The holiday season is always full of happy and sad anniversaries for me ( Read more... )

In these past couple weeks, I have marveled at the miracle of hot water. My family has battled three (yes, three separate it seems) stomach viruses and hot water is a life-saver. Hot water enables me to wash all the various clothes and blankets that are messed up when people get sick ( Read more... )

Rituals of death often define a culture. Many societies have strict ideas of what should be done with the husk a human leaves behind at death.

( Cut for possibly disturbing discussion of dead bodies, including one photo of a Bodyworld art exhibit. Please do not read if this would upset you. )

When the first thing you have to sign for a class is a 27 point contract, you know you're in trouble ( Read more... )

I'll never forget the taste of that sweet juice in my mouth ( Read more... )

Sometimes what you want the most is impossible to find ( Read more... )

It was a dry, hot day. I desperately hoped the ranch owner I was headed to was someone who enjoyed hot weather. Anything to put him in a good mood ( Read more... )

Three little words became three not-so-little children ( Read more... )

(NOTE: Almost my entire entry that follows is recorded here, in a voice post. I am long-winded, so the voice post does lack the last few sentences, which are available in written form at the end of my entry.)