Essays

RRC Root River Diary Goat in Pickup by Adrienne Sweeney (1)

Root River Diary: Four Dogs and a Surprise

Adrienne Sweeney discovers it’s not just dogs hanging out at the dog park.

<span style="font-size: 14px; color: #6c6b6b; ">Founding teacher and abbot Rev. Shoken Winecoff explains the significance of the bell at Ryumonji, a Soto Zen Buddhist temple located in the rolling hills just across the Minnesota-Iowa border southeast of Spring Grove (Houston County). (Photo courtesy of the Ryumonji Center)</span>

Essay: A Story of Balance | A Zen Buddhist Retreat in the Heart of the Midwest

Anna Loney explores a traditional Buddhist monastery nestled in the hills of Dorchester, Iowa, just south of the Houston County line.

PHOTO 1 Mailbox by Bonnie Gibson

Root River Diary: Good Neighbors

Rural Peterson’s Bonnie Gibson on finding kindness on a morning walk.

<span style="font-size: 14px; color: #6c6b6b; ">Freshly cut hay on a perfect summer day. (Photo by Greg Schieber)</span>

Essay: Making Hay…as Well as Memories

Greg Schieber on carrying on the tradition of cutting hay with his own kids.

Connection with a neighbor and quick action by a local ambulance crew brought aid to Don Bell.

Root River Diary: Counting on Your Neighbors

Lanesboro’s Don Bell can count on his neighbors. This is an entry in our Root River Diary.

Reclaiming the garden was one of the first projects after moving to the Big Woods. (Photo by Greg Schieber)

Essay: Time is Illusive on Our Farm in the Big Woods

There is never enough time for all the projects on this small farm.

Each spring, the Mississippi River’s backwater streams gradually return to life across the Reno Bottoms south of Brownsville. (Photo by Ken Lubinski)

Essay: Spring Rising

Essayist Ken Lubinski reminds us we’re not the only ones awaiting spring.

The Wolf Moon is also called the Moon on the Frost of Tipis by the Dakota people. (Photo by Sharen Storhoff)

Essay: Winter Silence

January is a time of silence and the Wolf Moon. An essay by Loni Kemp.

The author, Don Bell, is pictured by Amish Experience in Lanesboro—his grandfather’s leather shop was located on the ground floor in the 1950s. The building at one time housed the Odd Fellows Lodge.

Essay: I’m Changing My Ways With Water

Julie Little is inspired to save life-giving water at home.

"...a flowing stream, a crackling fire..." foster companionship along the Root River. (Photo by John Gaddo)

Essay: Campfire Truths

Writer Ken Lubinski advocates replacing the annual business conference with a tribal campfire.

calf

Essay: Scottish Highlands South of Highland

A Big Woods amateur homesteader raises Scottish Highland cattle.

The Power and Control Wheel (The Duluth Model) is a comprehensive wheel that outlines patterns of abuse encompassing physical, emotional, psychological, and financial aspects. It includes tactics such as intimidation, isolation, threats, coercion, and manipulation.

Essay: Listening is Doing Something

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

Follow us

Connect

Support this work

Screenshot