COVID-19: The good, the bad, and the ugly!

COVID-19: The good, the bad, and the ugly! The good news is I finally balanced my checkbook, updated my address book, and made out my will. My winter wardrobe has been pared down to 3 pairs of flannel pajamas and a pair of Uggs. Since I didn’t “meal plan” as much as paw through the cupboards and graze through the fridge, let me just say, pajamas do lie. Salvation Army and Goodwill got some good deals from me. Some bad news: I didn’t need the snow shoes, flying saucer, snow pants, down jacket and

After a summer of unrest, protest, conversations, and prayer vigils, the trial for former Minneapolis police officer Derrick Chauvin is now underway. The former officer was captured on video where, for more than nine minutes, he appeared to kneel on the neck of a handcuffed George Floyd. Mr. Floyd was taken from the scene unresponsive and would eventually die from the injuries.

After a summer of unrest, protest, conversations, and prayer vigils, the trial for former Minneapolis police officer Derrick Chauvin is now underway. The former officer was captured on video where, for more than nine minutes, he appeared to kneel on the neck of a handcuffed George Floyd. Mr. Floyd was taken from the scene unresponsive and would eventually die from the injuries. Knowing this trial would be a trigger, and to maintain a level head, I only watched 20 minutes of Day 1. In those 20

It has been so pleasurable to see the mud-brown grass of winter give way to the lush, green grass of spring. The robins are also happy; pulling hard on their lunchtime worms. The only difficulty is that green grass grows. Regular haircuts are needed and if you receive some badly timed monsoons, it can be hard to coordinate cuttings, leading to a cowlick-y and unruly lawn. Such is the case with my yard. What started out as mild, short tufts of grass has progressed to full-fledged toupees and comb-overs. The grass is long and lank. When my beagle goes outside to take care of business, she wades into tummy tickling grass. Even Zoe thinks this is weird.

It has been so pleasurable to see the mud-brown grass of winter give way to the lush, green grass of spring. The robins are also happy; pulling hard on their lunchtime worms. The only difficulty is that green grass grows. Regular haircuts are needed and if you receive some badly timed monsoons, it can be hard to coordinate cuttings, leading to a cowlick-y and unruly lawn. Such is the case with my yard. What started out as mild, short tufts of grass has progressed to full-fledged toupees and comb

The bat landed on my pillow.

The bat landed on my pillow. And needless to say, we four teenage girls broke out in a chorus of screams that would have made Hollywood proud. We were spending the night in our Northwoods cabin’s “guest house,” a single room attached to an old log garage with plenty of cracks for bats and other critters to gather. So, when our bat friend decided to join our slumber party with some acrobatic flybys, we did our screaming best to make him leave. It is a miracle we did not scare him to death, which

It's spring! Time to shake off those winter blues and enjoy feeling the warm sun once more.

It's spring! Time to shake off those winter blues and enjoy feeling the warm sun once more. Now that the snow is finally out of the way, do you look forward to returning to a hobby? Maybe you’re a gardener ready to get your hands back into the soil. Are you ready to get pedaling that bike hiding in the corner of your garage? Or maybe it is time to walk off those pandemic pounds you and your furry friend have gained. Whatever your pleasure, I encourage you to enjoy those precious moments that