Two days ago we woke up to palm trees. Yesterday and today Jon left for his morning walk with layers of clothing between his long-johns and his parka, the Fahrenheit thermometer whining nineteen degrees. Or perhaps the whining was coming from us. It's always a pleasure to come back to our comfortable home, after being … Continue reading My Natural State, and Damnable Nature
Author: Kana Smith
How to Define “Old”
I asked for a printed boarding pass for our flight home. “I’m old-school—I like paper,” I told the young gal behind the desk. “Actually,” I amended, grinning, “I’m just plain old.” When she shook her head in polite denial, I countered: “I remember people smoking on airplanes. I think that makes me old.” The “Ohmygod!” … Continue reading How to Define “Old”
On the Palm Tree as an Antidepressant
My mother and I were just talking about this, about how strongly she loves palm trees and how it would be difficult to be depressed when you’re in sight of them. It’s not the palm tree itself that has antidepressant qualities, of course—the palm tree is more like a “side effect” of what truly affects … Continue reading On the Palm Tree as an Antidepressant
Swimmy Christmas
We’re not having the smoothest luck with air travel this month. Yesterday at 3am we queued up at the airline counter to check in and check our bag… and after a few minutes, someone came up to us and said, “You do know the flight is cancelled, right?” (Of all the dumb questions! If we … Continue reading Swimmy Christmas
“Travel Eve”
We fly out for Christmas in the morning, which means we’re currently driving to a hotel by our airport. Living where we do, the night-before-travel hotel room is an integral part of the trip. Call it “Travel Eve.” For those of you (which will be most of you) who haven’t experienced the joys of a … Continue reading “Travel Eve”
Dragon Biography
Yesterday morning I saw this writing-prompt: "Would you rather have a pet dragon the size of a cat, or a cat the size of a dragon?" As I read the responder's list of advantages to cat-sized dragons, I realized I was grinning. I have lived with a cat-sized dragon! When my son was an infant, … Continue reading Dragon Biography
The Christmas-Tree Trade-In
This year we are bucking traditions and trading in the Christmas Tree for palm trees! A couple years ago my mom got herself a little winter place in California, as a way to get out from under the north-Idaho Winter Blues. It gets dark really early, in winter in northern Idaho. The days are short, … Continue reading The Christmas-Tree Trade-In





