Published inHuman Parts·PinnedMember-onlyWhy I’m Always on the Lookout for a Good Set of Deer LungsYou never forget your first pair — In the fall, many New Englanders dress in camouflage and skip scented products like soap and deodorant. They’re getting up early to climb up into a tree with a gun or a bow in the hopes that they can shoot a deer. I am not one of these people. But…Education7 min readEducation7 min read
Published inHuman Parts·PinnedMember-onlyHow A Chicken Turned My Mom Into a Secret DemocratIn Memory of Natalie Portman the Chicken, a Rooster — Some stories need exaggeration to make them interesting. This one doesn't. Every word is true. The Human Babies My friend Kelly and I were pregnant at the same time. Our babies grew to be soybean-sized, then avocado-sized, and then spaghetti squash-sized. We had the same due date and figured our babies would be…Family7 min readFamily7 min read
Published inAge of Awareness·PinnedMember-onlyThere Is A Small Bone In The Center Of Your HeartMost people have never even heard of it. — Your heart is a muscle in the center of your chest. It pumps blood through tubes that travel to all parts of your body. Inside your heart is a small, teardrop-shaped bone. Most people don’t know about this bone. The students in my high school biology class had never heard…Education6 min readEducation6 min read
Published inHuman Parts·PinnedMember-onlyYou’re Gorgeous! You’re Hideous! Let’s Scream!Adventures with weird birds — I was at this art gallery on Cape Cod and there were these huge black and white images of feathers. They were printed on this creamy-textured paper that you just wanted to rub between your fingers. I was very pregnant and the skin on my feet was pulled so taut…Creativity5 min readCreativity5 min read
Nov 19Member-onlyDarwin Made TrumpStay with me here. When I was a kid, one of my chores was to round up the cows at milking time. They were creatures of habit, so they’d easily come at the sound of my call, trampling the same grass paths in the pasture. Drones weren’t invented then, but…Science5 min readScience5 min read
Aug 22Member-onlyFinding Joy In Your Own Special Fecal PlumeAnd also whales. Growing up on a farm makes you think about poop differently than most people. I grew up on a farm, and one of my resulting talents is that I am great at sniffing out all different kinds of poop. Cow, chicken, horse, pig, dog — they are…Psychology4 min readPsychology4 min read
Aug 12Member-onlyEverybody Lies About Hot DogsAnd why Aristotle can suck it. When I was pregnant the first time, everyone — everyone — predicted I would have a boy. My mom explained it like this: “People think you’re cool. People think boys are cool. So people think you will have a boy.” Ok, mom. I learned…Psychology5 min readPsychology5 min read
Jul 28Member-onlyFill Your Bowl with CherriesThe ties that bind the War of 1812 to chainsaw grease to a peach pit. Tonight at dinner, I sliced a peach and put it in a bowl on the table. My husband is camping on a glacier in Alaska this week, so dinner at our house has been casual…Psychology6 min readPsychology6 min read
Published inHuman Parts·Jul 24Member-onlyIt’s a Wet, Hot Zucchini SummerA contemplation on the economics of summer hobbies. In May I invested in four baby zucchini plants from a greenhouse. Each one cost $6.00, which felt like a lot, but sometimes the intoxicating smell of a greenhouse in springtime makes me loose with my money. When I got home, I…Nature7 min readNature7 min read
Jun 18Member-onlyTasting Notes from the Summer Buddies Tea PartyI’ll have the hose water special, please. On Thursday, my son came home from his last day of kindergarten with a backpack full of art projects, worksheets, and flashcards of word lists and math facts to practice over the summer. He shook out his bag upside down and scraps from…Parenting3 min readParenting3 min read
