Before I start, I want to clarify that I have no interest in royals. I do not read about royals in the newspapers or books. I do not watch shows or movies on royals. I do not believe there should even be royals. But other earthlings can’t get enough of the royals so “journalists” churn story after story out on […]

Have we ever seen an invasion like this treacherous ice? Downtown Grand Marais has been an ice rink for weeks—in fact, much of the county has, thanks to recent mist, fog, and even rain. My friend Susan was marveling at waves on the harbor, and she went down just as her husband warned, “Be careful, it’s icy.” Yup. Another broken […]

In 1967 Dustin Hoffman’s character was The Graduate. At the party for Benjamin Braddock (Hoffman), his neighbor famously whispered to him, “Plastics.” Indeed, many young graduates went into plastics and made the world more convenient for us. Bottled water, plastic wrap in the kitchen, wrapped useless toys, sweet tea, laundry detergent, and hundreds of other products came in or were […]

A number of small items came to light over the summer, so I am putting them into one column. The ecologist who has been conducting a small mammal study here since 1983 did not continue his work in 2022. He said he had the strength to do the trapping, but not to deal with the MN D.N.R. special permit people. […]

If I had my druthers, it would be low pressure, gray over the far, far black treeline, and the ridges beyond the treelines would be gone. 33 degrees Fahrenheit, and if it was even warmer and with no wind there might be a haze – a fog – off to the far gray treeline. If we snowshoe across the lake […]