Author: Emily Sara Smucker
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Summer
Maybe we deserve it after seven months of ceaseless rain, but Oregon summers are just about perfect. Long, sunny day after long, sunny day. Rarely getting hotter than 90 degrees, and pretty much no humidity. And we have a few bugs, but not massive amounts. I sleep with my window open and no screen. The…
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Thoughts on Having a “Day Job.”
Today I finished Dear Ally, How Do You Write a Book? by Ally Carter. I started reading it back when I was living in Kansas, but I didn’t have time to finish it before I left. So I bought it for Mom’s birthday present. Hehe. Listen, I genuinely thought she would like it too, as she’s currently learning to…
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Your Darkest Secrets May Not Be Safe
When I was sixteen, I wanted to keep a diary, but I was terrified of other people reading it. Also, I couldn’t write fast enough to keep up with my thoughts. So I began typing up my diary entries and emailing them to myself. That way, they were protected by a password at least. However,…
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Endings and Beginnings
Well, there you have it. My year-long adventure is over, and I am back in Oregon. I anticipated having a few weeks to relax, get some writing done, and enjoy the Oregon summer before harvest starts. But life just bellows full steam ahead, doesn’t it? So many friends to catch up with. So many events…
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Driving from Kansas to Oregon to Surprise my Family
I hatched a wild plan to drive to Oregon with my brother Ben, hide in the cupboard while my family was at church, and surprise them all. Would I succeed? Watch to find out! So yes, this means that just like that, my year of travel is over! Hopefully in the next few blog posts…
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What I’ve Been Reading This Month
I’ve consumed heaps of books this last month. A lot of stuff that’s more “fun” than “thoughtful,” if I’m gonna be honest, but hey, better than scrolling through Instagram, right? Here’s a blurry picture of all of them lined up on my vanity: 1. Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen I thought I had read…
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Notes on Kansas
It was 1:30 am, and I was eating donuts and pretending I was still a teenager. It was a funny little donut shop. With its outdated wallpaper, random mugs hanging on the wall, and old paneling, it reminded me of somebody’s basement, mostly finished back in the ’70s, and then forgotten. Apparently the place doesn’t…
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What I really mean when I say I’m “working on a book.”
I walked into the Hutchinson Starbucks, and there was Sarah. Oh! I know her! My first random connection in Kansas. We began to chat. “Are you just about finished with your book by now?” she asked me. “No, I’m just plodding along with it slowly,” I said. Because right now I’m only about 1/3 of…
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Why Do So Many People Hate Lancaster? My Top Three Ideas
I’ve been in Pennsylvania for a long time now. There was that month-and-a-half in Myerstown, a week in Philadelphia, a month in Lancaster City, and now another week in Philadelphia. This Friday I’ll bip back to Lancaster for the weekend before driving to Kansas. … There’s a large difference, I’ve noticed, between being in…
The Girl in the Red Rubber Boots 