Gather 'round…
Dare I even ask? The birds have already made their predictions, and have made the journeys that accompany them, and I hope for their sakes that it is indeed. For almost a month we've had strangers at the feeders. Dozens of redwing blackbirds blackening the trees outside my window, trying their hands at sunflower seeds. European... Continue Reading →
The latest installment of the Ottinger Christmas Letter: Christmas Letter 2017 (Past Years: Christmas Letters from the Nexus of the Universe) Christ is Born! Glorify Him! KJ
I didn't read much as a kid, beyond a library of Garfield and Shel Silverstien (both quality literature I still stand by as my foundation). Over the years, there were a few school-mandated books (Island of the Blue Dolphins? This is honestly the only one I remember), but I read them begrudgingly at best, and they never... Continue Reading →
I missed it. I feel like Annie Dillard missing the very moment of the happening of spring, despite her diligence. Only I've missed the very moment of the happening of fall. I knew it would happen. That whole abandoning ship at peak thing ensured I'd be derailed. And I was. For months, I've been taking... Continue Reading →
The seasons are turning fast now. The blue is growing deeper and the colors are falling off the landscape. We often miss the peak of the beauty, enjoying the magic of Lake Superior at the very time of year that the show back home is at it's finest. Circumstances and all that. Circumstances this year,... Continue Reading →
I have been scrapbooking again. It's a bit of a wagon-worthy confession. There is a short and shunted period of my personal history when I was a scrapbooker. I scrapbooked. I sold scrapbooks. Mostly, I spent unholy sums of money on gourmet scrapbooks and all manner of scrapbooking paraphernalia. Markers. Stickers. Cut-outs. Paper; O Lord,... Continue Reading →
Huh. Just found this in my drafts folder from a couple months back. Guess I never hit Publish. Cheers... Nat Goldberg. There are few writers that I count on to bring me out of a rut every time. Why she is one of them, I don't even know, but she is indeed that buoy that brings... Continue Reading →
Our garden hasn't looked this pitiful in years, but there is something beautiful that calls to me. Something more natural and wild and free than we've allowed before. This year's plantings were haphazard; this is an understatement. We weren't sure of how much to plant, for the surgery was coming, and let's face it… no... Continue Reading →
First of all, so as to not leave you hangin,' we made it through the Boundary Waters 2017 without incident. I think there may have been more pain and agony in the back of Canoe #1, but that beast of burden shoulder of Scott's thankfully chose not to rear it's truly ugly head that week... Continue Reading →
Sometimes they pay off. We're packed up and ready to rock. The vehicles are all running. The trailer has lights. The concussion victim is up for adventure. And the patriarch is back in the land of the living, not a moment too soon. Boundary Waters, here we come... If you need me... never mind... KJ
The Feels Like temperature, or if you will, the Wind Chill, has broken 102. I am hot. I wouldn't be quite so hot if the air conditioner was working, but it seems that the blower motor, or the control panel, or some integral part of the furnace, has succumbed to the lightning strike back in... Continue Reading →
Small Victories: Spotting Improbable Moments of Grace by Anne Lamott My rating: 5 of 5 stars My first Anne Lamott. I know. But it is. I loved most of it. I love her brokenness shining forth unapologetically, unabashed vulnerability, and snarky humor. Thus, Anne Lamott is a hit. But I do have to say that... Continue Reading →
Tales From the Nexus 