Al fresco season blew into Wisconsin on a charcoal-scented cloud this weekend and we all -- traveling troubadours, weekend skippers, ATV drivers, backyard barbecuers, Timber Rattler tailgaters, cabin cleaners and Midwest munchers -- dusted off our picnic tables and bellied up with glee. Food tastes better when you can eat it outside. Music sounds sweeter [...]
Mother’s Day can be a minefield for almost anyone involved in the foster care system. The trip wires are there – the handmade gifts, the Muffins with Mom, the poignancy of a day that celebrates something people desperately want but can not always achieve. A handful of dandelions or a picture drawn with a fat [...]
I visited my friend Trina on the day she passed away nearly 12 years ago. She looked at me fiercely from her hospital bed and said, “I don’t want to die.” Had I not been overwhelmed by the sadness of the moment and the absolute finality of our time together, I might have responded more [...]
My friend Cathy celebrated the 10th anniversary of her store this weekend and I think that's cause for an admiration celebration. So, here are 10 things I love about Blue Moon Emporium. Its owner, a warm and funny California transplant who loves Wisconsin enough to stay here without complaint (even during the bleak May-winter with [...]
My friend Jill gave me an antique heart for my birthday this year and I can’t stop thinking about how accurately it symbolizes foster parenting. Both beyond and within all the training and tears, the meetings and stress, the constant worry, the laughter, the learning and the love beats the heart. And, thankfully, it’s not [...]