But first, introductions...

A bit about why you should follow my writing. Or why you shouldn't.

Welcome to my living room

I’m a writer and a word person in a world of Reels and Insta, and I thought I’d see if a more word-friendly platform would be a good fit. I’m going to publish some of my essays on Substack, and I’m hoping some of my Facebook family will join me here.

I have a huge community on Facebook, and I’ve met astonishing and amazing people there who have enriched my life and become close friends.

View from my bedroom window in summer.

I'm sort of an oddball, and not everyone is going to like me: I went viral for a post that had me in weird braids and a prairie dress while showing off owl vomit, but at least everyone knew what they were getting into. Today’s posts are about losing my remote control, how St. Nicholas brought three children back to life after they’d been turned into hams, weatherstripping my front door, and whether we should use labels for humans.

So, here's who I am, and from there, you can decide if you want to follow along:

I'm a journalist and a reporter and copy editor, and that background colors a lot of how I see things. I write about ADHD, poverty, gluten-free cooking, raising neurodiverse kids, different ways of seeing this odd world we live in, raising cows, recipes, families and class and inter-generational stuff, food insecurity, and random stories about life on a farm in Washington state. There are also photos of goats, and I post non-stop when I travel, usually with photos of snack food.

I believe that soup is one of the best foods on the planet, that I am the world’s best soupmaker, and the reason your soup doesn't taste good is because you don’t use enough salt. I believe that the underdog should have a fair chance, that poverty is not about how much money you have, and that our school system does not have an even playing field.

I grew up with a mother who was mentally ill and in and out of jail, and I went to 27 schools before I graduated from high school, and that has also colored everything. I've lived in California, Oregon, Connecticut, upstate New York, Texas and Washington.(And yes, I wrote quite a book about it, and if you know an agent who's interested in a memoir, let me know!)

I live on a farm and homeschool, and my husband is a goddamned saint for putting up with me. Seriously: Mark is the best.

Also, I overshare.

I believe that racism is absolutely still a thing and that we can’t fix it unless we acknowledge it.

I have 435 projects going at all times. Right now I'm knitting a sweater, remodeling the basement, working on a new garden, fixing up the barn (it was built in 1920 and needs a lot of work), homeschooling, helping local kids with college applications and doing edits on the book.

I believe that Trump is an awful human being, and should never have even been considered a possibility for president.

I have a sister named Nora who is "normal normal" and isn't sure how she feels about all of my hippie nonsense and she thinks I talk too much and share too much and she frequently chimes in on my posts with a bit of a tweak to bring me down to earth and she really just wants me to finish sending my book to agents and stop *talking* about it already, and she's full of snark and she's probably funnier than I am.

I believe that the devil doesn't need an advocate.

I believe that my Facebook page is like my living room and that if you wouldn't say it at a get-together with my friends at my house, you probably shouldn't say it.

I believe in civility and human decency.

I have a cow, a lot of goats, some barn cats, sometimes chickens, and a young teenager at home. My oldest is done with college. My middle will start in September.

So.

If this doesn’t sound like your thing? Off you go. I'm sure you'll find lots of other people who are a better fit for you!

If we're a good fit? Welcome! Read on! Let's have interesting conversations.

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