Tag: close to home

Birds and Babies

I'll make up for my overly verbose last post with an abbreviated one today... I just saw my first tufted titmouse. Ever. Here at my own birdfeeder. Where the squirrels play. Yes, he was adorable. The slackline is up, the treehouse is swept out and in use, and the driveway is muddy. The first tree... Continue Reading →

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Coldframe

That retreat, that last post about the seedlings needing tending, they both ushered in something I've never previously managed. Something I've never really even tried. Not for fear. Well, maybe a little for fear. But mostly because I have some very specific priorities, and while writing ranks pretty high on the list, it does not... Continue Reading →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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An Anti-Cautionary Tale

Well, we have a new president. Let's not think about it. It's time I tell you the tale of the toothbrush. Not long ago I finally retired my toothbrush. It was, in all fairness, already past it's prime, but that week camping on the North Shore with the kid who forgot to pack her own... Continue Reading →

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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 →

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Lessons Never Learned

Our basement is leaking. Record rainfalls combined with ten years of sunken backfilling around the house, and of course, our basement is leaking. I'm not so frustrated that the rugs are sopping, or that the fans and dehumidifiers have been erected in an obstacle course worthy of an olympic sport at the base of the stairs.... Continue Reading →

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Feral Peacocks

I am privileged to live in a place where every now and again if one drives out to just the right corner West of town, they can occasionally spot the feral peacock grazing the ditches. Yesterday was one of those now and agains. Three iridescent beauties. I've been here in the Nexus of the Universe... Continue Reading →

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Fodder

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 →

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The War Continues

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 →

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