Willow, Sandy River Delta, Oregon
31
Dec
2009
Blog Your Way to Success With Hairy Legs
I’ve been blogging for about a year now and am finally discovering the secret to building an audience: hairy legs, lots and lots of hairy legs….Read More
28
Dec
2009
Douglas Fir: Species of the Week
I’ve spent most of my life among Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga sp.) Although I love other trees and plant communities, Douglas fir forests still speak to me of home. In the Pacific Northwest, they’re ubiquitous from the Cascades to the coast. Douglas fir and other conifers of the region are why I’ve never felt at ease in the deciduous forests of eastern North America (as lovely as they are), where bare branches in winter make me especially homesick….Read More
25
Dec
2009
Our Live Christmas Tree
I used to be the Christmas tree enthusiast in the family. I’d drive around Seattle for hours looking for the perfect tree, set it up, decorate it….Read More
24
Dec
2009
Grumpy Bears Unite
I feel like a grumpy, old bear this holiday season. I don’t want to put my energy into decking halls. I avoid shopping as much as possible. I have no idea what to get anybody, and the muzak playing everywhere makes me want to poke holes in my ear drums….Read More
21
Dec
2009
Celebrate the Solstice with Laughter
I began blogging a year ago by reflecting on the challenges of Balancing Work and Play. I still haven’t figured that out, but I know what helps with that and with surviving this dark season: humor….Read More
18
Dec
2009
“A Grammar for Yurt Living” Published
I have a new essay published in The Smoking Poet. It’s new in the sense of being recently completed and published but also in the sense of process….Read More
17
Dec
2009
New Website for Poem Drafts
I’ve started a new website for my poetry drafts – www.poems.elizabethenslin.org. That’s where I’ve posted my response to “Get Your Poem On #105.” Read More
09
Dec
2009
Ice Patterns
Writing experts tell us to never, ever open a story with the weather. And while a brief comment on the weather can sometimes be an ice breaker, extended conversations about it more likely signal that both parties have run out of interesting things to say. That’s all changing now….Read More
04
Dec
2009
Spinner Dolphin: Species of the Week
During the cold holiday season, I find myself remembering trips to tropical waters and the species I’ve encountered there. I may write about sea turtles, reef sharks, octopus, and triggerfish in the future, but it’s the spinner dolphins (Stenella longirostris) that have been on my mind this past week….Read More
03
Dec
2009
The Pardoned Potato
On Thanksgiving, we couldn’t bear to slice and roast this huge homegrown potato face. Nor could we boil and mash it….Read More
03
Dec
2009
Forthcoming Literary Nonfiction
More recent successes in publishing my literary nonfiction: The Raven Chronicles has accepted a condensed and modified chapter from my ethnographic memoir, Sacred Threads, for publication. “Meeting my Future in the Dark” about the first meeting with my Nepali in-laws over twenty years ago should be out in print next spring or summer. After following [...]Read More
02
Dec
2009
25
Nov
2009
Wild Turkey: Species of the Week
Unlike my stepfather and his clan, numerous cousins, the son I spawned, and many friends; I don’t usually look at wild animals and think: meat. Wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo), indigenous to North America, have become a recent exception….Read More
20
Nov
2009
Literary Rejections I’m Grateful For
It’s easy for an emerging writer like myself to become obsessed with rejection. That’s mostly what comes back from all the packets I mail or documents I upload with a hopeful, electronic click….Read More
20
Nov
2009
Western Larch: Species of the Week
It was hard to leave our yurt in northeastern Oregon with Western larch (Larix occidentalis) in full copper-yellow glory. But when the flanks of the mountains there blaze with what looks like a procession of candles, it’s time to get ready for a harsh winter or move to lower elevations….Read More
18
Nov
2009
Persimmon Joy
I love how persimmons hang on the tree after the leaves have fallen. Read More
10
Nov
2009
Ama: My Greatest Teacher
Growing food this summer in northeast Oregon, I relied on all that I’ve learned over the years from books, conversations, observations, and personal experience. But I probably heard Ama’s voice more than any other….Read More
31
Oct
2009
Scary Critters
I’m miles from town, so there will be no trick or treaters for me tonight. Instead, I’ve decided to mark the day by highlighting some posts I’ve written on creatures that tend to be maligned, misunderstood and caricatured on Halloween….Read More
31
Oct
2009
Ancient Lessons in Food Storage
One of the things I loved best about teaching high school social studies was shaking up students’ perceptions of history. And one of my favorite lessons was in Ancient History. I’d bring in a a jar of beans and a potato with so many sprouts it looked like an octopus (the fact that I always found one in my cupboard could have doubled as a cautionary lesson in the domestic arts)….Read More
