The Dying(?) Art of Knowing Your Neighbors

March 21, 2012June 18, 2012 ~ Kana Smith ~ 49 Comments

A fellow blogger has recently been bemoaning the hassles of moving, and I couldn't be more in sympathy! It doesn't help that I've had to move five times in the last four years, but I never liked moving to begin with. When my first husband and I bought a house, I swore I was going … Continue reading The Dying(?) Art of Knowing Your Neighbors

Some barely-related stories, and memories of a Storyteller

March 20, 2012May 5, 2012 ~ Kana Smith ~ 16 Comments

I have to say, I quite enjoyed the ethical discussion spurred by the post about my writing-dilemma last week ("Cheatin' on a Cheater"). Not everyone was in favor of my "solution" (if, indeed, my decision deserves such a designation)--but we all got to thinking, didn't we? On a related topic, this morning I also enjoyed reading … Continue reading Some barely-related stories, and memories of a Storyteller

From Volcanic Hotspots to an Atomic Town

January 15, 2012January 19, 2012 ~ Kana Smith ~ 8 Comments

Third day on the roads of Idaho for the Western Byways Editorial Team (see 'Western Byways on the Road... Carey, Idaho and Ice Fishing, Hot Springs, and a Duck-Hunting Writer)... Lunchtime... We’re parked on a dirt road in the narrow plain between the Lost River Range and the White Cloud Range of mountains. Normally at this time … Continue reading From Volcanic Hotspots to an Atomic Town

Ice Fishing, Hot Springs, and a Duck-Hunting Writer…

January 14, 2012May 5, 2012 ~ Kana Smith ~ 13 Comments

Day Two--Western Byways Editorial Team on the Road... By the time we unfolded ourselves from the motor-home's fold-out bed this morning, the temperature had just pushed into double digits, and I felt intrepid enough to step outside and indulge in my Very Bad Habit... The foothills beyond the stretch of high-desert prairie were warming in … Continue reading Ice Fishing, Hot Springs, and a Duck-Hunting Writer…

A Forum on Freelancing

December 22, 2011December 22, 2011 ~ Kana Smith ~ 50 Comments

Almost four months ago my seasonal job at the Idaho State Park near our house ended with the summer. My husband Keoni and I had been tossing around the idea of NOT searching for my "next job," but doing something instead that I felt moved to do (namely, write) and treating that as though it … Continue reading A Forum on Freelancing

Wearing a Party-Tail

November 20, 2011July 11, 2012 ~ Kana Smith ~ 44 Comments

I was rummaging through some old notebooks today, trying to find the lyrics to a song we loved as kids–”If everybody had a tail and chose its shape and size“… What I found instead was a pair of pages written about a decade ago, reflecting on the different personalities with which I seemed to write … Continue reading Wearing a Party-Tail

“Honey, out here we pronounce that ‘Iowa’…”

October 27, 2011October 28, 2011 ~ Kana Smith ~ 52 Comments

I actually got that response once, from an older lady (you know, probably about the age I am now) at a campground on the east coast, when I responded to her friendly where-ya-from by answering "Idaho." Unsure whether a third-grader were allowed to correct a Grownup, I defaulted by abruptly removing myself from the conversation, … Continue reading “Honey, out here we pronounce that ‘Iowa’…”