Founded 1901

Royal Purple
Founded 1901

Royal Purple
Founded 1901

Royal Purple
All content by Chris Hardie
Spring day clears the mind

Spring day clears the mind

Chris Hardie, Contributor
March 24, 2025
Back Home by Chris Hardie

Nature is calming medicine

Chris Hardie, contributor
November 17, 2024
Back Home by Chris Hardie

Dry weather speeds fall harvest

Chris Hardie, contributor
October 27, 2024
Back Home by Chris Hardie

Spring blooms in October

Chris Hardie, Journalist
October 13, 2024
Back Home by Chris Hardie

Last-minute summer projects

Chris Hardie, Journalist
October 6, 2024
Back Home by Chris Hardie

The seasons of life

Chris Hardie, Journalist
September 23, 2024
Back Home by Chris Hardie

Memories of back to school

Chris Hardie, Contributor
September 8, 2024
: Chris Hardie used to camp by Beaver Creek the night before the opening day of trout fishing.

Driftless Area hooks anglers

Chris Hardie, Journalist
April 28, 2024
he field is now green and growing with the winter rye.

Cover crop springs to life

Chris Hardie, Journalist
April 21, 2024
Spring captured in a flower

Spring captured in a flower

Chris Hardie, Journalist
April 7, 2024
A strange spring indeed

A strange spring indeed

Chris Hardie
March 24, 2024
Birds are bullies too

Birds are bullies too

Chris Hardie
March 10, 2024
This tale stinks

This tale stinks

Chris Hardie
March 3, 2024
Chris Hardie spotted a 1993 magazine in a clinic waiting room recently.

Just waiting around

Chris Hardie
February 25, 2024
Back Home by Chris Hardie

Explaining a Strange Winter

Chris Hardie
February 18, 2024
Stitching together the pieces of life

Stitching together the pieces of life

Chris Hardie
February 11, 2024
Chris Hardie's frozen face after taking care of a recent snowfall.

It’s snow fooling around

Chris Hardie
February 4, 2024
On the road to recovery

On the road to recovery

Chris Hardie, Contributor
January 29, 2024
It’s snow fooling around

It’s snow fooling around

Chris Hardie, Contributor
January 21, 2024
Farewell, Cosby sweaters

Farewell, Cosby sweaters

Chris Hardie
December 3, 2023
Finishing the harvest

Finishing the harvest

Chris Hardie, Contributor
November 19, 2023
A season of rain in one day

A season of rain in one day

Chris Hardie
November 12, 2023
Back Home by Chris Hardie

The world of shrinkflation

Chris Hardie, WNA
October 29, 2023
Back Home by Chris Hardie

Building his own bridge

Chris Hardie
October 15, 2023
Back Home by Chris Hardie

Covered bridges still part of the landscape

Chris Hardie
October 8, 2023
Squashing the harvest

Squashing the harvest

Chris Hardie, Contributor
October 2, 2023
Back Home by Chris Hardie

The slow turn of summer to fall

Chris Hardie
September 24, 2023
Back Home by Chris Hardie

Milker photo brings surge of memories

Chris Hardie
September 10, 2023
Back Home by Chris Hardie

Nothing bitter about this island tour

Chris Hardie
September 3, 2023
This gray tree frog recently emerged from hibernation on Chris Hardie’s farm.

A surprise spring lesson

Chris Hardie, Contributor
April 30, 2023
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)

More winter storm memories

Chris Hardie, Contributer
April 24, 2023
Cecile Hardie, Chris Hardie’s grandmother, had a pot of coffee going on the stove.

Late season snow memories

Chris Hardie, Contributor
April 9, 2023
Back Home by Chris Hardie

Cut down a notch

Chris Hardie, Journalist
April 5, 2023
Back Home by Chris Hardie

Cut down a notch

Chris Hardie
March 27, 2023
Chris Hardie has moved plenty of snow this winter with his snowblower.

Officially sick of winter

Chris Hardie, Contributor
March 19, 2023
The road signs of spring

The road signs of spring

Chris Hardie, Journalist
March 13, 2023
Icicles form on a bush.

A tale of ice

Chris Hardie, Contributor
March 5, 2023
Squirrels taking their revenge

Squirrels taking their revenge

Chris Hardie, Contributor
February 27, 2023
Chris Hardie’s livestock were included in the 2022 Census of the Agriculture.

Agriculture censuses tell story

Chris Hardie, Journalist
February 6, 2023
Chris Hardie

Hearing from a Hardie lookalike

Chris Hardie, Journalist
January 30, 2023
A deer crash caused more than $6,000 in damage to Chris Hardie’s car. The insurance company says it’s not worth that much, so it’s a total wreck.

