The Joy of A Quiet Yard

by | Aug 21, 2025 | (Sub)Urban Homesteading, Birds, Garden/Yard, Nature, Reflections/Profiles

We savor our quiet yard moments.

One of our favorite nature writers, Joseph Wood Krutch, remarked that anything people do creates noise. It seems that the clanks and roars of life are increasing since he wrote those words years ago. Quiet is a rare pleasure. Unfortunately, noise doesn’t respect property lines. It does trespass into yards and homes. It’s hard to avoid.

Life Before the Industrial Revolution

Imagine life before the Industrial Revolution. No cars, factories or trains and no power tools. A 1700 era ship could glide by with only the rustling of the breeze in its sails.

Prior to machines the loudest noise to assault the ears was a crack of thunder.

We cringe as motorcycles roar past our home and shake our heads when we hear booming music from neighboring cars as we wait for a traffic light to change. Some people adore noise. We don’t. Audiologists warn that noise exposure can lead to hearing loss, stress, high blood pressure, sleep disruption and lowered productivity.

We believe it. Rich was exposed to extreme noise in army training, followed by years running vacuum cleaners as a custodian and chain saws in the forestry industry. It eventually caught up with him with diminished ability to hear sound, especially high pitched ones. Tinnitus is his constant companion.

Because we treasure our ability to hear well, we’ve learned how to best enjoy quiet moments,  create quiet places, reduce noise we produce, and use technology to enhance hearing.

A Week’s Quietest Hours

At Winding Pathways and almost everywhere else the  week’s quietest hours happen early Sunday morning. Roaring motorcycles of the night before are parked, factories are in passive mode, and fewer trains chug along. On many Sunday mornings we’re up early to sip coffee on the porch and enjoy the gentle sounds of nature unmarred by human activity. These moments are  delicious.

Creating Quiet Yard Places

Nature offers ways to lessen the din. The quietest parts of our yard are surrounded by vegetation. Leaves muffle noise. So does topography. Our home and yard are on an ancient sand dune. The north side of our property is the backside of the old dune. It blocks some of the din coming from a highway to the north, shielding about half our property from road noise. Our house, itself, reduces decibels. The side opposite the road is often quieter than the other side.

Our tall prairie plants, shrubs, and trees also muffle noise.  A river birch tree in Marion’s labyrinth is close to the road. Its branches drape down over a bench surrounded by tall prairie plants. Vegetation offers intimate privacy and  slightly muffled noise.

Using Technology to Reduce Noise and Hear Better

We’ve gone electric. Over the years we’ve replaced gas powered mowers, trimmers, chain saws and snowblowers with those fueled by batteries. The decibels they emit are a fraction of their gas counterparts but still make some noise. So do our vacuum cleaners. To protect our hearing we store sound dampening ear muffs near these tools and wear them when using them.

Dr. Jennifer Reekers

Fitting hearing aids is a process and building a relationship

Hearing Aids.  Wow, they are expensive but miraculous. Hearing loss is a stealthy gradual condition. When Rich first bought aids he was amazed to hear the gentle sounds of walking in dry leaves, the creaking of the floor, birdsong, and better understanding of other’s speaking, music, and the television.

Audiologists usually provide a free hearing test. Rich’s advice – get a test and follow up with a pair of hearing aids if needed. The website of the American Academy of Audiology at members.audiology.org can help anyone locate a nearby professional who can help improve hearing.

Quiet Communities

Cities can do much to encourage quiet in their communities. Everyone benefits. Consider advocating with your local Council, law enforcement, and parks departments for developing a more quiet community.

Some people love noise but for most people it’s an annoyance. A quiet yard is a gem to create and enjoy.

 

Trackchair® Brings Folks with Mobility Issues into Nature

by | Jun 12, 2025 | (Sub)Urban Homesteading, Nature, Reflections/Profiles

Woman guides the Trackchair(R) down a hill.

Tracks easily run over a rough surface.

On a spotless spring day, Trackchair® made a delightful afternoon in nature’s beauty possible.

Marion had had surgery, so walking on soft or uneven ground during recovery was challenging. But it was May, the marvelous season of birdsong and wildflowers. We yearned to leave urban noise behind and hike a trail.

Why Nature?

Few activities are as refreshing, relaxing, and rejuvenating as being in nature’s stillness and beauty. For most people, all it takes is a walk in the woods, wetland, or flower-studded prairie. Marion’s walking challenges were temporary during recovery, but many people lack easy access to nature due to a permanent disability.

