Can we return safely back to school this fall?
The question on every parent’s mind right now is, “What will school look like in the fall?” Knowing that I am a teacher, people have naturally asked me my opinion
Why Baking Together is a Good Thing
There are basically four ingredients in a loaf of bread. Flour, yeast, salt and water. That is all. But once upon a time, someone figured out that when these common
Back to (Summer) School
For the first time in nearly four full months, school is back in session in Southern Boone County. Whether or not you agree with the decision to send kids back
The Nature and Industry of Country Spiders
Early one morning in late spring, Boomerang Creek was awash with spider webs cast out on land and in the air. Across the meadow’s sea of grass, delicate gossamers of
Happy Anniversary to Me
This week marks the ninth anniversary of my debut as a columnist at the Journal. That is officially the longest period of time in which I have been employed in
What Past Pandemics Teach Us
Over the past four years, Turkish author Orhan Pamuk has become an expert on what pandemics teach us. The Nobel Prize winning author has been writing an historical novel set
The Magic of a Gravel Road
When I was a teenager in Hannibal, Missouri, (a lifetime ago), my friends and I spent most of our weekends cruising up and down the endless miles of gravel roads
Of Writers and their Cats
What did I know of cats as a child? When did a cat first allow me into its life? Is a person whose given name begins with “CAT” destined to
Are these MY people?
Fully aware that I am a teacher who believes in public education, an acquaintance recently said he hopes schools switch over to online-only learning permanently—even after the coronavirus pandemic is
The Magic of Bees and Fireflies
My mind is a beehive of activity these mornings. On my early morning walks, I look for wild black raspberries that ripen every June along our southern woods. In a
