The Rat Race/The Road Not Taken

Despite living off-grid in the middle-of-nowhere, Alaska, I still succumb to the rat race on a regular basis. A daily engagement of battle between what I need, what I want, and what everybody else has. A daily struggle to find contentment with where I am, to learn from past decisions, and to make wiser decisionsContinue reading “The Rat Race/The Road Not Taken”

Floating on a Pink Cloud

My daughter Primrose is asleep in her bed all by herself, which is very rare. Her sister, Marlena, is upstairs asleep in the Pack n Play. Their mother, Savanna, is asleep in her palace upstairs. Both dogs are asleep on the ground. The cat is outside hunting rabbits, birds, and mice. The quiet sounds ofContinue reading “Floating on a Pink Cloud”

Dead Duckling

My innocent daughter, Primrose, killed a duckling today. The poor kid. It brings her so much joy and excitement to hold them, to feed and water them, to sneak into the house to touch them and pet them, to be near them. But today, we made mistakes as parents by letting her stay inside theContinue reading “Dead Duckling”

Growing Food

The time is upon us! The excitement is apparent! From Sandhill Cranes walking down the dirt road only twenty feet ahead, to visits to the creek to toss in sticks and watch them drift down stream. From watching pairs of squirrels hop from branch to branch, to calling the dog back as she chases rabbitsContinue reading “Growing Food”

Saving Private Ryan

Saving Private Ryan is an epic movie that depicts the horrors of World War II in a way that no other film has done. If you have not watched it, you need to. But this blog post is not about the movie, it’s about our family trip to Montana, reuniting with Savanna’s mother, and theContinue reading “Saving Private Ryan”

Rewrite the Past

The other day I decided I was going to start telling people that my parents died in a plane crash while delivering medical supplies in the Congo. My father was a pilot and my mother a doctor and they had created a non-profit organization back in the 70s that was their life’s work. They livedContinue reading “Rewrite the Past”

Cutting Grass on a Sunny Day

In airborne school we cut the grass with scissors. I didn’t realize how important the lesson on patience, tolerance, and acceptance would be on my life, especially in parenthood. Not to mention how grateful it made me for lawn mowers. I didn’t appreciate them quite like I should have. What do you not appreciate quiteContinue reading “Cutting Grass on a Sunny Day”

This is Why I Live Here

Finally! Spring is here! Today was warm and clear with sunshine from 7 am until just now at 9 pm as the sun sets and I sit in the Laz-e-boy writing this post while Savanna breastfeeds Primrose and rocks her to sleep on the other side of the wood stove. 11 flats of plants takesContinue reading “This is Why I Live Here”

Importance of Having a Home

I am a very, very lucky man. I have a warm home with two heaters, a few small leaks in the roof and fresh air that streams through the trim around north facing windows. The floor is cold but not frozen. Our bath tub is currently full of dirty water from doing the laundry, ourContinue reading “Importance of Having a Home”

Bristol Bay Circa 2008

I went commercial fishing once and the only thing I came back with was a pocketful of poems and a new pair of Grundens. It was worth it. Here are two poems… King Salmon Arrived to King Salmon around three o’clock,Hitched it to Naknek and walked dock to dock,Searching for Snopac to send me toContinue reading “Bristol Bay Circa 2008”