Natalie Wrote: Blog

Winged Wanderlust: Silverware’s Day Out

“Well, after today’s events, I cemented in my role as neighborhood crazy bird lady” I texted my next-door neighbor and fellow crazy bird lady. I approached Cora in our shared driveway on Friday in my I am fluent in fowl language t-shirt. She was scattering birdseed from one end of her front yard to the…
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Thursday: Packing, Tea Parties and Barfing

It wasn’t easy getting out of bed this morning. Aside from having to recover from climbing a glacier, driving six hours, aurora hunting until 1am with a disappointing outcome, I wasn’t exactly thrilled about having to pack up and leave Alaska. A few final activities remained on our list before our flight. Daisy had made…
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Wednesday: Ever Present Danger and Feeling SO ALIVE!

“At this point, we’d be happy with, ‘oh look, the sky is a little green over there!” -Daisy Aurora hunting has not been successful thus far. We were perched in the car at the top of a mountain. It was 14 degrees. Our waitress, an Athabaskan local told us this was the best place to…
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Monday-Tuesday: It Might Actually be Possible to Build an Animal with all the Various Body Parts that Were Available for Sale

Monday We thought we might be able to sleep- it was quiet in our hotel, in a heavenly way, such that we haven’t experienced since we were blessed with children. Unaware that the others were also awake, we each tried to mask our insomnia to save the precious quiet for that much longer so our…
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Sunday: Saggy Neck Pillow, Gold Teeth and Tony’s Mom

The harmonious sounds of Peter, Paul and Mary were on repeat in my mind all of this morning; “My bags are packed, I’m on my way… I’m leaving on a jet plane…” We loaded the car with our suitcases; Stickeen loaded himself into the cargo hold. He was told to remove himself – he’s not…
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Snuggles, Hugs, Kisses and Solar Flares

Snuggles, hugs and kisses. Eliana asked for them tonight after she brushed her teeth. I can never say no to snuggles, hugs and kisses. I closed my signed copy of Neil deGrasse Tyson’s “To Infinity and Beyond” to snuggle her, and Dov (Hebrew: bear). We talked about our stealthy venture through a breach in the…
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Where Nothing Else Matters

The scent slips through my nostrils- crisp new oxygen, freshly breathed from mother nature’s lungs to mine. That unmistakable smell of pine and sunshine. Along the curvy roads, mountains of every size stand shoulder-to-shoulder, hiding lakes, rivers and canyons behind their backs. Giant boulders of granite beckon to be climbed. I long to sit atop…
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I hope you learn to love her.

Like you did when she was born. You listed all the things You’d teach her how to do: She’d know all the Pokémon, How to swim and ride a bike. When she came I couldn’t read The expressions on your face. I thought you didn’t like her, Were afraid of what she meant. I found…
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Rocking Chair

A tiny hand tightly grips the worn, fluffy blanket. Another tiny arm wrapped around a stuffed best friend. Heart to heart, we gently rock to the beat they make. I live for this hour in which the whole world stops. I need this more than they do. Without a nap, they would be cranky, maybe.…
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Aches and Pains

Pain radiates from my forearm; my mind is unable to recall the exact person, animal or object against which I stumbled that delivered this blow to my limb. Most likely it was during the psychotic scramble to recapture two dogs who escaped from the glass shower enclosure, covered from head to tail in soap. My…
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Cranial Confine

“Your brain has a jail.. and you can put stuff in it.” My perceptive pre-teen quipped. I asked how he would respond, were the roles reversed. His friend told him some hormonal middle school girl called him “ugly.” Prudent advice out of the mouth of a babe; we can all benefit from making use of…
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Welcome Home

I looked fixedly at your sweet portrait; your eyes gleamed at the photographer with cheerful anticipation of companionship. I knew you were a good boy. For the 11 days you remained abandoned, I know you greeted every passer-by with the same warmth, hoping someone would notice your goodness. “I want to meet him.” I said.…
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Mommy Hugs

He used to run across the room, arms outstretched. “Mommy!” He would launch his body in the air for me to catch. My favorite time of day was 12:30pm: preschool pick-up time. Soon those hugs disappeared, he adopted a no-touching policy to which I strictly adhered. I longed to hug him when he would cry…
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