When despair grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children's lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting for their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.
— Wendell Berry, The Peace of Wild Things
I moved to Minnesota the summer after graduating from undergrad and getting engaged, and I never anticipated how beautiful and difficult it would be. I was 21, and the longest I’d spent away from Kentucky was four months while I studied abroad. But here I was, leaving all my friends and family behind to move twelve hours away to some northern state with which my only familiarity came from Marshall Erickson in How I Met Your Mother.
Read MoreGrowing up, we would always end up at Boyds Orchard during apple-picking season. Fall was ushered in with apple-cider-cinnamon donuts, fresh apple turnovers, climbing the hay-bale tower, and cartons of apples to take home and make into apple pie. When I went to college, I continued this fall tradition with my roommate, Kayla, and later, Ryan. And I can confirm that in at least two out three of these photos, I am boiling hot because it wasn’t cold in Kentucky yet and I insisted on wearing the most fall outfit I owned.
Read MoreSeven Mile Creek Park is 628 acres, with ten miles of hiking and equestrian trails winding along the creek for which it’s named. Seven Mile Creek got its name because from the creek crossing, it took seven miles for early settlers to get to the county courthouse via a trail that is now Highway 99.
Read MoreWhile these warmer spring temperatures are appreciated by everyone, myself included, the extreme temperature swing from a horrifically cold winter to an unseasonably warm (and snowless) March are undeniable effects of global climate change. Every spring hike this season will no doubt be tinged by this undercurrent of fear at the future state of the environment.
Read MoreThe European Christmas Market is held on the roof of the Union Depot in St. Paul, and its festivities are based on open-air Christkindlmarkts that spring up in Germany, Austria, and other countries during the Advent season. According to the Market’s stated goals, they wish “to bring light to the dark of winter and add to the goodwill of the Christmas spirit.” When your winter lasts six months, it is a unique and heartwarming experience to be outside in the chilly air, enjoying food and handcrafted mittens and ornaments, rather than counting down the seconds until you can be inside again.
Read MoreThis Thanksgiving, my mom told me to be safe driving back to Minnesota from Kentucky. There was apparently a winter storm system moving through the Midwest. Living in the North for the past year and a half, I’ve been lucky with road conditions. The one time I had to drive in heavy snow on the highway, I was able to park myself behind a plow and stay golden for most of the drive. However, this year, I managed to get stuck driving on the interstate in the middle of a blizzard during the most busy driving day of the year.
Read MoreOn a beautiful last day of summer weather a few weeks ago, Kayla and I decided we wanted to take full advantage of one of Minnesota’s best features: its lakes. After the somewhat lackluster experience sitting beside Spring Lake in Mankato, I did some Googling and found that there was a park with hiking and a lakeside beach less than a half hour away in Madison Lake, MN. So we packed our bags and headed out to Bray Park.
Read MoreThough you might not picture Minneapolis, MN, with its metro population topping 3.6 million, to be a haven for nature-lovers, that’s one of the best aspects of Minnesota: the state embraces and celebrates its natural beauty.
Read MoreLocated in St. Peter, about a twenty minute drive from Mankato, MN, is Gustavus Adolphus College, home to the Linnaeus Arboretum. This botanical wonderland was founded in 1973 by a botany professor at the college, Charles Mason, and his wife, Harriet Mason. The area is unique in that it incorporates all three of the major ecosystems in Minnesota: tall grass prairie, deciduous woods, and coniferous forest, allowing you to observe a wide variety of flora and fauna. With 130 acres, the arboretum gives plenty of room for you to wander, bring a picnic, or read on a bench surrounded by cascading blooms.
Read MoreIf you know me, you know there are two places I love going an inordinate amount: zoos and botanical gardens. My love for plants and animals is unsurpassed (I might be trying to turn my apartment into a greenhouse—sorry Kayla). So when I discovered that there was an escape into flora and fauna in St. Paul (Minneapolis' lesser-know twin city) that was both a zoo and a botanical garden—and not only that, it was also free—I just had to go.
Read MoreThat brings us to this message that popped up on my phone last weekend: the forecast for my first Minnesota blizzard. And folks, it was a good one. As promised, it snowed bucketfuls overnight Sunday into Monday. Before I fell asleep, MSU called off classes for Monday for severe weather conditions (whiteouts are no joke). When I awoke, everything outside my window was a blindingly bright pure white. The roads were untouched, yards blanketed in smooth marshmallow fluff—that oddly satisfying vision of unblemished perfection.
Read MoreANTM is Tyra Banks' passion project: a "cycle" of contrived drama and cringeworthy product placement that allows aspiring models to kickstart their careers. It's over-the-top and laughable, but as I strayed into the [too high] hour of watching models cry about haircuts and lack of sleep, I noticed some striking, uncomfortable similarities to the reality of my life.
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