I am beyond proud of one of my former students. Staci Lola Drouillard is a soft-spoken, unassuming dynamo. She’s also a writer (as well as a fine baker). Staci’s most recent book, Seven Aunts, is a deep-dive into her family history with a focus on her aunts. I clearly recall my Ojibway students having strong ties to their “Aunties,” and […]

Louis XIV of France famously said, “Après mois le deluge (“after me the deluge.”) It took two more Louis, but he proved right leading to several years of social disruption followed by Napoleon followed by his two attempts at a French empire. I just finished reading The Deluge by Stephen Markley. It is a sobering look at where we might […]

How lucky we were to have libraries in each school, and librarians to work them. I learned to use the card catalogs and the Dewey Decimal System to look up ruffed grouse (Bonasa umbellus), river otter (Lontras canadensis) and beaver (Castor canadensis). ‘Castor’ refers to the expensive beaver castor glands, and ‘canadensis’ means ‘Canadian’ or ‘North American.’ We learned how […]

Man can get too comfortable on terra firma. It’s cozy here, familiar, solid underfoot. Personally, I like earth because it’s near. But Beyond Reason considers near and far. That’s why it’s time we consider… space. I’m not talking about elbow room or square footage or personal space. I’m talking about space. Like outer space. Space is in the air. No, […]