November 7, 2025 In Act I of my father’s original musical (oft-mentioned and caffeine-fueled), there is a haunting song for three voices that sounds like it was plucked straight out of a Broadway show. Indeed, Dad was taking inspiration from modern musicals like “Dear Evan Hansen” when he penned this batch of songs. In theContinue reading “To Thine Own Self”
Author Archives: Driftless Grace
Grounded
October 18, 2025 Although I have given up on meditation as it’s officially practiced, the life I lead is meditative in another sense. My jobs and pastimes have always caused me to be confined to a specific ecological region, historic site, or area of personal significance. This relative monasticism has allowed me to deepen myContinue reading “Grounded”
R&R
September 6, 2025 For all that I am happy when the weekend arrives, or that I am conscious of needing a break during the week, I am terrible at relaxing. If there’s a single chore left undone in my life, I spend all my time thinking about how I should be doing that instead ofContinue reading “R&R”
Blind Spots
August 24, 2025 I recently learned (or rather, finally got it through my head after several people told me) that something I was doing at work in the name of a helpful gesture was coming across as meddling or creepy to my coworkers. I’m not trying to use loaded language here: their position on theContinue reading “Blind Spots”
Balance
August 10, 2025 While others may go to church of a Sunday morning, I go to a certain back porch of a certain store that’s very dear to me. Maybe you know it. They serve coffee. Being there is a rite in itself: greet the cashier; grab my favorite mug from its peg (actually, it’sContinue reading “Balance”
Planting Seeds
July 12, 2025 Once upon a time in the Driftless, there was a young woman who had recently graduated from college and was taking the first few tentative steps in her chosen career field. In the months since she’d walked across that stage to get her diploma, a beloved member of her class had diedContinue reading “Planting Seeds”
Simple Gifts
Father’s Day 2025 On another June morning four years ago, I was seated on the front porch of a coffee shop just a few feet from where I now write this. It was the hottest and brightest that a Driftless summer day can get. My laptop screen reflected the sun’s glare as customers filtered pastContinue reading “Simple Gifts”
Social Fabric
May 30, 2025 The last graduating class of Northland College walked the stage this past weekend. I have written about how my time at Northland taught me to take an active role in my community and to leave it better than I found it. There is a direct line leading from my professors’ exhortations ofContinue reading “Social Fabric”
The Plot Thickens
May 12, 2025 I finally broke through my recent bout with uncertainty to find that I had a lot of very certain work to do in my garden. It’s mid-May, and I’m still working to prepare the plot so I can plant my future charges. Luckily, the folks at the community garden couldn’t make itContinue reading “The Plot Thickens”
Outcome Unknown
April 27, 2025 I have a confession that will shock no one: uncertainty is very, very difficult for me. Even as several positive transformations have been taking place in my life, I feel concern about the unknowns and the things that are left to do. I could have 98 percent of my day planned butContinue reading “Outcome Unknown”
Driftless Grace 