The Oregon Years

As I type this, Al is out running and the kids are napping. I'm cozied up by the fire with a cup of coffee, watching the last dregs of sunlight try to reach the lowest part of the valley.  Last night I got to do some baking with my boyfriend's 5 year old daughter. I took a few pictures, but I'm not putting them up. In fact, I'm not going to put her name on here. I'll just use AD for Al's Daughter. So AD wanted to make some banana bread. For a few weeks she's been talking about it and last night was the first time we've had a chance, so we took it. I asked if I could put my grandma's old apron on her to take a picture. She said yes, but that she'd prefer to use her own apron for baking. ____ The banana bread was a hit. A few weeks went by and the little baker was at it again. For Christmas we made some fudge, a blackberry cobbler, two sweet potato pies, gingerbread cookies and frosted sugar cookies. AD is a good baker. And it helps us to have ...

Just like that, I'm at the National Council of Teachers of English meeting in St. Louis. It's an annual, moveable feast and I've been privileged to attend and present for many years. I complained a lot the day before I left. I'm a homebody. I don't like to go places. I like to *be* places, but I don't like getting on an off airplanes since they are basically sardine cans with recycled germ air where I usually catch a cold or some other disease. I am always sure I'll get dysentery on the way home. Once I get on the plane though, things go fine. But mark my words - nothing good happens in an airport. Honestly, I am surprised at how easy my trip in was.  I got up at 5, hit the airport by 6:30 or so, and hopped the first of three flights. Both of my layovers were about half an hour so things had to be timed well or else disaster could strike. My second flight, which was four hours long, had me seated next to a woman with four boys, aged 14 down to 8 months. Th...

I moved to Oregon about five months ago. I was offered a job with a wonderful small, private non-profit, liberal university and leapt at the chance to get away from the dust bowl of Ellensburg, Washington and begin anew in Oregon. It was June and I drove a Uhaul while my ex husband drove my car for me. We each had a cat with us. I had Sophie, my semi-feral, long-haired, sassy Maine Coon kitten, and Grey had Lucy the geriatric,potato-shaped, crotchety old lady cat. I had moving men do the unloading into a small but well appointed apartment, said goodbye to my ex, and got everything unpacked within a week. The sun was out in my new town and it stayed out for four months straight. I began my new position in earnest and enjoyed my favorite and best summer for as long as I can remember. Of course, I've begun in medias res . I'm pretty sure you don't need to know every damn detail of my life because frankly, I like a certain level of privacy and I don't think my past is mor...