It Didn’t Have to Happen

His name was Cristian Pavon, and he was 11 years old. He was found dead in his bed Tuesday morning, 23 February 2021, after playing in his first snow ever on Monday. It didn’t have to happen. I’ve been nursing a slow rage for a few days since I first heard this story. I learned …

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Hell Has Frozen Over in Texas

Paradise has frozen over, too, along with Notrees, Sun City, Pasadena, Miami, Cactus and Egypt. OK, in full disclosure, there is no Hell, Texas, but all those other names are legit. So, what gives? Unless you’ve been off the grid for the last 5 days (I bet even Antarctica has heard the news), every county …

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Are You Prepared? Are You Sure?

I grew up in a household of scouts, and the motto Be Prepared was ingrained in me early. My dad was a Boy Scout Leader, my mom was a Girl Scout Leader, and all three of us girls were in Girl Scouts at various times. I was properly pegged 10 years ago, when I pulled …

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Desert Fog

My first recollection of fog was after my family moved to Seattle, WA, when I was eight. Leaving to walk to my new school, fog made an unfamiliar area alien. I couldn’t see across the street — I could barely see the traffic light! Would I even find the school? Fog became a familiar force …

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Glory and Grace

Like grace, glory is one of those words that can mean many different things, making it difficult to define. I’m not even going delve into all the definitions; however, I do want to explore briefly one type of glory that can be easily overlooked. When was the last time you looked around and saw glory? …

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Rain in the Desert

When it rains in the desert, it tends to come down hard and fast, and doesn’t soak in as much as it runs to lower ground. We had a quick and hard shower at work today, but it evaporated pretty quickly. Just about as dry two hours after as it was before. (About 20 miles …

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The Dusty Skies of West Texas

Like drizzly gray skies are to the Pacific Northwest, so are dusty skies to West Texas. No, it doesn’t rain all the time in Seattle, nor is it always dusty in Odessa-Midland. But both have earned their monikers for a reason. As if we don’t have enough of our own, the Sahara has contributed a …

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