State park trail entry point.

Journey Home

Tales from the pilgrimage.

Sustainability

Nuclear abolition, climate change, environmental degradation, nature, peace and justice.

  • Keeping Up On The Climate Crisis

    Good people are working to address the climate crisis… just not in the Trump administration. The dominance of the president and his minions runs throughout the federal government to promote energy solutions that make climate change worse. More specifically, discussion about loosening the regulatory environment blocks needed conversations about addressing the climate crisis. Since January… Read more

  • Iowa Into Spring

    In Iowa we pay attention to the weather. On the first day of spring, unseasonably warm temperatures — climbing into the 70s and even 80s — were part of a broader “heat dome” pattern influencing much of the United States. Record-breaking heat hit the West, and the same atmospheric setup is pushing milder air into… Read more

  • War With Iran Without Congress

    On Monday I sent emails to U.S. Senators Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst as well as to U.S. Representative Mariannette Miller-Meeks on the subject of the U.S. aggression against Iran. My message was simple: “I urge you to support the Kaine-Paul Senate resolution, S.J. Res. 104, the bipartisan war powers resolution that would prohibit strikes against… Read more

  • Open Water

    Things are happening in Big Grove Township. Songbirds are migrating, the ice cover on the lake is melting, and parts of the ground are thawing. Ambient temperatures hit 68 degrees Fahrenheit on Monday — it was shirt sleeves weather. Due to high winds and combustible material everywhere, the National Weather Service issued a special weather… Read more

  • When the Last Nuclear Limits Expire, Silence Is a Choice

    For the first time in more than half a century, the world’s two largest nuclear powers are no longer bound by a treaty limiting their strategic arsenals. Last week, New START — the last remaining nuclear arms control treaty between the United States and Russia — expired. What does that mean? It means that even… Read more

  • It’s Not Mating Season

    The sound of geese chatting and flapping their wings dominates the pre-dawn hour on the state park trail. Such vocalization and display on Jan. 15, can only mean one thing: the climate crisis has come home to roost. There is the science of weather. La Niña is present but fading into a neutral state of… Read more

  • It Could be a Wonderful World

    I rarely find people who reflect my own thinking as closely as this post by Lawrence Wittner on the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War Peace and Health blog. We have the capacity to solve many of the world’s problems: poverty, hunger, human health and longevity, and fear for security. At the same… Read more

  • Nuclear Testing Again?

    There is no acceptable rationale for the United States to conduct more nuclear weapons testing. I was surprised when I heard the president took to Truth Social on Oct. 30, to post he had “instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons…” The president says a lot of crazy stuff, yet I… Read more

  • Will the U.S.-Russia Extend New START?

    Oct. 28 marked 100 days until the expiration of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) between Russia and the United States. Russian President Vladimir Putin said publicly he would like to extend it. President Trump said it sounded like a good idea. We have gone nowhere since. Here is a source for this… Read more

  • Electricity Today

    There is a lot of chatter in the national news media about the price of electricity. We are apparently in a war with China over dominance in artificial intelligence, which requires a lot of electricity. National Public Radio reported, “Electricity prices are climbing more than twice as fast as inflation.” We don’t hear that so… Read more