Blog posts by Peter DeHaan, many of which are in his book Woodpecker Wars.
Once when I was working in my yard, I noticed a baby bird in the grass. This is not uncommon in the spring. Apparently, the mother deems the hatching young enough to be on its own and gives it a nudge out of the nest. Sometimes they take off and fly. Other times they fall […]
And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city. Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of […]
Many years ago, I worked as a tech writer. I knew the importance of making copies of my work, so I’d faithfully backup my files each Friday as I wrapped up the workweek. One Friday was particularly hectic, and in a rush to begin my weekend, I postponed making my backup, planning to do it […]
Ask someone who is “pro-life” what that means and he or she will most likely say they are against abortion. True, but what else? If pressed, they may also mention opposition to euthanasia. That seems a lot like someone claiming to be a “music lover,” but who only listens to classical music—how limited and shortsighted. […]
Around 2008, the economy wasn’t looking good, the markets were in the pits, and there was general concern about the future. Given all this, it was easy to be self-focused and forget about other people and their circumstances. Today, at least in the US, things are much different. The markets are booming and businesses are […]
From time to time, I read about some group that wants to “end poverty” or “stamp out poverty.” I don’t give much thought to such pronouncements—because they will never happen; they can’t. But before I explain why, let me share two similar-sounding initiatives that are more important and can happen: Clean Drinking Water It is […]
Once when my wife and I returned from a trip, we allowed plenty of time to make the trek from hotel to airport—more than three hours, in fact. However, a series of unforeseen events conspired against us, making our schedule tighter and tighter with each progressive twist. As each delay transpired, it became less likely […]
A friend in a Master’s program recently took a pass/fail class designed to weed out weaker and mismatched students from the program. After spending less than 10 minutes in one-on-one communication, the professor deemed him to be ill suited for the program and its associated profession. He was summarily failed. Although discouraged, he repeated the […]
I learned something disconcerting about myself. Regular readers may recall my post about mourning three bird eggs that had been knocked to the ground when a severe storm destroyed their next. I had compassion for their death, but there was nothing I could do. When I was out moving sprinklers in my yard I was […]
Each week a free paper is delivered to our home. Each week I walk it from the paper-box to the trash can. When my dad was alive, he would recycle these papers, but with shorter hours at the recycling center and higher gas prices, I often wondered if his efforts were worth it. Now the […]