My Path of Loss

There were three of us, and we were scattered no more than 100 yards apart on the side of a ridge. There, along the elk trail and the pungent odor of sagebrush dense and high in every direction, we searched for the bull elk that ran away just as the sun went down. In the distance, the last breath of light over the aspen trees met the bugle of an elk. It was bone-chilling and intangible. It was dark as we searched. I heard my breath, louder than the others, and too warm to be

After our home experienced its first round of calamities, I scheduled an inspector to come through and let the axe fall so that I could face what needed to be done. I was impressed with the novel-length document he prepared and delivered in a fancy binding that emphasized the importance of addressing over one hundred items, all in various stages of urgency. I started making lists, and I started making phone calls. I got estimates like trick-or-treaters gather candy. I hired

While I was in high school, I learned to drive a stick shift for my summer job. I kept the old Ford truck in first gear while the...

When I was in 8th grade, we lived on a ranch that was half an hour from town. This meant that trips to the store were neither convenient...

We live in a house with a lot of character. And by character, I mean that after we purchased it 12 years ago, some of our favorite movies...

I wasn’t ready for the kind of camping in the deep woods where you pack everything in, you have to filter your water, bring freeze-dried...

The days that followed were a blur; everywhere the children and I turned, there was Clinton. There is the business of death that becomes...

At the door, a young policeman and a slightly older policewoman stood. In the split second that I registered who was standing there, I...

My sister and I call it the perfect trifecta. I hope you’ve experienced this magic more than once: when the dishwasher is running, the...