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I Saw a James, a Simon, a Bunch of Andrews, Johns, Philips, Thomases, Matthews, Maybe a Bartholomew but Definitely Not a Labbaeus or a Judas
The Apostle Islands National Park is about an hour-and-a-half from Duluth. Every now and then, we have cause to drive that direction or swing over to the neighboring town of Bayfield. However, the other day, we aimed the car directly towards the park, on purpose. We decided to join the stampede and visit the ice…
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Polarian
February is known for leading with blah. Here in the Northwoods of the American Midwest, February can create a strangled scream in inhabitants who attempt perkiness. “Well now. We’ve had quite a winter this year, haven’t we, with a seriously snowy December, historic Polar Vortexian cold, and seven days of school closures so far?” Just…
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Moist Beavers
There are a few things that my ears like: 1) The fffftzz sound of a beer cap being pried off; 2) When I go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, come back to the bed, and flip over my pillow, making the whole thing cool and soft again; 3) Green gemstone earrings,…
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Her Body, Her Self: Part II
After her beloved grandmother’s death, the specifics of Jayne’s molestation, stifled for so long, pushed their way out. The resulting confluence of grief, shame, and bewilderment caused Jayne to shut down completely. She was unable to concentrate, unable to lead her team of three other Covenant Players, unable to serve as their mentor out on…
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Her Body, Her Self
Holidays were the worst. During the holidays, the family gathered together in one house, so he gave up his bedroom for the guests. During the holidays, he slept on the couch in the living room. As a “big girl” little kid, she slept on the floor in the living room. Her took her body from…
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One Hot Day
Lawsy, it was hot. We’d weathered a memorable ride on a mini-bus (dolmus) to get there, a ride packed full of sweating bodies overlapping each other, a ride reeking of body odor, a ride without moving air to calm the overheated brain. Once we got off the mini-bus, we then had to walk down a…
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Taking Stock
As one year ends, and a new one begins, it is tradition to slow down for a moment to take stock. Although I generally chafe at tradition, and although I tend to exhaust myself by taking stock every day of every year, I do like the notion of recording some of my favorite things from…
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Merry Banana-mas to All, and May Your Pants Be Skin-Tight
“I’ll have a banana split,” said the nondescript man in the Member’s Only jacket, placing his order. A banana split? For high school girls working the counter of Rimrock Mall’s Hipster Doogan ice cream and corn dog emporium, an order for a banana split was cause for excitement. Sure, we scooped a lot of single…
