On my childhood farm, we birthed lots of litters of kittens. Often unintentionally. (To be fair, we needed barn and basement “mousers,” and Bob Barker’s warning was still several years out.) We had so many cats, we stopped naming them, and stopped missing them when they stopped showing up at the … [Read more...] about A Desperate Reach
Blog Posts
Surviving a Collapse
For nearly a decade, my mom and I shared a twice-yearly tradition/obsession. We met in a small town between us for their semi-annual city-wide sale called “Crazy Days.” We woke before dawn to beat other bargain hunters to the mall or the gift shop or the local boutique. Both of us owned furniture … [Read more...] about Surviving a Collapse
Languishing & Loaned Words
It was a subject of every parent-teacher conference that year, and it lived on into my adulthood. It still has legs, even today. It was significant enough and memorable enough that Dad and I reminisced about it during his last weeks, and he even included it in the written account of his life … [Read more...] about Languishing & Loaned Words
When Doors Close
Admittedly, it was an ambitious bucket-list excursion. Two years into my chronic, progressive disease we took a whirlwind trip overseas. I had never been outside the Western hemisphere. So, despite my limited capability and life-altering fatigue, we decided I was finally doing well enough to take … [Read more...] about When Doors Close
Utility Room Faith
Functional rather than attractive, it never seemed odd or significant that we called it the “utility room” growing up. After a major remodel gobbled up our one-car garage, this tiny room became both a laundry room and miscellaneous storage. It was where our washer and dryer and muddy boots lived, … [Read more...] about Utility Room Faith
Parented by Porchlight
Oh no, the light is out. I’m in hot water. Rolling onto the crunchy gravel drive long past my high school curfew, something seemed off. The familiar porchlight that was always on until our last family member was safely inside, was dark. Either there had been a family emergency and they’d … [Read more...] about Parented by Porchlight