So, as a teacher in a small town, I generally tread carefully with social media, trying to model for my high school students the power of words– when to use our strongest language and when we should just listen. This is one of those times when helping our kiddos to articulate what makes them… Continue reading Thinking of You, Charlottesville, With Both Hope and Humanity
Here are some more strong letters in defense of our challenging White Mountain trails: Dear Mary Altz-Smith, My friends and I frequently hike in the White Mountains during the summer. Today, we hiked Indian Head on June 20 with my summer hiking group, Girls of Summer. We are a strong group of girls who… Continue reading “Dear Mary from Birmingham” Letters: Batch 3
I took my little girl to see Annie the Musical last night at Jean’s Playhouse in Lincoln, NH. Actually, my parents took us; the theater was jam packed, and we were wowed by everything: Annie and the orphans, Sandy, (played by the beloved pet of our local second grade teacher and his wife), Ms. Hannigan,… Continue reading Remembering Why We Love Orphan Annie and her Sunshine
A continued conversation of our response letters from Girls of Summer: Dear Mrs. Mary Altz-Smith, The letter that the you wrote to The Union Leader was very disappointing. You obviously have never been in the in the real outdoors of New Hampshire. Have you ever been on an actual hike before coming to our challenging… Continue reading “Dear Mary from Birmingham” Letters: Batch 2
Just 24 hours ago, many of us who were spending the night anywhere in a tent in Northern New Hampshire were cursing the weather people along with Mother Nature herself. The rain was supposed to end. Cooler than normal temps meant 50 degrees but not 40. These girls pictured above not only hiked for 5… Continue reading “Dear Mary from Birmingham” Letters: Batch 1
One of my favorite American novels is The Things We Carried by Tim O’Brien. In the first chapter, he writes about what they carry in their packs. Today, while hiking we teased one young lady for packing an entire jumbo box of goldfish in her pack along with a pudding cup, not her best choice… Continue reading The Weight We Carry
The above car is my dad’s, and he’s having a hard time letting go of her, despite not really driving this former beauty since I was a teenager. Now this rusty impersonator of a bygone era goes into storage at Arnold’s Antiques and Collectibles around November and comes out again in April. Coincidentally this… Continue reading Our Power to Attach and Release
Dear Mary Altz-Smith of Birmingham, AL, Recently, The Union Leader published your letter to the editor expressing your disappointment in the conditions of our White Mountain trails. Respectfully, many of us who actually live here actually got quite a kick out of your complaints, including this incredible group of girls we have… Continue reading For the Lady who Complained Our White Mountains are “Disgraceful,” We Beg to Differ…
Dear Daughter: Today, we visited the pediatrician for your “well child visit.” When she asked what kind of books you liked to read, I expected you to say Fancy Nancy or Junie B. Jones as that is what we are reading together. But no, you quietly responded, “Fiction,” as if being interviewed by The Yorker… Continue reading For a Daughter, Age 6
Dear Puppy Brie, You were a most special 7 year old puppy; you and Carver were “puppies” together; you were our children’s first love and first pet despite living twenty minutes away with your parents, their grandparents, Phil and Joyce. Just this past Saturday, you chased a bunch of laughing six year old girls around… Continue reading Dear Puppy Brie…
Heather Ehrman Krill: The "Write" Kind of Coach 