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Category Archives: observation
Sweet Moondo
In the background of all the unnerving events of 2020, a more private anguish has been unfolding for us. Back in early March, on one of the days I was rushing off to one appointment or another, I was driving … Continue reading
Posted in horses, observation
Tagged chronic kidney failure in horses, Colorado, horses, mourning
28 Comments
Vacation Reflections
Well, vacations—both the planned of July and the unplanned of August—are over: time to get back to writing work. What better way to get back into the routine than to reflect on the break? About not writing in August, there’s … Continue reading
Posted in observation, trees and plants, wildflowers, writing
Tagged 2019 wildflower season, Colorado wildflowers, field guides, nature writing
8 Comments
Narrow-leaved puccoon
If you’re new to Between Urban and Wild or haven’t stopped by in a while, we’re having a terrific wildflower year in this part of central Colorado. I’m spending July blogging the bloom: posting a photo a day of a … Continue reading
Lifting the Moon
On the evening after the full moon, as dark settles fully in, I’m settled in, too: sunk deep in the cushions of the reading chair, reading, with feet under a throw and a glass of wine at my elbow. Doug, … Continue reading
Posted in night, observation, walking and hiking
Tagged full moon, moonrise, walking at night
14 Comments
Leaving Words at Home
I often say I write about my home place, but that’s not true all the time. The book project currently consuming my writing energy, for example, is about scientific literacy. (Though it might far afield from the natural history and … Continue reading
Posted in observation, travel, working from home, writing
Tagged Azores, Canyon de Chelly, Fire Island, Iceland, Istanbul, journaling, Palm Springs, travel
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Summer of a Different Color
August: By now, usually, our high mountain landscape is burnished with a brassy gleam, as grasses send seedheads up to nod and wave in any breeze that bothers to turn up. In July, though, a monsoon weather pattern settled in, … Continue reading
Posted in color, observation, weather, wildflowers
Tagged Colorado wildflowers, July precipitation, monsoon rain, mushrooms
4 Comments
Writing Short
I recently dipped my toe into the sub-genre of so-called “flash” or “micro” nonfiction, the defining characteristic of which is an abbreviated word count. I regularly write blog posts in the 700-900 word range, which qualify as flash nonfiction under … Continue reading
Posted in observation, poetry, writing
Tagged flash nonfiction, narrative essay, The Fourth River journal, writing exercises
2 Comments
Rooted
One of the side effects of abundant solitary time is an inclination toward idiosyncratic projects. If my husband were not spending his weekdays provisioning Coloradoans with wine, he might kindly suggest that I stick with tasks that are either of … Continue reading
Posted in observation, weeds, wildflowers, working from home
Tagged Colorado native plants, native landscape plants, transplanting wildflowers
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On Sitting
I walked out of the house with no aim other than to go somewhere and sit: no destination, no errand, not even a camera to box in my attention. I’m not noodling a conundrum from a piece of writing left … Continue reading
Posted in change of seasons, fall, observation, writing
Tagged reflection, taking time, the writing life
2 Comments
Beyond the Frame
In mid-October, I hit the road for Santa Fe, where I attended the Women Writing the West conference. After a socializing, talking shop, and attending sessions on craft and the business of writing with colleagues for a few days, my … Continue reading
Posted in driving, observation, travel, writing
Tagged Anasazi ruins, ancient puebloans, Canyon de Chelly, Colorado Plateau, Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks
4 Comments