The Jeff Bezoses of the world don’t really need more of your dollars, but every cent spent at a small, local business matters to your neighbors, your community, and your state. Shopping local supports the families of the folks who work at these shops—the shops that...
In the aftermath, I choose to put one foot in front of the other, to focus on the beauty and serenity of the natural world. I am privileged to live in a place filled with it, and also to travel to places that are truly spectacular, like the Grand Canyon. In my last...
A reverie on four fantastic days in the Grand Canyon Day 1 Intake of breath as each bend in the trail reveals stunning view after stunning view. The rattle of ravens soaring above, and swooping below, the sheer cliffs of Coconino (sandstone). The twisting butt drop,...
In my last post, I chose to reframe “stuck” to “paused” and that was a helpful shift. But I have been paws-ed in another way since April, when I met a tiny puppy the day after she opened her eyes. The grandniece of our beloved Capi, this tiny Coton de Tulear puppy...
I am. I am not special in that. We all grieve. It’s universal, yet unique. I have grieved before, so I thought I knew. But it turns out it is also unique for each person grieved and for each time it comes. I have been wondering—despite having a life I feel such...
As a little kid, if asked what I wanted to be when I grew up, I’d respond, “I’m going to get a PhD in Ornithology.” Weird? Cute? Definitely nerdy. I birdwatched with my dad, loving it, and the birds. Though I did not reach the lofty goal I set for myself, I still love...
Seems I’ve seen a jackrabbit, or three, on every hike I’ve taken this winter. Black-tailed jackrabbits, or American desert hares, make the same habitat as mine their home (that is, the desert Southwest), or perhaps more accurately, I make my home in their habitat....
I’m gazing out the window, watching the clouds trying to snow. The tiniest of snowflakes are twisting and swirling, so light that they're "falling" up, down, and sideways. There certainly won't be any cross-country skiing today, and it might not even accumulate enough...
Not red or green chile. Though I could wax poetic about our spicy and savory New Mexican cuisine, I’ll save that for another day. And not gift wrap, though perhaps some of you are untying red or green ribbons for Christmas. But red or green, or yellow, pink, blue,...
[For my non-geological readers—gneiss is pronounced nice] In March of 2019, during my term as the Richard H. Jahns Lecturer, I had the honor of speaking at the Seattle Science Center for their Science in the City series. The Q&A following my talk wound up with a...
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