How We Got Outside

We made a reservation to use one of three Trackchairs® that the Indian Creek Nature Center welcomes people to use for free. Two are adult sizes, and one is designed for a child.  The chair was charged up and ready to go when we arrived at the Nature Center. Staff member Michelle Basler gave us a quick orientation. “I love helping people use a Trackchair. They help people who usually use a wheelchair to venture into nature alone or with their more mobile friends or family,” she said.

The Nature Center’s Trackchairs® are made by ATZ Manufacturing in Marshall, Minnesota. “We have a nationwide system of distributors making it possible for nonprofit organizations, like the Nature Center, or individuals to purchase one and have it tailored to their needs. Distributors also service the chairs,” said Adam Henning, Marketing Manager.

How Trackchairs(R) Help

He told us the chairs are being used by a diversity of people with special needs. “We know they give access to nature for people close to the end of their lives. Even injured seasoned athletes use them to observe outdoor sports,” he said.

Our time outdoors wasn’t exactly quiet. We were serenaded by Baltimore Orioles, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, Tennessee Warblers, and American Redstarts. Wildflowers lined the trail. The Trackchair(R) itself was so quiet we could hear birds as the chair purred along on its electric motor. “Quietness is important. Various ATVs on the market enable people to access nature, but they are noisy,” said Henning.

Friendly Features

The chairs are also easy on the ground. Marion used the joystick to turn the chair 360 degrees, and it barely scuffed the grass underneath. It has a leveling feature that enabled her to go up and down steep slopes without concern of tipping, and gingerly cross a narrow footbridge.

Where to Rent a Trackchair(R) Locally and Why

Learning the controls

Controls are easy to learn.

We were fortunate to have access to one of three Trackchairs® recently purchased by the Indian Creek Nature Center in Cedar Rapids. “The Nature Center held a fundraising campaign to find money to buy the chairs and additional endowment funds to generate income to pay for their maintenance and eventual replacement costs,” said John Myers, Executive Director.

“The Nature Center strongly believes in the many mental and physical health benefits of being outdoors. The Trackchair® helps us extend access to those people who struggle to walk,” said Sarah Botkin, who manages the Nature Center’s Amazing Space Building.

The Indian Creek Nature Center is a private nonprofit organization on the east side of Cedar Rapids, Iowa.  Annually, it hosts thousands of people for environmental education programming, special events, and rentals. Trails wind through over 400 acres of woodland, prairies, and wetlands and are open to the public for free use every day of the year. For information or to make a Trackchair® reservation, visit Indian Creek Nature Center and the reserve an all terrain wheelchair. You can learn more about AMZ Manufacturing and the many models of chairs they make by visiting their site.

What Is A Trackchair(R)?

ATZ Manufacturing made the Trackchairs® and is based in Marshall, Minnesota. It began in 2008 when a father worked to develop a device to enable his son to access the outdoors. It grew into a company that makes and distributes the Trackchair® we used and many other models suited to different needs. “We have one that enables people to stand and do things like grilling dinner,” said Henning.

Trackchairs® weigh between 400 and 500 pounds. They are best transported in a pickup truck or enclosed trailer, but can be moved on a hitch platform that has a tongue rating of at least 700 pounds. Transportation, of course, isn’t necessary at the Nature Center or the many other nonprofit organizations and government agencies that let people use them on their grounds. They move at three to five miles an hour and have about a seven-mile electric range. “We’re working to increase the range using advanced batteries,” said Henning.

Overall Impression

Man using Trackchair(R) to go up a steep slope.

A Trackchair(R) helps people with limited mobility enjoy being outside.

We were amazed at the chair’s comfort, its quietness, and its ease of learning. After just a few instructions from Michelle, we were on our way up and down the Nature Center’s trails. Even after turning on a mowed section of the trail, the grass was undisturbed. The slower speed gave a leisurely pace. Time to note flowers and hear birds.  The faster pace on rough ground was akin to riding a bronco.  Kind of fun, but not recommended. The chair has a guard on the back to prevent tipping over. And, users can angle the seat forward or slightly back when going up or down steeper hills.
It was awesome to use!

