“Guess what”, mom says. “Snow day today. No school”. I remember looking out of the living room window at a snowy wonderland and feeling a deep inner joy. A day off. Snow play. Maybe even ice-skating at the rink down the block IF the city plows the side streets. Hot chocolate, warm soup. A snow…
The air turns chilly as I unpack in the late afternoon. I manage to ignite a small fire in the wood stove and turn on the small heater. I set up my newest camping gadget, a CO2 detector. At one point in my life I became paranoid about CO2 poisoning but only recently figured out…
I am eager to find a new writing topic; however, I must finish what I started. Besides, if I don’t write about the Auctioneer, you will read only about the enticing view from my large picture window– snow accumulated overnight and my world is white. I sit in my easy chair, taking in the view,…
When we last met I was writing a series about auction sales. A two-day minister continuing education event, youth group, Halloween, and Sunday worship interrupted that train of thought. On Monday, I fired up the faux fireplace, curled up into a little ball inside my warmest comforter, like a squirrel easing into hibernation in her…
Last winter, a local lamented about all the stuff in his house. With a sigh he said, At least my auction sale will be a good one. Now, I love the words auction and sale, and when I hear them together my toes start tingling. Auction sale? When? Where? What? You know, when I die and…
In many small towns, yard sales are a colossal event, providing something to do on Saturday mornings and giving locals a place to shop locally for things that require a 70-mile drive to a bigger town. While living in Wyoming, I looked forward to May when flowers and yard sales bloomed. After collecting addresses all…
A few days ago, I drove through the Sheyenne River valley. Trees stood fully naked, the last leaves blowing down valley on an icy thermal. Birds are long gone, although it seems like yesterday a few stragglers remained. I wait for the first flakes of sn, sn, sn, SNOW, which could fall any moment. The early…
She who eats sauerkraut on Wednesday shall find a rich and rewarding life… The wonderful people in my little town are descendants of Germans who migrated first to Russia for a generation or two, then to the US. Many towns in this area of North Dakota have the same lineage: the people here are proud of their…
Around dinner time I received the urgent email alert: “… tonight’s aurora forecast: better than previously forecasted auroras expected tonight, possible storm levels. Be ready, Alaska, Canada, and some northern states. Kp level could reach 6— Oct 6 & 7. That’s tonight and tomorrow night!!! Be ready” Be ready! That is the call to a…
Been looking forward to a Friday night workshop in Bismarck. Topic: Identifying Confusing Fall Warblers. My pre-retirement bucket list contains a goal to identify the 3 dozen species of warblers who look very much alike. Fall warbler identification is even more challenging, since the breeding plummage is gone and they look even more alike. I…