Coquina Soup Last week, I came across a quote in An Abundance of Curiosities: The Natural History of North Carolina's Coastal Plain (Bolen and Parnell), that took me back to the summers of my childhood. “With a little effort, gourmands can acquire enough coquinas as stock for a savory broth or chowder.” I call baloney, … Continue reading Coquina Soup
Egg Snatcher You probably don't think much about eggs, except for that point last year when they cost five dollars a piece. Brown or white, organic or the cheapest possible, extra-large or medium. Sunny-side up, scrambled. These are our choices. Not so for oologists. I recently finished The Falcon Thief, by Joshua Hammer, an account … Continue reading Egg Snatcher
Super Power Cultivator Our neighbor gave my son a “Super Power Cultivator” for his fifth birthday. Here it is, in its Power-Concentrating Box: "How do I use it?" he asked. “Use your imagination,” she said. So, he speaks into it and tell it what superpowers he wants to gain. "I want to go faster," he … Continue reading Super Power Cultivator
Pollywiggle Pollywog I have a soft spot for amphibians, partly because they're so soft and vulnerable. Ask me my favorite animal, and I'll say "salamander." Unless I'm holding your Jello-boned cat; then he's my favorite. Or watching the blonde squirrel in my yard; then she's my favorite. But all the other times, it's salamanders. They're … Continue reading Pollywiggle pollywog
The Games They Played My son received a barrel of toy soldiers at his fifth birthday party this past weekend. He and his almost-seven-year-old brother have been playing with them for three days. These are our first army men, and I'm not ready. There are two opposing armies - one dark green, the other light … Continue reading The Games They Played
Punk Poetry You know why second-hand stuff is better than new stuff? Because someone else already decided it was good enough to buy in the first place. It's been curated. The really awful junk doesn't even make it to round two; the best of the best gets to advance to the finals, where it … Continue reading Punk Poetry
Fortune 40 Today, I had my annual check-up. Except, I've only been once before, so annual is a strong word to use here. Up until now, I'd stuck my tongue out at the doctor, not for the doctor. Well-checks, exams, and preventative medicine were for other people, not for me. But forty isn't young. It … Continue reading Fortune 40
The Vegetable Revolution Resolution "Gotta eat yo vegetables, eat yo vegetables" - Broccoli Brothers The Broccoli Brothers said it all. Vegetables are good for you, tasty, necessary, and in my house, in need of a revolution. Last night, we lost power about 8pm. When I was woken by the four-year-old at 3am, it was still … Continue reading The Vegetable Revolution Resolution
Writing with Kids I just finished Writer Mama by Christina Katz, a how-to for moms launching their writing careers. It was more targeted at nonfiction writers, but the layout was enjoyable, and the author has some good advice: make time to write, somehow, anyhow. How? Well, my next book is Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. … Continue reading Writing with Kids
Good Wives, Warriors, and Myths What do these three things have in common? A book - two books, really, and they're both amazing. Is it the illustrations, done in fantabulistic detail and psychedelic color? Yes. Is it the sparse, visually invocative writing, just enough to make each creature come alive? Yes. But most importantly, it's … Continue reading Good Wives, Warriors, and Myths
Jessi Waugh Writer 