An Update

About a week after we tried the Trackchair® Rich was volunteering at the Nature Center. A school bus drove in and unloaded a class of fifth grade students. One was in a wheelchair with an attendant. The Nature Center had the youth-sized chair ready and a staff member oriented the student right after he was transferred into the Trackchair®.

Then, off he went with his classmates. The chair enabled him to pace right along with the other students on his own. He was thrilled.

 

Labyrinths 2024

by | Jan 9, 2025 | Labyrinths, Reflections/Profiles, Ruminations

Winter and Spring

Each January I post about visiting labyrinths during the years. Below are Labyrints 2024 that we visited.

January kicked off the year with a fun and moderately mild weather visit to a childhood friend and her family who now live in Wisconsin. We walked in Wauwatosa’s Hartung Park, where the community has installed an engaging labyrinth for all ages to enjoy. Watch as this youngster romped along the path looking for the icicle fairies who feed the Voogans. These are imaginary creatures, tall as a house, who live in the park.

Prairiewoods Spirituality Center in Hiawatha, IA, hosted a series of cross-quarter date labyrinth walks. The first, known in various cultures as Imbolc,  St. Bridgit’s Day, or Candlemas, marks the halfway point between the winter solstice and the vernal equinox.

Early April we trekked to Arkansas for the total eclipse and to catch up with Veriditas and Outdoor Writer friends. The paved labyrinth at Hendrix College is special to Twylla Alexander who hosts special walks with her family in the holiday season.

Spring to Summer

One of my joys is to periodically help host handheld labyrinth walks through Veriditas. Each Friday since March 2020, Veriditas has hosted free walks.  As many as 100+ have attended worldwide from at least four different continents. Remember this involves navigating time zones and considering seasonal differences in the Southern and Northern Hemispheres!

December 2023 when I guided a “finger” walk, the North Polar Bear who comes out annually with the Father Christmas stories, jumped up and created quite a stir!  Viewers grabbed their Teddy Bears and other “stuffies” and joined in the chaos.  I could hardly contain anyone! Soooooo, North Polar Bear set the idea of play in the labyrinth.

This gave rise to the yoga class participants from the Nassif Community Cancer Center coming to the Phoenix Harmony Labyrinth. We’ve walked before and enjoyed a potluck. This year they gamely joined in what is known as the Appleton Dance which works well on a dual-entry five-circuit labyrinth. Laughter and clapping drifted over the yard.

Sometimes a pilgrim quietly arrives. In high summer, a Gazette reporter slowly walked the path, took photos, and sat on the bench in the shade of the birch.

Evening is always a pleasant time to walk, especially with a setting moon to frame the trees. I do miss the sounds of insects which have been diminishing over the years as loss of habitat and increase in sprays take their toll. Insects are critical for earth and human health.

Autumn to Winter

People use wheelchairs and feet to move through the indoor labyirnth.

Indoor labyrinth

Our minister, the Reverend Carin Bringelson creates unique services engaging a variety of congregants. One September service featured several stops where members engaged in physical activity. This included a three-circuit processional walk that a friend, Tom, helped lay down on the Ely Room floor.  We invited people to walk once to get the feel and then again more thoughtfully.  People enjoyed the experience and shared their takes on the various stops after service.

 

Finding labyrinths 2024 was slower this year because of different types of activities.

In September, Rich and I visited Lincoln, NE. Part of our adventure before his bicycle ride was finding labyrinths.  It was mostly futile.  One was a pretty walking area but not a labyrinth.  The other was tucked away from where anyone would choose to walk and behind an area of construction.  The path leading to a pretty paved labyrinth was overgrown and uninviting.  Needs love. One we simply could not find.

A similar experience in Charles City, IA, which did have a lovely paved labyrinth next to the river revealed that is was gone. To everything, there is a season.

October found me in northern California outside Yosemite at a labyrinth conference. The Gathering’s theme was “Awe and Inspiration.”  Indeed the day tour into Yosemite, although brief, yielded a sense of the grandeur of this sacred place so loved by John Muir and before him, the Indigenous people who lived there.

We are not always filled with Awe and Inspiration, so what do we do when things are tough? We walk through “Ordinary” time. Not meaning dull, but time of preparation. Although connected to the liturgical sense, we all experience “Ordinary” time and Awe and Inspiration. That was the theme of my talk.  How inspiring to hear people’s experiences and how they use the labyrinth to help them keep balance and return to a sense of appreciation and inspiration.

I’ve captured images of our trip below.

