Iditarod Sled Dog Race

Noggin Is Getting a Big Head

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Noggin is finally starting to get the hang of posing for photographs which was a good thing last Thursday night at our talk in Hope, Indiana. We had a fun crowd at the Bartholomew County Public Library (Hope branch) and everyone wanted shots with Noggin, the rowdy star, who for once didn’t snooze on her bed the entire talk, but instead browsed the aisles looking for a good book. She is a VERY smart dog, you know!

A big hug and thank you to our friends, Sue and Larry and GOAT, for stopping in and surprising us. We always love seeing you. Goat, Romano’s brother, is quite the sweet talker and has the most creative vocabulary of ANY dog I know. Noggin was quite impressed!

Mush Madness

Thank you to the Rural Alliance for the Arts for sponsoring our Batesville Intermediate School visits for the second year in a row!

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As always, the teachers had their students well-prepared for our time together, and we enjoyed lively discussions about the 1,049-mile Iditarod Sled Dog Race which, of course, is happening RIGHT NOW! Noggin and I gave five talks at the school over the course of two days. Each and every third grader has picked a musher and dog team to follow daily throughout the race so they were ready to talk trail. And Noggin, as always, was ready for a little sled dog TLC…

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Where We Are: A Press Release

The print edition of UPROOTED: AN ANTHOLOGY ON GENDER AND ILLNESS is out today.
My essay, “Where We Are,” can be found in Chapter One. Read excerpts from the collection by clicking on “LOOK INSIDE!” at https://www.amazon.com/dp/0692600213/.
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uprootedpressrelease
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Iditarod 2002
Lunchtime at a school talk
 It’s not easy to write about losing your best friend, but I tried.
I miss you, Mom…

Cavedog Art

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Yesterday before our Iditarod talk at the Pendleton Community Library in Pendleton, Indiana, we discovered this cavedog graffiti on the concrete trestle under the CSX railway. I’m opposed to all types of graffiti and destruction of property, yet these simple figures caught my attention, prompting me to pause and admire, and even smile. I’m sure it had something to do with the fact that four dogs — Jigs, Chloe, Romano, and Noggin — were leading us down the gorgeous paths of the Falls Park Trails. Or maybe it was the simplicity of the modern-day pictograph — woman and her dog — and what it represents, what it feels like to be in such a relationship. To all of you who have shared a profound bond with an animal, I’m sure you “get it”… so I’ll just let the image speak for itself.

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Karen, Jigs, and Noggin

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Even though it was a perfect autumn day in Indiana and there were dozens of football games on the tube, we had an awesome turn-out at the Pendleton Library. I really enjoyed visiting with everyone. Our always-delightful-host, Kristen Case, let us take home a sheet of her famous Romano Stickers.