Chris Hardie

No quivers if it slithers like a snake

Recently, I encountered a slender fellow. I had just started to cut grass near the house with a string-trimmer when there was sudden movement. Sure enough, out slithered a slightly annoyed snake about 24 inches long.

food, pigs, meat

Choosing more local foods

One silver lining in the COVID-19 pandemic storm cloud that caused massive disruptions to the nation’s meat supply is the awareness it created about where our food comes from.

tick

Taken down by a tiny tick

Recently, I joined the estimated 300,000 people each year who are diagnosed with Lyme disease — an infectious ailment caused by a bacterial infection carried by the deer tick.

Time to say goodbye to Dad

It’s been a week since I watched Dad take his last breath. I selfishly tried to keep him with us a little longer but my life-saving attempts fell short.

protests

Protests, riots separated by fine line

Freedom of speech and protests are not always easy. They are sometimes divisive. But they remain an essential part of our democracy as an avenue for change.

Summer finally arrives after unusual spring

Summer is finally here, but continued hijinks by Mother Nature make it anything but normal. And this recently completed spring will be an outlier for phenologists — those who study the cyclical ecological events and their natural timing.

franklin, wisconsin

Franklin getting back on the map

I haven’t driven much lately but have noticed two new road signs erected in my neck of the woods that make me feel proud. There are now along Jackson County Highway C two green road signs that say “Franklin, unincorporated.”

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