State park trail entry point.

Journey Home

Tales from the pilgrimage.

Living in Society

Politics mostly social commentary.

  • We’re Going Home — Wendell Berry

    Wendell Berry died on Monday, Aug. 31, 2026. Known best by conservationists as the author of The Unsettling of America, Berry had written more than 50 books of verse, essays, and fiction by his death at age 92. It is difficult to work in the local food movement without giving a nod to Berry for… Read more

  • Summer Reorganizing

    The last leg of my summer reorganization is about scheduling time so I get the most important things done. I don’t want to be a slave to a to-do list, yet there are things I want to accomplish in life. Importantly, these are my book A Working Life, reducing the number of possessions, and helping… Read more

  • Dreaming of First Settlers

    I hadn’t realized the fall migration had begun. I saw a Monarch butterfly land on a milkweed plant that had already flowered, and was thankful because it had been a couple of years since I saw one. Later, I saw a couple of them flying across the road when I drove to town. This weekend,… Read more

  • Assessing Storm Damage and Change

    A family member had two trees damaged during a storm and my spouse and I got talking about it. I decided to go there and see if I could help. That became my Monday. I organized my trip better than most. If I hadn’t gone to Des Moines, I could have traveled to the Karakoram… Read more

  • Reduce NDAA Spending

    The following was sent to U.S. Senators Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst, along with U.S. House Representative Mariannette Miller-Meeks… Read more

  • Member of Congress Manufactures Campaign Material

    I used to think I could talk with Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks. That was in 2008 during her first run for Congress. I was on the county board of health and felt that gave me standing to discuss issues with the ophthalmologist. I found her during a break between two parades in Johnson County and asked… Read more

  • Fackler’s Grove Cemetery — Writing a History

    On the cusp of wilderness between 1833, when Iowa opened for settlement, and 1840, when the City of Solon was platted, people settled in the area. I seek to understand that time period, and it is hard to find reliable information about the views and culture of those immigrants. There are several later histories —… Read more

  • A Report from Gettysburg

    Editor’s Note: While researching another post, I found the  National Park Service presented this report filed by Colonel Logan Henry Neal Salyer on July 6, 1863 from Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The Fiftieth Virginia Infantry was comprised mainly of soldiers from Wise County, Virginia. The name Salyer was prominent during my father’s younger years there. “The regiment… Read more

  • Conversation with My Aunt

    My aunt was born on Sept. 9, 1941, 13 years after my father and ten years before me. Because of that, she seems a generation apart from her three brothers. Read more

  • Bohannan will Address Social Security Shortfall

    I plan to vote for Christina Bohannan for Iowa’s First District congressional seat because of her position on Social Security. In an Oct. 10, 2025, email, she wrote: “It’s the job of our leaders to ensure every American gets the benefits they worked for.” The challenge is clear. In its June 9 report, the Social… Read more