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The Turtle-Shell Autobiography

drawing of a sea turtle
October 15, 2025October 23, 2025 ~ Kana Smith ~ 1 Comment

Baby green sea turtles hatch on the beaches of Baja California on the Sea of Cortez, hump their way toward the water, and vanish in the surf. They vanish for five years, before they return to those beaches to lay their own eggs. In his achingly lyrical Telling Our Way to the Sea, Aaron Hirsch … Continue reading The Turtle-Shell Autobiography

On Hobbits & Hobbit-Holes

a marine-themed study
October 11, 2025October 11, 2025 ~ Kana Smith ~ 4 Comments

One of my favorite coffee mugs was a gift from my sister, covered all over with "famous first lines" of novels. I have a degree in English literature, and I still had to look a few of them up---I guess they can't all be "Call me Ishmael." But I do think there's one first line … Continue reading On Hobbits & Hobbit-Holes

Stop, Don’t Make Me Chinkle!

cartoon toilet paper roll with smile and tagline "roll with it"
October 1, 2025October 2, 2025 ~ Kana Smith ~ 2 Comments

It's a word of my own coinage, particular to post-childbirth and post-menopausal experiences---a mashup of "chortle" and "tinkle." A mashup word for the mashup experience. A chinkle is a laugh that makes you wee a little. At the risk of venturing into TMI territory: in earlier stages of my life, damp panties were indicative of … Continue reading Stop, Don’t Make Me Chinkle!

A Visit (And a Visitation)

June 19, 2017June 19, 2017 ~ Kana Smith ~ 6 Comments

One of the interesting things about working at Home Depot is that our customers have a definite expectation that anyone in an orange apron will be able to answer any of their questions. And the reason our customers have that expectation is because we are encouraged not to answer with “I don’t know.” When I … Continue reading A Visit (And a Visitation)

Addendum to a Eulogy

Thanksgiving rose
December 4, 2016November 20, 2025 ~ Kana Smith ~ 3 Comments

Yesterday my dad should have turned seventy. He passed away this year on my birthday, so this weekend we've been missing him on his. Ironically, I could still practice my favorite joke-ritual, which was not to call my dad (whose depth of phone-phobia was rivaled only by my sister's and my own) on his birthday. I … Continue reading Addendum to a Eulogy

Living Large by Living SMALL

fifth wheel RV camp
November 30, 2016December 9, 2016 ~ Kana Smith ~ 1 Comment

Sometimes the Stuff we own ends up owning us... Here's a look at life with LESS!

Bathing Ferrets, Idaho Wildlife, & Pumpkin Pie

November 28, 2012November 20, 2025 ~ Kana Smith ~ 40 Comments

I used to think that my sister and I had the best-ever outlet for playing with our bath toys. We grew up in an Idaho farm-town that practiced irrigation-watering for the lawns in town, so our front yard was flooded in several inches of water for a couple evenings every week. I still have memories … Continue reading Bathing Ferrets, Idaho Wildlife, & Pumpkin Pie

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"As for me, I am tormented with an everlasting itch for things remote. I love to sail forbidden seas, and land on barbarous coasts."

~ Herman Melville, Moby-Dick

  1. William's avatar
    William on In Which We Don’t Sail Into the SunsetMay 7, 2026

    I used to sail. Seemingly a long, long time ago. 20+ years ago since I last hoisted a sail, but…

  2. KENNETH's avatar
    KENNETH on In Which We Don’t Sail Into the SunsetMay 4, 2026

    Good evening from Middleton Manchester UK ITS time to bang the rocks together and visit www.theaardvarkskettle.com

  3. writerunblockedrepublic's avatar
    writerunblockedrepublic on In Which We Don’t Sail Into the SunsetMay 1, 2026

    Hi Kana, I nominate you for a Sunshine Blogger Award! https://writerunblockedrepublic.com/2026/05/02/sunshine-blogger-award/

  4. cswatts's avatar
    cswatts on Spenser “With an ‘S,’ Like the Poet”April 28, 2026

    It's taken me a long time to get around to this post. Love Robert B. Parker and the Spenser series;…

  5. Unknown's avatar
    Anonymous on In Which We Don’t Sail Into the SunsetApril 24, 2026

    You may find the Boathouses Virtual Tour I've just blogged interesting, although not sure if it could fit your boat.…

"It is not down on any map; true places never are"

~ Herman Melville, Moby-Dick

What is WRONG With People? A Pain in the Neck If the Present is a Gift, so is the Past Cow Physiology 101 The “Year in Books” On the Palm Tree as an Antidepressant Untitled Dragon Biography The Christmas-Tree Trade-In
  • One of My Very Bad Habits
  • When you Assume... you make an ASS out of U & ME
  • Hunting for Answers in Pink Camo: Why is it...
  • February Sunshine!
  • Marginalia & Time-Travel
  • Blogger Call to Action: Please Help Me Happy-Dance
  • Amazing Grace, how sweet the SOUNDS
  • A Forum on Freelancing
  • A Lesson on Letting Go
  • Pushed Over the Edge?

"Not all those who wander are lost."

~J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

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