Poetry/Essay

Shuffle, Cut, and Deal: The Random Wisdom of the Tarot

By Stephanie Mills Sun contributor I can’t remember when, exactly, I first met the cards. Maybe I was in high school, or perhaps just out of college, enjoying some good 70’s in the Bay Area. I didn’t start going steady with them until about 1990, after my divorce. I was back out in San Francisco […]

Read more
/by

The Inner Game of Art

By Jane Greiner Sun staff writer Let me be clear from the start; I have no expertise in art or art criticism. But lately I have discovered a way for the total amateur to enjoy art in a new and exciting way. And it is so much fun that I feel the need to share […]

Read more
/by

Practicing what you preach: Are you tough enough for the farming life?

By Codi Yeager Sun staff writer I have always thought of myself as a “non-city” person. Growing up in rural Leelanau County has made me think of myself as someone who doesn’t scream at mice or cover their nose when within 20 feet of a barn; someone who knows how to handle being on a […]

Read more
/by

A Dog’s Gift

By Mary Sharry Sun contributor Sadie, our black lab, is gone. Embracing her and cooing these gentle words, “You’re such a good girl, such a good doggy,” we set her free. Sounds of comfort and praise. What else could we give to an animal who eagerly gave companionship and love?

Read more
/by

Water Play

Mary Sharry Sun contributor The goldfish I bought from the dime store never lived very long. In two or three weeks, a month at the most, after I had them home they would develop red scales. Their gills looked painfully raw. First one fish and then the other, they finally looked like carrot strips afloat […]

Read more
/by

Digital Wonders

By Jane Greiner Sun staff writer Sometimes I am startled by the advances in technology that have become available to ordinary folk like us. My new digital camera is an example. I am in awe of the power this moderately priced piece of equipment has put into my hands.

Read more
/by

Spring Heals

By Jane Greiner Sun staff writer After a long northern winter, everyone looks forward to spring. But spring is especially welcome to me this year because both my parents died this past winter. Though long expected, their closely spaced deaths left a hole in my heart, which has been slow to heal. Now I am […]

Read more
/by

Secrets of trumpeter swans. Don’t gawk!

By Linda Jo Scott Sun staff writer This story has a secret at its core. It’s a bit like writing about a favorite fishing hole — or a special spot where morels love to grow. Shhh…. In this case, it’s a small pond somewhere in Calhoun or Eaton County where a family of trumpeter swans […]

Read more
/by

The deer, and the night, and the music

By Mary Sharry Sun contributor One winter night, when the snow was deep, the deer moved into the village to forage at the bird feeders. I stood at the front window and played my violin. Drawing the bow over taut strings, I was intent on producing a sweet tone. For a beginner this was not […]

Read more
/by

Decomposition at the Cottage

By Jim Coleman Sun contributor Cottages have piles of crossword puzzle books, boxes of revered games, and dog-eared novels slouched in pine-board bookcases. A good addition to these summer amusements might be poet W.D. Snodgrass’s De/ Compositions (Graywolf, 2001). T.S. Eliot remarked that poetry was “a superior amusement,” and Snodgrass’s book is in that vein. […]

Read more
/by