My pencil holder has a lot more than pencils in it. Pencils are for math and field notebooks with waterproof paper. I use pens and markers for coloring in figures and drawing arrows and clouds around diagrams. I have other tools. The handle of the magnifying glass is wood. Most of the paint was worn away … Continue reading Tools
Why does a gloomy day feel like the perfect time to curl up and read? Don't you love a good story at any time? Bright days sitting in the sun, nearly dozing off? Stuffed into trains and planes, reading with a bunch of travelers around? A half-hour on a lunch break, sitting in a car outside the … Continue reading Gloomy Morning
We have a small farmer's market in our area, and a large one in the next town over. The large one is amazing, with a huge variety of fresh produce, boutique cheeses and breads, kettle corn, plants, and this place that makes these bagel sandwiches that are delicious. I love the large farmer's market, but … Continue reading Story Editing on a Sunday Afternoon
When you walk on a path and it curves in front of you, bending out of sight, do you feel a little thrill or are you worried what's to come? There could be anything on the path, just out of sight. A bear? A maniac? The path may just fall away into nothing. What if … Continue reading Paths Into The Woods
When I studied biology in college, then graduate school, I took "hard" science classes in zoology, human biology, ecology and evolution. I took electives in the "soft" sciences and the arts, my favorites being psychology and (one glorious semester) Elements of Horror Fiction. The courses were very different. The arts and sciences were separate. But … Continue reading Arts and Sciences
Catbriar lies there, seemingly innocuous, but suddenly wraps itself around your ankles and digs its thorns in as you lift your foot. I grew up calling it cypress vine, for how it snakes across the forest floor and climbs up the tree trunks. Bright green tendrils with tiny thorns become woody ropes as it gets older. I smile … Continue reading Cypress Vine and Muck
Victoria Nations 