Gather 'round…
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 →
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 →
It has been said that tough things, painful things, are grist for the writing mill. Recently, friend of mine threw that one out there second-hand—the roll of her eyes and snort of derision reaching through the email screen. She offered it up to a mutual writing buddy, in case they might draw any more comfort... Continue Reading →
I've spent the last week not being able to move my head much. Torticollis. Thanks to virus or misstep, I am not sure, but I am sure that short of childbirth, breaking bones, and events involving large incisions, this has been the most pain I've ever been in. Yes, that definitely includes the back-spasm incident... Continue Reading →
As I sit here there are 9 Rubik's Cubes within my field of vision. Things have gotten out of hand. For the record, my personal best time for the 3x3x3 is 1:25. (there are also 3 timers nearby) I'm getting faster, but my kids are getting faster... faster. I am soon to be left in... Continue Reading →
I thought he was a cardinal. You see, we have several male cardinals who love the tippy-topmost perch on our toothpick pine; it is the quintessential podium from which to preach and warble. If they danced, I am sure this would be where their moves would be displayed. The cardinals claim the pine more in the summer,... Continue Reading →
Last week, we were marveling - the kids and I - at our own dependence upon the stream of seasons we are so blessed to travel upon in Wisconsin. It was a sunny Wednesday evening, just crisp enough to confront any delusions of true spring, but plenty warm to awake in us that primal giving... Continue Reading →
Spring has sprung. I have a feeling we're still in for some more cold days here in northern Wisconsin, but for today we are reveling in the newness of the sun and warmth. I've been upright all day, by the way. Pretty exciting stuff, given my past 8 days spent horizontal. I. Will. Take. It.... Continue Reading →
They're singing again. A January thaw is upon us, and the birds of the homestead are ecstatic. My eyes snapped open this morning as an unknown avian friend warbled out her morning greetings. Shamefully, I can't connect her voice with her face in my jumbled-up brain, and sadly, my rusty echolocation, struggling to revive from... Continue Reading →
... and walking, because that is where I find my silence. Thanks to the many-a-mentioned MOOC and the Monks of New Skete, I've learned some things about myself, and how to finally find some measure of stillness in my life. I got to thinking about that quite a bit a while ago, whilst evaluating my progress, and there was... Continue Reading →
It went out this morning. Well, at least the digital edition did. Due to budgetary constraints, we're utilizing the miracle of the free interwebs this year, for all of our loved ones who have enough techno-literacy to open a pdf. You can find it here: 2015 Christmas Letter For the rest, she's on her way to the... Continue Reading →
There is a tree in my living room. Correction: there is a portion of a tree in my living room. We headed out this afternoon to a new tree farm. Correction: we headed out this afternoon to an old tree farm. We're fed up with paying $40 for a Christmas tree. Honestly, I think we... 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 