Columns

And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her...

Our editor, Maria Brown, recently pulled the plug on a Facebook post which was getting out of hand. The comments were all related to our front page story on a COVID-19 outbreak which would hit the newsstand the next morning. Social media showed its shameful colors and...

Fair-skinned, I wear a wide-brimmed hat, long-sleeved blouse, gloves, pants, socks, and shoes to garden. With few exceptions, style holds no sway over my clothing and coiffure when I cultivate food and flowers. Comfort and function determine my yard work wardrobe. One...

As if it were yesterday, I can recall my dad telling me, on more than one occasion, “Boy, you’re like a bull in a china shop!” Some things don’t change; let me explain. A few of years ago, in mid-August, I went to my hunting property to set my treestands for the...

Last May, a young woman named Mallori from Fogler’s Greenhouse in Lake Orion called. “This is our first spring at this location. The end of July we’ll bring in produce for a farmer’s market.” “That’s fabulous! I’ve shopped Fogler’s on Rochester Road for years.” “Do...

I’m sure you’ve seen the raw anger and outrage boiling over on the streets throughout this country in the past weeks. It’s impossible not to have, really. Most likely you’ve glimpsed the video of George Floyd, an African American man, gasping his last breaths while...

Several Aprils ago, I drove by a DTE crew lunching on a shady hill–my favorite slope on our Natural Beauty Road. I pulled over to the right shoulder where orange columbine once danced in the wind, and turned off my car. I pushed the hazard button and walked up the...

Some of us are better at seizing opportunities than others. The first step in seizing opportunity is recognizing it. Crisis is opportunity. The Chinese word for crisis has two characters; one representing danger, and the other opportunity. COVID-19 is dangerous. A...

I’m pleased to announce the Fifth Annual Yule Love It Lavender Farm Poetry Contest Winners. This year’s theme was “Sixth Sense of Summer.” First Place: Liza Young, Sterling Heights, Michigan A Consequence of Warmth I am leaning into the melon, ready to wedge the red...

The summer day I saw Granny walking down her Appalachian alley, swinging a hen by its feet, the head dangling back and forth, I knew we’d find fried chicken on her supper table. Discreet in her butchering and processing, my sisters and I never discovered where she...