(All photos are of real shelter pets from the Oktibbeha County Humane Society, taken during my year working there. These pets have long been adopted, but there are hundreds more adorable critters just like them looking for homes). What do you picture when you hear the word "kill shelter?" If you're like most people, you … Continue reading On Kill Shelters
My first weeks with Linden were blue skies and rainbows and sunshine. I loved everything about our life together under the roof of our little brick house--the midnight snuggles, wispy baby hair, long, lazy mornings all curled up in bed as a family. But there was a storm cloud looming on the horizon--I only had … Continue reading On Being a Working Mom
A couple of week ago I was driving to pick Jordan up from the university after he'd spent a long couple of days out in the field, and a thunderstorm broke right overtop me. In seconds, the highway had disappeared beneath a glistening sheath of water, and the windshield roared with rain. It was simultaneously … Continue reading June
[Written about two weeks after Linden was born. Warning: this post is kinda graphic. Like mucus-plug graphic. Read at your own discretion] I’m sitting here with a snoring baby on my chest. He is warm and soft and heavy—the sort of soft, warm, heavy that is meant to be snuggled close. It’s one of the … Continue reading On Giving Birth
As a culture, we're obsessed with how much (...or how little) babies sleep. Babies who sleep a lot are pronounced good babies. Babies who wake frequently are thought of as difficult. And the first question new parents are asked--after divulging the weight, length and name of their new arrival--is "Are you sleeping?" Depending on your … Continue reading On Sweet, Sweet, Sleep
May is drawing to a close, and as its last days near, temperatures soar. It feels like it's been weeks since our last rainfall, and every time I open my weather app, little suns stare back at me. The grass in our backyard is becoming crispy. My garden requires constant drenching with a hose. And … Continue reading On May shadows and sunshine
(Warning--this is an excessively long ramble about gardens). I have a thing for failed gardens. We go way back. Every spring a fever of desire comes over me: the desire to plant seeds in the ground and watch them grow. Every spring, I start a garden. And every summer, I still fail to have homegrown … Continue reading On Plants and Persistence
