Guess what?! We’re a quarter finished with this trip around the sun! How’d it go? Usually I’d hate this question, and feel guilt from anyone who asks it, but I’d like to think I’m growing up, so I can ask myself the question without breaking out in hives.  Craig Groschel said that you cannot change what you have not defined, which is just a fancy way of saying you’ll be … [Read more...]

By Angela Denstad Time and again spring teases us along. It tempts tender green shoots out of the earth, brings back songbirds and waterfowl, coaxes us to forego our winter coats, if only for the day. But just as you soften into the fragile newness of rebirth, winter blankets us again. Such a fickle season!  A far cry from winter’s predictable celebrations, the Easter … [Read more...]

Making syrup has always been intriguing to me. Is it true there could be so much goodness flowing through the trunks of trees? I had been hearing tales of tapping for several weeks. Those die-hard sappers kept telling stories of the woods. Their stories, and my love of syrup, kept calling me to give it a try. There’s that old saying, “When the cat’s away, the mice come out … [Read more...]

Today, I had to ask my husband the big question.  “When I go out to do chores, how long will it take you to come out and look for me?” He set down his paperwork, looked at me through his reading glasses and his lips began to curl up in a mischievous little smile.  “Why?” he queried. ”Did you have some trouble today?” I began to give him the blow-by-blow facts as I went … [Read more...]

Don’t shoot me, but I took a siesta in the white sand of Siesta Beach in Florida today. At 72 and sunny, I can’t say I’m missing the 27 and cloudy of home. Why am I here? Because I read a book. Maybe this is the part where I tell you to be careful what you read. Reading has consequences. Reading could transform your entire world – or at least your classroom. Let me … [Read more...]

By Angela Denstad  Time and again, odd coincidences spring up as patterns of thought lead to unlikely connections and serendipitous insights. As I was trying to curry favor with my finicky feline, brushing the little lion soft as a lamb, I wondered how March might unfold and where this Year of the Horse might lead us.  Weather-wise, the groundhog predicted more winter, … [Read more...]

There’s glitter and sparkles everywhere. Power tools and saws are running, and paint and decals are being applied liberally. What is going on? My kids are making pinewood derby cars. This is one of the things they look forward to all year. This is the weekend they race their five-ounce cars down a wooden track and see where they place against their AWANA friends. If your … [Read more...]

Speaking of meat! We had a boys weekend last week that included my pal Mike, his brother, and another best pal John. This is a trio of meat lovers! Don’t get me wrong, I can carve up the protein with the best of em; but this group, left to their own devices without spouses in the great Wisconsin Northwoods is bound to consume some protein. We had not really coordinated a … [Read more...]

Some days stand out above others. For me, January 31 holds precious memories. It was on that day, 50 years ago that my husband asked me to be his wife. As I look back on the past 50 years, we have had good times and some difficult times. But with the perspective of time, it is easy to spot one characteristic that is noticeable. It is faithfulness. The World Book Dictionary … [Read more...]

By Angela Denstad Time and again, when winter fully settles into these post-holiday doldrums, people are restless. Or they want nothing but rest. They’re either bored, or they’re overwhelmed. They’re trying to make a fresh start, but resolution meets resistance; artificial society yammers at breakneck speed while the entire natural world insists on a time of … [Read more...]