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TAG: columnist

Washed out: Best laid plans a thing of the past

Katie McDowell Anyone who knows me knows I’m a bit of a planner I’ll dog the details to death — Google menus at restaurants where we’re going, check the weather a thousand times, curate an outfit for any possible outing. I can’t tell you how many times someone has asked me ...

A COVID-19 time capsule: What can it tell us?

When I was a kid, I was fascinated by the time capsule buried in front of my elementary school (shout out to William Tyler Page in Montgomery County, Md.) It was planted in among an herb garden in a little square near the entrance (the smell of fresh thyme still takes me there), a ...

Guess what? There is no Shelob at Valley Falls

Katie McDowell We were coming up the trail at a good clip when he stopped me. “Wait,” he said, holding me back. “Look.” I followed the direction of his pointing finger with my gaze — about 10 feet in front of us there was a mass of branches, growing in a strange ...

Making the best of a not-the-best year

I saw a meme the other day with a woman ugly crying and the words, “The moment you realize 2022 is pronounced 2020, too” written above it. A pretty horrible thought, given that 2021 already felt like an extension-slash-bad sequel to that terrible enough year. Here we are with ...

The Marvelous Mr. Moo: His guide to the good life

I am in awe of my dog. I simply find him fascinating — the way he walks through the world. As though it’s Mr. Moo’s Universe and we’re all along for the ride. And not just because he has 0% body fat, either. Every time I watch him, I marvel at what it must be like to live ...

Gratitude list helps keeps blues at bay

Anyone who knows me knows how I feel about “journaling.” I put it in quotes because I doubly dislike the use of it as a verb. Even in my teens I was hopeless at keeping a diary, breaking open the one I had only to occasionally profess my love, or hate, for a particular ...