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I’ve been watching a pair of yellow-bellied sapsuckers excavate a cavity in a dead white oak behind the shed. Since I’m home all the time, I can wander…
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I have a beer bottle cap in the pocket of my spring coat that I worry with my thumb and forefinger. I’m not sure how long the bottle cap has been there. I…
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The poet Allen Ginsberg advises writers to “pay attention to what you pay attention to,” the idea being that the source of your creative impulse lies deep…
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On the night after Christmas, I was ice fishing on Carlin Lake near Presque Isle, what they call “Wisconsin’s Last Wilderness.” Part bored, and part cold,…
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If you’re ridiculous like me, you think the weather owes you something, and when it doesn’t give you what you deserve, you get grumpy. The very windy day…
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This fall I’ve given several public readings from my new book, which means I’ve had to dust off The Suit. If you know me, you’ve surely seen The Suit. I…
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Rain. My word. And thunderbolts split the sky. Of late these storms ride at night, when I’m wide awake. Power flashes and the black dog cowers. Worry.…
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One doesn’t paddle into the boundary waters seeking human stories. Instead we seek what Thoreau called “the tonic of wildness,” or what Sigurd Olson…
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This July 4th I was the first person awake in our household, which is always a good feeling, to be first at something.Even before I pushed the button on…
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Some people when you ask them why they fish will tell you it’s not about the fish at all. They like to be outdoors in the fresh air and the scenery. I…