Holding the wild story in small hands

August 17, 2019.Reading time 6 minutes.

My father had watched the rabbit’s nest for days and didn’t see the mother return. Still heartbroken over the event and not realizing then that the mother was probably caring for the remaining babies early in the morning, he decided we needed to rescue them…

Staying resilient, slaying parasites

August 16, 2018.Reading time 9 minutes.

The man made a beeline for me.

I, and a few authors, had just finished leading a discussion about the importance of the voices of “midlife” writers.

This particular writer, who had been in the audience, almost seem dazed–eyes glassy, lips parted as if what he needed to verbalize hadn’t fully formed yet and was resting between them.

Then…

Hello my name is…(and why it matters)

July 18, 2018.Reading time 7 minutes.

by Amanda Cleary Eastep Hola, me llamo… I filled in my name big and purple on the adhesive name tag and stuck it on my shirt, the one with the bold graphic of a Japanese animation character I figured the kids would like. Anime always serves as a good conversation starter when I lead writing […]

Two stories and one picture from the other side

July 8, 2018.Reading time 7 minutes.

by Amanda Cleary Eastep We stepped up to our ankles in the cold water, careful to keep our footing on the gray and brown mosaic of smooth stones beneath our pale feet. This simple act was a pinnacle moment–leaving our shoes on the gritty sand of the “bonny, bonny bank” and walking together into Loch […]

Look Out, Labor Force. Generation X is coming…right after our hip replacements

October 2, 2017.Reading time 1 minute.

By Amanda Cleary Eastep “I’m a Millennial in a Gen Xer’s body,” he said. I was interviewing the former VP of concept and design for McDonald’s for an alumni magazine article. In recent years, his career trajectory had shifted from corporate to the social and public sector, which included a stint in Kenya helping a […]

Liked These Best in 2015 You Did

December 31, 2015.Reading time 3 minutes.

“Impossible to see the future is.” – Yoda By Amanda Cleary Eastep We don’t know what 2016 will bring, but my year-end blog analytics gave me a chance to see what resonated with you in 2015 here at Living Between the Lines. THANK YOU for reading, liking, sharing, and commenting! If any of the Top 5 […]

Rise, rise, rise, let it rise!

January 25, 2013.Reading time 3 minutes.

The title is a play on the Bachman-Turner Overdrive classic from the 70s, that decade when we packed Wonder Bread in our school lunches every day. But this is a new decade in my life…the pre-homesteading one in which I bake my own bread and take another step toward a future life on five acres […]

Beef and beer stew (oh, and some wine)

October 8, 2011.Reading time 4 minutes.

I’ve wanted to try this recipe for a while, and fall seemed like the perfect time (despite the fact it has been in the 80s). Thanks to a fellow catapult magazine contributor for this recipe! On the “I could stick my face in this” scale of 1 to 5, I would give this at least […]

Bruised peaches taste sweeter

September 18, 2011.Reading time 4 minutes.

[Published in catapult magazine’s Going Local issue: http://www.catapultmagazine.com/going-local/article/bruised-peaches-taste-sweeter%5D I bought 10 pounds of bruised peaches from the farm stand today. Five dollars, AS IS. I knew it meant a good hour that evening of peeling and excising the moldy brown spots, and I started to walk away. But I also knew that if I carried […]

Ghana must taste like joy and mangos

March 5, 2011.Reading time 3 minutes.

We hadn’t been to Mabovi African restaurant for almost a year (since Mac’s last birthday). When we walked through the door, owner Bea was on her way out to run an errand. She stopped short and exclaimed, “Oh, it’s you! I can’t leave now!” It doesn’t matter that she probably doesn’t remember all our names […]