I have not written much in 2015. The muse won’t get out of the hot tub and I am super busy with new church. They keep me hopping. However, a new threat to the already endangered Whooping Crane is enough to jump start my brain. One of the draws to this area is that Wishek…
I have to admit, my writing muse is silent at the moment. I think she has been crocheting and curling up under a warm afghan. Deep winter in the Northern Plains is an interesting time. Temps warmed enough to take a long walk at one of the local lakes. The air seemed balmy at 40…
I know: weather talk is boring. But I just moved to North Dakota a few months ago and am simply amazed. Before I moved, my research showed that temps up here are 10 degrees colder than in SE Wyoming, where I lived previously. Huh? It is 40 degrees there and this morning the temp here…
Christmas Day. Around 4 PM, I drove into the countryside. The sky was foggy and dusk was settling in. First stop, Green Lake. I zoomed in on these ice fishing houses. Next stop, my new camping spot. An old homestead sits nearby. Settlers built the home from sod bricks, then later framed, over the bricks. The…
My first Christmas Eve in Wishek. Will it go okay? Will I fall off the pulpit, backwards? Will everything work out well? I arrive two hours early and wander, imagining what it will be like when the church is full. Will they come? Everything is ready: Downstairs, the kids costumes await: Back upstairs. They…
Before dusk on Sunday, a friend and I drove out in the country –just to get away and see what birds might be lurking. Alas! My first Snowy Owl. He was sitting on top of a power line pole, calmly scanning the ground for prey. I did not have my camera so the one below…
Did I mention that I love living in a wonderful small town, in the heart of America? I feel like I traveled back in time, to a simpler era when family and church still mattered; to a time when life was lived at a slower pace and people cared for their neighbors; to a time…
I admire many people who achieve success according to cultural standards (money, fame, etc). They can and often do great things with their money and power. However, I appreciate even more the ordinary citizens who just do what they can, when in a crisis. CNN recently wrote about five traits that make everyday people into…
Winter in ND. A major highlight in my life: the cable company got out here and upgraded my service. I have been on basic-basic: no ESPN. No Monday Night Football. Cruel and unusual punishment. All is well now, and I watched last night. So awesome to gaze at Jon Gruden once again and just in…
The early morning sky, in those moments before the sun fully rises, is especially pink up here. Pastel, cotton candy pink. Fluffy waves of pink above the houses. When the pink fluff fades in the east, I see pink tones in the west, even though it is a sunrise. Another interesting visual: the air here is…