I happen to be fortunate to live in a small city whose residents values and encourage expression in many forms -- tattoos, art, street performance, protests, music.  But the bumper stickers are just the best.  I started traipsing around with my camera taking photos of some that really caugh… Read full post »

Here is a sampling of photos I have taken with my work cell phone.

I took this photo before I left work this morning.   Kiley, my 14 year old chow mix, was starting to slip on the wood floors.  Got her a sporty little pair of socks (she prefers the… Read full post »

I have the best mother-in-law in the world.  Truly.  All my married girlfriends are jealous.  They want A as their mother-in-law, but they can't have her, she is mine.  

She is funny, strong, independent, out-spoken, fierce, kind, generous and raised two wonderful sons, one of who… Read full post »

Well, that's not exactly true.  I care, as a human being.  I don't want people to lose their mementos, heirlooms, clothes, furniture, pets, or family in a fire.  But I also don't want one of my firefighters hurt or killed trying to protect your house from a wildfire because you haven't… Read full post »

This is a continuation of my post "Down off the Mountain."  Again, names are changed.   

We’d only gotten the news the day before that Paul’s wife was flying down with the department’s deputy chief.  Their expectation was to fly back on the DC-3 with Paul&… Read full post »

 My first shot at fiction.  Gentle feedback welcome.  Thanks. -Firechick

A small group of us sat on what was left of the reservation school's front lawn watching the lightning dance across the desert sky.  We'd been fighting this big fire for weeks, and now the summer monsoons wer… Read full post »

It has taken me over three years to be able to write about this. A firefighter died while fighting a fire on my national forest; on my watch.  It took two days to be able to safely remove his body from the mountain.  This is about when one of my engine… Read full post »

I love to travel.  Here are some of the views from my recent travels.  I would've posted more photos, but they exceeded the size limit.  

From our terrace in Siem Reap, Cambodia, August 2010 

From our tuk-tuk (moto powered "rickshaw"") at Angkor, Cambodia. 

 %IMA… Read full post »

 For those of you who have pets, you know what they provide.  For those of you who don't, you should think about getting yourself a furry buddy.  Without fail, always happy to see you when you come home.  Don't care what you look like or how you dress or even what… Read full post »

This was published on A Prairie Home Companion website (prairiehome.org) in October of 2007.  Mom passed away last July.  My update is after this main essay.   

2007 

Mom bought herself a spot in a mausoleum instead of a plot outside in the cemetery. She calls it her "shelf."… Read full post »

The first time I met him I was nearly knocked over with my attraction for him.  It's so cliche, but it truly is a primal, almost animal-like attraction from the depths of my DNA.  

He's one of several instructors who teaches at a course I'm involved with putting on once… Read full post »

We never had candy in house growing up.  It didn't have anything to do with nutrition or healthy eating.  It was simply a luxury that we couldn't afford.  No sweets, really -- no cookies, no hostess Twinkies, not even a crappy little butterscotch hard candy.  The only thing sugar-… Read full post »

In 2011 I went to Ethiopia as part of a US Forest Service/USAID trip to work with pastorlists to help restore native grasslands.  I fell in love with the country and its people.  Addis Ababa is the capital, where we spent two days before traveling for a day and a half… Read full post »

It was a typical warm and humid, overcast day, the summer of 1972. I was eight years old, and my sister was 10.  I worshipped K, like many little girls worship their big sisters.  She was the complete opposite of me.  K was long-legged and skinny, and I was short and… Read full post »

Being born in December sucks.  Well, not the being born part, but the December part.  All because of one other big birthday in December.  Lets face it -- it’s pretty hard to compete with baby Jesus. 

Fortunately for me, my mom was also born in December.  Exactly 28 yea… Read full post »

My father was crazy.  I don’t mean like your weird Uncle Walter crazy, I’m talking mean crazy.   And the booze only made it worse.  Much of my childhood consisted of our family being terrorized by him.  Mom took the brunt of it, but it affected all of us.  Mo/… Read full post »

About six months ago I decided to cross something off my "Life List" (sorry, I hate the term "bucket list") and take up the guitar. 

 I am a musical person.  We grew up with music surrounding us.  Mom loved Johnny Cash and Billie Holiday.  My older sister had a huge… Read full post »

It has been a lot of fun reading what everyone is surprised they like. Here is my 7 cents:

1.  Coffee.  I know, right?  I resisted drinking coffee for over 20 years!  I didn't really care for the taste, but the main reason I resisted was because I didn't want to… Read full post »

I choose to work in the high-risk profession of firefighting.  But there is so much I love about firefighting that If I were to list all the things I love I'm not sure what I would put at the top.  It depends.  It depends on what stage of the fire.  During… Read full post »

Back in the days before the Butterball Hotline and significant attention to food-poisoning, Mom thawed out our frozen Thanksgiving turkey on the kitchen counter.  Didn't everyone?  

On Wednesday evening she would do some kitchen prep work -- peel the taters, chop the celery and onion for th… Read full post »

When I was about four or five years old, an adult asked me, "What do you want to be when you grow up?"  Without hesitation, I said, "A boy."  "A boy?  Why do you want to be a boy?"  Matter of factly I replied, "Because they get to do everything." … Read full post »

Anesthesia fucks me up.  I've not had a lot of surgeries, but I've had enough to know this.  So when I have to have minor out-patient surgery I tell Everyone who will listen, and even those who won't, that anesthesia makes me very ill.  I tell my doctor when we first discuss… Read full post »