The absolutely most blood-curdling screams I have ever heard in my life occurred when my 8-year-old daughter and the neighbor kids annoyed some mud wasps. I was outside the house and moving toward the cries before I even knew I was out of my chair. So, though I’ve never been […]
Here is another way to stay out of the malls on Black Friday while finding some nifty gifties which which you can give those you love an easy way to do something green. Last time I posted about green clothing from Fair Indigo. This time I’m going to focus on […]
“The world made with wood and the world made with coal and oil. One lasted twelve to fifteen Millennia; the other has lasted about 250 years so far.” The first tree I remember hanging out in was a maple. My dad built us a platform at the place where […]
When I open the barn door and step into our little greenhouse, I gaze lovingly at the plants growing there. Then I get down to watering them with a yogurt container and a 5-gallon bucket. I don’t pay attention to the concrete barn wall while I’m working. That’s why I […]
I attended a panel discussion by four Master Gardeners this week and listened to their take on the fall tuck in. It’s so primal – the urge to tuck in one’s garden beds under a leafy blanket as winter looms. I see a lot of similarity between the down comforter […]
I learned a ton this weekend at the Midwest Renewable Energy Fair on everything from straw bale building to how to make a solar food dryer that works in Wisconsin, but what I want to share today are five tips on how to eat in a way that is healthy […]
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 […]
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– […]
I always love the drive to our land, getting closer and closer as the highway skims the top edge of the long, high Military Ridge that shows up on every topographical map of Wisconsin till we turn south onto the country lane and drop into our little valley. It’s a […]
Yesterday was Doug’s and my 32nd anniversary. It is serendipitous that our anniversary is also Earth Day, but it makes a fantastic reminder of the values that drew us together in the first place. This year we celebrated by planting our raspberry patch. According to Growing Raspberries in Wisconsin, “with […]
Digging in the Driftless 