Intermission

Early rain ends, leaving a still and steamy August morning at the Bernard Church Woods. Once in a while, a weak breeze blows the tree canopy, creating a quick shower of leftover raindrops. This short hike took an effort to begin – I must be starting to absorb the lethargy that this in-between season induces. […]

Give a Boy a Hatchet: My Journey to Joshua’s Trust

By John Hankins, August 2023 When I was eight-years old I somehow got in my head that the government had a program that would reimburse land-owners $100 per acre for thinning their forest stands.  I don’t know where this idea came from, but my parents didn’t discourage me from believing this odd theory and from […]

Unforeseen Consequences

I just wanted to see more of the brook. Down my back hill to the west runs one of the numerous Connecticut waterways named Cider Mill Brook (doesn’t every town have one?). To be honest, the valley view is half the reason I bought the property. You’ve been treated to some of my animal neighbors […]