Seeing the Raven: A Narrative of Renewal

Leschak ( Letters from Side Lake ) opens this collection of essays--reprinted from Country Journal , the New York Times , etc.--with a fantasy of his dying in the snow with ravens acting as funeral directors. He writes about life and death in the boggy wilderness of northeastern Minnesota where winter temperatures dip to 50F. Leschak describes the nearly forgotten art of ice-cutting, observing that six people can harvest and store almost five tons of ice in three hours. In one piece he sings a song of praise to the chain saw; in another he discusses the problems of gardening in a cold climate where the first sign of spring is the patch of bare ground over the septic tank. Other topics are backyard astronomy, firefighting, wolves, dogs and local wildlife. Leschak's is a captivating vision. (Sept.)