A strawberry picked and placed directly into one’s mouth at its moment of perfect ripeness is one of life’s most marvelous sensations, and one of the most elusive. Most of the berries you harvest will be packed away and pulled out of the freezer and enjoyed in August, October and […]
It took me a while to make myself stop and check out the runty little apples and pint-sized pears that Future Fruit was offering from a card table at the Dane Count Farmers’ Market. I knew I shouldn’t turn my nose up at organic fruit just because it wasn’t as […]
So, I want to share my latest published article — a profile for On Wisconsin of Barry Levenson, currator of the National Mustard Museum. Mustard is one of the simple but intense joys of life. A very sustainable condiment. On October 28, 1986, at 2:30 a.m., Barry Levenson MA’73, JD’74, […]
We DON”T want to build our house out of two-by-fours and drywall. So what will we build it out of? Last weekend we explored the straw/clay insulation technique at a workshop offered by the Driftless Folk School taught by the Robert Schulz and his wife Summer. Their own home is […]
This spring we purchased an officially sanctioned bluebird house to support the Bluebird Restoration Association of Wisconsin (BRAW), and we placed it according to their directions. As with all real estate, location is key. A pair of bluebirds are looking for 1-3 acres of predominantly open land to call home. […]
I have a clump of dirt on my sideboard but I’m not washing it off. It’s a handful of the topsoil we just had delivered to our land for the septic system drain field and garden beds, and it’s my prized possession. I feel like I dodged a major guilt […]
Influenced any good public policy lately? How many times have you called or written your representative and felt like you REALLY accomplished anything meaningful? Here is a chance to give policy makers a holler through a forum that might make a difference. If you missed the Sustainable Communities Public Policy […]
I have come upon fawns lying still as statues in a stand of grass on our land. Their survival strategy seems to be to freeze, allowing me to walk right up and study their perfect ears, finely chiseled hooves and delicately dappled camo patterns. Baby animals always bring out our […]
Before we build a house on our land, we will need a septic system. The land has already passed its perc test (Doesn’t that sound cheerful? It’s 6 a.m., and at the moment, I’m not sure I feel perky enough to pass any test.) Our land is not only perky– […]
Digging in the Driftless 
