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Tiny Dinosaur
When I was little, I accidentally dropped a small, plastic dinosaur out the back window of my dad’s 1987 Ford Ranger. I was five years old and had been pretending that the dinosaur was running quickly through the woods, holding him up against the open pop-out window as we sped through the Cascade Mountains. My
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Check ID
I started working retail in 2001, back when I was still in high school. I was at this little shop in my small hometown that sold patio furniture and pool chemicals and swimming toys and all sorts of junk that nobody needs. There was no computer when I started. We were still using those little
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I am reading a parenting book.
I hate parenting books–they make everything seem so dire. “Keith’s parents were slow to respond to him when he cried as a baby so as an adult he robbed an ATM and is now in prison.” “Taylor’s parents were always patient and kind to him. They knew exactly what to say and exactly what to
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Accidentally revealing my small-town, middle-class roots.
I was with a friend and some acquaintances at the playground the other day, and my friend was mentioning that her sister had just chaperoned the French Club trip. “Oh, where did they go?” I asked. “Uh, to France,” one of my acquaintances chimed in with an amused tone that signaled the absurdity of my
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The Veterinarian Witch
I took my young cat to the vet on Tuesday, just for his annual exam and vaccines and such. Have I mentioned that I’m pretty sure our veterinarian is a witch? I love our veterinarian. She looks to be about 600 years old, is less than five feet tall, and has the high crackly voice
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Odds & Ends
We’ve been watching the Marble Olympics in my house. At first, I was about as excited about the Marble Olympics as I am about the actual Olympics, which is to say not at all. But oh man, once you start to get attached to a marble team it’s a whole different experience. I am now
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The Blog Can Be Anything
I mentioned last week that I had become obsessed with a mausoleum I found while wandering through a cemetery a few weeks ago. This mausoleum family’s story is both fascinating and tragic, and there really is enough here for me to write an extended piece on them. I could include all sorts of interesting facts
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Sick Days
I was sick all weekend and am just this morning feeling like I have turned the corner back to the world of health and accomplishments. It’s amazing how overwhelming life is when you’re sick. I would lay on the couch and picture the healthy people of the world going about their day–loading groceries in their
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Planned Obsolescence
I took my kids to the playground on a weekday afternoon last week. I sat on the bench in the cold air hoping the sun would warm me up a little and had a realization: I am no longer needed here. This new phase of life has really snuck up on me. There were many
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Odds & Ends
Did you know that nine- and eleven-year-old kids still expect to receive an Easter basket on Easter morning? This did not occur to me until recently. I get lulled into complacency by the fact that we’re done with indoor playgrounds and the constant supervision stage; I forget that some childhood embellishments last much longer than