Blog posts by Peter DeHaan, many of which are in his book Woodpecker Wars.
The recent issue of Sojourners magazine cited some sobering facts about the state of the prison system in the United States: 7.4 million people were under the control of the US criminal justice system in 2007. I’m not exactly sure what is meant by “under control,” but that is over 2 percent of the population, […]
When people call me during the winter months, they often ask about the weather. These queries are usually about the snowfall, but sometimes, temperature. I suspect that these questioners are hoping that my winter weather is worse than theirs—and most of the time, it is. Living east of Lake Michigan, our weather is greatly influenced […]
Last fall, the USPS notified me that my once acceptably positioned mailbox was no longer acceptable. It needed to be moved closer to the road so that I could reliably receive mail during the snowy winter months. I determined that it was in my best interest to acquiesce to their “request” and reposition my mailbox […]
In the past, I have blogged about my efforts to stop unwanted newspapers and magazines from showing up uninvited in my mailbox. This task has been quite successful and I have found that most publishers make it easy to be removed from their mailing lists (though often one or two mailings are already being worked […]
What Changes Do You Plan to Make? Happy New Year! From my family to yours, I hope that you have a safe, healthy, and prosperous year. The new year is a time when many people make New Year’s resolutions. Common ones include losing weight, saving money, going back to school, finding a better job, improving or […]
(Back row: Laura & Chris, Dan & Kelli, Front Row: Candy & Peter) This year our Christmas celebrations began last Saturday with one side of the family, continued Christmas Eve with the other side, and concluded Christmas morning with our kids. By 10 a.m., both couples had departed for more family celebrations of their own—but […]
Today officially marks the first day of winter, but to me it’s been “winter” for a month and a half—with about three more months to go! On my list of favorite seasons, winter comes in fourth. Currently, we are in the midst of another winter storm, with temperatures in the low single digits and wind chills […]
Yesterday, my bride (aka, the Queen of Desserts) went on a Christmas baking frenzy. The preliminary round occurred on Monday, but the main event was on Thursday, sunup to well past sundown cooking extravaganza. Sadly, I was fasting and unable to assume my normal role of taste tester. I know that she secretly enjoys me hovering around […]
Most of my leaves have finally fallen from my maple trees, making quite a covering in my yard. Today the leaf removal service came and took them all away! It’s nice to see green grass again (until it snows). Thank you, God, for the amazing variety of the changing seasons and the wonderful nature you created.
For the past week, we have enjoyed some unseasonably warm weather, with temperatures in the high sixties to mid seventies. Last Saturday I mowed my lawn for the last time this season. If you’re thinking that this is rather late for Michigan, you’re right. The grass really hasn’t grown much in the past few weeks, but […]