Tag: woodmen voices

In “The Silver Chair” by C.S. Lewis, the main characters are summoned into Narnia to find the missing crown prince. Years earlier, an evil witch abducted the prince and placed him under a spell. Once a day, for an hour, the prince would wake from the magic spell and realize who he was. But during…

My dog demands walks twice a day, and I oblige. They’re good for me and good for her, too. A lot of times I make a game of how much trash or recycling I can pick up along our varied routes. Some days I target only the mini-liquor bottles that are ubiquitous in my neighborhood…

Ode to the TV Dinner Just wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed Woodmen Edition columnist Susan Joy Paul’s reflections on TV dinners (“Northwest Notes: Revisiting the TV Dinner,” March 24 Woodmen Edition). My experience with TV dinners as a young bachelor was the same, and I wrote a poem about it in…

As I often talk about the roads in the Pikes Peak region, I am surprised to get questions about them. People who are new to the area do not know how often we think about where our roads have changed. For example, Interstate-25 through Colorado Springs is now only four lanes, but north of the…

Quick, who’s your favorite artist? I’m going to go out on a paintbrush — I mean a limb — and guess you said “Vincent van Gogh.” I don’t have anything to back up this assumption except the fact that half the people I know seem to be gaga for Van Gogh, and I proudly count myself among…

It’s officially spring, the season known for brighter and longer days, warming temperatures, and budding flora and fauna — and here in Colorado, we know our spring showers can still bring more snowflakes. At our house, spring means conversations about planting and gardening as the chance for freezing temperatures and snowstorms start to dwindle. Which…

I admit to bias and a complete lack of objectivity, but I believe some of the finest folks in this region are those who lead our nonprofit sector. Note the impact of their work, witness their resiliency, watch how they treat their staff and volunteers. These are highly educated professionals pursuing altruistic ideals. I could…

“You’re out of the woods, you’re out of the dark, you’re out of the night. Step into the sun, step into the light.” If these lyrics sound familiar, you’re probably 40s or older. The lyrics have been around since 1939 when “The Wizard of Oz” was released. As the song was sung, Dorothy skipped along…

I had to stop myself from buying pansies this week. I badly want to add some spring color to my fairly brown yard, but I know quite well it’s too early. I’m an East Coast native, and one thing I learned early in my gardening education is that Mother’s Day is the typical earliest you…

My 12-year-old son is in the sixth grade and his school offers both learning from home and in-person options. In-person learning follows all of the required safety protocols including mask wearing. If a classmate or someone in the classmate’s household tests positive for COVID-19, the whole class must quarantine for a certain period of time.…