I like to think of myself as an individual, but then I must acknowledge that like all individuals I am a product of a particular culture, place and time. The life choices I make now would, I suspect, seem inconceivable... Read More ›

As I listened to Weekend Edition this Saturday, there seemed nothing on offer but bad, sad news. Most of it was fully anticipated: the war in Ukraine, the latest COVID surge, and the sorry state of American politics. But even... Read More ›

If I tell you you’re going to hear the real dirt on me, you may expect something salacious. Sorry to disappoint. The real dirt on me is really just dirt. I’ve been somewhat fixated on this topic since the day... Read More ›

There’s something comforting about howling winds and driven snow, if you’re inside a cozy warm house looking out at the weather. There’s something pleasing about the abrupt suspension of normal activity by forces beyond your control, if you know it’s... Read More ›

If you’re like me, you’ve been glued to the news of Ukraine for the last 10 days. We all know wars are great for news station ratings. And undoubtedly each of us reads or listens to that news through the... Read More ›

The farm feels like the world in microcosm. The world has Vladimir Putin. The barn has a half-castrated ram (the result of poor testicle-banding on my part) who I’ve now named Vlad. In general it is inadvisable to name animals... Read More ›

I hear the sound: Puh-puh-puh-BAM! Then, silence. Still, like a child that’s been caught in the act, before it starts again. Puh-puh-puh-rustle-rustle. “Helllloooo,” I yell down to the kitchen from my upstairs office, secretly hoping someone is just visiting. Bringing... Read More ›

If you live near here, you’ve been encased in ice for the last day or so. A quarter inch of it wrapped around every surface, everything glimmering. There is a brittle beauty to the ice-encrusted landscape. The pasture is paved... Read More ›

All this week I’ve been appreciating my farm chores as welcome breaks from the stresses of my day job. As a lawyer, I often represent people with serious illness whose insurers are denying them access to treatments. This week I... Read More ›

Do you “spoon” when you sleep with a spouse or bed partner? Outside, the shutters may be banging against the house in the stiff western wind; the windows encased in white frost; the wind chill at minus 20. But inside,... Read More ›