Category Archives: America WTF?

Roaring Toward 80, Part 3: What to do about aging?

Posted on June 10, 2026 by sheilawill

I don’t know what I’ll do. I have been asked what my plan is. Do I have a plan, as I turn 80? Who will I live with in my old(er) age? Where will I go if I get really … Continue reading →

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Roaring Toward 80! Part 2: Men

Posted on June 3, 2026 by sheilawill

On our recent trek across the English Cotswolds, with Claire, my dear friend of 40+ years, we shared how so much fresh air and walking cleared our minds. Adventure, Men, and aging know-how popped up as essential concerns for my … Continue reading →

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Roaring Toward 80!

Posted on May 21, 2026 by sheilawill

I’ll be 80 on June 11. I can’t stop it. But I can meet this enormous milestone head-on. One step — no, 175,000 steps — launched the penultimate excursion of this important year. With my old friend, Claire, I took … Continue reading →

Posted in America WTF?, Baby Boomers, Fight wimpiness, For Love of History, Nature Girl, Old friends, The Rest of the World, travel | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

“How did they let it happen?” asks the history books

Posted on January 22, 2026 by sheilawill

Now we know. Here’s my rant. It’s no different than the outrage billowing out of millions of other human mouths. It feels necessary today. How do we allow an adorable five-year-old Latino boy, https://www.startribune.com/preschooler-and-three-other-students-detained-by-ice-school-district-leader-says/601568045 whose father was here legally, to … Continue reading →

Posted in America WTF?, Baby Boomers, Fight wimpiness, For Love of History, Journalism/Writing, Managing Minneapolis, politics | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

I didn’t know it yet…

Posted on August 19, 2025 by sheilawill

As I returned from this morning’s three-mile walk around Lake Harriet, I passed Wild Rumpus Children’s Bookstore. As I often do. A mom and dad and a skinny young boy made their way from their small car (with a Quebec … Continue reading →

Posted in America WTF?, Baby Boomers, children's books, Family Matters, For Love of History, Managing Minneapolis | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

To The Editor

Posted on August 2, 2025 by sheilawill

I’m proud that the Minnesota Star Tribune printed my letter to the editor this week. I’m two for two getting my writing into one of the country’s top newspapers. The first was “Misogyny Amplified,” a column that appeared following the … Continue reading →

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Pencil Sharpening Means Renewal

Posted on June 8, 2025 by sheilawill

I’ve had my regrets in life. But I don’t regret getting so excited about the fourth anniversary of the 20-ft. pencil sharpening at Lake of the Isles, yesterday on June 7, which took place on the front lawn of the … Continue reading →

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Dream Count, A Recommendation

Posted on April 23, 2025 by sheilawill

After my children and grandchildren, after hiking in Tucson or on Mt. Desert Island, I love books the most. Since I’m the former owner of OZ Children’s Bookstore (1982-1997), you won’t be surprised to realize that books, nature, my dear … Continue reading →

Posted in America WTF?, politics, Read, Read, Read, The inconvenient truth about education, The Rest of the World, travel | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

All My Rage Can’t Fit On This Sign

Posted on April 5, 2025 by sheilawill

It felt good to join 6,000-10,000 humans in front of the Minnesota State Capital today. We put ourselves out there to stop the rise of authoritarianism, the outrageous oligarchy knocking on all of our doors. What creative signs Minnesotans came … Continue reading →

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No Equality Here!

Posted on February 21, 2025 by sheilawill

When I stopped teaching at Mt. Desert Island High School in 2002, I got cute with my students. Not realizing that any semblance of equality would be on the chopping block in twenty-five years. “If we run into each other … Continue reading →

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