About Me

I asked AI (specifically ChatGPT) to find information about me. Winnowing through all that is public and the entirety of my footprints on social media—including something near 4,000 blog posts—AI summed up my presence in the following paragraph:

"In addition to his professional work, Mitchell maintains a personal blog titled The Sky Is My Garden, where he shares photography and personal reflections. In a 2018 post, he described himself as a 'big baby' regarding spiders, recounting an encounter with a large spider near his cabin. In a 2011 entry, he shared a photograph of the Helena Valley Holding Reservoir and the Big Belt Mountains, noting that he drove to the water's edge in full darkness and waited until sunrise to capture the moment."

I’m not sure that’s exactly how I would choose to distill all that is out there about me, but I cannot dispute anything. In fact, just for fun, I located a low-resolution copy of the photograph mentioned and have reposted it here today.

The Holding Reservoir, June 30, 2011

—Mitchell Hegman

It’s Never Too Late to Learn

It’s never too late to learn:

…that molasses contains vitamins and minerals that are good for you.

…how to send a text to the right person.

…when to admit your spouse is correct.

…how to correctly pronounce “Worcestershire.”

…where to hide potato chips so nobody else can eat them.

…why balancing your bank account matters.

…what happens when you try to spin donuts with an all-wheel-drive car in an icy parking lot.

…why cutting your own hair should be the second option.

—Mitchell Hegman

It’s About Energy Efficiency

As I drove past a field where several horses were eating from a pile of hay forked onto the snowy ground for their feeding, I naturally thought about electric heaters. An electric heater is considered 100% efficient at converting electrical energy into heat. That’s an impressive track record.

Horses, on the other hand, are an entirely different matter when it comes to energy use. My buddy put it this way: “I have a motor-sickle”—that’s what he called a motorcycle—“instead of a horse. The big problem with a horse is that you have to keep feeding it to keep it idling when you’re not using it.”

—Mitchell Hegman

Invested

Ah, my dear, the world outside has finally gone soft enough to accept us as we are. Snow has sifted down and made puffy mounds of the upended sage, the sentinel stones, the things that might have been soft before.

I appreciate how you nudged me and winked as I scratched through payments for our bills. In my head, I was thinking, “We need this, need this, don’t need that” as I considered expenses.

By the way, there is something important I forgot to tell you. The first time we kissed, and the most recent—I wish it had lasted longer.

—Mitchell Hegman

For Desiree

Wild Gestures

I have long claimed that my sister, Debbie, would be incapable of talking if you bound her hands. When she is talking, Debbie is constantly flinging her hands and arms about—often with the urgency of someone chopping wood or swatting down a horde of flies. I must admit, I sometimes find myself engaged in the same behavior.

Yesterday, I took this behavior to a new level. While trying to give someone directions over the phone, I found myself gesticulating wildly—pointing and sweeping my arms about. This was not a video call. I was gesturing as a matter of habit. Even once I realized I was gesturing toward someone who could not see me, I continued doing so.

Perhaps some conversations simply demand to be spoken with our whole bodies.

—Mitchell Hegman

I Never Liked St. Valentine

I’m sharing a song I originally posted on Valentine’s Day 2023. It’s a lighthearted take on the holiday in the form of a sweet song. As a personal tradition, I watch this video once every Valentine’s Day.

Though I’m a day late in sharing this—happy Valentine’s Day!

—Mitchell Hegman

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvWoSGGd90w

Un-Bucket List

I decided to put together an “un-bucket” list—a list of things I have no desire to do. Here is a list of things I don’t want to do:

• Dive down to see the wreckage of the Titanic
• Wrestle a bear
• Eat green peppers
• Climb Mount Everest
• Sing the national anthem at the start of a baseball game
• Juggle running chainsaws
• Be a contestant on Naked and Afraid
• Jump the Snake River
• Ride a motorcycle in the globe of death
• Knit a sweater

—Mitchell Hegman