Category Archives: conservation

Life in the word.

Posted on January 4, 2017 by cheapskateintellectual

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that … Continue reading →

Posted in animals, conservation, home, resilience, spirit, the South | 2 Comments

Moving the house.

Posted on November 12, 2016 by cheapskateintellectual

On the morning of November 9, 2016, I walked out of my front door into a world I wasn’t sure I’d recognize.  It was the warmest November ever, but with just enough nip to the air to remind us it … Continue reading →

Posted in community, conservation, culture, frac-sand mining, home, politics, resilience, technology | 2 Comments

Putting our hands on it.

Posted on February 19, 2016 by cheapskateintellectual

Today in Internet horror: rare Argentine dolphin dies after being passed around by a selfie-taking crowd. Sticky and sandy and dry and eager, eager, seeking hands, all over that moist skin, sucking its moisture away in curiosity or excitement or … Continue reading →

Posted in animals, conservation, spirit, technology | Leave a comment

Wilderness, experience, and commodity.

Posted on July 29, 2015 by cheapskateintellectual

The Internet’s aflame with outrage over the killing of a male lion in Zimbabwe – a park favorite named “Cecil” – by a dentist from Minnesota. The lion was baited outside of park boundaries by the hunter’s guides so he … Continue reading →

Posted in animals, conservation | 1 Comment

Yo, Thoreau.

Posted on June 23, 2014 by cheapskateintellectual

“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that … Continue reading →

Posted in attention, conservation, politics, self-reliance, technology | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Dandelion wars.

Posted on May 21, 2014 by cheapskateintellectual

It’s that time again: the latest round of the anti-weed, lawn-spraying wars.  In our town, this plays out not only in individual lawns but on the campus of our college, which routinely comes under fire from lots in the community … Continue reading →

Posted in community, conservation, corporations, culture, gardening, teaching | Leave a comment

In the country of frac-sand mining.

Posted on August 7, 2013 by cheapskateintellectual

Yesterday, I took an all-day bus tour (sponsored by and including many Allamakee County Protectors) to see frac-sand mining up close in Trempeleau and Chippewa Counties, Wisconsin.  In our group were filmmakers, writers, lawyers, water-quality specialists, Winneshiek County Protectors, journalists, … Continue reading →

Posted in conservation, corporations, Driftless region, frac-sand mining, fracking, politics | 10 Comments

Resilience.

Posted on June 25, 2013 by cheapskateintellectual

Nine o’clock after my evening writing class in the community arts center and I’m coasting on my bike through the river bottoms, on my way home.  Not a sound but tire-slurp in mud, animals, birds.  Mist rises from the water.  … Continue reading →

Posted in community, conservation, Driftless region, gardening, teaching | Leave a comment

Black Friday.

Posted on November 25, 2012 by cheapskateintellectual

Black as in Iowa soil, that is — its first couple inches just touched with frost, covering golden potatoes underneath. The cold came at last, the day after Thanksgiving in this unusually warm fall.  Time to harvest everything that was … Continue reading →

Posted in conservation, corporations, gardening, stuff | Leave a comment

Common ground: politics, water, and life.

Posted on October 16, 2012 by cheapskateintellectual

Checking my email on what is going to be my last full morning in Alabama for a while, I found some very troubling news: fracking may be coming to our beautiful little corner of northeast Iowa. You might say it’s … Continue reading →

Posted in community, conservation, corporations, Driftless region, frac-sand mining, fracking, politics, resilience, spirit, the past, the South | 7 Comments