As is the case with many of us lucky enough to be retired up north, I’ve become an early riser. My reward is seeing glorious sunrises and enjoying the company of critters that visit at daylight. I savor the solitude. It’s a perfect time to write, prepare for events on my calendar and catch up on paperwork.

I joined the American Legion Auxiliary in 2004. Jon had joined the Legion, and I’d just published “My Mother Kept a Scrapbook: The True Story of a WWII POW” by Gerhard Johnson. Lifelong fishing buddies, Jon and Gerhard were both born and raised in Elderon.

According to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Wisconsin is home to more than 300 species of birds.

When my granddaughter was in elementary school, I took her outside during a visit on one cold, clear Christmas night. Mother Nature was really strutting her stuff. The moon was full, the firmament ablaze with stars that peppered the inky sky. Mars and Venus were clearly visible to the naked eye.

March is National Women’s Month. Being one myself, I am mindful of the courageous women who laid it all on the line so that we would have the same rights as men. It took a century, but our rights aren’t guaranteed.