Karyn Johnson
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Light at the end of the tunnel
Since I last wrote, my husband broke his knee, my dog was diagnosed with an enlarged spleen (and given his age, there is nothing we can do about it), and I’ve been barely clinging to sanity. I’ve had to take on a lot more responsibility these past 8 weeks, which is why I haven’t updated.…
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I’m back
It’s been two months since my last post. It’s been a difficult summer for various reasons and I’ve lacked the motivation to write. It feels oddly like early fall, despite August usually being one of the hottest months of the year. I can already see the leaves changing. My pear trees — after two summers…
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June
It’s my birth month, and I’m about to celebrate the last year of my 40s. I have a year or so to plan something really epic for my 50th. I am finally getting caught up in the yard after my injury and the endless rain put us behind. I have a Vego Garden raised bed…
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Baby Pinecone
Nature can be so beautiful and cruel. It has the power to nurture and the power to break your heart. This past week, it was the latter. I mentioned in my last post that a raccoon tried to break into our barn two weeks ago. It was acting strange — like it was drunk. When…
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Eclipse
(Photo credit: Elizabeth Olson on Pexels.com — I wish I had gotten a photo that good!) For a little more than two and a half minutes on Monday afternoon, the sky darkened. The birds hushed. And cheers erupted from distant groups of people around us as the moon completely covered the sun. It was really…
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School building, fractured bones, and other Panamanian adventures
I went to Panama in one piece and came back with my left foot fractured in two places. Other than that, it was an incredible experience. I feel a bit overwhelmed trying to write it all down at the moment, so here are some photos. Day 1: Arrival in Panama City Day 2: Our welcome…
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My Why, Panama edition
It’s a cold, snowy Saturday, but two Saturdays from now, I’ll be doing my last-minute packing and preparations for my trip to the tropics – Panama. Maybe it’s important to give a little context as to why this trip matters to me so much. College seemed unattainable to me growing up. I didn’t come from…
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Five More Weeks
I arrive in Panama City five weeks from today. That will be day 1 of our corporate service trip with School the World. I think we get to do a little sightseeing (Panama Canal and the Old Town), and have a welcome dinner. Day 2 (Monday), we fly into David and travel into the Ngäbe-Buglé…
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December/2023 Wrap-Up
Here we are, the last day of 2023. I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to pack away the holiday decorations and look ahead to the new year and new possibilities. But before I do that, I’ll wrap up December and 2023 with this update. I decided this year to make homemade candles for…
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The festive month
I am in a much better place mentally this year than I was at this time last year. I feel much more creative (though this sadly doesn’t extend to writing outside of work) and enthusiastic about the holiday season. Everything has fallen into place for me this year, which has made all the difference. So,…
Karyn Johnson 