Lakshmi, 2005-2020

This morning we said goodbye to Lakshmi. This sweet husky-wolf hybrid who struggled mightily to be a good girl was the inspiration for Heimdall’s dog Laika in the Rune Witch books. She was 14 years and 7 months old. I found Lakshmi (then called Sierra) via a Craigslist posting in early January 2007. My beloved […]

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it was there all along

Way back in January—and, gods, doesn’t that feel like a decade ago?—I was out in the neighborhood on my regular morning hike and was being kept company by the “Bodies” podcast. I’d not listened to this podcast before, but this episode called “Anxious Mess” sounded promising. Anxiety is part of living with dysautonomia and I […]

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A pink flower against green leaves. Portland, Oregon. June 2020.

unexpected hurdles on the quest for feeling better

It’s ridiculously difficult to find and purchase a reliable treadmill online. I’ve not been getting enough exercise since I started isolating nearly four months ago, and my health is paying the price. My body is softer. My fatigue is heavier. Other symptoms like GERD, the chronic daily headache/migraine, anxiety, and insomnia are getting worse. I […]

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Summer sage in Portland, Oregon. (Jennifer Willis, 2020)

backpack possibilities and daring optimism

It’s no secret that I have something of a backpack obsession. I’ve written about this previously, on my search for the perfect travel pack. And I find this urge arising again, in no small part because eBags is having a major sale on their inventory in advance of some mysterious changes they’ll be making. But […]

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Pink dogwood in Portland, OR. April 2020.

I’m just happy to be here

Upon reaching the cashier in the check-out lane . . . Cashier: Hi! How are you today? Response: I’m just happy to be here. This has been M’s default reply for more than a decade now. He’s always been jovial when he said it, and it rarely fails to elicit a laugh. It’s a solid […]

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Football teddy bear in a Green Bear Packers hoodie, sitting in the sunshine with rocks and flowers.

sports in the age of covid-19, a completely unrealistic approach

It’s going to be a while before we see the return of organized sports. The NBA canceled the remainder of its season after professional basketball players started testing positive for the coronavirus. The 2020 Tokyo Olympics have been postponed until 2021. For the moment. it remains possible that Major League Baseball might still happen, though […]

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