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Founded 1901

Royal Purple

Founded 1901

Royal Purple

Founded 1901

Royal Purple

Beetles come into contact with spray and then die in the window sill.

Ladies and gentlemen…the beetles

Chris Hardie, Journalist October 30, 2022

It’s as certain as the trees changing colors and the inevitable decline towards winter – the annual invasion of the Asian lady beetles. A warm day after the first hard frost is usually when the...

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Seasons are just a guideline

Chris Hardie, State Journalist October 24, 2022

I learned a long time ago that we don’t live in a black-and-white world and the choices between right and wrong or good and evil are often veiled in shades of gray – no matter what the political ads...

Hickory tree tells story

Hickory tree tells story

Chris Hardie, Contributor October 10, 2022

In the middle of one of my ridgetop clearings stands a large shagbark hickory tree that’s nearly 100 feet tall. Those in the know are no longer with us, but I believe the tree was left there for a...

Corn moving to maturity

Corn moving to maturity

Chris Hardie, Contributor September 25, 2022

Back Home by Chris Hardie Download this column as a Word document Download the photos that accompany this story Chris Hardie’s headshot Fall is officially here and farmers will soon be...

Saying goodbye to Nessie

Saying goodbye to Nessie

Chris Hardie, Contributor September 18, 2022

In spring of 2009, my wife Sherry noticed a classified ad in the paper. For sale: An 11-month-old yellow Labrador. I went to meet her. She was a sweet, energetic puppy. I told the owner we’d be happy...

Goldenrod and more bridges

Goldenrod and more bridges

Chris Hardie, Contributor September 11, 2022

It’s tempting to proclaim the lawn and garden season over as we creep closer to fall, but the work remains even after the growing season ends. Certain chores have already been suspended – like weeding...

Giant puffballs are common in the late summer and fall. They turn brown as the spores start to dry.

Threads of late summer

Chris Hardie, Contributor September 5, 2022

Even in a divisive world that will become even more so between now and the November election, there’s always room for a little kindness. After writing about the recent death of our beloved Labrador...

What does April hail showers bring?

Early planting always a challenge

Chris Hardie, Contributor May 1, 2022

Our topsy-turvy spring weather so far this year has not inspired ambitions of gardening, but the show must go on. At least that’s what my wife Sherry told me recently when she decided it was time...

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The disappearing work ethic

Chris Hardie, Contributer April 24, 2022

I was having a conversation recently with a crop farmer who remarked that she was enjoying the calm before the storm. It was early April and in just a few days she and her husband would be busy with...

Chris Hardie drills into a maple tree before setting the spile.

Maple season brings back sweet memory

Chris Hardie, Contributor April 17, 2022

Moving back to the country 16 years ago brought me back to many tasks and chores I experienced as a farm kid, but it also gave us the chance to try some new activities. One of them was raising pigs...

This bear sow and her two yearling cubs came out of hibernation near Black River Falls in good shape. (Photo courtesy of Bill Quakenbush.)

Bears awaking a sign of spring

Chris Hardie, Contributor April 3, 2022

Even when the icy grip of winter keeps holding on, there are signs of spring around us. One sure sign for me was when my animal waterer that froze at the end of January finally thawed. It’s a relief...

Little Creek during the last few hours of winter. The stream is fed by dozens of springs along the valley on Chris Hardie’s farm. (Chris Hardie photo)

A moment of reflection as spring arrives

Chris Hardie, Contributor March 27, 2022

I said goodbye to winter on a bright and crisp morning with the sounds of geese flying overhead. Life seems to be a series of busy moments linked together by the relentless onslaught of time. It’s...

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