Gather 'round…
I spent a few primetime hours in the emergency room last night. There has been a nefarious flipflopping in the vicinity of my ticker over the past few days, and when the frequency of the internal acrobatics reached sub-minute intervals—recorded much like timing contractions, only without the pain, and adding the joy of a stethoscope—I... Continue Reading →
Work the brain before working the mouth. I've taught my kids this from the beginning, with varying degrees of success on the familial foot-in-mouth-count chart. Because the things that can come out of a mouth that has not tethered itself firmly to the brain can be embarrassing at best, and often hurtful to those you... Continue Reading →
A heavy sheet of frost cloaked the ditch clover this morning. You could almost see those little alfalfa cells bursting at the strain, transforming from lusty stalks to creamed spinach beneath the blanket of white. Look past the beauty of the lace and arctic destruction, though, and one sees something more. The clover—the whole populace... 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 →
The Cross. The instrument of torture made salvation. The very wood which Christ submitted to as He trampled down death by death. Today in the Church we celebrate the Exaltation of the Cross. Hail, O Cross of the Lord Through you, mankind has been delivered from the curse Shattering the enemy by your exaltation O... Continue Reading →
Today, just a week into the Church New Year, is the Nativity of the Theotokos. It's the birthday celebration of the Virgin Mary, the very Mother of God. For the first decade of my vocation as a Christian I ran in distinctly Protestant circles. Many, many circles. I ran a pretty thorough gamut, though I... 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 →
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 →
I've been slowly making my way through Sig Olson's wilderness essays, Wilderness Days. They're gorgeous. I sent the kid up to the outfitting job with a copy, because where better to work through essays on the Boundary Waters than on the edge of the Boundary Waters? I don't know if she's had the time or energy... Continue Reading →
It's been a wild ride. But here I am, settling back into a normal, albeit new routine, and it feels good. Two weeks ago, we took kiddo #3 to Madison for the State National History Day event. We toured the Capitol. We ate Nepalese. And she, with her intrepid partner, did great, and had the 5th... Continue Reading →
Tales From the Nexus 