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  • Very best friends

    Their names are Moe, Larry and Curley, but they are not who you might think. It's true that there are three of them, and that you'll rarely see one without the others, but that is where the similarities stop.
  • Sailing
    I have come to realize that living off the energy grid is similar to sailing. Just as the sailor needs to understand the wind and rigging, the off-gridder needs to understand the sun and electricity.
  • Time
    I smile. 2025 is dawning, and it's time to put our puzzle back in the box.
  • Through my eyes
    She sat on the couch. I jumped up beside her and lay down, my head in her lap. She ran her fingers along my ears. I sighed. She smiled. Life is good, even though the brightly colored things are just out of my pop-up reach.
  • First snow
    It was then that I realized what she was thinking. We might not care, but she did. She knew, without any doubt, that it was her job was to keep an eye on this white stuff and protect our creek valley world.
  • The frozen earth
    The ground beneath my boots is as hard as rock. Halfway through our morning chores, the cold begins to seep through the soles of my boots and nip at my toes. Blades of grass crunch with each step, and I wonder how any life could survive beneath the frozen ground.
  • All in a row
    We drove to town the through the upland fields. I was surprised to see three gray ducks hunkered down in the grass by the side of the road. I imagined they were heading south to warmer weather. I thought of my father.
  • The long light
    The end-of-day shadows cast by the trees stood boldly against the wet pavement. Our own shadows, walking along ahead of us, looked absolutely undaunted.
  • A perfect day
    We were not looking for any of these treasures, but we are glad to have re-homed them. It had been a perfect day, perusing the lots, entering into the thrill of the bid, talking with fellow bidders and neighbors, and adding to the dreams of our many refurbishing projects.
  • We are the lucky ones
    Parrot signatures once adorned the tops of our chairs, while the puppy signatures decorated the legs, but I understand. This is their home, their world, and we are simply the lucky ones who are allowed to share it with them.
  • Crow call
    They live up on the hill, across the rock wall from the cabin. It seems that the creek valley is not only the perfect place for Greg and me to call home, but also for a community of crows. I have come to consider them our neighbors and just as we did with our neighbors in the city, we often stop to talk with each other, not across our yards, but through the woods.
  • Fall lore
    There certainly is wonder in the changing season and ever so much to learn.
  • The mythical woolly worm
    Myths are stories often about natural occurrences that appear to have a factual basis but in reality, are based on fiction. Consider the tale of the woolly worm, which is actually the woolly bear caterpillar, and not a worm at all.
  • Best friends
    I sat on the front porch, rocking in my chair, listening to the wind chimes and the occasionally falling walnut, pawpaw and buckeye. My mind slipped back to a time, worlds away, when the sounds were so different, and we were pinball wizards, and we were young.
  • The Osage orange
    It is that Osage orange time of year. Many, many years ago I remember that there was an Osage orange tree in the backyard of the children’s nursery school. Generations of children had climbed its scraggly limbs until the bark wore smooth. 
  • We can be thankful
    We washed the 1966 El Camino until its red paint glowed and its chrome sparkled in the sunlight. I built a large sign, with Greg's help, to put in the truck's bed. I painted the wood black to match the Elky's tires and interior, and then carefully placed black letters on the sign's white background. I stood back with a smile. We were ready for the 173rd Brown County Fair Parade.
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