Sharry Miller

Shoulder Surgery Eventually

Although I've alluded to it in several posts, more or less blatantly, I've not yet officially announced that I have to have shoulder surgery. An appointment with Dr. Rhyneer in Anchorage yesterday unfortunately confirmed what I'd already strongly suspected. I slipped in a puddle of water in November (darn Crocs are slippery on wet floors) and fell. It would have been a classic pratfall - feet straight out in front with a hard landing on... Read more →

Boldly to the Future

The Chinese year of the dragon just started a couple of days ago. After reading about the characteristics attributed to those born dragons, I wish I were a dragon rather than...a sheep. Really, a sheep? Characteristics such as smart, artistic, kind and happy are good enough, I suppose, and do describe me reasonably well, although I'm not as fond of the less complimentary adjectives reserved, insecure and dependent. Dragons, however, dragons are innovative, enterprising, flexible,... Read more →

Coffee v. Cancer Challenge

I just did a quick web search to see if there were any studies linking coffee and cancer. Interestingly, new research indicates that women who drink four or more cups of coffee per day over many years have a 25% less chance of getting endometrial cancer, the most common uterine cancer. I should be in the clear for that one! Last week I wrote a blog post on the power of social media. The post... Read more →

Accepting Criticism

Writing is an interesting activity. The process of writing is essentially completed in isolation until the writer decides she's ready for an audience. Once that decision is made and the words are offered up for public consumption, there's nothing the writer can do to change how her work is received. It will either resonate with the reader and be read with appreciation, or it won't. I recently subjected myself to an interesting process. Writer's Digest,... Read more →

Confidence

Kim posted a quote on Facebook today that caught my attention: "If you want to do something big in your life, you must remember that shyness is only the mind. If you think shy, you act shy. If you think confident you act confident. Therefore never let shyness conquer your mind." This sentiment is profound enough in its own right, but consider its source: Arfa Karim Randhawa. At the age of nine, Pakistani-born Arfa became... Read more →

The Power of Social Media

The votes are all in and, unless there's some strange twist of fate, I've won! The publishers of Cycle and Style chose 10 out of of 35 photographs as finalists in their 2011 photo contest. The theme was "In My Hometown." I entered a photo of Madeleine posed at the end of Dayville Road near Allison Point. Across the bay is Valdez. Visitor's to the website were invited to cast a vote for one of... Read more →

Like, Love, Respect

Several days ago I wrote about wanting to preserve some sort of friendship with my daughter as she enters her preteen and teen years. Comments from Wendy and Mandy reminded me that we may not always be friends and she may not always like me, but that's not what's really important. After reassuring me that the fact I was even thinking about my relationship with Rowan was a step in the right direction, Wendy wrote,... Read more →

Raising My Daughter, My Friend

A week or so ago, Rowan and I went skiing together. It was our first time out this season, so we didn't go very far. I was pleased that this year, finally, she was able to keep up with me, at least for the distance that we went. She still doesn't have the endurance, or the will, to keep moving for as long as I'd like, but we're getting there. In addition to having fun... Read more →

Three Fish

It feels like forever since I've had anything creative to post about. I've finally been spending a bit of time in my studio, and I wanted to share with you what I've been making. It's unbelievable how much fun I've been having making these funky salmon. They're not terribly big, about 10 inches long and 3.5 inches wide - proper salmon proportions and nothing longer will fit in my kiln. They're just big enough to... Read more →

Fielding Lake Adventure

The journey from the highway was only two miles. Since we were hauling our gear to the public use cabin at Fielding Lake with our snowmachines, we weren’t going to travel fast. I decided to forgo my helmet, but in deference to the -15 F temperature, I pulled a balaclava on under my hat. Within moments after I started driving my Skidoo, my eyes were watering and the tears were freezing to my cheeks. My... Read more →