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
Tag: Names
The Accidental Cat Lady
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)
"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
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
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”
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…
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…






