Let's go outside, please.

Welcome to rswcagefree.com. A world of adventure, bikes, books, momming, and the occasional song. Stepping out of cages, kicking up dust, and finding words to share since, well, forever. Keep scrolling for stories.

Hello.

Jaunty.

I bought a hat yesterday. If you know me, you know that I am no stranger to hats. I wear them most days. Beanies and cycling caps mainly....

Shortages.

It's icy today in my beloved Salem. So icy that schools were on a two-hour delay. Key word "were." Delays are always met with cheers in...

Found: one castle.

Justin and I talk about dreams a lot--the fluffy, unrealized ones we have for our futures, the vivid ones experienced during the night,...

About that table.

A recruiter contacted me the other day to see if I might be interested in a leadership position for a local organization. I get inquiries...

Nest Egg

I chose yellow. A bright shiny yellow full of happiness and sunshine. The family was okay with it in concept. Until they weren't. The...

Cushion: chapter 1

The couch has too many cushions. There is no sitting on this couch. No rest happens here. Cushions collected and discarded from other...

Ground zero.

The contractors are here. Our house is under siege according to Huck. There are men in orange crawling all over the exterior pulling off...

In the front seat.

In the mornings, I drive Peyton. Driving Miss Peyton. If only she wore little white gloves, a demure hat, and offered witticisms from the...

Tools.

I'm terrible with appliances. I misuse everything and with force. Lawn mowers and vacuum cleaners are my go-to victims. There isn't...

I just wanted you to know.

"I just wanted you to know, this is me trying." --Taylor Swift When you have a 14-year-old in the house, you listen to Taylor Swift. A...

Swiper no swiping.

Not too long ago, a small sculpture of a fox was stolen from my favorite art gallery, Ernie & Gray. Ernie & Gray is beloved by all so...

No shortage.

I read an email this morning that said not to go silent, not to bury heads in the sand. Do something. Anything. Say something. There's no...

Us v. Us.

It was always in jeopardy. Yesterday's leaked draft from the Supreme Court should not have been a surprise to anyone. How fragile the...

The egg.

A good friend told me a story this morning about being at a thing and to keep conversation light, the group shared their favorite...

Talk less. Smile more.

The signs are up. Everywhere. Mayor. District Attorney. Ward 2. State representative. Long ago in art school, we studied the history of...

Drop Off

Curb drop off: 1949 I ran out of gas. It’s really that simple. I headed toward the desert. The kid was in the backseat. I don’t know...

San Andreas.

A line ran through it. My very growing upness. A fissure. The line between this and that. Childhood and adolescence. Adolescence and...

A word about middle school.

A word about middle school. A constant cycle of coming to an end: death by paper cut. But wait, we’re not dying! But wait, those paper...

Compass.

Another day, another accident. Look left, look right. Pause. Always one of these steps missing. And now a young man stands next to the...

There is something dead somewhere,

said Dave. "Something...dead long enough to hatch a fly." We are hunters. Searching dank and dark corners. Not too long ago, our neighbor...

Modern day intercom.

Ring. Ring. "Mom, can you come here?" It's Peyton calling from her bedroom six feet away. I set the phone down and make my way to my...

My name is.

My name is Story. I thought it was Saunders, which was make believe, too. My grandfather changed our surname long, long ago as he made...

Your story to tell.

"It looks sketchy." said the girl in my backseat, bladder full, wiggling and unwilling to use the restroom at the rest stop. "I don't go...

Dear Daughter.

Dear Peyton, Behind a closed door, you are strumming a guitar and singing someone else's words, but your emotions. On this side of the...