Category Uncategorized

  My first-born child turned forty this spring. Was it truly 40 years ago that I sat in a stream of March sunlight in the living room awaiting her birth? The thrill of holding my daughter for the first time…

When Derrick Mayoleth, blogger extraordinaire for Devil’s Lake State Park, reported that the great blue herons had returned, I knew spring had truly arrived. These amazing birds nest in a rookery close to the group camp parking lot on the…

When my daughters were college age, I arranged for the three of us to go on a trip together. We discussed where to go and chose a tour of Ireland which included seeing the beautiful landscape, visiting local pubs, learning…

The suitcases are coming out! Mom Amy packed my doggy life vest and Dad Frank packed the kayak. That means that we’re going back to that place where Leftie the alligator lives. I can’t wait to see if she’s sunning…

My husband and I took our grandsons to the Shrine circus in Madison this past February. Benjamin, three years old, fell asleep on the way there. We had just gotten inside the huge coliseum when a 6-foot creature with fuzzy…

I’m killing it. Slowly . . . hour by hour. The poinsettia sits on the floor of the basement utility room. Its once festive red petals, now wilted from lack of water and sunlight, torment me. Back in December, with…

At 7:15 p.m. my dog dashes from the living room to the back porch barking. I follow, egging her on. “Is the marsupial coming in for the night?” My dog woofs back. I grab the flashlight I keep handy and…

Seductive bird songs filter in through my office window. It’s Valentine week, and love is in the air. If you’re looking to add romance to your date, use these ten tips from nature. Tip #1 is to take advantage of…

Pura Vida by Amy Laundrie   Tired of the sub-zero temperatures and shoveling snow? Take a mental break and journey along with me through the hot, humid jungle. Wake up to freshly brewed Costa Rican coffee. Stroll along the emerald…

I stepped carefully onto the swaying suspension bridge that would take me 300 ft. across a stretch of misty northern Costa Rican jungle. Towering trees dripped with moss and dangly, snake-like vines. The man ahead of me carried impressive photography…