So, here I sit on the stoop of my little apartment in Aniak, sipping my coffee and looking cool. Check out the hair. Before I left Craig for my two-month stint as a fifth-grade teacher, I forgot to get a haircut. For most of the past ten or so years, I kept my hair cut […]
“Hold still, boy.”
When my father was three years old, he followed his older sisters and parents up the steps of a house. On the porch was a large German shepherd, and he happily reached out to pet the dear puppy. He told me that the last words he heard before the huge jaws closed on his face […]
My little iron horse
When I was growing up, my sisters and I were enamored by the stories written by Laura Ingalls Wilder, also known as the Little House on the Prairie series. (For those of you thinking, “Oh, I remember that TV show,” it’s not your turn to talk. These are books.) Early on, my favorite part was […]
The one and only Warthog
In the early 1970’s my parents paid three hundred dollars for a 1967 Chevrolet Impala. This “impala” was a great growling beast of a four-door sedan. My father took one look at it and christened it the Warthog, explaining that this was a much more apt description of its basic properties. Among its many physical […]
Catch me if you can
I have heard it said that there are no atheists in foxholes; I think the same could be said for the experience of flying over an Alaskan mountain range on a clear spring day, albeit for a very different reason. As I look out the airplane window, I succumb to the ever-present temptation to take […]
Keep an eye on your treasures
I spend a fair amount of time worrying that somebody is going to steal my stuff. This feeling is especially keen when I am passing through airport security. I always have everything but the kitchen sink in my carryon luggage, and have to utilize five or six of those plastic tubs to spread everything out […]
Split ends and other beauty-related foolishness
My sister Laura reminded me recently about the “split ends” phenomenon of our youth. As she said, the shampoo and conditioner companies made millions by convincing insecure teenager girls that their hair, if not properly cared for using their products, would develop split ends. Somehow, the magic elixir that was their conditioner would knit these […]
A family of Chia pets (illustrated version)
Who among us has not gone to bed with wet hair? First, the evening shower, and the washing, conditioning, and combing of the magnificent mane: And then, the horror of the next morning: I don’t know about you, but this happens to me on a regular basis. Is this why people used to wear night […]
In which I set out to learn a new skill
I think one of the secrets of life must be to keep learning new things, no matter how great or how small. Some will learn how to build a new and better space rocket, while I have a more modest goal: to learn how to confidently pilot a four-wheeler. A lot of communities in rural […]
Greased pig (the musical version)
Although I haven’t read any primary sources on the topic, I imagine the term “greased pig” to be a holdover from the old days of the state fair. Officials would choose a likely young pig, smear it all over with something akin to bacon grease (hah! Very meta, don’t you think?) and turn it loose […]