As parents, we spend our lives trying to be good enough. Trying to keep up. We worry that we’ve failed. We worry that we’ve screwed …
September 2011
Fiction Friday 9/2/11 »
This is the first installment of Fiction Friday, my way of forcing myself to write outside my comfort zone of non-fiction, by backing myself into …
When They Were Sisters »
Mya and Shawnta 2004 They sit at the tiny table, the two of them. One across from the other Cutching crayons In pink fingers. …
Mis-Lead By Example »
This morning I popped Anthony on the butt. I don’t normally spank my kids…gave it up years ago when I started fostering simply because it …
What Comes Around »
I’m not a good gift giver. I show up to parties without a bottle of wine. I send my kids to birthdays with no bag …
Anthony The Architect »
Anthony came up from his bedroom yesterday morning with a “blueprint” in hand he’d stayed up half the night creating. He’s a man with a …
From The Nest »
“It’s odd,” I said to Destini this morning, “to watch your kids grow up and move on with their lives…I rarely hear from Heather anymore.” …
If You Give A Kid A Camera… »
Alaska, Alaskan, backwoods, photos Jun 042011 If you give a ten year old a camera…expect great things. Here’s what Anthony has been doing with his …
Regrets »
She stood at the counter, baggy jeans hanging from thin hips, hooded sweatshirt tight across her swollen belly. A tight faced DMV worker on the …
Dear Alaska Tourist »
Welcome to Alaska! I’m so glad you were able to drive all this way in your motor home to enjoy this fabulous state. We love …
Waking To OCD »
I woke this morning to the sound of the clothes dryer flopping a belt around and round. Rolled over. 5:26 a.m. What the….I stuck my …
Role Reversal »
A few years ago Dan left his job and stayed home with the kids for five months so I could finish college. We had 8 …
Reality Shows…Really? »
I’ve not had television channels for eight years. I know…weird. So when my friend Jessica, who gained some notoriety a while back as Sarah Palin’s …
First Day Of School »
Tuesday was my 19th year of sending kids off on their “First Day Of School”. And as I slowed down in front of the building …
Keepsakes Or Crap? »
I’ve collected much junk over the years. Some of it worth keeping around, some of it only here because I can’t bring myself to drop …
House Rules »
House Rules 1. If it’s not yours…don’t touch it. 2. Remove your shoes at the door. Not directly in front of the door…off to the …
Trial Sized Tot Takes Down Teen »
Last year my fifteen year old son, Billy, made me a grandmother. Not in the “Oh, for the love of God, why ME,” way that …
Not Exactly The Breafast Club »
For those of you who either don’t have kids…have really good kids…or didn’t have any fun when YOU were a kid, “detention” is when you …
Native Youth Olympics »
My boys play basketball with vigor, ride bikes nonstop and roll in the dirt for fun. But their favorite activity…by far…is the Native Youth Olympics. …
What’s One More? »
This afternoon, as Dan woke for his night shift 800 miles away, he received my text that we were taking in a seven year old …
Alaska Myths…Proven and Debunked! »
Having spent the better part of my 39 years in Alaska, I’ve heard just about all of the questions you can imagine. Before I even …
For The Birds »
This time of year in Ninilchik, Alaska, the fishing season is revving up for the summer. The halibut and king salmon charters are beginning to …
Feeding A Small Country »
As we piled the groceries onto the conveyor I could see in the cashier’s eyes that he wished we’d gone to another line. Seven gallons …
You Know You Are From Kaktovik, Alaska If… »
We’ve all seen those, “You Know You Are From … If … ” groups around Facebook lately. They are kind of annoying, as you scroll …
I Cry In The Bathroom »
I write these sad stories about my kids…about their survival and their trials. About their successes. And my readers cry out, “Good job, mom!”…or… “Where …
Declaration of Ignorance »
Never happier than when he got his very own copy… Last week I noticed some political signs going up along the street in town. Same …
Why My Kids Read »
Every kid in my house is a constant reader…though four of them have, or have had at some time, a reading disability. They didn’t start …
Shopping For Kids »
I’ve done it again…found myself shopping for kids online. I don’t mean buying gifts for my current children; I mean actually shopping for kids. It’s …
Moose Attack! »
Object in this photo is closer than it appears… I first noticed her in the distance, blending in to the swampy foliage with her thick …
Remember When My Eye Fell Out? »
When Destini was six years old, her eye fell out. No, really. Okay, let me back up a bit. It was a Sunday evening and …
Daddy, I Did Something Very Bad… »
Every father’s worst nightmare happened this morning when Destini walked into the living room, tears brimming, and said, “Daddy, I did something very bad.” Immediately, …
Boys and Their Tools »
There are few things more impulsive than a teenage boy when accompanied by other teenage boys. Put two or more within the same vicinity and …
Hitting The Bank…er…I Mean Trail! »
(Created in 2010, just before our Resurrection Trail hike…) For years my family has masqueraded outdoorsy while trapped in the gear of a penniless waif. …
When The Teacher Calls »
A while back I received a phone call from a teacher for no other reason than to tell me how well my child was doing. …
Destini “Reads” »
Apparently, children learn via repetition…as demonstrated in this video of Destini at about 2 1/2 years old. Let me start by saying, Destini had an …
How I Found Me »
I found my self-worth on a hot May day in 2004 when I crossed the center stage and, holding my head high for perhaps the …
When Someone You Know…Becomes Someone You Knew »
We’ve all been there… I’ve had friends…who I loved…who I couldn’t imagine my life without. Friends who were dear to me. Friends…best friends…you thought would …
Diamonds, Roses, and Rotary Sanders »
They say a diamond is a girl’s best friend…and that’s true for me…if the diamond comes in the form of a sparkly new diamond blade …
Bear Bait »
On more than one occasion I’ve wondered just how wise it is to hang out in bear country, eating greasy hotdogs next to a salmon …
Alaska Log Furniture »
For more than twenty years I wanted to know how to make log furniture…I’m talking cut the tree down, pack it out of the woods, …
Backwoods Bread »
Backwoods Bread I grew up on homemade bread. It was thick. It was soft. It was healthy. It was probably delicious. And I hated it. …
I’m Not Sick »
For six months the flu has been hovering over my body like Winnie The Pooh’s black cloud, just waiting to descend when I’m most vulnerable. …
Whaling Away Her Youth »
Photo courtesy Charles Lampe-Kaktovik, Alaska Yesterday Sandi’s daughter, Kendra, climbed into a twenty foot boat with a group of close friends and family. They pushed …
Fed Up! »
My chiropractor has a chicken nugget sitting on her shelf that is four years old. And it looks like you could dip it in barbecue …
Fiction Friday 9/9/11 »
Fiction Friday, my way of forcing myself to write outside my comfort zone of non-fiction, by backing myself into a corner every Thursday night. Chapter …
Porcupine Piracy »
When I found a porcupine in my yard a couple of nights ago while videoing the coyotes across the driveway, it never really occurred to …
I Can Not Tell A Lie… »
I came across this “letter of apology” today. I have dozens of them from Anthony over the past four years. Whenever he is sent to …
Fiction Friday 9/16/11 »
Fiction Friday, my way of forcing myself to write outside my comfort zone of non-fiction, by backing myself into a corner every Thursday night. To …
Just Another Scenic Sunday 09/04/11 »
This week in my life I… Was thankful for lots of nice milling trees… Was thankful that DAN had to limb this one, and not …
Why Off-Grid? »
We turn the handle, water flows from the faucet. We flip a switch and a light goes on or off. We flush a toilet, crank …