By Eilene Lyon Losing a Parent I abruptly abandoned the blogosphere a couple weeks ago. Usually I give a little notice that I won’t be reading, commenting, or posting. I'm officially back now. About ten years ago, my mother began exhibiting signs of dementia. For the past six, she has lived in memory care in... Continue Reading →
A Champion for Equality
Week 35: #52 Ancestors – Free Space By Eilene Lyon Lately I’ve been reading Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe. Published in 1851, her tale of slavery helped pave the road to the Civil War. A cousin on my family tree didn’t have quite the elevated reputation of Mrs. Stowe, but nonetheless made a... Continue Reading →
From the Vault: Woolly
By Eilene Lyon Breaking up is sometimes made more difficult by the fact that, just because you want to lose the partner, you don't necessarily want to lose their parents, too. I met Doug in the Mountaineering Club at The Ohio State University. By the time I graduated, we'd gotten engaged. It was a spur-of-the-moment... Continue Reading →
The Drought Diaries: Lawn Begone!
By Eilene Lyon While I wouldn't say our decades-old drought is over, we had an unusual amount of moisture this past summer. We got over an inch of rain just last week. Normally August and September are what I call "brown season." The grasses and forbs have died or gone dormant by then. Even today,... Continue Reading →
Pioneer Pastimes
Week 18: #52 Ancestors– Social By Eilene Lyon Pioneering was not about rugged individualism. Settlers depended on family connections and other social ties for practical and personal reasons. Survival depended on the community network. Many jobs required extra helping hands. Other events drew on specialized skills, such as midwifery or blacksmithing. Even gatherings for work... Continue Reading →
The Drought Diaries: Abandonment
By Eilene Lyon “We know surprisingly little about vanished civilizations whose majesty and whose ultimate demise were closely linked to liberties they took with water.” – Marc Reisner, Cadillac Desert: The American West and Its Disappearing Water It’s no secret that the southwestern United States is a dry place—and getting drier. We’ve entered our third... Continue Reading →
In the Name of …
Week 10: #52 Ancestors – Worship By Eilene Lyon There’s no question that my ancestry is steeped in Christian culture. Though there is some hint of Ashkenazi Jewish DNA from the wayback, my heritage is very much white Protestant European. For myself, I choose “none of the above” with regard to deities. I confess that... Continue Reading →
Where Wolves?
By Eilene Lyon Introduction I have seen only one wolf in the wild. It was in Denali National Park. Not deep in the wilderness, but at the park entrance, crossing a road into the campground. It was big, it was black, it was unquestionably a wolf. It was one of those whiplash moments where you... Continue Reading →
Absurdities #11
By Eilene Lyon As we motored home after test-driving potential candidates for our new vehicle, we passed a political sign next to the highway. It is located on private property in a very red corner of New Mexico. It read: God, Family, Second Amendment, Constitution, Trump. I pondered those in this country who believe the... Continue Reading →