Author: K.J. Ottinger

Tucked happily into the gorgeous hills and woods of Wisconsin, I write about life, faith, and the humor that both require.

No Good Deed…

Gunflint Trail, USA When your 88-year-old friend and his youthful 81-year-old wife reach out to tell you that they've been cooped up in their tiny apartment for seven months, and furthermore there is a decent amount of failing health to contend with and worry over, and that really, all said friend would like is one... Continue Reading →

19

Catching up, and A Plea

Wow. So I totally left ya' hangin' there. With the COVID. Sincere apologies. We are still alive. Not to worry. Test #2 was still negativo, and not a one of us got sick. Three cheers for masking and distancing and wiping down All The Things! Even if we weren't doing it perfectly, we survived hours... Continue Reading →

16

R&R at The Four Seasons

121. Is that too many pictures of one vacation for one blog post? 121? I mean, a full 10 of them are of lichen, and there are at least two snowmen in there. I think it's good, right? Commence photojournalism spree... First of all, ya'll can rest your minds from working out that kid rotation... Continue Reading →

4

Growing up

So anyway, back to that Boundary Waters trip… Most notable, with the exception of the mutilated lip, was the marked absence of mosquitoes. I dunno if y’all have spent any time up there, but if you have, at least in the summer, you might note how remarkable that statement is. In point of fact, our... Continue Reading →

12

No consonants

Eight days ago we took out of the Boundary Waters. I have been out of commission ever since. You probably didn’t even know we were IN the BW, what with all my negligence in keeping you informed on the day to day around here, but nevertheless we were, and last Friday we emerged from our... Continue Reading →

28

The Warm-up

Boundary Waters 2020 Put-In is less than 3 weeks away. It'll be a small party this year, the hubs and I and the youngest two goombahs, Will and Sarah. We'll mostly be covering territory we've traveled before. Nothing overly exciting. I won't even try to express how much I'm looking forward to it. What with... Continue Reading →

17

Done

The catbird seat has been ejected. The might Yukon and the big heave After the looting, there was little to prevent us from ripping that baby out, and this morning, the man hooked up the chains and gave her a few good snaps. Easy peasy. The million pound root ball is still mid-yard, angsting him,... Continue Reading →

9

Peace

Dropped my phone in the toilet this morning. I’d have taken a picture, but this seemed a grossly ineffective use of my time. Also, a logistical conundrum considering the camera itself was in the toilet. This pretty much ties up my week. An appropriately shaded ribbon on the package of the past handful of days.... Continue Reading →

4

Inflammation of the phalanges

We'll call it an incident. I suppose we could call it aging. Or stupidity. But we're going to go with an incident. It started with that damned cardboard. I've always known my fingers were bulls-eyes for arthritis. My childhood is pocked with memories of my mom's engorged knuckles and all the digital calisthenics employed to... Continue Reading →

10

Calculations

I like to think that Einstein sometimes had trouble estimating his bill at the grocery store. That Carl Sagan counted out the Seven Sisters and occasionally came up with eight. That Feynman, every once in a while, misplaced a decimal and ordered up a thirty-egg omelet. I, for one, brilliant astrophysicist that I am, pride... Continue Reading →

8

Pets

Let’s start with the biggest question on everyone’s minds. The moles are still tunneling. I don’t want to talk about it. Sunrise On Heave, circa 2020 On a more positive springtime note, the birds are going wild out there. The Robin is busy setting up camp high in the maple outside my bedroom window. An... Continue Reading →

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