Chris Hardie

Frost marks the change in seasons

Fall is in full swing with the trees changing colors but for me there is another annual event that is a stark reminder that winter is on the way – the first fall frost.

Summer slips into fall

Farewell summer. I’d like to say I knew you well, but your time this year seemed far too short.

Welcome fall. I’m sure I’ll be saying the same thing about your presence when we slip into winter far too soon.

A return to beer can mania

I’d never considered myself part of the trendsetter crowd, but circumstance and timing put my brother Kevin and I into that mix more than 50 years ago when we started a beer can collection.

A Tale of Taters

Most weeks this column focuses on a single topic, but sometimes it’s a mashup, blending two or more different themes into a perfect puree of prose.

Spinning more than yarns

I’ve never been a betting man – engaging in farming and owning a small business is risky enough – so I don’t play against the odds.

Plumbing projects are sometimes draining

I have conquered other plumbing projects in the past, including replacing several toilets. Although it’s tempting, I will refrain from cheap potty humor, because I would not want to soil my reputation or resort to such yellow journalism.

Cutting to the heart of the curse

Well, I did the math and counted the dead gas trimmers I have in my possession. In the past 20 years I have purchased seven weed trimmers. No, actually it’s eight, because last year I threw away the remnants of another one that I tried to fix but was never able to successfully put back together.

Savoring a summer morning

Listening to the onomatopoeic call of the quintessential nocturnal sound of summer brought back memories of growing up on the farm.

Remembering the Bicentennial

Fifty years ago a new word entered my vocabulary as our nation celebrated our Bicentennial, the 200th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.