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Founded 1901

Royal Purple

Founded 1901

Royal Purple

Founded 1901

Royal Purple

When your world turns dizzy

When your world turns dizzy

Chris Hardie November 10, 2025

Some say the key to a good life is balance, which is hard to achieve when you’ve always been a half-bubble or more off level like me. While some of that statement is metaphorically true, it’s also...

Potatoes dug up by Chris Hardie after fighting through the weeds.

The fruits of the season

Chris Hardie October 12, 2025

It’s been a strange fall season as we head into mid-October. As of this writing our valley has yet to be touched with frost. Making it past Oct. 1 without a frost used to be a rarity but is now becoming...

A fishing boat on the waters of Pool 9 near Ferryville. More than 100 species of fish live in the upper Mississippi River.

A quiet goodbye to summer

Chris Hardie October 5, 2025

The towering bluffs were shrouded with fog and ribbons of lightning flicked across the dark sky as I said goodbye to the waning hours of the summer. It was the morning of Sept. 22 and I was heading...

Examples of stalagmites in the cave.

A fascination with underground life

Chris Hardie September 28, 2025

I’ve had a fascination with caves as far back as I can remember. My first recollection was when I was maybe 4 years old living near Milwaukee. Dad said we were going to meet some friends in the cavern....

The Thrune Center at Norskedalen includes historical displays and exhibits explaining the Norwegian immigrants who came to the region.

A visit to Norway close to home

Chris Hardie September 14, 2025

Be it for the good or the bad, we are from whom we descend. While our ancestors don’t define us, we wouldn’t be here without them. My descendants and their lives were on my mind recently when my...

Chris Hardie uses a walk-behind mower to tackle several acres of lawn.

Confused about Labor Day

Chris Hardie, Contributor September 7, 2025

Labor Day has come and gone, marking what many celebrate as the last blast of summer. Technically Labor Day is a holiday to celebrate the social and economic achievements of American workers and not...

Just not measuring up

Just not measuring up

Chris Hardie, Contributor August 31, 2025

A wise man once said “measure twice, cut once.” So let me tell you a tale about the fool who measured two times but then forgot the number. In fact, I can tell it from a first-person perspective. Recently...

Spring day clears the mind

Spring day clears the mind

Chris Hardie, Contributor March 24, 2025

There comes a day every year in the midst of the dance of the seasons when winter allows spring a brief interlude. Since we live in Wisconsin, that day may come in late February or late March and will...

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Nature is calming medicine

Chris Hardie, contributor November 17, 2024

My preparations for the upcoming gun deer season took me on a walk through the woods the other day. While my purpose was to prepare my deer stand, I also needed the walk for therapeutic reasons. A busy...

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Dry weather speeds fall harvest

Chris Hardie, contributor October 27, 2024

As we march through the end of October, the harvest season is earlier and going full throttle in farm country, thanks mainly to a long stretch of dry weather. It’s a busy time of year, with tractors,...

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Spring blooms in October

Chris Hardie, Journalist October 13, 2024

As a longtime suffering and now recovering journalist, I’m a self-professed word nerd. Words are my friends and finding the right one gives me the same feeling as finding a winning lottery ticket. So...

he field is now green and growing with the winter rye.

Cover crop springs to life

Chris Hardie, Journalist April 21, 2024

The lifebl ood of any farmer is the soil that provides their livelihood, so taking care of it has to be a top priority.   That care involves more than simply adding fertilizer and chemicals...

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