Sandhill cranes, long legged and musical, pitching into the estuarine mud flats with stilted legs outstretched. A flock of several hundred White-fronted geese, these with a watery cackle, circle once and join the cranes. The sky is alive with birds: Lesser Canada geese, Pintails and Mallards, a wigeon, some Northern

Every culture has its taboos. Muslims can’t drink alcohol; Jews can’t eat pork; Mormons can’t drink coffee, tea, or anything with caffeine. Some taboos are explicit, perhaps written in a holy document, while others are unwritten or unspoken. They become an unseen but powerful undercurrent in a

My wife has birthed me two daughters, one of which runs wild and half-clothed up trees and on roofs, eating radishes yanked from the earth, panting and swimming and chewing sticks and grass stems. The other will be found with adorable pink things, or bent over paper, drawing, folding, or

The happiest man is he who loves his enemies and enjoys his work. -Unknown These are heady times in which it seems anyone who can think and labor simultaneously can stay financially solvent, and by all appearances, even the thinking part is negotiable. Like other modern marvels, it’s easy

All five boys are here. The last one snuck in around midnight. In the early morning, we shuffle and whisper in the dark, donning gear and gathering guns. Most of us have 300 Win. mags. I am the oldest at thirty-nine, the youngest is twenty-four. Dad says in a hoarse

All of us inherit a worldview from our family and culture. Most of us will, at some point, begin to critically examine what we've been taught and decide whether those beliefs are our own or just on loan from our parents. Some parents feel they must keep their

Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father. (Matthew 3:8,9) Cowboys In a different era of my life, I received a phone call that went to voicemail. The voice on the recording was smooth and gentle,