Category: church

Nature’s Prayer Moment

Posted in birds, California, church, friends, gardening, humor, memoir, nature, relationships, religion, writersLeave a comment

(re-run) Yesterday morning I stepped up to the kitchen sink to fill the tea pot and looked out my window at the flowers exploding in my yard. I glanced over to the fountain where I saw dozens of identical birds taking drinks in a clumped up circle around the top of my round fountain. Their… Continue reading Nature’s Prayer Moment

Scary Surprise at Grandma’s House

Posted in bedroom, childhood, church, grandma, guns, memoir, relationships, religion, sister, Sunday dinner, VictorianLeave a comment

The thing was cold, black, and heavy. Even though I was just a kid, maybe nine or ten, I knew a gun when I saw it. I’d been jumping on Grandma Nellie’s bed. The pillow had fallen on the floor. The gun had been under the pillow. I put everything back the way I found… Continue reading Scary Surprise at Grandma’s House

Grizzly Bear!

Posted in Alaska, bears, California, church, friends, grizzly bear, guardian angel, guns, hunting, nature, relationships, travel, vacation, worst1 Comment

(re-run) An Amazon robot punctured a can of Bear Mace, sending 80 employees to the hospital before Christmas. It reminded me of this true account told to me at a holiday party. In 2008 you take your wife, Liza, and your teen-aged kids to Alaska. You stay near the Princess Lodge in a fishing cabin… Continue reading Grizzly Bear!

Grizzly Bear!

Posted in Alaska, bears, California, church, friends, grizzly bear, guardian angel, guns, hunting, nature, relationships, travel, vacation, worstLeave a comment

(re-run) An Amazon robot punctured a can of Bear Mace, sending 80 employees to the hospital before Christmas. It reminded me of this true account told to me at a holiday party. In 2008 you take your wife, Liza, and your teen-aged kids to Alaska. You stay near the Princess Lodge in a fishing cabin… Continue reading Grizzly Bear!

Nature’s Prayer Moment

Posted in birds, California, church, friends, gardening, humor, memoir, nature, relationships, religion, writersLeave a comment

(re-run) Yesterday morning I stepped up to the kitchen sink to fill the tea pot and looked out my window at the flowers exploding in my yard. I glanced over to the fountain where I saw dozens of identical birds taking drinks in a clumped up circle around the top of my round fountain. Their… Continue reading Nature’s Prayer Moment

F is for Frantic

Posted in best, boots, church, dancing, dresses, flashback, friends, friends of friends, live music, marriage, memoir, music, poem, rehearsal dinner, relationshipsLeave a comment

(re-run) I have exactly seventy-five minutes to write this post, get dressed for the wedding rehearsal dinner, kick the contractor out of my house, and get to the church on time. Isn’t the last part a song? Well, it didn’t happen.  It’s now the next morning.  This blog post is now about friends, fun, fish,… Continue reading F is for Frantic

Loneliest Study Abroad Ever

Posted in church, college, friends, humor, Iowa State University, memoir, relationships, restaurant, Spain, travel, vacation1 Comment

After three months in South America and six weeks of student teaching Catholic high school girls, I headed to Burgos, Spain, with 30 students and a handful of professors from Iowa State and the University of Iowa. It would be my way of earning the final credits of my dual degree. Linda, a high school… Continue reading Loneliest Study Abroad Ever

Grizzly Bear!

Posted in Alaska, bears, California, church, friends, grizzly bear, guardian angel, guns, hunting, nature, relationships, travel, vacation, worst1 Comment

(re-run) An Amazon robot punctured a can of Bear Mace, sending 80 employees to the hospital before Christmas. It reminded me of this true account told to me at a holiday party. In 2008 you take your wife, Liza, and your teen-aged kids to Alaska. You stay near the Princess Lodge in a fishing cabin… Continue reading Grizzly Bear!