Archive

In preparation for my upcoming sankyu (brown belt) test, Hanshi introduced me to the sai last week. This ancient martial weapon takes after an agricultural tool used for planting seeds. The long, [...]

Pepito, the French feral King of Fork Mountain, survived the inhospitable gash behind his right ear in addition to hunkering down through our first snow of the season. While it’s true that I have [...]

Sweet, Salty, ‘n’ Spicy Harvest Bake Today I baked one of my favorite fall feasts that also happens to be just about the easiest thing to throw together on a lazy Sunday afternoon. Using all [...]

Dear Andrew Bird fans, I relatively new Writing Life reader recently contacted me about the my post the day after I saw Mr. Bird perform live in Asheville, North Carolina. After a week of posts [...]

The Blue Ridge may not be the best place for me to meet like-minds when it comes to politics and religion, but it sure is the place to have your vehicle break down. Two days ago, the harmonizing [...]

For the past several days, I have been pondering the symbol of the yellow brick road. I finish nannying about the time the sun is straight overhead. On a clear day, the sunlight is buttery yellow [...]

It’s difficult to go more than a few days here on Fork Mountain without a reminder of its wildness. This morning I stepped out the back door to feed Pepito, the ferel cat that I speak to solely [...]

[The awards ceremony was incredible. I was seated with my parents, front row, between U.S. Congressman Price on the right and Caldwell Laureate recipient Marsha White Warren on the left (she [...]

Exciting news, folks: Today is the day I get to publicly announce the literary prize that I won. I have updated my website—the resume, all the downloadable clips, the links, the current [...]

Today’s rainy weather must have been sponsored by the Pacific Northwest. Although this stretch of the Southern Appalachians receives the exact same annual precipitation as my hometown of [...]