A river runs through my backyard, just like the river of my childhood did, and although this is a different river, it is a sorrowful river just the same. For four years I have heard this river call to me from across the buzz and swish of traffic on State Route 315 and for four years I have tuned it out as I traveled past … Continue reading A River Runs Through My Backyard
During the 24 hours I spent in the Shawnee Forest, the sun became both my compass and timekeeper. For the first time ever, I took a solo journey into the woods and let the earth be my guide. I had help from Moscow, my 10-year old canine companion, who has an uncanny sense of direction when he’s not following the scent of a turkey vulture. … Continue reading 24 hours in the Shawnee Forest
Okay, okay, I hate it when people brag about their pets, kids, spouses, etc. in the way I’m about to do. I admit it – too often when people are telling me something they were impressed with, I’m secretly doing a rough statistical equation in my head and hoping my filter works so I don’t say the words I want to. “Yeah, yeah, yeah, your … Continue reading The Smartest Dog in the World
The numbers lie. That was the simple message that Woody Tasch, author of Slow Money and founder of the Slow Money Alliance presented to the audience at the OEFFA conference last week in Granville, Ohio. Specifically, we’re talking about the numbers of Wall Street, the GNP, or any numbers that we’ve been told indicate prosperity and progress. To illustrate this simple message eloquently, Woody quoted … Continue reading When Numbers Lie – A Slow Money Solution
Photo by Ely Brothers Photography • http://www.elybrothers.com I recall the saying often quoted by my circle of friends when we were in our 20s – “Live fast, die young, and leave a good-looking corpse.” The wisdom years have brought me to a turnabout on this topic, although it’s sometimes been a struggle of personal interests, and often, still is. The struggle is mostly due to … Continue reading Life in the Slow Lane
A walk in the woods with the folks from the Arc of Appalachia is never just a walk in the woods, and this year’s experience at the annual donor gathering was no exception. Nancy Stranahan, director and founder of this grass-roots organization that protects over 5,000 acres (and counting) in the southern part of Ohio, began the gathering’s program, held at Fort Hill, with a … Continue reading Beauty, Balance, Biodiversity – The 3 B’s of Values
While fully immersed in a jog-induced sweat on this sticky August evening, I began thinking about the concept of gardening, canning, and supplying oneself with food from a sustainable source. Memories of a conversation this weekend with David and his 15-year old son, John, a Craigslist find, who helped me split over a cord of wood on Sunday, may have spurred me to focus on … Continue reading Generation Pendulums: Transitions Captured
For the past year or so, I’ve been making an effort to reduce the multiple ways in which I alter my environment in order for it to fit my needs. No, not my needs, my wants. That’s the whole point, actually – contemplating needs versus wants when it comes to altering my environment. Last winter, I typically only used oil lamps for lighting after dark. … Continue reading The Length of Seasons and Reasons
The night-time drone of the cicadas have replaced the morning wake-up calls of the songbirds. The droning becomes a part of me, a part of everything, as it fills the heavy, humid air in my car as I drive back from a run in the woods, my skin drenched with sweat and salt and Ohio August air. As I drive up the road to my house, … Continue reading August in Mount Air
This past June 4th, I took an official step into a 10-year plan. Ten years may seem like a long time to some of you, but since I’ve turned 40, I realized that 10 years is much like a catkin wisp of cottonwood seed, floating past in a billowing wind. Along its journey, it lingers for awhile here and there, it has its ups and … Continue reading Reflections on Wildbranch, 30 days later
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