Creative Nonfiction by Andrea Badgley
When I took our daughter shopping at an outlet mall after Christmas, I fell in love with a pair of Timberland boots. They were a golden wheat leather with red laces. I wasn’t looking for boots. When I saw how cute these boots were, I thought of all the reasons I needed boots: my heavy … Continue reading Money saving strategy: procrastination
I’ve been transcribing my childhood diaries off and on for the past year, and while it’s not as horrifying as I thought it might be to revisit teenage me, I am let down. Not by what’s in there, but by what is not. I have memories of specific scenes from my life — Grandma showing … Continue reading I want the scene *and* the feelings
Snow clings to the boughs of the tall evergreens out back, glittering white chitons on the feather branches that droop under its wet weight. The deciduous trees, naked and twiggy, look like someone pulled a liner brush globbed with titanium white paint across the top of every branch. The flower bed sleeps under a thick … Continue reading Wind dancers
Power is out. I sat in front of the aquatic center yesterday evening waiting to retrieve our daughter from swim practice when I received this text from my husband. The sun was setting and the temperature was dropping — it was down to 36℉ (2℃) at sunset — and my first thought after thinking, well … Continue reading Lucky
Today is my day off from working last Sunday. I had expected it to be a quiet day at home with the house to myself. Maybe I’d write. Maybe I’d read. I didn’t really have any plans. But I did think I’d be at home alone. It turns out, I’m not! In fact, everyone is … Continue reading How to spend a snow day
There is nothing fun about getting in a pool on a January day. I’m here at the aquatic center along with the regulars who swim while their kids practice with the swim team. I always inch in, starting first by standing on the tile on the edge of the pool, then stepping down to the … Continue reading 5:27am at the aquatic center
