HERE AT THE CHURCH O’ THE PINES it is a fine day to be Church Caretaker. Or Parson. Of which I am evidently both. The chapel and aisles will soon be brightened by snowy drifts of Bloodroot, the blossoms now just beginning to make their appearance; and in a few weeks will be replaced with taller drifts of Trillium. We
Tonight at the old cabin in the piney woods, the air is cold, the moon-shadows dark. Our nocturnal neighbors have been out and about—the Great Horned Owl vocalizing from deep in the woods. Earlier in the evening a pair of Gray Foxes cavorted about in the yard. And our pink-tailed Opossum, none too happy with the early winter weather, came
HERE AT THE CHURCH O’ THE PINES, we have pretty much resigned ourselves to the fact that this is-was-has-been the coldest, rainiest, windiest, cloudiest, crummiest Fall on record. Even Dr. Woodrow F. Stump, Woodland Psychologist, the oldest member of the congregation and resident curmudgeon, agrees. He is slightly cheered by the recent election, of which he opines that “You humans
A walk in the October woods is good for many things; but most of all it is good for the soul. With my eye troubles I have missed many of the peak colors this fall, but this local woods still looks absolutely beautiful to me. More beautiful than ever, perhaps. And it smells beautiful. And it sounds beautiful. And it
IN EVERY JOURNEY, we encounter broad horizons and winding narrows; calm waters and challenging rapids; blue skies and fierce storms. All are navigable, it seems, with care and skill and a traveler’s mindfulness.
Radio Interviewer: “So, Douglas Wood–Author of Old Turtle–Welcome. Let me ask you a question. Reading your book, you seem to be an environmentalist; what we might call an environmental extremist. Out West here, we have a lot of land that’s been locked up in “wilderness areas” by federal government land-grabs. Can you tell me why these areas can’t be open
On a late afternoon walk on our frozen Mississippi, I came upon this lovely piece of artwork, untouched by human hands. Posted on Facebook, it got many interpretations. Some called it a God doodle. Some a snowy spider web; a snow dusted ball of twine; a frozen dream catcher; a dance of the windswept twigs. My favorite? Simply a “wind
A beautifully crafted, in depth article in today’s St. Paul Pioneer Press, on my new books and on this interesting journey of a life. Written by long time book reviewer and Minnesota treasure, Mary Ann Grossman. It is very humbling to have so many nice things said. I am so grateful for the interest and the coverage. READ THE
This afternoon, a small adventure here at the Pine Point Woods, the kind that often happens in the Spring. I found a baby Great Horned Owl on the ground, a refugee from a nest high above. Far too young to care for himself. Mama Owl was calling and flying from tree to tree nearby. After a call to my good
The old cabin at the Church In The Pines as we call it, has seen many winters, and has an interesting congregation. Red and gray squirrels leap from the rafters, pileated and red bellied woodpeckers laugh at inappropriate moments during the sermon; cardinals and bluejays, chickadees and nuthatches sing in the church choir. Crows sit in the back pews and