Life Lessons Learned From a Quaking Bog
It would have been easy to stay curled up in the recliner, but I’d signed my husband and me up for a Wisconsin Natural Resources class “Beautiful Bogs: Bog Ecology & Tour,” and it was time to grab our tall…
Amy Laundrie
Thrill of the Hunt
August 10th is National Garage Sale Day and August 17th is National Thrift Shop Day. Besides being fun, “thrifting” helps reduce waste that normally would end up in our landfills, so I’m all for it. And I’m not alone. According…
Let’s Lose Our Minds
Photo taken by Shirley Tollaksen
Tales From the Old Tamarack Tree
The sun drops low in the sky over the lake and casts a golden glow on my trunk and limbs. They are brittle now. My sap has stopped flowing, and the end is near. The years of harsh northern Wisconsin…
Savor Summer’s Magic
I’ve been watching my hedgehog cactus and knew it would bloom in a day or two. This morning I awoke and there it was! A magical white burst of color. I took several photos and then sighed. I know it…
A Hair-Raising Hike in the Woods
My daughter and two grandsons joined me on a nature walk over our Fourth of July vacation at our northern Wisconsin cabin. It’s difficult to hold the attention of a ten- and thirteen-year-old boy, so I planned a scavenger hunt…
Letting the Sails Take You Where They Will
Mary and Bill Ernst's sailboat, Puffin. Credit Mershawn Pikus.
Thoughts from a ’48 Ford Truck
Vroom-vroom-vroom. When the Historical Society asked if they could decorate me for their 4th of July float again, my engine revved up an extra hundred rpms. I may not be as smart as the Tesla I saw this morning or…
It’s Okay to Cut off Heads and other Photography Tips
Local photographer Casey Bender Butler and I spent a pleasant afternoon sipping beverages at the Dells’ Bella Goose and talking about how best to capture the precious and powerful moments in our life. She’s happy to share some of her…
The Power of Letters
I’m sorting through the bin of old letters I’ve saved and pull out a stack from elementary school. “Dear Amy, I love you. Do you love me? Circle yes or no.” Seeing the neatly penciled words written by David Onnick…