While substitute teaching in Crooked Creek, Alaska this past January, I couldn’t help but notice the weather. Mind you, Crooked Creek (known to locals simply as “Crooked”) is deep in the interior of Alaska, winding along the banks of the Kuskokwim River. So why was it 40 degrees. . .? The duplex I was staying […]
One wonders—do mice make plans? Do they wake up and make a little mental list, including such items as gathering seeds, grooming their paws, and remembering to be grateful for peanut butter sandwiches? I’m sure I don’t know. But I do know that the other half of Mr. Burns’ famous duo, the human creature, certainly […]
Where was I? The Snowmachiner returned from his surveying trip and told me that he was ready to start for Togiak. I hastily called the Forklift Operator, who said he would have his employee Freddie meet the Snowmachiner there. I called the Snowmachiner back and gave him the green light, whereupon he hooked up his […]
I am beyond picky when it comes to reading fiction, but recently I realized that one of my pet peeves isn’t founded in fact. I tend to get really irritated when a science fiction author describes a planet as a “desert planet” or a “jungle planet.” I was muttering about this to my husband one […]
My first memory of wheels is a tricycle I got when I was three or four. I wanted to paint it because it was a little bit rusty. My mother produced a small can of blue paint and a brush, and I went to town. I have often wondered if a bit of parental touching […]
Whenever I need a moment, I drive to a tiny overlook in the west side of Craig. There is room for two cars, but more often than not I have the space to myself. One of my favorite things about Craig is how small it is: I can drive to this spot, almost all the […]
Alaska has a regulation that says a student who brings a gun to school must be suspended for a minimum of one year. While I was principal in Kake, Alaska ,there was at least one school board member who had missed that memo. I know this because one day he drove up to the elementary […]
Stop tipping your chair. You’re going to fall. If you fall, you will disrupt class. If you’re going to tip your chair, could you at least keep it on two legs? One leg looks really dangerous. How do you keep it balanced like that? I’ve really never seen a kid keep a chair balanced on […]
Soon after my husband and I met, he brought me a feisty calico kitten, who grew up to be a feisty calico cat. One summer, we worked at a tree nursery/landscaping business, and we stayed on site in a small pickup bed camper. More than once I found birds in various stages of disassembly. One […]