“When I was a freshman, one evening my date handed me the first violet of spring. I looked at it, told him its Latin name and then I ate it. It was our last date.” —Frances Hamerstrom, American ornithologist, Wild…
Traveling to Panama just weeks before New Year’s was a good reminder to cherish the old and embrace the new. Impressive pre-Columbian ruins are nestled between modern skyscrapers, some with amazing architectural designs. One soaring building was blueish and had…
Christmas is sights, especially the sights of Christmas reflected in the eyes of a child. William Sarayan, American novelist and playwright In planning for the holidays, I asked my daughter who lives in California if she’ll be bringing mandarins like…
My husband and I bought the matching brown velvety chairs the year after we married. They’ve been with us for forty-six years. The fabrics are worn, and the mechanisms, replaced twice, are grinding again, but, like dear friends, we can’t…
Thanksgiving is the perfect time to discuss the benefits of keeping a gratitude journal. I’ve done this since April. Although fancy journals are available, I didn’t invest in one. I simply use a small spiral notebook to jot down five…
While hiking along the Wisconsin River, I see raccoon tracks. They’re distinctive because they’re shaped like human hands. I’m near the same ridge where, earlier in the spring, I heard the frantic cries of a baby raccoon in distress. I…
I’m happily whipping about, my arms full of sheets, when I turn the tight corner into the laundry room. Crash! My mood plummets. I grumble as I dump the sheets in the washer, grab the waste basket, and drop down…
I asked Veteran Marine combat engineer Joseph White Eagle, who enlisted in 1988 and served in Desert Storm and Desert Shield, to share stories about his military experience that would make us laugh, cry, and reflect. He generously did that…
I start the pork chops browning in a skillet. The weather has changed and with the onset of autumn and the stressful presidential campaign, I’m wanting comfort foods. As I turn the pork chops over so they brown on the…
I’m hiking into the woods near my home in the Dells at night, feeling eyes on me. My mission is to see if I can get the resident barred owl to call back to me, an annual event that, to…