Chris Hardie

There’s always been a strong connection between Christmas and farm animals, thanks to the depictions of the Christ child surrounded by cattle, sheep and donkeys.

Living in Wisconsin during winter means finding a way to deal with snow — whether you shovel it, blow it or move it through mechanical means.

The annual Wisconsin gun-deer-hunting season is in the books. Although I never took a shot this season, I will forever remember it for the kind and heartwarming reaction I received from many readers.

Chris Hardie’s recent column about the Highland School in Jackson County and other one-room schoolhouses brought back memories for many readers.

My 45th hunting season this year will be sad because my hunting partner and mentor is gone. The woods will seem empty. But Dad will be there nevertheless. Because his memories and stories remain.

Travel along any country roads in Wisconsin and one is bound to come across a vestige of education from days gone by.

Asexual plant propagation involves taking one part of a parent plant and causing it to regenerate itself into a new plant. We can do it through cuttings, layering, division, budding and grafting.

The Great Pumpkin story, as we call it, came to mind the other day after I drove past a giant-pumpkin display near Pigeon Falls. I pulled over to take a photo, thought about my late father and smiled.

My footsteps made soft crunching noises as I walked across a frosty white carpet. A waning moon was visible in the early-morning sky. In the early hours of Oct. 4, the growing season ended in our valley as temperatures landed in the upper-20s. I awoke to a layer of white frost coating the lawn.

I’ve discovered as I’ve grown older that my ability to muscle through projects continues to diminish. What I could have done at 30 or 40 takes a heck of a lot longer when pushing 60. The will may be there, but the way is just too dang hard.