Wild caving in the belly of Bridgewater, VA

I was holding this peep close when she hopped up on my shoulder. (Doesn’t the red glow from the heat lamp look like some portal to hell ripped open my spare bedroom? There’s a story right there.)

Peep peep

Four olive eggers joined our flock.

Bat cat. Cat bat. Either way, unhappy about it.

My sister’s memorial scholarship application is live! Open to HS seniors in Chesapeake, VA who are future nurses! Applicants will compose an essay on domestic abuse. Chelse was a DV victim. She died by gunshot wound in the middle of her forehead on 11/2/25.

This looks amazing! Love the concept! I preordered my copy. ☺️

brass solidarity band performing “stand by me” in the streets of whittier next to alex pretti’s memorial. the crowd started chanting “the people united will never be defeated” so they incorporated it into the song. i love minneapolis

26th and nicollet in minneapolis is closed to vehicle traffic now as brass solidarity performs

Love this thoughtful piece with geological layers!

“In them, he’s smiling. Carefree. Like his whole life’s ahead of him, not behind. And he’s looking forward to living that life.” This beautiful CNF piece hits close to home with the recent loss of my sister.

I created the Chelse Widen Memorial Nursing Scholarship to honor my sister, a DV victim who died by gunshot wound in her forehead 11/2/25. Please consider donating to the scholarship fund: gofund.me/3e8b51191

When you’re mourning, everyone looks at you like you’re a reptile person. I don’t know how to be anything else. I would really like to go be a reptile in a secluded cabin. Or maybe a salamander.

Tonight, I submitted my MFA thesis. Then I made nachos for dinner. Tadaaaa!

This is my beautiful sister! The brightest light! She was snatched from us November 2. Praying for justice. Waiting for Macbeth 3.4 to unfold.

While writing a story this week, I intended to give a woman a pet skunk. I think I gave her a mental breakdown instead. Oh well. The skunk will go to another character another day.

Spent the past week with this beautiful collection! “Sugar Babies” and “Ghost Sickness” make excellent bookends for all these significant stories.

Lovely poem split between the realities of motherhood!

Been busy writing my thesis! Nine pages left! Here’s a cat picture!

@stonecirclereview.bsky.social Thank you for replaying my piece!

Book clutter is acceptable clutter.

Was taking a selfie with my girl Marlowe and then she did this. 💛

Am I the only one who reads Andor as and/or? Yes? OK…

I am OBSESSED with Buford the dog who rescued a two-year-old lost in the AZ wilderness. who’sagoodboyyy?! www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...

I met this squirrel at the Grand Canyon today.

“In Alice’s stories the mother always dies. Or is dead already. Or is absent in a way that suggests, to the perceptive reader, that she is likely dead.”

Compelling piece on the necessary process of storytelling and revision.

Worst teammate ever. “Team lift” pfffft

Things people without chronic pain might not understand: When I get low on my migraine abortive med (insurance only covers 8 pills a month), I sometimes suck on a mint to trick my body into thinking I’m taking medicine (the med is mint-flavored) to get it to heal itself. Never works.

can't believe it's 2025 and i'm stressed about tariffs and measles, like am i a character in an american girl book

Like I was saying…

I heard somebody knocking on my window. 😱

Upon trying out new cake pans (after refusing to bake cakes for a decade). Kt: [in a deep growl] “Cake’s back on the menu, boys!” E (age 14) and J (age 11): … Kt: Like in Lord of the Rings… E and J: We know. Kt: When the orc says— E and J: We know.

I resisted this for years and scoffed at the idea; however, I have come to terms with the reality in my middle age that I do indeed need to purchase a label maker.

10+ inches of snow in coastal VA! Approved by the lab!

This sun catcher is giving me the happiest Beauty and the Beast vibes. The sun rises outside the kitchen window by the sink and often gives me a migraine while I do dishes, but now I get to admire this dude. Bought as a fundraiser for a local wildlife rehab group (Wild Baby Raccoon Rescue).

Love this piece by @emilyrinkema.bsky.social “I should have told you that I can’t look at stars because their distance is measured in years, that I don’t acknowledge birthdays, that there wouldn’t be a second date because two points make a timeline.”

New OPEN Finalist by @emilyrinkema.bsky.social "On our first date, our only date, I lied to you when you asked me about my biggest fear. Sinkholes, I said." fracturedlit.com/sixty-fifty-...

Talent agent, sign me up! #chronicillness #chronicpain #invisibleillness

That’s what I’ve been saying!!

I had never heard such boisterous squawks closing in our house. When I stepped outside to record their calls, I saw hundreds of geese rip across the sky like some unsettling omen.

Spending this cold afternoon revisiting Stone Animals by @kellylink.bsky.social

If writing wasn’t powerful no one would ban books.

Reading Erdrich’s The Night Watchman in the car during my son’s clarinet lesson.

On rejection, and how to keep writing through it https://buff.ly/3PzkRJz

I officially deactivated my X account. Feeling a little lighter already.

um

My house is haunted! I can’t believe I got a picture of the paranormal activity!

Sick & having a fever dream, I heard sad piano music & saw Taco Bell menu pictures reel across my brain like an ASPCA commercial. Not sure if I was trying to kill the vision or send it off for self-help. Maybe @tacobellquarterly.org can help me decide.