I vividly remember the first time I stumbled across a quote by George Bernard Shaw: “He who can does; he who cannot, teaches.” Boy did that ruffle my non-existent feathers. I wanted to peck his little Nobel Prize to pieces. I’ve been in education for over 20 years, and here’s what I know to be true: Teachers find self worth by sharing knowledge, not attaining … Continue reading Best Bagels, Best Teachers
It’s hard to believe we are finishing Week 6 of pandemic restrictions in Anchorage. The orders to hunker down are working, and today we celebrate that no new cases of COVID-19 were reported in Alaska! Next week our city begins the slow process of reopening, and I pray our numbers remain under control. In the past few weeks we have established a family routine that … Continue reading Our New Normal for Now
Families everywhere are looking for ways to pass the time and connect during this pandemic, and in our house we’ve stumbled upon something that is working really well. Like many families out there, we play games. And like most families out there, we watch movies. But we’ve linked these two activities in a competitive manner, and it has made all the difference in the world. … Continue reading Game Nights for Movie Rights
Writing is my happy place, and last night I had some fun creating a parody of Dr. Seuss’s classic How the Grinch Stole Christmas. I’m sharing with the hope that it can bring someone a smile during this difficult time. The Virus Who Tried to Ruin Easter So many humans on Earth liked Easter a lot… But COVID-19 clearly did not! The virus hated Easter! … Continue reading The Virus Who Tried to Ruin Easter
Happy Anniversary to us: 2020 marks 18 years of marriage and 26 years together! And with COVID-19, I mean together. All days, all nights, always. (Actually, as of now Clark is still going into his office daily, but we are following all the “hunker down” orders in effect for our community.) We never make a big to-do of our anniversary, so it wasn’t a huge … Continue reading Frame by Frame
So COVID-19. Wow. Many of us are simultaneously working, teaching, learning, parenting, and disinfecting. Let’s be honest: if these are our frustrations, we are the lucky ones. It means we are healthy. I desperately want to write about this global pandemic, but it’s so overwhelming and I don’t even know where to start. So many topics are ping-ponging through my brain right now: Check my … Continue reading Today. Just Today.
Last Saturday was the ceremonial start of the 48th annual Iditarod, the 1,000 sled dog race across Alaska. How ironic that a day devoted to dogs turned into a morning all about cats at our house. It all started with a text from a neighbor, warning us to keep our dogs inside because a lynx family was hanging out in his back yard. This was … Continue reading Lots-o-Lynx
Usually we opt to let the magic of Christmas unfold in our own living room, and we’ve dedicated a decade of Decembers to creating our very own holiday traditions. On Christmas day it’s usually just the four of us, hanging out in Christmas pajamas while approximately 2,815 miles away our families are gathered around tables, playing cards, sharing turkeys and hams and prime ribs, exchanging … Continue reading Husker Holidaze
The Talkeetna Roadhouse offers a pie making class on weekends throughout the winter, and if you are looking for an easy Alaskan weekend getaway then definitely put this on your list. It’s a fun event for book clubs, couples, girlfriends, or (in our case) mother-daughter excursions. Our group consisted of six: three moms and three teenage girls. We unanimously voted for a weekend getaway in … Continue reading A Much-Kneaded Getaway
It all started with a leaky kitchen faucet. Little drips, little problems. Clark determined that the faucet needed to be replaced, and I got to thinking how nice it would be to replace the sink as well. I successfully argued that a single basin sink would be more practical, especially when it came to soaking pizza pans, rib racks, and sticky smoked salmon grates. Now … Continue reading Plumbing, Plungers, & Plagiarism
