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At the peak of the frack boom Williston, North Dakota, was the only small town in the world where one could get hired and make more money in the first week than most make in two months, get fall-down drunk, score a sweet drug deal only to be later torched on one gone bad, loseContinue reading “Hookers and Rough Necks and Drunks, Oh My!”

There is a certain ritual that happens when two people live together within the same home and then the relationship spirals into that blackhole of failure. One person must leave, or perhaps is kicked out, and there is a rapid-fire series of decisions to be made about stuff. He who is departing must make theseContinue reading “Mater Lives!”

Faeries were mythical apparitions from the days of yore. Sometimes a sprite, sometimes more human in appearance and proportion, faeries were believed to be the personification of the forces of nature. Faeries were believed to possess and dispense both magic and mischief. In early legends nymphs were believed to be the very spirit of natureContinue reading “Faeries, Nymphs, and Shooting Stars”

Imagine that big pharma devised a pill with health benefits that included improved heart health, reduced dyslipidemia and hypertension, and improved vascular health. Imagine if modern orthopedics devised simple and pleasant protocols to ease pain and stiffness. Imagine if dermatologists created a magical pathway to more healthy skin. Imagine if mental health care devised aContinue reading “Saturday Night Fever”

Long before there was a cabin on my acreage there was a campground. The campground consisted of the sauna, a privy, and a small clearing for parking a camper. However, the concept of dragging our plush and shiny camper through the forest was a point of contention. It goes without saying that I repeatedly lostContinue reading “The Cousin Eddy Camper”

Every small-town newspaper has a community calendar. Be it art, music, activity, or some weird local specialty, the community calendar promotes the goings on that the community has to offer. These events are usually free or accept donations and are often put forth by volunteers. Many a day has been salvaged by the bored newspaperContinue reading “Burning Squatch”

It can be a stark contrast, moving from the modern world back into a natural world that still exists in the forest. Meal preparation in civilization used to entail staring at a microwave oven while fidgeting impatiently as the seconds tick away and the packaged food within was harshly nuked. The lack of a microwave,Continue reading “Rocks and Trees”

“Get your motor running, head out on that highway!” exclaimed the band Steppenwolf in the 1968 anthem penned by Mars Bonfire. In post-World War II pop culture, the motorcycle is the symbol of freedom, the mythical horse of the self-described modern-day cowgirl and cowboy. My Great grandpa Silvola was a motorcyclist. Many an over one-hundred-year-oldContinue reading “Motorcycles and the Minimalist”

Grandpa T was a giant of a man. Born in the first decade of the last century to pioneers of the Iron Range, it was inevitable that his life’s work would be based in the harvest and extraction of resources. As a younger man he worked in various sawmills then found his way into theContinue reading “Big Oil and an Old Lumberjack”

Ursus americanus, the North American black bear, has become an iconic symbol of Northern Wisconsin. And why not? They are a noble and beautiful creature yet portray an aura of being cute and cuddly. Their bumbling and playful cubs look like the morphing of a miniature furry clown with a professional wrestler. It seems thatContinue reading “Bears Can Be Such Dicks”