Escargot   Hi, my name is Pam and I have inner conflict. Occasionally when I accidentally run over a snail with my bike, I hear the crunch and I am all at once racked with regret AND have this unexpected, satisfying surge of pleasure like popping bubble wrap.   Ooooh, that’s good. No, wait, that’s … Read more

Sponge Cake   I woke up from a dream this morning. In the dream, I was standing in front of a congregation at church, telling people all the things I have to be thankful for that have happened in my life lately. At face value, all the things I mentioned could be evaluated as “meh,” … Read more

Six-Pack of Deer   I single-handedly started a new hashtag. It’s #thankfulforthelittlethingsseries.   I, for one, need to remember the creature comforts; the little things I take for granted, some of these are flat-out miracles. (I’d love to get you in on the ground floor of this revolutionary act.)   So yesterday, I had just … Read more

  Eyes Wide Shut   When I was a child, I used to do that thing that many little ones do—I’d put my hands over my eyes because I thought if I couldn’t see you, you couldn’t see me.   This past September, I crossed paths with a bobcat on a mountain biking trail and … Read more

Gratitude   What’s a human called who generally lives from a place of thankfulness, regardless of varying circumstances? A gratidude. Gratitude shows up in all sorts of places and ways. I snapped this photo of a woman’s beautiful shoulder in church. As I listened from my pew with a view, I couldn’t help but feel … Read more

  Get Elbows Deep in Sheep Cheese   My cousin/cugina, Amaya, and I went on an Italian adventure we dubbed, “Two Broads Go Abroad.” For over two months we traveled all around Italia. One day we did a group wine-and-cheese tour of Tuscany. One of our stops was a Pecorino farm. During a cheese-making demonstration, … Read more

Is the Sky Falling?     I’m not sure about that, but the world seems to be on fire. At least from what I can see.     I just saw something I posted on Facebook after the 2016 Nice truck attack—when a man drove a 19-ton cargo truck intentionally into the crowds celebrating Bastille … Read more

Ay–yi–yi   Sometimes I read a scene in the Bible and I can just see Jesus holding his head and saying, ay-yi-yi. He may have just heard one of his disciples say something completely off and he’s like, dude, for real? Have we not covered this? I imagine what He thinks/says/feels when He sees the … Read more

Going to the Maul   I did a search on “Bear spray” today because I wanted a picture to go with this post. I don’t recommend searching for bear spray because those images are linked to mauling victim photos. Don’t do it. I almost lost my lunch.   I’ve been very troubled by the news … Read more

    Bobcat Don’t-Wait     On Tuesday of this week I encountered a mountain lion (it may have been a bobcat) on my mountain biking trail.   This has always been a fear of mine.   The next day I skipped my routine and opted for an alternative, the Thousand Steps stair workout in Laguna. … Read more