

Previous Work Archive
When I left the corporate world to begin my Act II career as a writer, In the Scheme of Things was a bridge. Two years later, I signed with an agent, who still represents my non-fiction work.
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In the Scheme of Things was first published as a column in Montana Woman, a print magazine, where it appeared monthly for sixteen years. During that time, my “reflections on this journey called life,” found their way into anthologies, e-newsletters, blogs, and local papers in Maine, Iowa, Virginia, and Canada.
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These archive pages represent a small portion of those writings. I am regularly asked if In the Scheme of Things will once again be part of my newsletter. I have yet to decide, but if you have a point of view, let me know.
Nan Russell
Nov 17, 2021
A Bit of Joy and Thanks
"We must try to contribute joy to the world. That is true no matter what our problems, our health, our circumstances. We must try ...
Nan Russell
Jul 15, 2019
Learning to Dance
I begged my parents for dance lessons. Sometimes when I walked with my mother the five blocks to the neighborhood grocery, I'd catch glimpses of ...
Nan Russell
Apr 23, 2019
Time to Notice
"People find life entirely too time-consuming." This aphorism from 20th century poet, Stanislaw J. Lec, captures how many of us feel at times. ...
Nan Russell
Jan 15, 2019
How Old?
I laughed when I read about a Dutch entrepreneur attempting to legally change his age in order to enhance his career and dating opportunities. He ...
Nan Russell
Oct 18, 2018
The Problem with Change
It was annoying. First, a system upgrade on the platform which houses my two vintage shops was not completed in the announced timeframe. That meant I ...
Nan Russell
Jul 5, 2018
Presumption of Innocence
I felt the malice immediately, arriving without warning via my website, with no return email. Her poisoned-laced words were intended to sting, and ...
Nan Russell
Apr 10, 2018
The Gift of a Pause
I'm not sure when it started, but for me it was the early 1990s. I was living and working on the east coast and remember the day I saw it invade ...
Nan Russell
Jan 5, 2018
Make It a New Year
New Year new you articles, ads, and promotions are ubiquitous, pushing everything from gym memberships and healthy meal-kit delivery, to ...
Nan Russell
Sep 7, 2017
My Favorite T-Shirt
"Nan-a!" her voice held displeasure. "You wore that last week; why do you wear that t-shirt so much?" "It's my favorite," I told my 7-year-old ...
Nan Russell
Jun 16, 2017
Sleeping with Squirrels
The first time it was loud scratching that pulled me from a deep sleep. Before I could nudge my husband awake and turn on the lamp, the terrified ...
Nan Russell
Mar 3, 2017
We Can Help
It was one of those unwanted travel days. Stuck overnight in an interim city after a canceled flight from arctic weather, we were in second-day ...
Nan Russell
Oct 10, 2016
The House With Weeds
As I write from an upstairs home office, I can see the weeds, each day appearing more robust than the day before. A variety of them abound -- thick ...
Nan Russell
Jul 11, 2016
Who Do You See?
With an unusual ability to change the color of its skin, the chameleon is a lizard-family celebrity. Brown. Green. Blue. Yellow. Red. Black. White. ...
Nan Russell
Apr 6, 2016
Roots of Kindness
With dark clouds promising afternoon rain, I sat on the edge of a remote dirt road, miles from the historic Holmenkollen ski jump visited that ...
Nan Russell
Jan 7, 2016
Fresh Starts
I like January. As wonderful as the holiday season is, there's something about returning to "normal" that January invites. I like its flocked trees ...
Nan Russell
Oct 9, 2015
Those Annoying Ghosts, Goblins, and Witches
3:08 a.m. A tree branch scraping against the roof startled me awake. A half hour later, I was repeating mentally "Be ... Still" with ...
Nan Russell
Jul 9, 2015
Liking Cozy
I like cozy. I like cozy mysteries, cozy places, cozy food, cozy days or nights, and cozy people. It struck me the other day how much I like cozy ...
Nan Russell
Apr 10, 2015
A Microwave Day
For days or weeks at a time, the microwave works perfectly. Then, for no apparent reason - poof - its buttons don't push, its timer stalls, and the ...
Nan Russell
Jan 13, 2015
A Different Kind of Gift
There are all kinds of birthdays. Some fade into memory-fog like any other day; others stand out. Some bring milestones with age related changes, ...
Nan Russell
Oct 6, 2014
Similar But Different
Goblins. Ghosts. Witches. Vampires. Superheroes. Princesses. Pirates ... and more. Purchased costumes or handmade in self-chosen or parental-guided ...
