rural essays

02
May
Going Out with the Ranger

Going Out with the Ranger

My goal is to go out with the Ranger. Not in it, mind you—which would serve no one—but out together as we shift down, tow less, and go slower uphill.
4 min read
04
Apr
Caught Flat-footed

Caught Flat-footed

The fox was a gift of creation. I hollered, “No! No! No!”
4 min read
07
Mar
To Explain

To Explain

The very branches where fathers courted mothers, and later supervised the first flight of youngsters, will be gone.
4 min read
29
Dec
What’s in Your Pocket?

What’s in Your Pocket?

What are you thankful for, I asked? What travels with you?
3 min read
06
Dec
A Conversation With My Boots

A Conversation With My Boots

The boots are all business at these times, plodding forward like draft horses, saddled with crampons that grab the ice underfoot.
4 min read
18
Nov
Bare Trees

Bare Trees

Nature...does not usually confront us with the piled-up carcasses of once living things—not, at least, in the normal course of business.
2 min read
01
Nov
Good Luck, Little Buck

Good Luck, Little Buck

Deer season starts today in New Hampshire, and this is no time for attitude if you are a handsome buck.
4 min read
08
Oct
Thanks for Working Today

Thanks for Working Today

Since we were together last, I attended a college reunion of sorts in Schenectady, New York. It was the 200th
3 min read
04
Oct
Of Free Will and Graders

Of Free Will and Graders

Free Will and Graders 10 3 25 123 PM0:00/326.93399092970521× We live along a dirt road, and the
4 min read
30
Aug
Ever Seen a Lizard Dressed as a Wizard?

Ever Seen a Lizard Dressed as a Wizard?

Science is not the concern of Postcards from Monadnock. Wonder is; more specifically, wondering.
4 min read