life
-
Letter From Home: “Little Raccoon” 6/18/26
A couple of weeks ago, James and I sorted through a large drawer containing childhood memories. I picked up the well-used and somewhat frayed hardcover copy of Little Raccoon. My father would come into the dining room, and without ceremony, he’d reach for the book that was included in a pile of my childhood reads. I… Continue reading
-
Letter from Home: “A Community” 5/23/26
Originally posted July, 8. 2009 It was a most pleasant sound that wafted across the warm air. A group of about ten women, comprising a writer’s group, had gathered on the back patio at one of our neighbors’ to talk about their creative efforts and get feedback from each other. (Our neighbor is sending out… Continue reading
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
Caffeinated Politics 