If Wisconsin is a pot roast, Vernon County and Viroqua, it’s government center, are the tasty little nuggets stuck to the bottom of the pan. If you’re willing to get off the freeway and adventure a bit, you’ll realize the richness and flavor it adds to the state. I know that's a reference not everyone will know, but if you grew up in Wisconsin, you ate pot roast! Bucolic views of rolling farmland. The clippity-clop of a horse pulling an Amish buggy. Fresh, white, au naturel cheese, not Continue Reading
Home Again, part 2
As soon as I was on the path from my car to the cabin, a snake slithered across the grass in front of me. I was so busy swatting the black cloud of biting gnats heading my direction, I almost missed it. Undeterred, I walked up the five steps to the porch and before I unlocked the door, I spotted the bat tucked into the corner of the porch ceiling. Great, just great. I was truly in the woods for the next six nights. Early that evening, I heard a slight scratch on the screen door and as I Continue Reading
Can You Ever Go Home Again?
Can you go home again? What does that even mean to you? Would you want to return if you could? I think it all starts with how you define home. Is it the physical place where you live, or perhaps a social unit formed by a family living together? Maybe it’s your place or origin. If you said any of those, you are in line with the Merriam-Webster dictionary. I pose this question because this week, I am going home. As in my place of origin… sort of. My family moved frequently during the first Continue Reading
The Value of Value
In March, 2015, I met with the priest of a small Episcopal church in our area about helping them out in the office while they sought a permanent office manager. A friend of mine who attends the church had told me they were “desperate” and though typically, that is never a word you should use to attract good candidates, I felt I could keep things afloat for two or three months max. Then I’d be done. Out of there. Sayonara. Adios. The priest didn’t like my proposal. She either wanted me Continue Reading