It was fairly clear on Sunday night when I rolled the recycling bin to the curb. It had been another unseasonably warm day, which seems to be the description of every day in Flagstaff since December. Looking up, I could see the Orion constellation tilting toward our house and I stood, bin tipped, to admire the formation and the bright star, Betelgeuse. The...
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Dear Future Self, First of all, you were supposed to write down all of the things you learned throughout the year, but journaling seemed to go by the way back in January. It would have helped to have had some notes so that I could remind you of everything you experienced. I’m trying to write to you in my post-sweat euphoria from exercise class. That’s one...
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By the time you read this, it will have been 30 days since the federal government shut down. I’d like to say that by now, something has changed—but this is America, where optimism goes to die in a subcommittee. Despite protests, strongly worded letters from federal employee unions, and a lawsuit from twenty-five states (including Arizona) demanding the...
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At almost the same time on Sept. 10, 2025, there were two fatal shootings at two separate schools: Evergreen High School and Utah Valley University. I walked into my classroom and quietly watched my college students scan their phones and share images with one another. As I set my notes down on the lectern, I made the decision that we wouldn’t have a normal...
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I cinch my camera strap around my wrist and quickly step onto the pine needle path that will take me to the ponds at Kachina Wetlands. It’s the first time I’ve been to Kachina since April, right before I had my hip replacement surgery. I’m looking forward to photographing the wild sunflowers that grow there, realizing that I have more photos of them...
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