Nan Russell
Jul 8, 2014
All Those Choices
"Really?!" Those near me in the grocery aisle could hardly miss the irritation in my voice. All Iwanted on that Saturday of errands, on my last stop ...
Nan Russell
Apr 14, 2014
The State of Limbo
When we built our house it was intended as an investment property. But our crystal ball didn't foresee unexpected family bumps, and we needed to move ...
Nan Russell
Jan 14, 2014
No Perfect Life
"None of us get a perfect life," she said at the end of describing years of despair after being widowed as a young military wife with two children ...
Nan Russell
Sep 25, 2019
In Pursuit of Dreams
"That's my dream," I overheard her telling a friend in the dressing room next to mine. "But it will never happen," she added quietly, "I might as ...
Nan Russell
Jun 6, 2019
They're Back
Ours wasn't a big house, but at night my bedroom at the end of the hall seemed a great distance. Plus the windowed door at the foot of my bed ...
Nan Russell
Mar 12, 2019
About Those Resolutions
Some of us started 2019 with a fresh-start mindset. We made New Year's resolutions with well-intentioned, often passionate, decisions to change or ...
Nan Russell
Dec 14, 2018
Losing Christmas
Before Halloween I listed a holiday pin in my online vintage jewelry shop. It's a whimsical moose on rollerblades, clearly hurrying while balancing a ...
Nan Russell
Sep 13, 2018
Who Are You Becoming?
Her name is Mallory. At least it is for now. She's the amateur sleuth in my new cozy mystery -- or technically I should say my first cozy ...
Nan Russell
Jun 7, 2018
Mandatory Fun
It was the first day of spring break for our elementary school-aged granddaughters, occurring on the Friday before their week off. We'd invited them ...
Nan Russell
Mar 12, 2018
For or Against?
In my local paper there's a column of reader comments. People leave input, "no more than 30 seconds" on a call-in line. Each day a few of these short ...
Nan Russell
Dec 6, 2017
The Gift of Time
That year, Christmas was just another task on my to-do list. No magical feelings of the season took hold; no yuletide cheer; no gleeful joy; no ...
Nan Russell
Aug 9, 2017
The Poison Garden
A misty rain persisted while I wandered, nearly alone, on the grounds surrounding Blarney Castle, in County Cork, Ireland. Not far away was a tower ...
Nan Russell
May 23, 2017
Refrigerator Wisdom
The "wisdom" on my refrigerator has changed through the years. As a young mother, Dorothy Law Nolte's poem "Children Learn What They Live" was there. Later ...
Nan Russell
Feb 7, 2017
Under Construction
While living in Montana's Flathead Valley, there were years when significant construction happened in our development. Some days the hammering echoed ...
Nan Russell
Sep 13, 2016
Conquering Oz
"We'll help you through it," my 9-year-old granddaughter offered, followed by her 7-year-old sister's "Don't worry, Nana, I'll hold your hand." And ...
Nan Russell
Jun 8, 2016
Leaving Montana
I was born in Whitefish, Montana, leaving without choice at age three when my father couldn't find work after the Hungry Horse Dam Project finished. ...
Nan Russell
Mar 10, 2016
Thought Reality
As a teenager, I made most of my money babysitting. At least I did until I started refusing after dark jobs, limiting myself to daylight offers. Why? My ...
Nan Russell
Dec 6, 2015
A Christmas Look
With Christmas still two months away, my youngest granddaughter, a first-grader, was helping me decide which products to promote on my online vintage ...
Nan Russell
Sep 7, 2015
Closet Memories
It wasn't my husband's minimized space allocation that elicited my attention; nor the overfilled shelves, stuffed hanging rods, or disappearing floor ...
Nan Russell
Jun 3, 2015
Planting Seeds of Possibility
As the school year ends, I'm reminded of the teachers, in various roles, who positively impacted my life far beyond our encounters. These thoughts ...
Nan Russell
Mar 12, 2015
Things Change
A hundred years ago, most physicians in this country didn't have college degrees, most houses didn't have bathtubs, and no woman could vote. Fifty ...
Nan Russell
Dec 15, 2014
All I Want for Christmas
"All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth; my two tooth front teeth; my two front teeth." Remember that song? Those words keep popping into my ...
Nan Russell
Sep 7, 2014
No Cell Service
I was standing in the lobby watching for my husband out the doorway, when I noticed her. She might have been 12 or 13; her sister slightly younger, ...
Nan Russell
Jun 3, 2014
Will Anyone Know?
A few months ago, several "Rosies" were honored at the White House for their home front efforts during World War II. One of them was 91 year old ...
Nan Russell
Mar 11, 2014
The Things We Try
This is my 133rd "In the Scheme of Things" article for Montana Woman magazine, and it got me thinking about why I continue to write these ...
