Category Archives: March

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”

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”

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”

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”

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!”

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”

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”

March 24, 2020 In the wake of a “stay-at-home order” from our governor, I suppose I should be making a to-do list for the long weeks ahead.  It feels more appropriate to make a not-to-do list. Don’t attend a play, don’t meet my circle of friends for coffee, don’t volunteer on a prescribed burn.  HavingContinue reading “This Means You”

March 22, 2020 (2 for 2!) I took a walk yesterday afternoon.  It was one of the odder experiences I’ve had in a while, going out in the middle of the day and seeing a car in every driveway.  Typically my town at 2 PM is reserved for retired folks, stay-at-home moms, and seasonal employeesContinue reading “A Creek Runs Through It”

March 21, 2020 I told myself I wouldn’t write a single word about Social Distancing.  But any kind of writing feels better than guiltily staring at a blank page.  It brings to mind what a sympathetic writing instructor once told me: the most important body part to a writer is the one you sit on. Continue reading “COVID-19 in the 608”