Redux: Meal, Worm

Reminder: There’s protein in that there bug. (And yes, I know that “bug” and “insect” aren’t one in the same, but please allow it.) Can you stomach this redux written long before my vegetarian days? Sure you can. — I eat meat. Most kinds. Beef, pork, chicken, bison, turkey.* Dark meat, white meat, legs, breasts. […]

Redux: Funny Bird

  Here’s a post from 2016 that still makes me smile. You, too? —- Here comes dawn. The sky yawns and the sun flicks its lids above the horizon. But just before the lights come up on Virginia’s rolling hills, the sound of morning commences. Can we call it a song? That might be a stretch. There’s […]

The Last Word

Greetings, Folks! Here’s what’s on offer from this past week: I can’t tell you how much I love this post from Ann. It’s about a metaphor related to gravity, or, really, not-quite gravity, what she describes as “still grounded but hair stuck straight out about to lift off….” Nice! Then Rebecca takes us on a walk […]

With Hair Like New Pennies? Thoughts on Describing People

Describing people, actual people you’ve sat across from and interviewed, can be really hard to do well. We writers keep trying, with mixed results. But it’s worth the effort. Here’s what I think: Especially in a tough science article, getting to know people—by way of a simple “tidy brown beard” (though I’d vote to use […]

Last Days of the Dog

\Here, as this Year of the Dog begins, we are the deciders, choosing which day will be the last for our 15-year-old Korean Jindo, Waits. How does one know when it is time? Is his life still a good thing, to him, if he cannot easily rise to drink water, if he cannot control his […]

Let’s Be Reasonable About Kratom

I used to take opioids for pain. Every day. Numerous times a day. I didn’t abuse the drugs; I was prescribed them for legitimate reasons and I used them as directed. Still, a human body becomes reliant on narcotic drugs like this, and over time it takes more for the same effects. It’s simple physiology. […]

The Last Word

Another week, another week of great reading here at LWON. We like to think so, anyway. Here’s what you missed: Rose expands on an excellent article she did elsewhere (Rose, how could you?) on virtual reality and empathy…how donning the goggles theoretically can make you care but in practice might do something else entirely. Ann […]

Adventures of an Occasional Goatherd

Baby, it’s cold outside! So I’m posting a little look-back at some warmer-weather fun on the farm. ————– I love goats. In many ways they’re a lot like dogs, and I love dogs. So, it follows. How are they like dogs? At least the ones I’ve met love attention. They want to be petted and […]