And the starvation was effective. Somehow, by some miracle of January, I was able to break hard, frozen ground at my retreat, and push forward into a new project. There was a seed before, but the thing just would not develop. Compost is faithful, however, in heating things up. The manure of starvation and the fertile... Continue Reading →
Startings over
I'm cold. I've been cold all day. Give me one day of decent temperatures out there and the return me to single digits and I have completely softened. It's been snowing for a few days and once again the lines are soft and clean. The bird seed and rabbit leavings have another fresh slate on... Continue Reading →
New Year, New Adventures
We are sacked in, once again, with frigid temperatures in Wisconsin. I wish to be that hearty soul that walks to their evening meeting, even when the mercury is dropping well below zero. I wish to be the one who gets myself out there despite the cold, just for the sheer joy of being out... Continue Reading →
A new favorite
We have finally reached true winter around these parts. Snow has fallen, in fairly impressive quantities. The logging trail has been groomed with some sled tracks, and the ice skates have hit the rink several nights in a row (FYI, Eau Claire and Bloomer rinks aren't open yet, but COLFAX IS!). The shed has been... Continue Reading →
Another win
And, on the heels of the Standing Rock ruling in the right direction, we have a similar decision on the Twin Metals Mining proposals on the shores of the Boundary Waters. The Bureau of Land Management and the Department of Agriculture pulled the plug on Twin Metal's leases, possibly ending the argument on whether highly... Continue Reading →
A dozen, give or take…
... books I am currently reading. There was a day, not so very long ago, that I was not able to keep more than one set of pages on my plate, and even then things might linger for months unread. At some point, I remember venturing into multiple reads, hesitantly, like a Florida native checking... Continue Reading →
Book Review: How to Be Good
How to Be Good by Nick Hornby My rating: 4 of 5 stars Huh. I'm not sure what to say about this one. I heard about it somewhere, maybe in a writing book, so I picked it up. Turns out it is from the same author as About a Boy and High Fidelity so I... Continue Reading →
A win
A tiny/huge victory yesterday on the front of the Dakota Access Pipeline standoff, though the battle is far from over. The Army Department put a halt to the project in their decision for further environmental impact studies. No promises, but a step in the right direction. And a monumental shift in the generally accepted paradigm... Continue Reading →
Action
We're coming up on a critical juncture in the fight to protect the Boundary Waters from mining interests that threaten to pollute and compromise the watershed. The Star Tribune just did an article on Becky Rom, a driving force behind the Save the Boundary Waters Campaign. My husband forwarded me the link this evening, and... Continue Reading →
Timing
I've been wondering why it is that flashes of brilliance - or at least flashes of our best selves - manifest themselves while we're in no position to act on them. Creative juices, spiritual prods, humanitarian urges. They all arrive when we are somehow incapacitated. I'm sure I'm not alone. You are resolved (and possibly... Continue Reading →
8
I have to say, the snow falling outside my fire-warmed home makes me all seasonal-sappy. Amazing what a coat of white can do for the psyche. I went for my first AAH-IT'S-WINTER-AND-I'M-TAKING-A-WALK walk this morning. It required boots - and much orange, given my temporal proximity to the midpoint of gun deer season - and... Continue Reading →
Fire and Fear Relieved
Well, I finally got my bonfire last night. I don't know what's going on with the weather this fine Wisconsin November, but you won't hear me complaining. Nothing short of gorgeous. So, just as Scott was finishing filling out the woodpile for winter, we dipped into the stores for a little evening blaze. An evening... Continue Reading →
