i don't come from here. i've lived on this mountain for more than twenty years. the land that i stand on is "my land". and all of the trees, mountains, and roads on the opposite side of my property lines are "my trees", "my mountains", "my roads" because they're so familiar that they're ingrained in … Continue reading roots
the unexpected joy of being lost for so long is feeling the fire of life again. it's so hard, almost unbearably hot. but it's so good. there are patterns in every life. day and night. work and leisure. hunger and satiation. seasons and generations. in a country life, the patterns are indelible and dangerous to … Continue reading overflow
until i was about twenty-two years old, i was a little bit prissy. an indoor cat. a voracious reader. allergic to exertion. i found myself at a crossroads at twenty-two. some experiments in adulthood had failed and i was at loose ends. somewhat at random, i decided was going to get big into horses. like … Continue reading noncompliant
a few years ago, i wrote this piece on empty buildings. on a long drive this afternoon, i thought about places that have been empty so long that they crumbled in on themselves and are gone. all that's left is a meandering cairn that used to be a stone wall or the stony bowels of … Continue reading abandoned
every once in a while, i come across an article or throwaway line about what dumb yokels country folk are. these get right the hell up my nose, because they're inevitably couched in this smug, hipster philosophy that we just don't know any better. like, it can never be a conscious choice to live out … Continue reading on living rural (and introversion), v.1
the gumboot gumshoe 