Kelly Learns
A compilation of my columns from the Sunday issues of the Daily Courier, Prescott, Arizona.
I’ve been writing an every-other Sunday column for the Daily Courier in Prescott, AZ since late 2020, thanks to the kind encouragement of long-time columnist Ron Barnes, who spent over 30 years contributing his wisdom not only to the newspaper but to many other people and organizations in the Prescott area. He put in some good words to the publisher and editor for me when he decided to retire from column writing. It’s one of those gifts you never knew you wanted and then realize how grateful you are to have it.
The Daily Courier has exclusive rights to my column for 60 days after publication, which is why you might be reading a Christmas column in February. I love writing but seem to need a project and deadline to do it. Hopefully this blog will inspire me to write more. Thanks for stopping by to check out my site!
Deep Freeze
I was cleaning out our basement freezer to see if I could make room for leftovers when I pulled out a bag from the bottom that said “Turkey 11/25.” I’m guessing these are not leftovers sent to us by the Ghost of Thanksgiving Future, but my Sharpie scribble didn’t give me the confidence that these were last year’s leftovers either. Especially since I excavated a bag of mixed vegetables near the turkey with a “best by” date from 2021. There were a few other relics in cryptic plastic bags tucked in the far corners as I hung over the mouth of the freezer like I was dumpster diving, pulling them into the light for examination. A bag of rigatoni with meat sauce that may or may not still be edible, depending on how long foods last past their “sell by” date. A crunchy plastic-wrapped ball of...
Always remember
The dusty smell of monsoon rain in the air this past week reminded me that we have reached another anniversary of the Yarnell Hill Fire and the tragic deaths of the 19 Granite Mountain Interagency Hotshots. Eleven years ago, we were still pretty new to Prescott. I had...
The joy of being bored
We decided to take a long weekend in Yucca, Arizona over the Memorial Day weekend with our dogs. When I told friends where we were going, I was met with some confused stares. “Where’s Yucca?” they’d say. If you haven’t been to Yucca, population 96 as of 2020, I’m not...
Fair weather friends
You’re either a fair person or you’re not. I can’t think of a better way to spend a Saturday than strolling through poultry and rabbit exhibits, feeding miniature goats at the petting zoo, cheering on a tiny cowboy try to ride an oversized sheep without falling off,...
Memory garden
Every morning when I walk out my front door to work, I see a pinwheel spinning in one of my flower pots in the garden. Some mornings it is whizzing quickly, a purple blur of color with a backdrop of dark green tiger lily leaves. On still days, the five leaves stare...
Free to a good home
The elaborate black mailbox down the street caught my eye as I drove past on the way to work. One day, I decided to pull over on the way home and take a closer look. It wasn’t a mailbox at all, but a “Little Free Library” filled with books. According to the sign on...
What I did on my summer vacation
I don’t like to think that I’m middle-aged, but it’s true. Today, I got a telemarketing call wanting to talk to me about my Medicare Advantage plan. I made her repeat it before I realized what she was asking me. “I’m not that old yet!” I shouted and hung up the phone....
The only constant is change
I’m not one to quote Greek philosophers, but the words “the only thing constant is change” has been floating through my mind lately. I see it in the new old places we visit around town: a restaurant that used to be this is now that, a brewpub I used to love is now a...
Daddy’s girl
One of my earliest memories of my dad was waiting to surprise him when he came home each day from work. I’m sure he saw me way before I saw him, a wiggling 2-year-old trying to hide face down on the living room couch. When he reached the top of the stairs, he’d...
We’re not really strangers
I picked her up at the Phoenix airport around 9 p.m., this tall young woman wearing Converse high-tops painted two different colors, and pants with one leg black and one leg white. Her curly blonde hair was blue now, but I recognized her smile, and the hug felt the...
Sunday driver
It’s been 13,689 days since I passed my driver’s test. I remember how important it was to me to earn that freedom and the excitement of driving my parent’s station wagon into town on my own for the first time. This past week, we’ve been teaching one of our nieces how...
In a heartbeat
Life can be going along just fine and then you do something dumb, like not checking if there’s a toothpick in the appetizer you’ve just popped into your mouth and gulped down without really chewing. After quickly googling “what happens if you swallow a toothpick” and...