A scenario plays out multiple times daily at a four-way stop here in town and there's not much that can be done about it. On the southeast corner a canal flows, Elijah Drain. Due to the constant presence of water, there are trees, shrubs, weeds, and tangled masses of ground cover, all of it becoming … Continue reading Duck Jams
Meat Hungry
When you tell life stories to people do you wonder if there's any common thread between the teller and the listener, the writer and the reader? I do. Can you relate to me? Can I relate to you? Do my words speak your language? Certainly we are not all the same age (stop clapping your … Continue reading Meat Hungry
Relentless Goodwill (Ugh)
A long time ago in a galaxy far far away I stood chit chatting with a lady at church. She was somewhat older than I, respected in the congregation, a well-liked person with a nice circle of friends both there and in the community. She explained to me why she and her family decided to … Continue reading Relentless Goodwill (Ugh)
In the Light of Goldie
Louella Goldie Westmoreland lived 32 years, never married or became a mother, did not know the enjoyment of a good book or scintillating after-dinner conversation, did not attend school and was dependent on her loved ones to care for her. A high fever as an infant immediately changed her life and the lives of her … Continue reading In the Light of Goldie
Hidden Pictures
On a strangely quiet Monday I took a photo of where I sat. It's my desk in my "office." It's not really just an office. And it's not really just mine. We'll call it multifunctional. Jointly owned. In here I read, write, research, organize, study, pray, ponder, water plants, stitch, search the file cabinet for … Continue reading Hidden Pictures
Pen Pal Marty
When color TV came to our basement in the late 60s, it brought with it the bloody reality of the nightly news of Vietnam. The war had been safely gray up to that point. In 1968 I was just seven and in 2nd grade but "Hanoi" and "Saigon" were familiar words to me, though without … Continue reading Pen Pal Marty
The End of Coco’s Tail
It begins long before the tale of Coco's tail, way before my boyfriend introduced me to his own actual family. We start here. On 1st Street in Nampa, Idaho. In this old house. Once upon a time there was a skinny college boy who needed a place to stay during the summer. The boy had … Continue reading The End of Coco’s Tail
Ebenezer
The smell of wood smoke rises from the old stone chimney of the Ramble In if my eyes are closed and my head held at a proper tilt. I can feel the thin Rocky Mountain air in my well-adapted young lungs and hear pine needle covered trails crunch under my feet as I scramble up, … Continue reading Ebenezer
Dominick and the Duck
Far far away, many many years ago in a Kindergarten classroom on the last day of school, five-year old Dominick gave me a little clay duck. Well, I've always called it a duck but truthfully its identity is a bit vague. You decide. To reveal the immediate thought that ran through my head might paint … Continue reading Dominick and the Duck
A Whittled Goodbye
There were a lot of words on this page just a few minutes ago. It felt a little silly when all I really want to say is, "thank you." So I whittled a tree down to a toothpick. Writing an occasional word to you has been a unique journey for me, a steep learning curve … Continue reading A Whittled Goodbye
Beyond Lashley Lane 