How are you measuring time these days? Read about how I am recalibrating time "off the clock."
Off the Clock
Author: Debra Palmquist
Writer, blogger, matriarch
Reading the Obituaries
Phil and I finally canceled the newspaper subscription. We did it months ago, yet still the paper appeared at the end of the driveway. It was part of the morning ritual for Pepin to "retrieve" it. Some days the sections were strewn across the front yard, leaving Phil to collect the mangled pages. But often [...]
Woman Sees Passage of Time in a Tree
Welcome back to Matriarchy! Read more about how this image spoke to me about the passage of time.
Slough. Shed. Fledge.
Slough. (slŭf) n. An outer layer or covering that is shed or removed. Humans continuously slough skin cells, millions every day. Sometimes I speed up the process by using a little abrasive cleanser to smooth the rough spots, or get a facial at the spa to peel away the tired, dead cells. It feels good [...]
Air Water Earth
Phil and I have been on several weekend road trips lately--to Chisholm for a family memorial service, to Leech Lake for a reunion with dear friends, along with frequent trips to our cabin in Herbster. We like to listen to audiobooks along the way, carrying our minds to distant places, instead of the highway beneath [...]
Grow Your Whole Life Through
I learned a lot about life stages from my friend Jean. She developed several important developmental affirmations over years of study and collaboration with partners in parent education. The affirmations fit all stages of life from infancy to death and have been used by people all over the world. Here are a few: I love [...]
Rare Bird
Just down the shore from our cabin an Arctic Loon was spotted and recorded for the first time in Wisconsin. The South Shore of Lake Superior may not be the place to see birds in great numbers, but often has interesting and rare species. Ryan Brady, an expert birder who works as a conservation biologist for [...]
Seeing the Forest, for the Trees
Phil and I travel Hwy 13 on our way toward Herbster, WI, (our cabin’s address) a scenic byway that cuts along forest and farms, gives teasing views of Lake Superior. There are a few openings that you see water before Port Wing, that give clues to the season. After a heavy summer rain, the lake [...]
Tree of Life
I continue to take inspiration from trees--they teach us how to live in different seasons, store resources during dormant periods, clean the air and water around us, model longevity and growth. Read about the wisdom I found in Suzanne Simard's search for the mother tree.
Matriarch Remake
Changes come when we end and begin. I am ready to grow into this next stage of life in retirement.
Matriarchy 