Dale Bowman

Wild goose hearts and mushrooms in red-wine reduction sauce over wide egg noodles with parsley. Broccoli florets on the side for color and to counter balance the dish's richness. When I goose hunt, I save hearts from any hunters not using them, then cook them in winter weather.

@BallinKraut Yes.

@BowmanOutside Retirement is treating you well, looks like fun

Had my first Malört this afternoon. Here we are posing with Sam Flynn, she of "Sammy's Special" (shot of Malört and a chaser of a pony of Miller High Life) fame at the Tom Cat Tavern in Three Oaks, Michigan. Surprisingly Malört was not as horrible as I expected it to be.

Staring into the abyss post-time change, seeing a partial moon through the trees and listening to 'XRT's "Chicago Day" with Muddy Waters doing "Mannish Boy," I wonder what life would've been if I had fulfilled my dream of being Johnny Winters hollering behind Waters on the song.

@dottiejeffries poeinbaltimore.org It's worth it.

@BowmanOutside Terrific. And who knew! Are these conducted by a particular organization?

Another one of my happy places, at a weather training with dozens of other weather nuts. I always pick up a few new nuggets of information and also I'm reassured that there are people even crazier about the weather than I am.

Getting ready to grill after a 70-degree day, I noticed my spinach plants started to pop today. That's how a day like today gets even better.

@jeanecomp I did not remember that. Even more interesting.

@BowmanOutside It’s in the spot American Gothic used to be hung on the wall!

I was early for a Fire game, so I stopped at the Art Institute to see the Norman Rockwell. I'm guessing it is directly across from American Gothic because the curator wanted to have a little fun.

So nice this morning I took time from writing the book and hit a shed-antler spot. The first bleached thing that caught my eye was only old bones, not deer bones. But it was a good morning. Beside three deer, no antlers, I saw an American red squirrel (pine squirrel) scurrying.

@Markonthelake Yeah that's what the bait shop guy basically said

@BowmanOutside Go get em Dale! Everything in the ocean eats shrimp…

In my happy place, a small bait shop. In this case, it's Rigg's Outpost in Melbourne, Florida. Should be trying for snook, instead I think I'll play with some panfish later this afternoon. Another time, I'll chase snook when I come to visit our oldest son and granddaughter.

You could say I got a little exuberant with the temperatures in the mid-40s this afternoon. I planted three pots of spinach, a couple days earlier than I usually do in memory of Grandma Bowman. But it was so nice it just seemed right. Hey, it's been a long damn winter.

Since I was in San Antonio and the Spurs were at home against the Thunder, we found tickets and I am seeing Victor Wembanyama in person. He's all that.

Visiting brother in San Antonio. Yesterday we did the hill country, Pedernales Falls SP, a different natural world. Varieties of prickly pear, yucca (Spanish dagger above), Texas live oak, mesquite, Texas persimmon. Birds: Bewick's wren, Carolina chickadee, Woodhouse scrub-jay.

Excellent ending to a serious all-day conference on restoration & conservation, Wild Things 2026, first time Downstate (O'Fallon). Biologist Tony Gerard ended with a half comedic/half serious look at Bigfoot, the worldwide phenomenon. Something to mull on my 4 1/2-hour drive home

Joel Greenberg, Tom Schrader & I tried to spot a golden eagle today. Even without,we had a great time. Here's 2 of 300 bald eagles we saw in NW Illinois; 250 came at Lock & Dam 13 on the Mississippi. On the way, we saw a rough-legged hawk & a coyote walking the frozen Mississippi

Sun-Times Metro editor and I eat lunch around the city every couple months. Today was Peach's, 47th and MLK. I had catfish fillets, like freaking butter so soft and perfectly cooked, greens and cheesy grits. Saji went shrimp and cheesy grits. We shared duck bacon, yes duck bacon.

Love the new marketing that TightRope finished just in time for the Chicagoland Fishing Expo in Schaumburg. Try to find the Play Pen in the collage. It feels different to be here not to write, but just to wander around, buy a few things and talk to a ton of people.

We need more whimsy like this in our museums (and lives). We're at the Baltimore Museum of Art.