Arctostaphylos ura-usi is the scientific name of kinnikinnic, an evergreen trailing plant related to the broad-leaf evergreen tree we called “madrona” when I was a girl, Arbutus menziesii, and more distantly to Gualtheria shallon, salal. Kinnikkinnik is found across North American and was smoked, though that’s not something I’ve ever tried. The name kinnikinnik, derived from the Unami Delaware /kələkːəˈnikːan. is enough to make me fond of that plant; I recall climbing a madrona when I was no more than five and tearing open a plastic packet of soy sauce to rub on the smooth red skin where the papery bark had already flaked away; and this morning, I picked and ate what are nearly the last of the salal berries on my way off the beach from a long run this morning.
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FOR DEAR LIFE
My neighbor always used to blame me whenever she caught a cold or flu—”You gave me this”—and now I know she should have washed her hands before touching her face. I do not think she will be able to blame me for this. “Worser and worser” was the ungrammatical line from my childhood. A new Brevity post about how to write during this pandemic is meant to be a list of humorous writing prompts. The author suggests subtly informing your younger self to learn to cut your own hair. I have cut my hair since I was fifteen. Continue reading
IMPERFECT PATIENCE 