Mother’s Day and moments of silence

The chemo wasn't working. It was destroying a lot of things in Mom's body, just not the large tumor in her bile ducts. So a few weeks ago she made a decision, one that her pastor told her took more courage than fighting merely for the sake of fighting. She began hospice care. She said she didn't want to be in hospital rooms. She wanted to be home, with her dog and loved ones, enjoying the beauty of the Tucson desert. In many ways, this has been yet another gift to her three children. When she stopped the chemo and began palliative care, her quality of life improved within days. How much...

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April in Arizona: canyons, cacti and Mom

    I know it has been a while since I updated the blog. I’m not sure where to begin. Arizona, I guess. That’s where I’ve been for most of the time since I last posted something and got, for better and worse, frequently detoured. I’ve been fortunate, not only to see some amazing places, but to have some fascinating people show them to me. I’ve hung out with dozens of river guides in a remote warehouse near Marble Canyon; helped count and measure cacti in Saguaro NP as part of one of the park service’s longest-running vegetation studies; hiked to the top of the tallest...

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