I am a child of the woods. I grew up on a mountaintop in New York State. My parents settled under the Homestead Act. I spent my early formative years living in a surplus Army Hospital Tent. The forest setting was my primary teacher. My spirit resonates with anything found…

Every excursion is spectacular when I glimpse an animal. You have to be in the right place at the right time when it comes to observing wildlife. One day my son, Paul, drove up to see me. We planned to hike to the Snowy Lakes in the Enchantments. After parking…

(scene of a deep black forest one might find in Germany) I envy those who know their family history going back several generations. My birth family didn’t speak of their childhood. I don’t know how they met or why they married one another. I do recall a harsh Dutch grandfather…

I sat on the edge of my sleeping cot. I could hear snow plopping onto the canvas roof of our tent. Worry lines etched between my brows, I wrung sweaty hands with anxiety. We didn’t live in a house. We didn’t have a chimney. We didn’t have a Christmas tree…

It’s early April as I walk the perimeter of my garden sanctuary. The maple trees are bursting with new leaves. Not long before they’ll provide welcome shade to our yard. The weather is getting hotter every year. Our raised beds seek intermittent relief from the heat. …

Extreme storms are becoming more frequent. It doesn’t matter where you live. It can happen at any time, catching your family unawares. When electrical power fails for more than a day or two, can you handle it? I remember one December 2007. I was staying in a friend’s garage apartment…

There is nothing so beautiful as the sight of a glorious sunset. No matter how upsetting my day has been, a sunset changes my mood. Of all the wonders of nature, it never ceases to inspire mankind. Just look at the poems and songs written about her. Whenever I notice…

Weather can change in the twinkling of an eye. — A deluge of rain can surprise you, obliterating your vision. Fog can descend and the highway disappears. A snowstorm develops into a whiteout blizzard. A sudden mudslide blocks the road. There are no guarantees in life. I’m sure you’ve experienced some of these episodes. Pretty scary, isn’t it? These weather…