Finally, we approach winter with our final yard task of the year. Burning the prairie and the labyrinth!  My favorite activity.  Now, I can walk the path, note the ashen borders, and know that come spring the Phoenix Harmony Labyrinth will emerge even more robust than ever.

Burning and winter quiet.

Nebraska’s National Forest

by | Oct 31, 2024 | Nature, Reflections/Profiles, Trees

A  national forest amid Nebraska’s grassy Sand Hills! Yup. Several units of the Nebraska National Forest are scattered about the central and northwestern part of the state.

In the 1990s we drove through miles of grassland with nary a tree in sight and then camped in a sprawling forest of Ponderosa pines and red cedars in the Forest’s Bessey Unit almost dead center in the Cornhusker State. How can there be a forest on land that nature intends to be a prairie?

History

In 1902 University of Nebraska botanist Charlesy Bessey encouraged Forest Service Chief Gifford Pinchot and President Theodore Roosevelt to plant trees and create a forest in the grassy Sand Hills. The nation was facing a lumber shortage and most Americans valued forests over prairies and deserts, so they agreed.

Efforts

Millions of trees were planted close together over the 90,000-acre Bessey Unit. Many grew well; when we visited 30 years ago, they were mature and gorgeous.

Nebraska grasslands and dead trees

Rolling hills along the Loup River.

A fire tower was also built and staffed to watch for fires. Sure enough, fires broke out and killed many of the trees. Fire is an efficient sorter. Grass is highly fire-resistant. Many trees are not.

 

 

Return to Nebraska’s National Forest

Decades later we camped there again in September 2024 and were amazed at the change. Although the Forest Service Campground remains in trees, much of the former forest has quickly returned to grassland, due to several fires.

We saw thousands of dead trees with stacks of trunks piled along the road.

Lesson

Attempting to create a forest in a grassland was an ecological disaster. Over time nature is reclaiming land that should have been managed for what it is – healthy grass sprinkled with millions of wildflowers.

Continued Activity

Nebraska National Forest nursery trees.

Trees grow in the nursery

The Bessey Unit includes a modern nursery where the Forest Service grows trees for replanting on land in the western United States. The surrounding land is a fascinating place to see first-hand the result of past management based on a misunderstanding of the environment.

 

 

 

The campground’s trees were spared fire and remain a shady place to camp for anyone driving across vast Nebraska. Great opportunities exist here for education and enjoyment of the trails. But, it needs maintenance. So does the now abandoned fire tower. For information check usda.gov/nebraska.

Delicious Sockeye Salmon

by | May 23, 2024 | Nature, Reflections/Profiles

Salmon supper

Salmon is delicious and healthy.

On an April morning, we discovered three fish that had spent their lives circling the North Pacific Ocean on our porch in Iowa. Three delicious sockeye salmon landed on our porch. We quickly converted them to delicious meals.
How’s that possible?

Back In Time

The story goes back to 1971 when Rich was a biologist working for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. “For days the Ugashik River seemed empty of salmon.  Then I glanced downstream to see an immense swarm of bright red fish heading my way.” It was the first wave of hundreds of sockeyes that passed by that summer to ascend tributaries to spawn and die.

What Sockeye Salmon Eat

Unlike other salmon species that mostly eat small fish, crabs, and squid, small sockeyes, called smolts, leave freshwater and spend a year, sometimes two years, circling the ocean with their mouths open. They strain zooplankton from the water. Many of these tiny animals are reddish and the color permeates the flesh of Sockeyes, sometimes called Red Salmon.

During his years in Alaska Rich had the chance to eat many fish species, but the Sockeye was his favorite. “They’re delicious, perhaps because they eat low on the food chain. This also keeps them relatively free of contaminants common in other species. I can eat Sockeye without guilt. Thanks to excellent management millions of them swim in the ocean. Biologists make sure that plenty survive fishing nets to ascend rivers to spawn. In recent years Sockeyes have increased,” he said.

Where Get Sockeye Salmon?

Although Sockeye’s are delicious and abundant it’s hard to buy frozen fillets in Iowa.

The Popsie Fish Company solved the problem. The box we found on our porch contained six frozen fillets of Sockeyes caught near Egegik, Alaska.

“We’re beach netters. We stretch gill nets from the beach out into Bristol Bay. Sockeye get tangled in the nets. When the tide goes down, we take the fish from the nets, and fillet and freeze them. Then we ship them everywhere to customers like Rich and Marion Patterson, “said Tony Neal, owner.

