March 26, 2025 I have spent a great deal of time in this still-new year reflecting on my use of technology. While I’m choosing to rely less on electronics in my life outside of work, news from the wider world shows technology playing a bigger role than ever in human existence. A friend recently gaveContinue reading “Screen Time”
Category Archives: March
Going Out
March 8, 2025 (Happy almost-birthday to this blog, upon which I embarked on March 21, 2020!) My latest meeting with a friend over coffee touched on a favorite topic of mine: the events that mark the change of seasons in a small town. I was pleased when, like me, this friend lumped both human andContinue reading “Going Out”
Letter to the Editor
Mismanagement would be the only force at work in Northland closure March 12, 2024 When I was a student at Northland College in Ashland, Wisconsin, I heard a rumor that our professors were the lowest-paid college faculty in the state. The claim was repeated less as a complaint than a badge of honor: these professionals,Continue reading “Letter to the Editor”
Marching On
March 21, 2023 Happy third birthday to this very blog! I started Driftless Grace in the first week of COVID lockdowns. It was a way of creating something positive from the chaos while also finally making good on my threats to start a blog. Since then, it has developed into a crucial part of myContinue reading “Marching On”
As the Snow Flies
March 10, 2023 “The beauty of being warm,” I once wrote in a class assignment, “is that at some point beforehand you were cold.” We were in the midst of a frigid Wisconsin winter. I wanted to capture the idea that experiencing bad weather makes taking refuge in a warm house that much sweeter. ThisContinue reading “As the Snow Flies”
Outlook
March 30, 2021 My new apartment is somewhat treehouse-like. I’m on a level with a few dozen local squirrels, nuthatches, robins, and mourning doves. Twice now, a determined creature trying to climb or land outside my window has been startled by my giant face peering out. The same window looks onto the comings and goingsContinue reading “Outlook”
Booking It
March 21, 2021 (One year since I embarked on this “blogxperiment” — what a ride it’s been.) Ironically, the move (see last post) that I hoped would lift me out of my winter loneliness was temporarily halted by an icestorm. I know, I know: that’s to be expected in March. All is well now fromContinue reading “Booking It”
Forward!
March 6, 2021 The riverwalk is crowded again, but I can’t blame my fellow walkers and cyclists. For those of us who didn’t book a spring break trip, these sunny days in the 40s are still a welcome break from the depths of winter. Working my way down the slush-covered trail, I passed a uselessContinue reading “Forward!”
New Growth
March 26, 2020 It’s getting crowded out there. I don’t mean the roads: even the main highway through town has taken on an eerie post-apocalyptic quality. Gone are those hordes of what I like to call “sun worshippers”, commuters who head east to Madison in the morning and west at night. The foot traffic byContinue reading “New Growth”
Shelter In Place
March 25, 2020 I’ve heard stories lately of people struggling to return home as travel grinds to a halt. I wish them the best, which is easy to do when I’m firmly settled in one place. The house where I’m staying is so familiar that I can find my way around it in pitch darkness. Continue reading “Shelter In Place”