Category Archives: Blog Archive

I am not a saint. No man is, at least, none that I’ve met in recent memory. Don’t get me wrong: there are plenty of good men and women in our world, doing good work, folks that the Wizard of … Continue reading →

Historical linguist Roman Kushnir of Vaasa, Finland is the latest reviewer to give my new historical novel, Sukulaiset: The Kindred, a big “thumbs up”. Here’s a portion of his kind review: “In beautiful winter Finnish forests and on the centuries-old … Continue reading →

As I write this, I realize its already passe’. The cold depicted in the photograph above, chronicling a wintery scene on nearby Fish Lake, has been replaced by piles of thawing dog crap, pools of snow melt, brown grass, and … Continue reading →

It’s a long haul from Duluth to the Keweenaw Peninsula of Upper Michigan. My blue Pacifica is loaded with copies of Suomalaiset: People of the Marsh and Sukulaiaset: The Kindred. As always, I’m cautiously optimistic that I’ll sell every copy … Continue reading →

It’s 4:58 am on Friday morning. I’m sitting in my writing studio, a three-season porch that, given it’s -17ºF outside, requires me to wear wool socks and a thick bathrobe as I type this piece. The porch I‘m working in … Continue reading →

We lost our dog Daisy a week ago. She was nearly fourteen and had to be put down. Cancer had invaded her mouth and shoulder. That’s the extent of what we knew after the vet took some x-rays and did … Continue reading →

Rescue dogs. I have a natural disinclination to taking on other people’s problems when it comes to pets. My wife says I’m a canine snob, that the only dog I’ll ever respect, love, and care for is a purebred Labrador. … Continue reading →

Some of you have heard the story. But for those who haven’t, I think it merits retelling here, in the last issue of the New World Finn. Back in 2000, I ”discovered” the story of Olli Kinkkonen, a Finnish dockworker … Continue reading →

The Pinacle: Peace Church, Saturday, December 6, 2014 It’s a fair winter morning as I shuffle my feet against melting snow, the burden of a box of books heavy, my frayed bathrobe snugged tight against cool air. I’m loading my … Continue reading →

The sky was overcast and the air cool as my three sons, Matt, Chris, and Jack walked a natural grass field bordering a small lake near Ashley, North Dakota. Reid Amborn, a friend of Matt’s and a fellow IT nerd, … Continue reading →