These fish are caught and processed right here in the United States.

Expensive. It costs about $250 to have ten pounds of fillets sent to our home, but prime beef cuts purchased locally cost about the same, and finding quality fish locally is not easy. All Sockeye salmon sold are wild fish that spent their lives freely swimming in the ocean. That contrasts with today’s beef, pork, chicken, and Atlantic salmon which are crammed together and totally confined.

What is “Atlantic Salmon?”

Any fish marked “Atlantic Salmon” came from a fish factory farm with thousands of fish confined in a huge tank or pen in the ocean. They’re fed a concentrated human-created diet and never have the chance to swim freely in the ocean. They may contain antibiotics.

When in the grocery store look closely at a package of frozen fish that says, “Wild Alaskan” on the label. In fine print it probably says a product of China. Yup, many fish are caught in Alaska, frozen, shipped to China for processing, and refrozen.  They are then sent across the ocean and land to the grocery store. Quality suffers.

We love fish and whenever we’re down to the last frozen fillet of Popsie Fish Company’s Sockeye we’ll put in an order for another box to appear on our porch.

A Quick Guide to Salmon
Found in Groceries

Pink Salmon. The most abundant and smallest species of Pacific salmon. Usually the least expensive. Caught in nets.

Coho or Silver Salmon. Normally the latest run of all salmon and available fresh in late summer. Caught in nets and by hook and line. Some are farmed.

King or Chinook Salmon. The largest salmon species and hard to find in the store. Mostly wild caught but some are farmed in New Zealand.

Chum or Dog Salmon.  A medium-sized fish usually fairly low-priced and wild-caught.

Sockeye Salmon.  The tastiest salmon according to Rich. Always wild and net-capted.

Atlantic Salmon.  Not a salmon at all but in a different genus.  All Atlantic Salmon on the market are farmed, mostly in Canada, Norway, or Chile.

Legacy Fishing Reel

by | May 16, 2024 | Reflections/Profiles

Using the Legacy Reel

Fishing with Grandpa’s Reel.

Legacy Fishing Reel

Our son-in-law, Brian Ohlen, shared a photo of a delightful legacy. He is grinning as he works his reel hauling in a fish from Alaskan waters. It wasn’t just an ordinary reel.  He is using a legacy fishing reel.

Rich’s father, Henry Patterson, was a dedicated angler. He loved fishing the ocean off New Jersey. Normally, Dad used inexpensive rods and reels but years ago he bought a top-quality Penn Senator reel. Over the years it helped him catch cod, pollock, flounders, sea bass, and bluefish.

 

 

Grandpa gifting Penn Senator reel to grandson.

Grandpa gifting legacy reel to Brian.

In October 1919 our daughter Nancy and her husband Brian trekked from their Alaska home to visit Dad in New Jersey. Knowing that age would keep him from again fishing the ocean, Dad handed his trusty Penn to Brian and said, “Catch me a fish on my reel.”

It took a while, but in 2024 Brian bought a rod suitable to mate with the Penn, spooled on a new line, and went a fishin’.  Sure enough, he caught a codfish…….Henry’s cod.

 

Legacies

When Henry handed that reel to Brian it came with a lifelong memory of fun fishing times and delicious meals of fresh fish. Brian continues the tradition attached to that reel.

A couple of factors helped create a fishing legacy. Certainly, important is the reel itself.

Extremely well-designed and crafted, the reel was made to handle big fish for years and years. A cheapo counterpart almost certainly would have been in Dad’s trash bin years ago.

Memories are Legacies

Another legacy factor was Dad’s gifting his reel to Brian. Dad knew he’d not be able to use it again, but Brian, a fishing enthusiast, might get years of pleasure from it. So, the transfer was made.

As we all get older, we have similar prized possessions. Tools, camping gear, sewing machines, sports equipment, household items, books, cutlery, and myriad other fun, functional, and beloved items that have stood the test of time and have more years left in them. Turning these legacies over to a younger person lets these objects span generations.

Carrying on the Tradition

Dad died a few years after giving his reel to Brian but in his later years, I’m sure he sometimes formed a mental image of Brian in a boat bouncing in Alaskan waves with a codfish or halibut coming up from the bottom with the help of HIS legacy fishing reel.