Gather 'round…
Writers' Block So writers' block is a thing. It can be a lot like wanting to gnaw your own arm off. I spent some words on the topic back in January, but a few more might be in order. Like how to get over it. I'm sure everyone has their tricks, but in my estimation, we... Continue Reading →
Fall is arriving, on the backs of the wind, breaking through the sunlight and scattering it more and more every day. The cool is exhilarating. The dry is refreshing. The breeze and the crispness of the evening make me pine for the North Shore. How is it that such a place can become so precious?... Continue Reading →
Writing Prompts I'm not big on them. I've encouraged my children to use them. I've read a good number of them. I've even thought, 'Hey, that one looks okay.' But actually taking up the challenge? Not so much. It may have been the recent freelance work - where I'm given exactly three things to turn... Continue Reading →
Mid-July, in an email exchange revolving mostly around calculus, carpooling, and a boy named Fred, my dear friend - let's call her Yolanda* - appended the following personal news: Yolanda: Our clothes dryer broke down, so I picked one up for $35 on Craigslist. Hoping it doesn't burst into flames. For now underpants are on... Continue Reading →
We've officially changed our status from farm to wildlife preserve. Hostile wildlife preserve, but the distinction is lost on the wildlife. Last Wednesday I posted about the chipmunk that destroyed Scott's pride. I am happy, for Scott's sake, to report that our little chippy must have sensed the collective rise in the blood pressure of... Continue Reading →
We write for a whole pile of reasons... We write because we want to. Sigh. We write because we need to. Therapy, anyone? No, thank you; I write for a living :). We write because someone is paying us to do so. I, for instance, just finished a touching freelance series of tutoring adverts. Real tear-jerkers.... Continue Reading →
The children are unhappy that they have to mow around one more thing in our vast and rambling yard. It is only two inches in diameter, but apparently it is still enough to warrant grumbling. The intruder has been on Scott's to-do list for months, years even. All winter long, for at least two winters,... Continue Reading →
I picked some ragweed today. All along the driveway. Species Ambrosia confertiflora, the carpet that greens up the roadside, masquerading as some pretty little tea leaf. I picked some ragweed yesterday, too. Same little tea leaf. And I pulled some serious ragweed this weekend. Ambrosia trifida, the giant stuff as tall as me that has... Continue Reading →
There is a tent set up in my yard. It is raining. The rain fly is laid out on the ground next to the tent, and the tent is holding probably thirty-two gallons of water, the current rainfall doubling the volume already held when the tent was set up this morning. There are tarps strung... Continue Reading →
Ah, the joys of having daughters…
The Rules For Dating My Daughters...Thanks to Carla.
If you have a short attention span, simply read the last six words of rule six, which sums up all the rules very nicely.
On more than one occasion, I have used those six words shortly after being introduced to a young man, prowling around my home. Simple, yet especially effective when combined with the amendment to rule nine. 
You mess with them…you have to deal with me. You do not want to exercise that option.
Rule One: If you pull into my driveway and honk, you’d better be delivering a package, because you’re sure as hell not picking anything up.
Rule Two: You do not touch my daughter in front of me. You may glance at her, so long as you do not peer at anything below her neck. If you cannot keep your eyes or hands off of…
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We returned yesterday from our annual week in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. There is always a bit of culture shock as we re-integrate into the civilized world, and this year was no different. I took a walk this morning. On pavement. I was not navigating a boulder-riddled portage trail under the weight of... Continue Reading →
I staked up some peppers yesterday. There is a 'heat dome' hovering over the midwest, and this is precisely the time that I generally choose to twiddle in the garden. Because I make poor choices. It was approximately seventeen hundred degrees when I noticed that the garden was suffering from a bit of a wither,... Continue Reading →
![[Way Back Wednesday] I am misplaced](https://i0.wp.com/kjottinger.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/img_20200118_135903.jpg?resize=40%2C40&ssl=1){kind=small}
Tales From the Nexus 