It can be tough to decide what risks are acceptable for your children, especially if you’ve had a chance to see what can go wrong in the mountains. For my take, see my essay published April 4, 2016 in High Country News, “Take a page from the mountain goats.” (In the print edition, see “Risk, goats, and kids in the mountains.”)
Sometimes it’s fun to be wrong, even if your husband is right. My story, “Fresh, Never Frozen,” is about fly fishing in an unexpected place–behind a small-town grocery store in Colorado–with unexpected results. It appears in the latest fly fishing issue (March-April 2016) of Gray’s Sporting Journal, which just showed up on the newsstands here in Western Montana. The magazine is beautifully illustrated and full of stories I want to read, just what I need as I wait impatiently for spring. Here’s to good surprises on the water.
My kids used to ask, “What’s that big, black bird, Mom?”
I always answered, “It’s a crow, or maybe, um, a raven.”
But now I know the difference. If you want to know what to look for, check out my short piece about crows in the March-April 2015 issue of Montana Outdoors magazine (currently unavailable online).
Unfortunately, I had space for just a small percentage of all the fun stuff I learned about crows. Even though I usually find them eating garbage in the Target parking lot, they’re some of the smartest animals on Earth.
I got interested in crows after watching the PBS Nature special, “A Murder of Crows.” It’s well worth an hour if you have the time.
I’ve always loved dog stories, but not the ones like “Old Yeller” where the dog dies in the end. I promise that no dogs are harmed in my latest story, “Poetry Appreciation for Dogs,” which was just published in the Christian Science Monitor. The photo that accompanies the story is by Keri Petrilli, a friend of mine (and Scout’s).
Some of my previously published stories just became available online. If you’ve never tried fly fishing, check out “Put Your Skirt On,” from Big Sky Journal’s 2011 Fly Fishing Issue. For others, please see my Publications page.
Look for “Bedtime in the Backcountry,” my story about backpacking with kids, in Montana Outdoors’ July-August 2014 issue. It’s now available online and at newsstands.
My story from Big Sky Journal’s upcoming issue has just been made available online. Check out “Catching Bob” on Big Sky Journal’s website. (There was a little mix-up on the photo captions. The photo with the fly box was taken along the East Fork of the Bitterroot, the actual setting for the story. The rest were taken up Blodgett Canyon on a search for Bob’s relatives.)
Watch for my story about fly fishing with kids in Big Sky Journal’s summer issue. It should be available on newsstands any day now.
My essay, “Basketball Mom,” was published last week in the online version of the Christian Science Monitor. It also appeared in the June 2 print edition.
Julie Lue 