life
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Letter From Home: “Time” Reprint From 8/7/09
Watching a woolly caterpillar cross the sidewalk this week made me very aware of the transitions all around us. Depending on which grandparents we remember listening to in our youth, the width of the black stripe either predicts a snowy winter or a more moderate cold season. Either way, we are in the last half… Continue reading
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Letter From Home: “That Neighborhood Feel” Reprint From 7/8/09
It was a pleasant sound that drifted across the warm air. A group of about ten women from a writers’ group had gathered on a neighbor’s back patio to talk about their creative projects and offer each other feedback. (Our neighbor is sending out her first children’s book to publishers.) Their light‑hearted banter and gentle… Continue reading
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Letter From Home: “Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah And A White Pine, Too” 3/30/26
There are those days in life when you must stop and slow down, recognizing that what is playing out is truly wonderful. Not because you are on vacation or won the lottery. As the day is put into perspective, all the events are rather ordinary. Yet putting them together, and taking nothing for granted, they… Continue reading
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The Night Snow Took Over Sturgeon Bay, Stranding Radio Announcer At WDOR
I woke up today with news reports that Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, received 33 inches of snow from this weekend’s blizzard. That is not a typo. One’s mental jaw drops. All of a sudden, the snowblower work at our home in Madison did not seem daunting at all. I thought, after hearing the news of the… Continue reading
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Letter From Home: “Turning Pages In The Sun” 2/15/26
There’s a particular kind of joy that arrives the moment winter finally loosens its grip. That is what happened this weekend in places around Wisconsin. It’s not loud or dramatic. It’s quiet, like the soft sound of a book page turning. Sitting for the first time this year at the table and chairs on our… Continue reading
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The Musical Chord That Hits the Heart
I just concluded a long phone call with a friend who remains in California with her parents. Having traveled out for the holidays, she remains as the final closure of her mom’s eyes draws near. I always feel a need to lift the clouds, so I opened the call with “Is this Chinese takeout?” Laura… Continue reading
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Why Parents Keep Their Kids Away From Trump Supporters In Family
I heard again over the Holidays why some parents will not allow their kids to be around family members who support Donald Trump. More evidence as to why they do not want the kids around the racist and toxic conservative came this week as Trump gestured like a drunk idiot as he made an impression… Continue reading
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DXing Captivated Young And Old Alike
I came across the following diary entries from my husband’s 2nd great-grandfather, George Rowe, who was born just before the Civil War started in 1860. That means he was about 62 years old at the time he was DXing. Say what? George was a sheep farmer and retired schoolteacher who would sit by the amber… Continue reading
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Madison Snowplow Drivers Deserve Thanks
Tuesday night, as the snow started to fall with gusto, James and I trekked across the city to stop at a business that had framed one of our pictures. The snow was beautiful, and while most drivers were mindful of how they needed to operate their vehicles, others thought Mother Nature could be toyed with… Continue reading
Caffeinated Politics 