Sharry Miller

Baking Philosophy

No Bernard Clayton's New Complete Book of Bread recipe today. Instead, since I'd offered to share my sourdough starter with a young friend, I thought I'd experiment with it. On the plus side, this means that you can access the recipe yourself without having to buy a baking tome. For some reason, I had scones on my brain this morning. I have a recipe I've used before and like, but since I had the sourdough... Read more →

Quiet Power

Before spring of my eighth-grade year, I was about the shyest person you could possibly imagine. Just the idea of talking to a boy made me blush. During the 45 minute bus ride to and from school, I sat in the third seat behind the bus driver, knees propped up on the seat in front of me, and read book after book, often needing a flashlight to see. It's no great surprise that I wore... Read more →

A Fun Little Mystery

I received a package in the mail Saturday which led me on a merry little goose chase of no consequence. In the padded manila envelope was a copy of Alaska's Mushrooms by Harriette Parker. This slim volume contains basic information on 35 different mushrooms commonly found in Alaska, many of which are edible, some of which definitely are not. There was no accompanying paperwork in the envelope, and the return address was for someone I'd... Read more →

Giving and Receiving Compliments

Be honest now. The last time you received a compliment, what did you do? I mean a real compliment, one directed at you, not your choice in apparel. The last time someone said you were totally amazing, how did you respond? If I had to guess about it, it's been a while, perhaps a long while, since anyone said you were totally amazing. I know it doesn't happen to me often, nor do I say... Read more →

Lookin' for Friends in All the Wrong Places

(My apologies to Waylon Jennings for bastardizing his lyrics, but this post title was just too right not to use.) Overlooking beautiful Prince William Sound I'm sure I'm not the only one who sees familiar faces in crowds of strangers or in places where people I know would not be. The more exotic the location, the harder I search for something familiar, something to make the situation more normal. A few days ago, I was... Read more →

Building Self-Esteem

"You're going to write a blog post about this now, aren't you?" It was really more of a statement than a question, and she said it with an assumption of rightness rather than resignation. Rowan simply assumed that her attending the local TBA theater camp for the sixth year was important enough that I had to write about it. I just smiled and gave some noncommittal answer. The conversation made me think, however. Rowan's assumption... Read more →

Smile When You Say That

An older couple was walking along the bike path, looking out towards the bay. Perhaps they were watching for seals or sea lions, and there was a good chance they’d see some since dozens congregate during the summer in the vicinity of the Solomon Gulch hatchery when salmon are returning. When I was about 75 feet or so behind them, I called out, “Coming up behind you.” Both of them jumped and moved quickly to... Read more →

Internet Friends

"Meeting someone on line is not knowing someone." ~Officer Baczuk, April 16, 2013~ The Valdez Police Department and Valdez City Schools have been offering a five week course in internet safety for middle and high school students. Rowan's attended the first two so far, and last Tuesday I decided I'd hang out for the class and see what the instructor, Valdez Police Officer Baczuk, had to say. His main message was that using the internet... Read more →

E-Relationships

When I was a toddler, I made my mother cry. I took a pair of scissors to a pink doily and cut it into shreds. The doily had been a gift from my mother's childhood pen pal in Sweden. ***** A couple of months ago, I started playing Words with Friends. At first, my only opponents were a small handful of locals I see around town. Recently, however, I started a game with Ellen, a... Read more →

Sticks and Stones

"Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me." Oh, if only it were true. There has been a great deal of hoopla lately about a wide variety of issues related to political campaigns, gay rights, civil liberties, personal choice, and on and on, much of which is being hotly debated on Facebook, on blogs, and in the media - social and traditional. Much of this debate has been unkind. Individuals... Read more →