relationships

A collection of 28 posts

friends

Busted

I grew up in a state that has a lot of skiing. And, back in the day, the more famous ski resorts actually gave out free season passes to kids. I loved skiing, and pretty much only wanted to ski moguls, the double diamonds, jump off stuff, or be in

desert

This Is Art...

Years ago, I was living fairly far away from my brother, and he made the trek to come see me. We spent the weekend doing a variety of things, and one of those things was going to a pretty-famous, nearby town to which he had never been. It was early

food

Dirtbags Never Die

My husband, back in the day, used to be a dirtbag. He lived in his truck and went climbing, and did that game. And while now he has an adult job with actual health insurance and he does things like re-screens our windows with pet-proof material, parts of his dirtbag

art

Did It Work?

According to the internet, the original HALO computer game was released in 2001. According to my distant high school memories, this checks out. I know it came out when I was living at my parents house because my brother pre-ordered it and was counting the moments until it was delivered.

relationships

Let the Spice Flow

Recently, my husband had to get a gift for someone he knew. This person was a guy who took pride in his appearance. My husband, a self described present hater, did his normal deal when faced with the life event of having to give a gift. He panicked for a

art

Never Meet Your Teenaged Self

Recently I fell ill, like, I was so sick I didn't go to work, which means I was real sick. In my dazed state I browsed Prime and saw they were streaming A Knight's Tale which I hadn't seen since, well, probably since it

food

When You Turn Into Your Mother

I have a distinct memory from childhood. We were in the car, the entire family, in a notoriously windy canyon. I was too young to drive and was in the backseat. We came up to a yellow road sign. You know the kind, the yellow diamond. On it was an

horror

I Don't Really Want to Be Here

Recently I found myself at an airport and in need of a ride to my hotel. The last time I’d been traveling, I’d looked into the taxi vs. ride share prices and found, in the area in which I was, taxis were cheaper. So this time, upon having

beach

The Magic Of Swimming

One of the books I really liked in 2024 was Whalefall by Daniel Kraus. A friend of mine read it because I recommended it. While reading it, she texted me. WTH is with this book? And, thinking this meant she loved it, I messaged, Isn’t it great? Her response

beach

A Burger Bucket Christmas

One year my husband was in an extended training in the south. It happened to extend through the month of December, and I figured we should make the most of it. I flew out there, and we went to St. Augustine, Florida for Christmas. For those of you who don’

cats

Toxic is a Broad Definition

As mentioned, I've got some cats. These cats destroy any plants I bring into the house. I would love to have a house full of plants, but I'd have to choose between the felines and the chlorophyl, and I guess I've already made that

autumn

Marriage is Like A Forest...

One beautiful autumn day, my husband and I drove way into the mountains to go bird hunting. We turned off the pavement and onto a dirt road, the aspens a beautiful gold. The road was empty save for several fully loaded logging trucks. At the trailhead, we got ready and

books

Gifts

My husband and I have very different gift giving habits. I love giving gifts. He HATES it. He panics. It's a lifestyle, I think. I try to be compassionate, but I don't really get it. But I do acknowledge that it's real. So this

autumn

The C-Store Round Two

On the last day of my annual North Dakota trip, I was riding in the car with my three other travel buddies. We'd spent the week wandering around the prairie, and on our final night my male friend realized, we were out of tonic water. "Did you

relationships

Hardly Anyone Here Swims

At my work, every now and then, the Big, Big, Big Boss gives us a couple of hours off for whatever reason, a holiday, a birthday, a different holiday. On one Friday I got two extra hours off, and I decided to celebrate by going lap swimming. I love lap

autumn

Wagon Dreams

Fall had started. My husband was his usual ecstatic self. The days were getting cooler. The light less harsh. All the things I hated. We were driving to stomp around the mountains, the aspens just starting to yellow, but first we needed gas. He filled up the truck while I

cats

One Chicken, Two Chicken

I live in a rural area. On my street, we are probably the only people who don't have a collection of farm animals. We do have two ferocious, indoor felines who regularly let the bird population know, if that window glass wasn't there, they'd

cats

It's Not About Space

Recently, I was at my parents' house. They asked me what I was writing. "Well," I said, "the premise is that most people have left Earth..." "Where did they go?" my dad cut in. "Other planets. Colonies. That's not the

nature

It's Rather Loud Out Here

I have spent a lot of time outside. So has my husband, and on his off time, he often hikes to scout for elk and deer. One day we were both off, so we went to check out an area he hadn't been to but thought had potential.

cats

Physics Be Damned

At one point we lived in a house with a concrete slab foundation. When we moved out of it, we moved to a farmhouse with... Well, not a concrete slab foundation. The first night we spent on the ground floor of the house, my husband fell asleep almost instantly (he

food

Everything Has a Recipe

Years ago, while on vacation with my family, I convinced my dad to help me bake a desert. My dad, who at the time didn't have the best working hearing aides, agreed to help but was very dismayed when he found out I needed him to knead some

nature

Cherry Belly

When my parents came to visit, we decided to go pick cherries. It was the final weekend at a local orchard, and summer was in full swing. My dad, who was there when we made the plans, but wasn't really paying attention, was dismayed to learn just what

relationships

The Shoe Store

As I've mentioned, I live in a rural area. One weekend, my parents came to visit, and after two days of dawn to dusk activities, we hit a lull in the late afternoon. My mom suggested we go get my dad some new tennis shoes. Also, as mentioned,

desert

That Looks Ominous

The second time I ever hung out with the guy who would become my husband, he asked me to go stomp around some sun-blasted, stick infested, section of scrub oak filled Forest Service land. He said he wanted to go quail scouting (it was spring, so not hunting season) and

desert

Signs

Recently, my friends said there was a cool bar near their house with a fun, speakeasy vibe. We all walked over there, my friends, my husband, and I, and it was a gorgeous evening. We reached the bar, and there was a sign, about three feet tall, posted at the