“Teacher, what is this?” One of my English as a Second Language students was pointing to a phrase on a worksheet I’d just handed out. Answering machine. I thought for a moment, deciding to try and explain it using words she might already know in English, with hand gestures to help me along. “When I … Continue reading
The first time we went to Oregon, spring clouds hung over the emerald forests blanketing the foothills of snow-capped Mount Hood. It rained most of the time that we were there but we’d come prepared. Our rain jackets and big dumb hats protected us from the rain that managed to make it through the thick … Continue reading
As a fundraiser for multiple sclerosis, Alex did a 150 mile bike ride at the beginning of May. The race is split over two days–80 miles the first day, 70 the second. After fighting through a broken gear box and finishing the first 70 miles using only two gears, he came home late on Saturday, … Continue reading
Alex and I started out our married life in a full-size bed. As newlyweds, we’d wake up shoulder-to-shoulder and end our day spooning each other to sleep. It was cute but it didn’t last long. We upgraded to a queen as soon as we had two nickels to rub together, which was better, but we … Continue reading
A slice of morning sun falls across my face through a slit in the wooden shutters of the tiny room I’m renting at the third best inn in Kirton, making me groan as I stretch awake. I splash my face with the frigid water in the washbasin, sputtering while I stand before the small dresser … Continue reading
My eyes were as big as the moon when the orderly wheeled in the new Bipap machine for the Baby. The machine looked like someone had told a child, ‘Draw a Transformer with no arms and octopus feet with wheels and a heavy boxy head with a screen face’ and then brought it to life. … Continue reading
My grandfather gave me his old Canon 35mm camera when I was a teenager. I used it a lot. I loved black and white film. I have artsy pictures of my friends hanging out in a truck bed, images from mission trips in Costa Rica and Mexico and Syria, quirky snapshots of people walking away … Continue reading
I’m writing a book. There, I said it. I’m about halfway through. It’s a memoir project based on me doing things that I have always wanted to do or have been scared to do. Among other things, I’ve already butchered some chickens, watched my 9-year-old son learn to walk, spent some time in a funeral … Continue reading
I’m coming clean. I got my dog at a puppy mill. But I need you to give me a break because she was born in 2008, which is basically before the internet and I didn’t know about puppy mills. Alex and I were 6 months into marriage, moving our married life to a new city … Continue reading
Language is a funny thing. One of the things that I love best about teaching English is learning how to make connections through language. During our clothing unit, I had a student who consistently mispronounced the word suit as ‘sweet’. She did it 100 times and I finally threatened her with the tiny leather sandal … Continue reading
welderbeth 