Deer crash brings collateral damage

Chris Hardie, Journalist
January 22, 2023
Attacked by a tree terrorist

Attacked by a tree terrorist

Chris Hardie, Contributor
December 11, 2022
Chris Hardie

Turn thankfulness into gratitude

Chris Hardie, Journalist
December 4, 2022
This 8-pointer was walking down a town road toward Chris Hardie’s pickup truck.

Observing the rhythms of nature

Chris Hardie, Journalist
November 13, 2022
Beetles come into contact with spray and then die in the window sill.

Ladies and gentlemen…the beetles

Chris Hardie, Journalist
October 30, 2022
Back Home by Chris Hardie

Seasons are just a guideline

Chris Hardie, State Journalist
October 24, 2022
Hickory tree tells story

Hickory tree tells story

Chris Hardie, Contributor
October 10, 2022
Some of the wild apples growing in the woods

Making cider and making memories

Chris Hardie, Contributor
October 2, 2022
Corn moving to maturity

Corn moving to maturity

Chris Hardie, Contributor
September 25, 2022
Saying goodbye to Nessie

Saying goodbye to Nessie

Chris Hardie, Contributor
September 18, 2022
Goldenrod and more bridges

Goldenrod and more bridges

Chris Hardie, Contributor
September 11, 2022
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
What does April hail showers bring?

Early planting always a challenge

Chris Hardie, Contributor
May 1, 2022
Back Home by Chris Hardie

The disappearing work ethic

Chris Hardie, Contributer
April 24, 2022
Chris Hardie drills into a maple tree before setting the spile.

Maple season brings back sweet memory

Chris Hardie, Contributor
April 17, 2022
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
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
Farmers face challenging season ahead

Farmers face challenging season ahead

Chris Hardie, Contributor
March 27, 2022
Threadbare might be one way to describe Chris Hardie’s t-shirt from June Dairy Days 1994. (Chris Hardie photo)

‘He doesn’t throw anything away’: Frugal fashion fans respond to Hardie column

Chris Hardie, Contributor
March 13, 2022
This icicle was created by a dripping rain gutter outside Chris Hardie’s back door.

Appreciating the science and beauty of icicles

Chris Hardie, Contributer
March 6, 2022
A Wisconsin historical marker on a wayside south of the peak tells the story. (Chris Hardie photo)

Story of Decorah Peak reveals rich history

Chris Hardie, Contributor
February 27, 2022
Chris Hardie dons a shirt worn in his youth that he still wears today.

Don’t throw it out, wear it out

Chris Hardie, Contributor
February 20, 2022
The Franklin Store in 2021, now used as a residence. (Chris Hardie photo)

Reader memories fill in details on general stores

Chris Hardie, Contributor
February 13, 2022
Buckets filled from a hydrant are carried 182 steps to water animals after the waterer froze.

The sound of winter

Chris Hardie, Contributor
February 6, 2022
Two bare spots in the snow indicate deer beds in the woods. Deer can bed down for hours or even days if the conditions warrant. (Chris Hardie photo)

The annual urge to hibernate

Chris Hardie, Contributor
January 30, 2022
A button marking the historic cold on Jan. 9, 1977, in Rice Lake. (Photo courtesy of Jack Daniel)

Cold-weather column stirs memories of frigid day

Chris Hardie, Contributor
January 23, 2022
Chris Hardie’s barnyard animals gather at the feeder on a morning when the temperatures were minus 20. (Chris Hardie photo)

The day Wisconsin froze to 60 below zero

Chris Hardie, Contributor
January 16, 2022
Chris Hardie was trapped on the roof when the ladder fell down. (Sherry Hardie photo)

Stranded on the rooftop

Chris Hardie, Contributor
December 12, 2021
Chris Hardie and his 9-point buck and an 18-inch antler spread shot opening day, Nov. 20, 2021. (Ross Hardie photo)

A sweet end to a successful hunt

Chris Hardie, Contributor
December 5, 2021
Half of this blue hubbard squash is big enough that Chris Hardie could wear it on his head. (Chris Hardie photo)

Bountiful squash, a tire blowout and reader response

Chris Hardie, Contributor
November 28, 2021
Chris Hardie’s deer stand is ready for 2021 hunting season that opens Saturday, Nov. 20.

Making scents of deer hunting

Chris Hardie, Contributor
November 14, 2021
The view from atop Brady’s Bluff in Perrot State Park.

A view steeped in history

Chris Hardie, Contributor
November 7, 2021
What did 13-year-old Chris Hardie hear while walking through these woods on a late summer evening? (Chris Hardie photo)

Spooky tales of sasquatch sightings

Chris Hardie, Contributor
October 24, 2021
It won’t take this combine long to finish picking the remaining corn in this field

Harvest time means busy time

Chris Hardie, Contributor
October 10, 2021
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Founded 1901
Chris Hardie