State park trail entry point.

Journey Home

Tales from the pilgrimage.

Writing

Writing about writing, autobiography, cross posting selected work from other places.

  • Iowa Nuclear Power Task Force to Report

    Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds created a 14-member nuclear energy task force in January by executive order. They finished their initial work this week and now its recommendations will go to the governor, state lawmakers, and state agencies. In her Jan. 5, 2026 press release, Reynolds said, “With our strong foundation in manufacturing and energy innovation,… Read more

  • Back Up and Archiving

    It took a lot of work to write the 5,808 posts on my several blogs since 2007. The thought of losing that work was unacceptable so I used the service Blog-to-Print to make paper copies along the way. They went out of business, and I haven’t been able to find a replacement that provides the… Read more

  • Being Found

    On June 14, I received notification from WordPress that my post Newspapers Now on Blog for Iowa was selected for Freshly Pressed, “a showcase where (they) feature editors’ picks and community favorites on WordPress.com.” The result was an immediate and substantial increase in views and likes of the post. There are more than 60 million… Read more

  • Back in Business

    It took less time than I thought to pick a new theme and change the look of my blog. Beginning tomorrow, it is back to a normal posting schedule. I re-wrote the about page, which can be accessed here. A new paragraph provides insight into why I named the blog Journey Home: I’ll be 75… Read more

  • Site Renovations Continue

    Redesign of my blog will take a few days. Thanks for visiting and for your patience while I determine what this will look like. Read more

  • To Every Season

    I posted for 190 consecutive days and plan to pause for a while. Several things consumed my energy which needs recharging, something important to sustaining this bloggery. I plan to write more about process, although today I don’t know what to say. A writer has a distinct ecosystem from which words spring. Consideration of that… Read more

  • A Walk in the Park

    Is reed canary grass an invasive species? The photo above suggests that it is. Thriving along the lake shore, this grass formed a dense monoculture that crowds out other plants, including native species. What once grew here? Reed canary grass has dominated this stretch of shoreline for so long that I can no longer remember… Read more

  • Advance Reader Copies

    I took back roads to the printer in Coralville to pick up advance reader copies of A Working Life, the second part of my autobiography. Getting to this point was a high water mark in the struggle to write it that began in 2010. There is a story in this book, one I hope finds… Read more

  • Lilacs Bloom

    Spring flowers bloom briefly.   We take them in.Lilacs— their fragrance,   soft on the eye.In the 1960s neighbors grew them   everywhere—   then spring gave way      and they were gone.I planted lilacs in this place:   a fresh start rooted in memory.Enough to share—   now they line the street.Before summer’s heat, we pause,   breathe them in again,      and… Read more

  • Frost Arrives

    In a capricious spring, freezing air settles in overnight.Apple trees, pollinating all week, are not finished.In blue darkness, temperature holds near thirty.At first light branches wait, blossoms open… or maybe not. Copyright © 2026 Paul Deaton. All rights reserved. Read more