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...

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,...

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...

There’s always a sense of urgency to get outdoor chores completed when the calendar turns to fall. These are tasks that could have been done anytime earlier in the summer but since I am a natural...

I sat on the back stoop on the cusp of autumn, coffee in hand, and bade goodbye to summer. “Seems like I hardly knew you,” I said. Summer sighed, reluctant to move on. But despite her grip,...

“Time to catch some fish,” Grandpa whispered.   I jumped out of bed in my grandparent’s home in downtown Franklin in Jackson County. Downtown meaning it was at the corner of Highway N...

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...

One certainty that I have learned over my long years is that nature moves at her own pace. Yes, we’ve done our worst to mess with the climate and destroy ozone, but nature slowly responds to the changes....

All journeys begin with a step. I thought about that as I ventured outside for the first time since my left hip was replaced eight days ago. Slowly, one foot in front of the other, I walked without...

Let’s set the record straight – I am not an economist – which the Bureau of Labor Statistics defines as “an expert who studies the relationship between a society’s resources and its production...

Back Home by Chris Hardie Download this column as a Word document Download the photos that accompany this story Chris Hardie’s headshot   Last week I wrote about the remaining...

A year ago I wrote about some of the historic or memorable bridges that I have crossed or traveled to – including a few located near my home in western Wisconsin. The topic was a hit with readers,...