When the COVID outbreak began last March, I had not yet taken down my Christmas tree. Obviously, this is an embarrassing revelation. IR00;know. I should have ...

As I learn again and again when I come and go from Wyoming, it is hard to beat the charms of a western state. I am back in Iowa after five months in ...

Over the years, our cars accrue small defects: dents or scratches, strange pulling to the left, a sequence of electronic failures that can only be overcome by ...

Over the years, our cars accrue small defects: dents or scratches, strange pulling to the left, a sequence of electronic failures that can only be overcome by ...

I'm so glad Colorado Rockies baseball is back. But I feel a little guilty about that. The players, people I admire, are putting themselves at risk just for ...

I took a walk down to a pond near my house this week and found some ducks. They were enormous (for ducks), lounging by the side of the pond and looking ...

I'm a proponent in this space of going out and looking at birds during the day. Regular readers don't need to be told this. This time, I'm suggesting that you ...

You've heard of a green thumb. I have what I would describe as a beige thumb. Or maybe a mildly chartreuse thumb. It certainly isn't green, but green is ...

Among the litany of business reopenings and other economic and public health easings we are seeing, there are few which can practically be considered ...

There are a million kinds of cooking videos, articles, and guides flying around the world right now in response to the sheer number of us who, stuck at home ...

I have always had a liking for spicy foods. Hot wings are a favorite, as are all manners of cuisine with spices we don't normally encounter in the states. ...

Last week, my mom was accosted at the grocery store. She was walking out, and a man drove up in his truck, rolled down the window, and began shouting at her ...

Things to do with an exercise ball when you can't leave your apartment du to the spread of a global pandemic disease: (Author's note: Do not actually try most ...

Often have I stared with wonderment and delight at the giant exercise balls that pop up in school gyms and workout facilities and various other places. You ...

One of my grandfather's favorite snacks was Ritz crackers. I remember eating them with him when I was a little boy. He'd often add peanut butter, or a thin ...

If you've ever been on the market for an apartment or rental house, chances are you had certain amenities you were seeking above all others. A bathtub was ...

If you cook, odds are you've looked up recipes in some form -- online, in a cookbook, in your mother's box of recipe cards. Depending on your sources, you may ...

In 1967, the bald eagle was placed on the endangered species list. America's iconic species, once widespread, was dying out in the contiguous United States, a ...

If you aren't a birdwatcher, but you know people who are, you may be surprised that this time of year seems to be when your birdwatching acquaintances are most ...

I've been visiting my family here in Wyoming for the past few weeks. That's fortunate not only because I like to see them, but because this can be a lonely ...

On New Year's Day, I took a hike up to the Popo Agie Falls falls above Lander. I'd done it many times before,but never in the winter. It was both wonderful ...

It's tempting to be let down this time of year. For many of us, the holidays are over (or soon to be), and we have the long, cold months of January and ...

It's the most wonderful time of the year, and that means cookies. Be honest with yourself: You know you like a good Christmas cookie, even if you promise you ...

Driving back from Wyoming to Iowa a few weeks ago, I put on some holiday music. I used the online app Spotify to choose it for me. It can create lists of ...

q Often there isn't enough good stuff to supply a whole year. If you're doing any holiday shopping or gift-giving in the next few weeks, particularly for ...

It's a time of year when even the less pie-inclined among us often sit down to enjoy a slice or two. And that is the thing I am most thankful for. Pie at ...

Both for my own enjoyment and to block out the sound of neighbors around me, I have headphones for my television set. I live alone, so I know this might ...