Sweet Little Peas: Snow Peas

fresh-picked snow peas

Gardening got off to a late start here in Minnesota due to late frost, and for us specifically, because we restructured our vegetable garden area. Even though our corn is knee high, our tomato plants are a little more stringy than usual, and our pepper plants are waiting to put on their first surge of […]

Pond Hockey: Yesterday and Today

Pond hockey. It was a way of life during the winter for my family when I was young. We lived on a pond that froze somewhere between November and December. I also had a brother that played hockey through high school, so naturally we had hockey sticks, pucks, and skates that my brother had grown […]

New Year’s Eve Skating: A Little Magic on the Lake

New Year’s Eve, 2018 The kids and I went out early today to get chores done around the homestead because brutal winds were due to arrive this afternoon bringing in light snow and frigid temps. When we walked out of the house the wind was light, and the temperatures were hovering around 30 degrees Fahrenheit […]

Black Ice – Beauty, Surprises, and Adventure

Black ice – no, not the type that forms on the roads from car exhaust on frigid winter days. It’s the kind that forms on lakes with very few impurities. So few that the ice is clear and appears black because the water below absorbs almost all of the light. Black ice is a treat to […]

Finding Joy in Unexpected Encounters

We had a final electrical inspection for our basement that we have been working on for the past year – almost done! But, the basement is a story for another day as this post is about finding joy in unexpected encounters. Encounters where complete strangers take time out of their day to teach, spread joy, […]

Can Contrails Predict Fishing Success?

My family likes walks. We walk almost every day – sometimes multiple times per day. The fresh air, exercise, time we get to spend chatting with each other, and the exciting things we see make every walk enjoyable and interesting. It’s our go-to way to get outside and get into nature. Two days ago, I […]

My Everest – My Inspiration

Yesterday I published a post about one of my favorite hikes – a hike where it was just me and my dogs on the Lake Superior Hiking Trail. Today, I want to introduce you to my inspiration for that hike. Two weeks ago, my family traveled to the North Shore of Lake Superior for our […]