Hi! My name is Kim and I joined Medium in mid-October. I like to write, but I’ve never really written consistently. Most of my writing is for work, which is fun, but I don’t get to choose my topics or content. I’ve written fewer than 20 stories so far, but I’m having fun with it and I enjoy the opportunity to choose my topics and explore different ideas.

I Have a Blended Family
I was born in Las Vegas, Nevada. My dad worked in the oil field so we moved around a lot. My mom and dad eventually separated. …

PHOTO-A-DAY CHALLENGE

This week was not a typical week. I started doing yoga again for the first time in months. My back muscles needed it. We had to take the dog to the vet for his eye. I got to do more social media tutoring and I got my 2nd Covid vaccine.

Nature

Jake’s Wetland and Wildlife Meadows is a 7.4-acre wetland area with a trail that I drive past once a week when I do social media tutoring. I stopped to walk the trail one day when I got into town half an hour early.

The wetland is located in a quiet neighborhood. I’ve never seen more than a few cars in the parking lot at a time. Residents can walk to the trailhead from their houses if they live close enough.

A few days ago, I got a text from a friend:

This came up on my Google News feed! I clicked on it because I am interested in Pine Grove, didn’t know it was you!

The text came with a screenshot of my article in a feed that included rising house prices and a picture of a Golden Retriever.

My Pine Grove article is doing better than most of my other articles. I’m used to seeing double-digit views, so watching Exploring a Historic Ghost Town in Nevada get over 300 was pretty cool.

92% of those views are external. The…

PHOTO-A-DAY CHALLENGE

My week started with a holiday and I was at work. Monday was our busiest day of the holiday weekend. Once the park filled up and the campground was full, the day was pretty calm. I spent most of the day with a few others, pulling weeds and trying to make the campground look nice.

On Tuesday, my husband texted me that he got offered a full-time job with the department with which he’s been working for the past few years. He will be doing the same job, but he officially starts on June 14.

OUTDOORS

My husband and I had the chance to kayak the Carson River with a group of friends. It’s early in the season, but because we didn’t get enough snow last winter, the water levels are low. We planned this trip a month in advance to make sure everyone could go.

The morning finally arrived. A few people met at our house to carpool. We fit four people, three kayaks, and a paddle board into my husband’s truck and took off. …

OUTDOORS | HISTORY

When we lived in Yerington, Nevada, my husband and I liked to explore the old mining roads. These roads were mostly accessible with a four-wheel-drive (4WD) vehicle, so we took his truck. We drove through remote areas with no cell service. We made sure to carry extra food and water, even for short trips.

One day we decided to visit an abandoned ghost town called Pine Grove. My husband had visited years ago with a friend and he wanted to show me around.

This ghost town has buildings that are over 100 years old and still standing. Visitors to this…

One day at work, I had an encounter with a woman who only wanted to complain. She was wearing a dress and driving a nice truck. It was a beautiful (hot) day, but she was unhappy about everything.

Nothing I said would help. I tried to bring up the bright side by mentioning the parks, the trails, the scenery, but it was no use. She wanted to complain.

She complained the entire time I was ringing up her purchase. I was polite, but I finally gave up trying to talk to her because she didn’t want to hear it. …