I’ve written about small-town life previously, and told you why I enjoy it so much. Today I got to see some more examples of how life in small towns differs to greatly from life in the big city. Today, the return of the warmer days after several days of cold and rain prompted me to…
Author: Lee Pulaski
Lee Pulaski is a Wisconsin journalist, photographer and author of more than 25 books in the mystery, romance and fantasy genres. He writes about his Arizona upbringing combined with his life now in the Midwest. Pulaski can be reached at leepulaski2@gmail.com
Warm weather for Wisconsin welcome
When I first moved to Wisconsin, folks both here and back home thought I was completely insane, especially since I had arrived in the dead of winter. After all, why would any rational person want to leave the “warmth” of Arizona and move to a place where they have lots of snow and the temperature…
I don’t care who’s on birth control… Why should my boss?
This could be a first for me. I’ve written about some odd things in my time—a tribal legislature wanting to buy themselves gold rings while most of people live in poverty, a county supervisor allowing volunteer workers to go hog wild with a credit card and spend $50 or more a pop on meals—but I…
When faith falls prey to politics, it’s time to take a step back
Faith is something that most people have, whether in an almighty God or in some other deity. In America, it has been a difficult balancing act for centuries to enjoy one’s own faith without letting it get in the way of others. I recently came across a story from McClatchy Newspapers about how religion and…
No animals were killed in writing this blog post
One of my Facebook friends posted a clipping from a newspaper that I just had to laugh at. I stopped laughing when I realized that the person who put this in genuinely believed it to be true. “To all you hunters who kill animals for food, shame on you. You ought to go to the…
Apology should be sincere, not smarmy, to be accepted
A few weeks ago, I wrote about the local Catholic school getting in a bit of hot water because it benched a young seventh-grade girl from playing basketball for speaking a few words in her traditional Menominee tongue. Keep in mind this was not a full dialogue, and the words she spoke could not be…
Being gay is not a prerequisite
I have an announcement for those of you who think it is so important for folks who are gay to make themselves known to others in the room—it’s not. Being gay is not a requirement for anything in life. It might be a part of many individuals, including myself, but it does not dictate my…
Walking the fine line between public art and public outrage
Public art can create all kinds of response. You might find it to be an amazing accentuation of the building, hallway or plaza it is in, or you might see it as so tacky that it shouldn’t be decorating a landfill, much less a public thoroughfare. Where I grew up in Arizona, there were not…
Pursuing the possibility of a place for pooches to play
Dogs are a man’s best friend. I know the one I have is a cherished companion. I adopted Toby almost a year and a half ago, and I can’t imagine life without him. Countless people have pets and love them dearly. I live in an apartment complex, so there’s only a limited area where I…
The road to marriage is paved with attorneys’ fees
It’s a simple thing that most folks take for granted, but for folks like me, it’s something that we’ve had to fight for. The excuses are myriad—it’s not natural; it will destroy the institution; it’s defined as something between a man and a woman. Yes, I’m talking about marriage. The Internet was all lit up…
Not understanding is no excuse for oppression
Words are a wonderful thing. They allow us to share so much of our lives with the rest of the world. Whether you’re saying “Good morning,” “Buenos dias,” “Bonjour,” or “’Sup?” you’re communicating and bringing people into your life. Communication usually works best when you can understand each other, but with dozens of languages in…
The firestorm over freedom of speech engulfs Shawano
In America, we try to preach tolerance and love for one another, but that is not always what we practice. We claim to be respectful of other viewpoints, but when the issue hits a little too close to home, who hasn’t wanted to shut the other side up? Shawano has recently been in the national…
Rural Roots and American Rainbows 