Shifting Seasons at 9,318 Feet: Family, Rituals, and Winter Prep in Silverton
This past weekend, Phen came home for the first time since heading off to boarding school. It was so nice. My mama's heart felt regulated for the first time since he left, with all my babies under the same roof. Knowing the next time he might be home is Christmas — and that he will certainly need his winter gear before then — we had an annual hurdle to tackle.
Enrichment Outside of Silverton: Why Getting Out Matters
One of the most important things about raising kids in a small town is getting out. Perspective matters. Experience matters. Getting outside our box matters.
While many of us chose life in a tiny community for its simplicity and lack of flash, kids need more. They need to see, do, and feel things beyond dirt streets and multigenerational hockey games.
Blues, Brews, and the Therapy of Friendship
This past weekend was the 31st Telluride Blues & Brews Festival—three days of music that can bring tears to your eyes and fill your soul. I’ve been going with a group of girlfriends for nearly a decade now. Different women, all from across the Southwest, ranging in age from early 40s to late 60s. Together we camp, dance, cook beautiful meals, make art, cast spells, and share what’s really going on in our lives.
The Heart of Silverton: Our Little Carnegie Library
When I think of Silverton, I think of the mountains, the seasons, and our library.
For years, Jackie was our librarian, and we used to joke that we had the loudest librarian ever. Jackie retired not long ago, but her spirit of welcome still lingers in the stacks. Our new librarian, Misti, has stepped in with her own kind of magic—energy, creativity, and a spark that lights up the building every day.
Our Family’s 10-Day Grocery Haul: How We Shop from Silverton
Groceries, groceries, groceries. Out here, food isn’t just a shopping list — it’s logistics, planning, and survival. Living in Silverton means the nearest “normal” grocery store is at least an hour away, whether north to Montrose or south to Durango. That’s not exactly a quick midweek errand.
Grace, Rain, & Pie
This was the first week with all three kids back in school—and the first week with Phen gone. It wasn’t an immediate adjustment. Monday, after dropping him off, I was wrecked. I cried ugly tears and let myself feel it all.
But here in my forties, I’ve learned to practice grace with myself. I took a walk. I called my mom. I sat in his room for a while. And then I pulled myself together enough to be present when the other two came home. That was my daily practice—falling apart a little, and then finding my way back.
Letting Go
Yesterday, we took Phen to Steamboat Mountain School. We moved him in, joined the family orientation activities, and navigated pushing our very reluctant and fearful 14-year-old into a new world. He was scared, overwhelmed, and homesick before he even unpacked. Which meant that none of us—myself, Steve, or Hawkins—could fall apart. We had to be steady, even while our own hearts were breaking.
On Coping with Phen Going to Boarding School
We’re all coping in our own ways this week as we prep Phen for boarding school. None of us is saying it outright, but it shows up everywhere in how we’re acting.
Nine Months of Winter: What It Really Takes to Live Here
When people ask what it’s like to live in Silverton, I usually start with the obvious: winter lasts about nine months. Snow comes early and lingers long. Our kids ride bikes on the only paved road in town, but for most of the year those bikes lean in the shed, waiting for a stretch of bare ground.
At 9,318 feet, life is both beautiful and brutal. On a clear morning, the peaks glow pink, and it feels like we’re living inside a postcard. On a stormy one, we’re shoveling for the third time before breakfast, and I wonder if we’ve lost our minds.