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Tag: Names

A Virtual Sit-Down with Author Dan Beachy-Quick

writer in a whaleboat with a book, drifting on a calm ocean
November 20, 2025November 20, 2025 ~ Kana Smith ~ 4 Comments

Usually, when you read a book, it's easy to tell how far along you are, and how much you have left. Not so with Dan Beachy-Quick's A Whaler's Dictionary---at least, not if you follow its instructions. Usually, when you read a book, you don't need instructions, but this one comes with a "How to Use … Continue reading A Virtual Sit-Down with Author Dan Beachy-Quick

The Accidental Cat Lady

a cat in the windowseat
November 13, 2025December 10, 2025 ~ Kana Smith ~ 91 Comments

We didn't ever mean to have five cats. But how could that happen by ACCIDENT, you ask. Well, here's the thing. When we took this job managing an RV park, the job came with a house. We'd lived in an RV our entire marriage, so we moved into that house without a stick of furniture. … Continue reading The Accidental Cat Lady

To Life, and Courage (and DuoLingo)

whale tail
October 16, 2025October 23, 2025 ~ Kana Smith ~ 30 Comments

"Pearls Before Swine" by Stephen Pastis I never realized that John Steinbeck was a biologist. It's not what he's known for, certainly, and it's not what he was educated for, but it's what he did, for a time. Actually, with regard to education, he left even his English degree incomplete... not that its lack held … Continue reading To Life, and Courage (and DuoLingo)

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

“Hi, My Name is Right Brain”

social media icons on a tablet, next to a paperback book
September 27, 2025September 28, 2025 ~ Kana Smith ~ 7 Comments

I confess myself to be a selfish user of social media. I put things there (at least I do when I travel, or when I write) but I don't read there. The thing is, I'd generally rather read a book. At its best, social media should be an exchange of interest. At its best, it … Continue reading “Hi, My Name is Right Brain”

A Cowpoke by Any Other Name…

Umatilla Indians in beaded regalia riding a horse
September 14, 2025September 19, 2025 ~ Kana Smith ~ 2 Comments

We've been invaded by fringe. I don't mean a "fringe element." I mean honest-to-gosh FRINGE, bedecking everything in sight. Fringe on jackets, fringe on vests, fringe on pants, fringe on chaps, fringe on boots. The cowboys wear fringe, the Indians wear fringe. The spectators wear fringe. The horses wear fringe! It's Rodeo Week in Pendleton, … Continue reading A Cowpoke by Any Other Name…

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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. isabellaawentworth's avatar
    isabellaawentworth on The Accidental Cat LadyMarch 7, 2026

    Cats are the best! They're a lot of work, but they're still the best. I loved reading your story!

  2. ivythissmalllife's avatar
    ivythissmalllife on The Accidental Cat LadyFebruary 25, 2026

    I'm so happy to have stumbled upon this post. My daughter and I (both allergic, plus I'm also asthmatic) started…

  3. NEERAJ SINGH's avatar
    NEERAJ SINGH on The Accidental Cat LadyFebruary 23, 2026

    so beautiful ♥️

  4. yusefasabiyah's avatar
    yusefasabiyah on In Which We Don’t Sail Into the SunsetFebruary 16, 2026

    Owning the boat was associated with beautiful dreams of romance and adventure. If you sell the boat, you'll have a…

  5. judy thompson's avatar
    judy thompson on The Accidental Cat LadyFebruary 3, 2026

    I suspect we have a magic 'hobo' sign on our mailbox, for forty + years cats have wandered up our…

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

~ Herman Melville, Moby-Dick

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"Not all those who wander are lost."

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

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