Jane’s Essays
I write essays, because, you know, I’m a writer.
Of course, you know that, unless you thought you were at another page by someone else who does something else. If that’s true, this isn’t about me, it’s about you.
Mabel is a Guy
It has come to my attention that Mabel is a rooster. The shape of her tail and the presence of her wattle give every indication that she is developing into a rooster. Her behavior has begun to support this new gender presentation. Chicken sexing is a highly valued and...
Eavesdropping
On our 20th wedding anniversary, we kayaked in fog on the Saint Lawrence Seaway. The river was greasy smooth, gentle swells wrinkling its surface. 20 years before, when we were the laid off newlyweds, we paddled here, too. We paddled here for the whales then as we do...
Devil’s Backbone Road
I struggled to park in the dirt lot at Hell’s Backbone Grill, Boulder, Utah. The spaces here sloped down and away, loose gravel canting down at odd angles to a railroad tie perimeter making it difficult for me to let my bike down onto its side stand. It would have...
Frisbee Dog
My dog, Tom, was a Frisbee dog. He was blonde; ginger colored circles of fur at the backs of his knees. He’d leap into the air to catch the Frisbee. He’d catch any throw, and was especially thrilled to catch it over water and at the beach. Because I used the 200 gram...
Free Rangers! We Ride at Dawn…
In Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, Robert M. Pirsig explores the metaphysics of quality. He sees the motorcycle as a collection of systems and describes two approaches to the bike: classical and romantic. His journey took 17 days to ride, the book four...