from the context and with a gesture and description of the general location — “that sweet spot up [...]
Honorably Mentioned
I began writing poetry several years ago and still think of myself as a literary fiction writer, not a poet. Not really. Poetry is something I dabble in and play with. Even after publishing a few poems, I still hesitate to call myself a poet. Yesterday, I learned that I received second honorable mention in [...]
Memories of International Women’s Day in Nepal
Four months after I gave birth to my son in Nepal, I celebrated my very first International Women’s Day in 1988 in Gunjanagar, a village in western Chitwan District. It was also Gunjangar’s first time to organize an event for that day. I describe the scene in Sacred Threads, my ethnographic memoir-in-progress….
Song Inspires Nostalgia for Anthropology
A contemporary song reminds me of all that inspired me to become an anthropologist eons ago….
Strange Conjunctions
Within 24 hours, Howard Zinn and J.D. Salinger die, and Steve Jobs announces the iPad (which — menstrual jokes aside — may or may not revolutionize how we interact with the written word). I’m too busy trying to meet end-of-month writing deadlines to meditate on these odd conjunctions. And perhaps writing is the best way [...]
Grumpy Bears Unite
I feel like a grumpy, old bear this holiday season. I don’t want to put my energy into decking halls. I avoid shopping as much as possible. I have no idea what to get anybody, and the muzak playing everywhere makes me want to poke holes in my ear drums….
Western Larch: Species of the Week
It was hard to leave our yurt in northeastern Oregon with Western larch (Larix occidentalis) in full copper-yellow glory. But when the flanks of the mountains there blaze with what looks like a procession of candles, it’s time to get ready for a harsh winter or move to lower elevations….
Chameleon Blogging: Changes to “Species of the Week”
Yeah, I know. This is a Carolina anole, not a chameleon. When I was a kid, I lusted after chameleons. But anoles change color too, and they were cheaper and easier to find in local pet stores, so that’s what I got….
Ama: My Greatest Teacher
Growing food this summer in northeast Oregon, I relied on all that I’ve learned over the years from books, conversations, observations, and personal experience. But I probably heard Ama’s voice more than any other….
Website for Ajamvari Farm
I finally finished the website for Ajamvari Farm, a family run permaculture project in Nepal that hosts volunteers. I helped develop the farm fifteen-some years ago while living in Nepal and discovered a passion for growing food that still runs strong today. The website provides information on opportunities for homestays and volunteering at the farm [...]
Walla Walla Sweets
In other gardens, I haven’t had much luck with bulbing onions. Rationing bed space in small spaces, I lavished most of my attention on more flashy vegetables: tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, corn. Walla Walla Sweet and friends: destined for the grill. But this year with plenty of space, I tried several different varieties of bulbing onions. [...]
Harvesting Garlic
I planted fifteen pounds of organic garlic last October and finished harvesting it this morning. Given that my soil needs more improvement (mostly a few more years of working in organic matter), I’m pleased with the results. Two Northwest heirlooms: Inchelium Red Nootka Rose I’m curing some of the garlic under the roof of the [...]
Chipping Sparrow: Species of the Week
A number of small, brown songbirds have enlivened my spring and early summer on a daily basis. One is the chipping sparrow (Spizella passerina) [...]
Furr
I retired from teaching at an independent high school several years ago to free up time for writing and growing food. One of the things I miss most about it is the connection to all the wild creativity that comes from younger generations. Several days ago, I attended the graduation of students I taught in [...]
Kreativ Blogger Award
Thanks to Both Erin at Freckled Writer and Carole at Watermaid’s Weblog for awarding me with the Kreativ Blogger Award. I’ve only been blogging a few months, so it’s an honor to be recognized by sister bloggers out there. I have now been charged with the task of identifying seven things I love and passing [...]
Apology to Dancing Parrots
Yesterday, I wrote a poem, “Thanks for the Feathers,” around some bird metaphors, and I used the parrot to embody some of my self-doubt about what I’ve written over the last month. “I mostly fear the parrot, preening her witty feathers, nodding her cocky head to the songs of others.” That was before I saw [...]
Questions About Anthropology
I didn’t have a lot of time today to respond to the “instead of …” prompt at Read Write Poem or the “Poem Title” prompt at Poetic Asides. I’m tearing down and rebuliding the farm chapter in my ethnographic memoir on Nepal and also, coincidentally, designing a website for the farm I worked on. Trying [...]
