More jottings

I know I missed Wednesday. But I had company, which I’m considering a good excuse. I’m too short on time to really do an in-depth post, and I’m not sure I have much to say right now anyway. So, I’m going to do exactly what I did last week, and pull something from one ofContinueContinue reading “More jottings”

Pioneer Camping Grounds and Stops

Days 4 – 6: After a refreshing couple days spent celebrating my father-in-law’s birthday, catching up on laundry, and grabbing some groceries, we are back on the road! I know it might seem odd to go back to Independence when we technically had moved past it, but I simply had to try a tour fromContinueContinue reading “Pioneer Camping Grounds and Stops”

Camping Practice: Part One

Have you ever heard of a “practice” camping trip? Yeah, me neither. But my husband insisted that it was necessary. When he first suggested this abominable plan in January, gently noting that I hadn’t set foot in a tent in almost two decades and insinuating it might be better to know how to set upContinueContinue reading “Camping Practice: Part One”

Everyday Idylls

I stopped, gasping for breath, gaping up at the sky in complete, utter wonder. No one would ever believe me. So no one but my diary learned about that moment for many years. I was ten or eleven. My family and a few others were walking back to the ranch after visiting the large gardenContinueContinue reading “Everyday Idylls”

Hope and Storytelling

When I exited the house that night, I slipped into my car, and unfolded the check I had been handed for a night of babysitting. And then I leaned my head against the steering wheel, and I wept. Making it in college is rarely easy. I had moved across the country, to a state whereContinueContinue reading “Hope and Storytelling”

Goats and Progress

There was another family who had also built a cabin in the middle of the woods. I remember precisely one thing about them. They had goats. You know that feeling when you bite into a piece of soft, creamy goat cheese? You let the pungent flavors soak in on your tongue, closing your eyes asContinueContinue reading “Goats and Progress”

Drawing Water and Mourning Doves

Before our neighbors put a well in, one of our main sources of water when we lived in the woods was the stream that flowed across our driveway. We didn’t know there was a stream across the driveway when we put it in, but as soon as rain hit, it ran as heavily as ifContinueContinue reading “Drawing Water and Mourning Doves”