KAREN LAND

Mushing, Running, and the Great Outdoors!

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The Island

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As a child, I loved watching reruns of the 60’s television comedy, “Gilligan’s Island.” The idea of becoming one of seven castaways on an uncharted, previously uninhabited island was oddly romantic to me. Of course, it was easy for me to relate to Gilligan, the bumbling and accident-prone crewman of the S.S. Minnow. But it wasn’t just one character that did it for me, it was the hodge-podge of pasts, personalities, interests and hang-ups of all the ill-fated passengers – the Skipper, Thurston Howell III, Lovey Howell, Ginger Grant, the Professor, and Mary Ann – that made the Island seem like a home.

A person can still feel alone living in a bustling city surrounded by millions of other people; when you live on an island, you don’t take your neighbors for granted, even if they are downright strange.

 


( 9 Votes )
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The Kile Oak

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I sit down in the tall grass and lean back on my elbows, staring up at the spectacular canopy of the 300-

kile oak400 year old bur oak.

 

Tomorrow, May 20th, is my 40th birthday. Next to this tree, I feel like a toddler.

 

I should have tested the grass before I plopped down on the ground. Now, my jeans are soaked straight through to the skin. It’s too late - I can’t get any wetter - so I just stay put. I’ve admired this ancient oak from every angle, and I know this view is my favorite.

 

I visit the “Kile Oak” every time I’m passing through Irvington, a historic suburban neighborhood in Indianapolis. I come and go from Indy often nowadays, wanting to be close to family when I’m needed.


( 4 Votes )
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Walking in Wonderland

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The landscapes of our childhood stay with us forever.robertajanicecolumn

 

Some of us are fortunate to grow old on the same stretch of earth where we were born.

 

Others venture off - traveling, studying, working, caring for family and friends across the country and the planet.

 

Wherever we might roam, scenes from our youth hang in the back of our minds and hearts like gold-framed photographs. And when we take the time to stop and note those images, they come to life.

 


( 15 Votes )
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The Bowels of Martinsdale

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Before I arrived back home in Montana, I already had the next few weeks planned out.dscf0321

 

When I wasn’t working on my house, I wanted to be in the backcountry, getting to know my new “neighborhood” - the Crazies and Castles and Little Belts - by taking long, relaxing treks with my dogs.

 

Unfortunately, as I mentioned in my previous column, the day after I arrived in Martinsdale, Jigs, my German Jagd Terrier, fell ill from bloat after a swim in the reservoir.

 

As any living being with a gastrointestinal tract understands, a case of excruciatingly painful gas can make even the most levelheaded soul act irrationally. As the old Chinese proverb goes, “A man cannot be in love with a toothache.” Try a bad case of bloat...

 


( 3 Votes )
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A Trip Home

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After driving 2 days and 1500 miles, I finally pulled my vehicle into Martinsdale right before midnight.

 

The four dogs toppled out of the tiny Toyota and immediately took up the task of rodent-removal,  shoving and rooting their way through the dense lilacs acting as a windbreak around the entire house.

 

Just 12 hours earlier, we were in eastern South Dakota literally sitting on ice packs to keep ourselves cool - the car’s air conditioning was no match for the 110 degree heat index on the open plains.

 

Now - finally - we were home.

 

The cool, dry evening air transformed the dogs from panting, watery-eyed, shade-seeking blobs into animated predators. I collapsed onto the grass and looked up at the sky - you can’t see stars like this just anywhere...

 


( 9 Votes )
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