What the Twerk? I don't know how to process it. Last week, I chaperoned the local high school prom, and thing is, the kids weren't twerking. Not a one of them. Not at all. Not one booty bounce among the hundred-odd teens gathered on that dance floor, living it up. None. Instead, they were happy-dancing, … Continue reading What the Twerk?
Nature: An Unrequited Love As Valentines approaches, I'd like to declare my undying and unrequited love for nature. Nature, of course, doesn't care about me. Red in tooth and claw and all. But, like other quasi-relationships I've known, a lack of reciprocity doesn't phase me. This love for nature has now led me into the … Continue reading Nature: An Unrequited Love
I'm a finalist in the January 29th Winter Hauntings competition for my short story "Taste of Robins." This is exciting, as I was also a finalist last year and am hoping this time, I'll win. Winter Hauntings required ghost stories of 1300 words or less, with a Carteret County connection. My entry from last year, … Continue reading For the Love of Trees
Wed to Water Water. Its molecules bind and bubble, strongly pulling one another into droplets, rivers, oceans, and human bodies. We're made primarily of water, and our aqueous aspects yearn to join the flow, to dissolve and just float. They say the human body can vary in hydration from 50-75%. I propose that the more … Continue reading Wed to Water
Enmarshed Enmarshed is the best kind of word - the made-up kind. It's also a stolen word, filched from my friend Autumn Ware's blog, which only adds to its appeal. What does enmarshed mean? Intertwined, connected, with many pieces making up a whole (Jessi's Dictionary). A net is enmarshed. In fact, "marsh" is a local … Continue reading Enmarshed
Hurricane Tattoos Last Thursday, the pine trees were dancing like inflatable tube men, the power was out, Hurricane Idalia was here, and I was in my element. I suspect that hurricanes and I are made of the same substance, and despite their danger, I love them. Which is why I got this hurricane tattoo on … Continue reading Hurricane Tattoos
An Abundance of Curiosities When you're down by the sea, and an eel bites your knee, that's a moray... I got excited this week, reading about eel life cycles in An Abundance of Curiosities: The Natural History of North Carolina's Coastal Plain. So excited, I had to stop and draw a diagram: Larvae --> glass … Continue reading An Abundance of Curiosities
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
Stoneflies and Centipedes The downpour began in earnest at bedtime, which was convenient, since we were getting in the tent anyway. The tarps, over the rainfly, over the tent, blocked out most of the waning sunlight. It was dark - too dark for reading bedtime stories, yet I persisted, even as water seeped in along … Continue reading Stoneflies and Centipedes
Jessi Waugh Writer 