A Book as Old as Dirt
Years ago, at Powell’s Book Store in Portland, I happened upon a used book called The Wise Garden Encyclopedia. Its weight was substantial but not unwieldy and it felt good the way some books do, to hold in my hands….
Dream Builder: Willis Crafts Sleds to Go the Distance
Bernie Willis runs his hands along the runners of a dog sled perched on a workshop table at his Arctic Arrow Farm in Wasilla, Alaska. He inspects the stanchions, the hardware and straps. In a few days, the sled…
Valentine #24: A Memory
When we first stepped off the plane in Alaska nearly thirty years ago, the headline of the Anchorage Daily News announced “BUTCHER FINALLY WINS IT!” It was the first year Susan Butcher won the Iditarod (’86) and we were immediately…
28 Valentines of February
We are gaining daylight by noticeable moments each day. Valentine’s Day marks the turning point of winter in Alaska. Winter’s parting gift of light could not be more welcome, more treasured even than roses and chocolate. This year that gift…
Leaving Room for Holiday Surprises
Snow is falling outside my window. Gentle flakes stack lightly on each other, so that by noon I’m guessing the dogs will be romping in knee-deep powder. The scent of baking wafts from the kitchen and I cannot help but remember…
Walls of Every Making
My son, Mark, built a wall this past week. Rock by rock, he moved 12.5 tons of granite, to create a thing of rugged beauty. The granite, blasted into chunks at a local Chugiak quarry, came back together again by…
Graduation and the Keeping of A Tender Distance
It’s been a several years since the release of A Tender Distance: Adventures Raising My Sons in Alaska. I was recently sitting around a table with three other women whom I’d just met, and they asked me what the book…
Migration: Moving to a New Season
Winter-weary Alaskans were not the only ones who took notice of our late breakup this year. An April snowstorm and an unusually cold spring meant a chilly homecoming for thousands of migratory birds. They arrived by the hundreds only to…
Alaska Signs of Spring
Last week, I noticed that snow had melted away from the south side of the barn, exposing dirt. Would it be strange to confess that I leaned down to breathe in the scent of it? The horses and dog found…
March’s Fishin’ Mission
Len Nelson says he doesn’t like kids. “Ankle-biters,” he calls them. For several weeks each Sunday morning before the appointed date, 75-year-old Nelson stands up at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church and announces that there will be an ice-fishing party for…