I have just read The Weather of the Future: Heat Waves, Extreme Storms, and Other Scenes from a Climate-Changed Planet by Heidi Cullen, and I want everyone to read it. I’ve been following climate change closely and writing about its local impact for a while now. (see my posts: 6 […]
When we see the video of polar bears pacing on a shrinking ice flow, we feel both empathy for the poor brutes and relief that the warming poles and their grisly realities are a long way from us. I have been guilty of the smug feeling that, here in Wisconsin, […]
We raced to finish our greenhouse project before the ground froze and the snow fell. By last week the ground was frozen, and Wednesday the snow not only fell, it dumped. Wednesday the city of Madison was stopped in it’s tracks. With about 17 inches of snow and gusting wind, […]
Michael Pollan’s breakout book (and PBS special) Botany of Desire starts with the saga of the apple. He calls the apple as important as the axe and the plow to the pioneers. They were not valued as a sweet, crunchy snack but as liquid refreshment. Apples were the easiest source […]
You remember that quote about how the world is going to Hell in a handcart, and we nod our heads wisely – only to find out the quote is from someone in ancient Rome? It’s a case of chronocentrism: people always believe they are living in the most critical of […]
If you live in Wisconsin, you can expect to be 4-9 degrees Fahrenheit warmer by 2050. We know this because Wisconsin is home to an amazing organization – Wisconsin Initiative on Climate Change Impacts (WICCI). This power-packed nexus of know-how from the University of Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Department of Natural […]
Books are portals to other worlds. Opening the cover is like opening a door for me. I walk through and leave what I call Reality Number One behind. (I number my realities because I am usually reading several books at once, and they all take me to different places. Some […]
