It’s been a wild week in the mountains. Filled with medical appointments, storms, head colds, and a broken dishwasher. Sometimes, life is messy, and the best you can do may not feel like quite enough. The instinct to fight against the tide leads to burnout and succumbing to the inevitable — but in a much grumpier frame of mind. None of us are immune; however, I’m learning to lean into the need for rest while my body battles the unexpected…
It was definitely a weed. Sally frowned. She didn’t recognize what kind, though. It didn’t resemble nightshade, goosegrass, or ragwort. Best to call in reinforcements, she fished her phone out of her apron pocket. Snapped a photo and sent it to the family chat. One of them was bound to identify the plant. It didn’t take long for the messages to roll in. Grandma, why are you growing weed? Yes, but what kind? WEED! They really were most unhelpful, and…
Theo scrubbed the remaining dregs of sleep from his face and stared at the coffee table. It took a few minutes for his memory to filter through the alcohol-induced fog. The snapshots of his on again off again relationship lay scattered before him. He swept them into a pile and reached for his lighter. He shouldn’t have printed them. Left the memories in digital form where they were easier to ignore. Lesson learned. The fire grew brighter as it ate the…
Jan swallowed the lump in her throat and forced herself to unlock the door and hurry inside her mother’s apartment before the neighbors could offer condolences — or complaints. She hadn’t visited in years, and had no desire to linger amongst the cobwebs and complicated memories. Not when she’d rather be home curled up under her fuzzy orange blanket pretending life was normal. A waft of stale air mixed with the unmistakable stench of rotting garbage assaulted her. She braced…