Layaway Mom
As a teen, I expected things to go my way. Why not? I thought if you tried hard enough everything works. A part-time job would soon give...
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Karen Farris
Nov 291 min read
Teens and the Small Business Machine
At fifteen, many of my friends were getting part-time jobs, so I decided to look for one too. My hometown was almost entirely small...
60 views
Karen Farris
Nov 221 min read
Thankful Roots
In 1996, my young daughter wanted her own flower garden. She made rock-lined sawdust pathways and planted little patches of ground cover....
66 views
Karen Farris
Nov 151 min read
Marie on Sunday
Years ago, our Sunday routine included stopping off at a senior living community and giving Marie a ride to church. She always met us out...
50 views
Karen Farris
Nov 81 min read
Karen Time
Long before cell phones could reveal the truth, I would purposely set the clocks seven minutes fast. It was my little secret for years....
56 views
Karen Farris
Nov 11 min read
Say it in a Sentence
We’ve been through an election gauntlet. Words are powerful influencers. But weaponize words and causalities result. I’m reminded of...
66 views
Karen Farris
Oct 251 min read
Collaborations
For our college final project, my husband and I lobbied the school’s music department to work together to produce the school’s first ever...
62 views
Karen Farris
Oct 181 min read
Under Construction
In the city where my daughter and family live there is a busy intersection under major construction. This particular roadway is at the...
50 views
Karen Farris
Oct 112 min read
The Way it Was
Back in the early-60’s, I walked hand-in-hand with my grandmother in her rural town. We had driven the twenty miles from the ranch. Most...
100 views
Karen Farris
Oct 41 min read
My Vote for Purple
As a child, I loved purple. My bedroom walls were all purple, which perfectly matched my purple curtains and bedspread. I wore as much...
59 views
Karen Farris
Sep 271 min read
Stressed? Take a dose of childhood
I had the best week. I didn’t read the news, nor did I accomplish much work. I spent my time playing. It was easy to do with my...
43 views
Karen Farris
Sep 202 min read
The Apple Man
I didn’t realize that there was an actual International Eat An Apple Day. It’s the third Saturday of September. The timing fits nicely...
74 views
Karen Farris
Sep 132 min read
Know Peace No Internet
Typically, I’m tethered to my phone, responsive to texts, emails, and calls. But for two days, my husband and I would be hiking with our...
108 views
Karen Farris
Sep 52 min read
A Grand Journey
“I don’t want to go!” I wailed. I thought if I could just live with Grandma on her farm I wouldn’t have to back to school. Grandma knelt...
74 views
Karen Farris
Aug 302 min read
Counting the Cost
Something big is missing in this photo. Let me explain. Here in my hometown, the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe prepared a parcel of land...
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Karen Farris
Aug 231 min read
Back to School Leaders
Fifty years ago, I attended a high school leadership camp. It was designed to be a mixture of fun and instructive activities that would...
141 views
Karen Farris
Aug 161 min read
Changing Seats
I was just a few minutes later than usual getting to my bus, and by the time I boarded a young woman had taken my favorite seat. So much...
67 views
Karen Farris
Aug 92 min read
Clearing a Path
We were hacking our way through the thick underbrush. The land had been logged some years prior, and now hearty undergrowth was competing...
62 views
Karen Farris
Aug 21 min read
One Chance Meeting
I watched the bicyclist approach the bus driver to ask how much the fare to Seattle was. He had a French accent. The driver told him,...
65 views
Karen Farris
Jul 261 min read
The Power of Summer Memories
My mom and her sister spent many childhood summers at a small rustic cabin deep in the woods next to a pristine lake. They hiked, fished,...
51 views
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