April 10, 2020. Deer scat. Everywhere. Our neighbors feed them daily. I feed them too, sometimes. They like to hang out in our little cedar grove in the winter. I love to see them! But here's the consequence. Deer scat doesn't quickly absorb into helpful fertilizer, as I expected. It stays. And stays. And stays. … Continue reading Wildlife – The Consequences
Tag: nature
Storms of Nature, and Democracy
Nov 30, 2019. Some storms announce themselves loudly and some sneak up on you--kind of like elections (fanfare) and mass protests (sneak-up). Both are caused by atmospheric instability and both change the landscape. The Thanksgiving 2019 storm was a bit of both -- expected, but more fierce than was forecast. It was the storm of … Continue reading Storms of Nature, and Democracy
From Tag Elders to Fraser Firs
May 10, 2019. Out with the tag elders, in with the fraser firs! The south end of my waterfront plot, across a small stream bridged by wooden planks, was overgrown with a weedy tree called tag elder. (They should be called "tangle elder," because you get all tangled in their skinny, hungry branches!) We removed … Continue reading From Tag Elders to Fraser Firs
Crackling Fire, Cracking Ice
Jan. 13, 2019. Who does an outdoor campfire on a snowbound winter night? Hardy northerners do. Because sounds are fewer, they're magnified. The ice is cracking loudly a few feet away while the fire pit crackles away at my feet. And although I can’t hear it, I know the home-made wood stove is also crackling in … Continue reading Crackling Fire, Cracking Ice
The Compost Toilet (Not Outhouse!)
August 15, 2018. When developing land (or living on boat), one faces the need to manage essential human processes. I'm a former back-packer who doesn't mind doing her business in the woods if necessary, but that won't work here. We're a far cry from building a septic system or a cabin. So what to do? … Continue reading The Compost Toilet (Not Outhouse!)
Inviting Vikings: Rune Windchime
June 22, 2018. I think of the Vikings as distant relatives, although there's scant evidence that any came from Finland. They were nature-lovers, as I am. They needed the sea, as I do. They had wisdom, as I hope to; I discovered that when I uncovered an old volume of The Book of Runes years … Continue reading Inviting Vikings: Rune Windchime
Our First Visitors – The Displaced
December 28, 2017. They were here first, the deer. Their trails crisscrossed this land. Before we crashed into their home to make space for ours, this was their winter refuge. This deer seems confused to come across our new road, and more confused still to see my vehicle approach. There I go, ascribing human emotion … Continue reading Our First Visitors – The Displaced
And So It Begins
Dec. 23, 2017. The papers are signed. I am the proud owner of 300 feet of waterfront on Huron Bay in the Western Upper Peninsula. Just in time for Christmas! Within hours of my text ("It's mine!"), Jeff arrived with his heavy equipment to start creating a road through the rugged bush. I followed him … Continue reading And So It Begins
From Navy Captain to Yooper Girl
December 20, 2017. I'm about to purchase a rough and undeveloped patch of land on the waterfront of Huron Bay in Michigan's Upper Peninsula (U.P.). It's so rough that we can barely walk through it...lumpy and wet and thick with underbrush and fallen branches and rotting logs. Jeff is my partner in this adventure and … Continue reading From Navy Captain to Yooper Girl
For Many Moons 