Surprised by Light
After a busy day of dealing with car repairs and shopping for Thanksgiving food, I didn’t want to walk the dog in our nearby park. I really didn’t. (…)
Coyote Calling
It was the howling and yipping of coyotes on the edge of the Grande Ronde canyon a few years ago that confirmed for me a need to get closer to the wild….
Snow Inspiration
Snow on Mt. Tabor Is it routine or breaks in routine that give me inspiration? I can’t be sure, but I do know that another unusual snowfall today invited me out for a morning walk with Django and invigorated my work the rest of the day.
Christmas Snow
The snow is melting now; I’m going to miss it. Oh, I’ll be glad to be able to drive again without worrying about chains and snow shovels. But I’ve enjoyed almost two weeks with a good excuse for not driving, shopping, or doing the usual Christmas run-around. Snow enforced stillness and quiet and convinced me [...]
Being Here
I came across a haunting essay, “Am I Still Here?” by Anthony Doerr in the January/February issue of Orion. It begins like this: I HARBOR A DARK TWIN INSIDE. He’s a sun-starved, ropy bastard and he lives somewhere north of my heart. Every day he gets a little stronger. He’s a weed, he’s a creeper; he’s [...]
Balancing Work and Play
It’s snowing here in Portland, Oregon, and I’m wondering whether or not to start a blog. Django – my eighty-two pound, chocolate, standard poodle- doesn’t care. He’s been hinting at other activities all day with barks, yawns, groans, hopeful looks, nudges, playbows. I’ve been ignoring him to work on this fledgling website, respond to a literary journal interested in one of my essays, send another essay on its first submissions round, eat lunch, answer phone calls, wash dishes, read some blogs to see if I really want to become one of millions sharing the minutiae of everyday life….
