New Year’s resolutions – a wide-open and sometimes controversial topic. Speaking only for myself, what a setup. I can quickly come up with a dozen ways to improve myself and my lifestyle, but what are the chances I’ll stop eating pasta or buying earrings, even though I already have enough[Read More…]
Author: Norma Gavick - Enjoying the Outdoors
Column: Do something ‘wild’ this holiday season
Domestic and wild animals have been a massive part of my life. Born in a logging camp in Minnesota, neighbors such as bears, deer, moose, coyotes, and bobcats were a fact, not a fear or foe. Then, we moved to North Dakota, where my sister and my playmates were no[Read More…]
Column: Twinkling fairy lights a holiday delight
Fairy lights — even the name sounds magical. They’re pretty, calming, and definitely historical. What do you mean you don’t know what Fairy Lights are? Sure, you do — you just don’t know it — Christmas lights! But in all honesty, I had never heard that name before. To me,[Read More…]
Column: Welcome to our family Thanksgiving
‘A Day of Publick Thanksgivin’’ — Proclamation by George Washington, 1789 I imagine our family celebrates Thanksgiving in pretty much the same fashion as many, many others. To begin, we cook enough for Hannibal’s Army. Well, not all of us actually cook, but more about that later. When our beloved[Read More…]
Column: Ancient agriculture set a base for today’s farmers markets
One of the most enjoyable and rewarding aspects of writing this column is researching a subject I thought I knew fairly well, only to discover I didn’t know beans. No, this article is not about beans. Well, wait, maybe it is. Let’s talk about farm markets. My take has always[Read More…]
Scenic drives: It’s time to take advantage of fall
Is there anyone not humming along? That classic masterpiece by Mercer, Kosma and Prevert, has been an all-time favorite of many, even though there’s a good deal of nostalgia in it. The second stanza even more so, in fact, downright sad, so we won’t go there. Falling leaves are indeed[Read More…]
Enjoying the Outdoors: Leisurely drive around South Lane
Leaving home, I had one goal—to take a nice, leisurely drive around Dorena Reservoir, that pretty little lakelet just south of Cottage Grove. Having taken that short journey many times, I had no specific purpose other than enjoyment unless I was working. I would usually be irrationally happy just to[Read More…]
