Valentine's Day Potpourri

Today is Valentine's Day, so I am sending along four things for you. First, happy thoughts to all of you! I hope you got something sweet from one or more of the sweet people in your life. I did, although it was not M&Ms. Instead, I got a very nice box of assorted Russell Stover candies! (Some pieces are already gone.)

Second, I'm sharing with you these pictures of the breakfast outing Kathie and I took this morning to our favorite local breakfast place––The Robin's Nest Cafe, which is just five miles down the road from our cabin. Many of you who have visited us have been there, and so you will know what great breakfast items they offer. I'm not very good with selfies, but here we are.

My breakfast consisted of the owner's favorite omelette, with bacon, chopped veggies, and (of course) shredded Wisconsin cheddar cheese. Instead of toast, I had one of their delicious pancakes on the side. Mom always said I shouldn't eat anything bigger than my head, but... Yum!

Next, I can't resist telling you about the latest book I just finished. This 2015 publication by the University of Minnesota Press is entitled Portage: A Family, A Canoe, and the Search for the Good Life. It was written by Sue Leaf, who may now be one of my favorite authors. She is a trained zoologist who lives in Minnesota and writes on environmental topics.

There are so many good things to tell you about this little book (about 260 pages). Each chapter is essentially an essay inspired by one of the canoe trip outings she has had with her husband and children from about 1979 to the present. The book covers family and family relationships in a fun and fascinating way, bird watching and many other observations about the natural wonders around us, canoeing adventures and misadventures, and much reflection on all of these topics, their intertwined nature, and whatever it is that makes life interesting, and worthwhile. She asks, "What is the good life?" But then she goes on to say that maybe thinking about this needs to be stated in a couple of different ways. "What? is the good life." or "What is: the good life." I like these statements better than the question, and I have been profoundly entertained by the way her essays deal with those statements. The individual canoe trips were taken all over the upper midwest and into Canada.

One thing I have realized is that we have not taken enough canoe trips––there are so many beautiful rivers! Another of the things the book has made me realize is that I have definitely not seen enough of Canada nor of lots of parts of our own northern states. I told Kathie just a couple days ago that we should make plans to travel to Isle Royale sometime this summer. Maybe we'll drive up into Canada at some point as well, traveling across Michigan's Upper Peninsula, crossing at Sault Ste. Marie, and on over Lake Huron and points east.

Fourth and finally, I thought I'd share a thought about the passing of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. Obviously a strong conservative thinker and one who has had much influence in our nation, I can nevertheless say that though I respect his personal achievement, I disagree with many of his views and decisions. There is little surprise in the fact that the right has immediately taken the position that President Obama should not appoint a successor, though that is his constitutional responsibility, and should instead defer such matters to the next president in order to give the elections a chance to influence the selection. I got to thinking about how those on the evangelical right often like to "explain away" deaths and tragedies as being part of "God's plan." Here's my thought: maybe Scalia's death is part of God's plan, with his intention being that an appointment by President Obama is precisely what is meant to happen next. (Remember, you read it here first!)

Coming soon: The family invades this week! There will be skiing, snow-ball fights, snow fort building, and much fun. Watch for pictures.