I use “don” in the sense of “don we now our gay apparel” in which “don” means put on (clothing, etc) and “gay” means “festive.” “Don” is a perfectly fine word. It only had one job, and it did it well. Why our living language chose to drop it and replace it with the rightfully […]
Author: Evelyn J. Willburn
Welcome to Port P
Port Protection, Alaska is a community of about fifty souls, many of whom are ex-patriots of urban living, who migrated to the end of the road and a little further. Port P, as it is often known, is almost to the very northern end of Prince of Wales Island. To get there from the rest […]
Adventures in pyrotechnics
Of course, it’s a fairly common occurrence for conditions to be too dry for fireworks. Here in Southeast Alaska, though, it sometimes gets too wet for fireworks. This happens when the ground is so saturated with rain that you can’t find a stable spot to put things down. In conditions like this, you might light […]
Poor Clarence
Poor Clarence showed up in our back yard one day, skin and bones, wearing a collar that appeared to weigh more than he did, and suffering from a whole-body tremor. He appeared to be a cross between a Chihuahua and a beagle. He was desperately fearful of everything that moved, and of many things that […]
Where’s Calvin?
The seventh graders and I were setting up for a bingo fundraiser. During class I took them out in the school van. First, we went around town collecting food donations from families. Then we took the donations to the bingo hall, which was very close to the school. While we were there, we stayed to […]
Wisteria (for Aunt Helen)
The wisteria is climbing the kitchen door; I pull it down, but it keeps looking for a new angle. It was such a long time ago that Laura and I Painted the trellis for that vine–it was just Beginning to grow, and the flowers smelled so sweet. Summer lasted forever in those days, and I […]
Care to receive notifications of new posts?
If you want, you can get an email notifying you of each new post. Just scroll down to the comment box, and click as if to write a comment. An option to get emails will appear, just click the box and you are good to go! At least I think so. I learn a little […]
Ghoulies and ghosties and long-leggedy beasties
Who among us, even the rankest of existentialists, does not occasionally ponder the supernatural? While I have had plenty of experiences that seemed ghostly, most have had an explanation that stands up to daylight scrutiny. Scene: I have just finished watching some TV show about Dracula. I am eight years old and scared to go […]
In which I share pictures of a dear friend
A few months after I bought this car that I keep rattling on about, I walked into the Alaska Gifts store in Craig and spotted a perfectly color-coded mascot: Notice that in certain light she creates a disco-ball effect: She rides with me everywhere I go, and I like to think she has a sense […]