Last July we visited our son Scott and his wife Kim. They live on five acres in northern Illinois.

After moving there many years ago, they learned about tall grass prairies. Soon after, the preponderance of their five acres became a riotous olio of tall grasses and wildflowers, dozens of species of them, corniced on two sides by timber.  

In a converted barn, Kim teaches a growing stream of students the art of fusion glass. Scott, seeking every opportunity to escape the tether of his day job, picks a banjo, hangs out at Bluegrass camps, and hosts a Bluegrass music show each week on community radio.  

A couple of weeks or so ago I, and I’d guess lots of other people he knows, received this email. Here’s what he had to say: