Author: Joel Crouse

Who watched the landing of the Mars Rover this week? Or, as the Nasa Scientists called it "seven minutes of terror"? In the middle of a terrible year, this amazing achievement happened.  Watching that short video, you could imagine that the pandemic didn't exist. The rover gets closer and closer to the surface of Mars, and you … Continue reading Dare Mighty Things

A few weeks ago I learned about a place called Stora Karlso, a small Swedish island. Stora Karlso became a nature reserve in the late 1800’s when the humans vacated after thousands of years. By then, the seabird population of common murres had shrunk to about 100. Today it is 60,000 birds - the largest … Continue reading The Ability to Heal is Ours to Choose

A few months ago a neighbor came home with a rescue dog, a lovely little lab mix. I will call him Max. When I first met Max, he was so skinny you could see his bones. He had a bald spot on his back where he had anxiously chewed away his own fur. He was … Continue reading Dog vs. Humanity

The first time we took our sons fishing was not a success. We were boating down the Rideau River lock system in our small wooden runabout for a story Erin was writing for the Canadian Geographic magazine. Samson was barely two, and Noah would have been about 5. We stopped at one of the locks, … Continue reading Put down your hook. And take my hand.

Of all the details to emerge this past week, one name has lingered with me in particular: Eugene Goodman. Perhaps you heard of him. He is the Capitol police officer, in pictures, standing at the top of the stairs when an angry group of protestors appeared on the landing by the entrance to the Senate. … Continue reading Grace Under Fire