Winter hovers in the background. Hints: furnace running in the morning, sweatshirt days, early darkness. Craving a warm fire. After clearing out the garden before the first frost, green tomatoes ripen on the kitchen counters. Cupboards filled with pickled vegetables and freezer full too. I read something not long ago that described the Northern US as…
Early evening is perfect for a walk–a classic fall ambiance curls into the crisp air. Tango and I drive a few miles to a favorite walking spot in the county. We park near the road, skip across railroad tracks, and wander off on a section line road: a wide dirt path that parallels the train…
According to the locals, summer in ND is short. How can that be, I thought. The growing season and frost-free dates are the same as SE Wyoming. Yet, after my first summer, I agree; summer is short. More factors come into play besides the growing season. Fluctuating day length is the most noticeable variable. Nights…
I lived in arid lands most of my adult life; even SE Wyoming qualified as a high desert. Pivot irrigation rigs were a permanent part of the landscape. The sips of water metered out by the rigs was enough to bring the crops in, unless snow pack was low that year and the water source…
My work here keeps me busy all the time. Days are full and meetings often take up my evenings. The garden calls all the time, with fresh goodies to pickle and freeze. A funeral adds stress and extra work. This week I also do the service at the nursing home. Minister meetings take place about…
I climbed into bed at 7 PM and took my sleep-inducing allergy pill. I read more in Burning Daylight, by Jack London. No early sleep. A few miles down the road, drag car races kept the night air lively with their roar. Zoooooom. I turn off the 4 AM alarm and at 10 PM I…
According to experts, the Perseid Meteor Showers peak between the first hour of dark until around dawn, last night and this morning. I devise a plan to set up outside, away from the town lights. This is an especially good year because the moon is only a small crescent, which makes for darker skies and…
Yesterday I tried to find a farm out in the backcountry. I never did find the road but I passed through incredible scenery. Lately I have been smitten by the patchwork of colors on the rolling hills. Different crops mature at different rates and produce varying colors and patterns that are mesmerizing. In these photos…
Today, I had the same funny conversation about cities. As I do whenever people ask me if I grew up in a rural area, I said that I grew up in the cities. Big cities. As a child I often visited my dad in NYC. As an adult, I lived near SF. I spent time…
As we drive back from my birthday trip to Chase Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Don asks what I will share in the blog. The trip was calm, the scenery beautiful and the weather perfect. The picnic lunch was yummy (especially the salmon sliders and rhubarb crisp). He is worried that the day is boring-in terms…