Nan Russell
Dec 6, 2013
Christmas Stories
Its pages are tattered, its cover held together by masking tape, and its corner missing where our dog took a bite. Despite these shortcomings, it's a ...
Nan Russell
Aug 14, 2019
A Better Person
When we lived on the East Coast a few decades back, we saw the musical, Wicked, on Broadway. So recently, when the traveling show came west, ...
Nan Russell
May 7, 2019
Seeing Mom
I was haunted by the regret I'd feel if I didn't at least try to see my mother. And so, with trepidation and fear of what that deepening pain might ...
Nan Russell
Feb 11, 2019
Being With Others
In this month of hearts and proclamations of love, something that happened a decade ago, captured like a digital photo with its image held in my ...
Nan Russell
Nov 20, 2018
Three Kinds of Gratitude
While basement cleaning isn't on my fun-to-do-during-time-off list, growing necessity prevailed during a recent staycation. Space was needed to ...
Nan Russell
Aug 8, 2018
Not as Expected
Last week, I ordered an item from the world's largest retailer. While it arrived quickly, its contents were not as expected. The plastic that held ...
Nan Russell
May 4, 2018
Guilty
My husband gave me a card at the beginning of 2018 that's been standing on my dresser ever since. I see its message when I wake up or wander into the ...
Nan Russell
Feb 14, 2018
A Missing Piece
When we arrived, I found three familiar bent heads focused on the remaining pieces spread around the not-yet-finished jigsaw puzzle on the coffee ...
Nan Russell
Oct 9, 2017
Light Traveling
My goal when traveling is to travel light. But less than half the time I achieve that goal. Despite or maybe because of a strong planning tendency ...
Nan Russell
Jul 10, 2017
What Technology Taught Me About Independence
Recently I bought a Samsung 8, replacing my Samsung 4 that I purchased new in 2013. I'm not, as one would say, an early adopter. My husband claims me ...
Nan Russell
Apr 20, 2017
Those Who Came
I was born in Montana, left as a toddler, returning in my fifth decade for a second act career as a writer. It was then I first met and worked with ...
Nan Russell
Dec 6, 2016
Where Is Christmas?
Behind glass and in a weathered frame, an embroidered sampler hangs on my office wall. It's dated 1883. On the left side is a simple Christmas tree ...
Nan Russell
Aug 9, 2016
Life Choices
They said she was the "winning-est coach" ever with 38 winning seasons, and more NCAA college basketball games won than any coach, man or woman. Pat ...
Nan Russell
May 16, 2016
So Much Prettier
"You'd be so much prettier without those freckles," my high school boyfriend commented as we walked hand-in-hand along a California beach. "Why don't ...
Nan Russell
Feb 9, 2016
Reminders Are Everywhere
Tired and a bit jet lagged, I headed for the nearest ladies room after getting off the plane. As I was leaving the restroom a little girl held my ...
Nan Russell
Nov 9, 2015
Crew Only
After a two hour drive from the hotel, my husband and I arrived early morning in a small Wisconsin town on Lake Superior. That's where our excursion ...
Nan Russell
Aug 11, 2015
With Certainty
On the day before our 40th-wedding anniversary at the beginning of August, on a hill overlooking the Pacific Ocean with a hundred guests there to ...
Nan Russell
May 8, 2015
Work, Life, and Time
"Why are you always working?" My mother's voice echoes now in my head. It was a question she frequently raised over the years about my career, ...
Nan Russell
Feb 5, 2015
Possibility Paths
Off road in a four-wheel drive, maneuvering a 26 mile, one way, deep and narrow canyon "road" in Death Valley National Park while on vacation, my ...
Nan Russell
Nov 17, 2014
Failed Expectations
Tired and emotionally drained after a morning visiting my mother at the skilled nursing facility where she resides, my husband and I stopped back at ...
Nan Russell
Aug 14, 2014
Most People
On a mission to expedite Saturday errands, my husband and I were at a big box store as the doors opened. Ten minutes later we headed toward checkout ...
Nan Russell
May 14, 2014
The Shove
For several snowy Montana months we looked forward to a winter vacation in Hawaii. A particular thrill for me going there is seeing humpback whales ...
Nan Russell
Feb 3, 2014
The Choice
An early morning business trip put me and my husband on a 4:00 a.m. shuttle ride from a Portland, Oregon area hotel to the airport. I'm not a morning ...
Nan Russell
Nov 1, 2013
The Question
Well before 6:30 a.m., our local paper in one hand, and a plate of scrambled eggs fresh from the skillet in the other, I sat down to my morning ...
