Bud and Linda Polk, their high-school aged son Rocky, Dodger and Reuben--the dogs--and Smokey, Bubba, Marco, Sam and Mora--the cats--live outside Bellflower, a farm community of about 250 people in Central Illinois. They used to live in LeRoy--another nearby small town.
Bud, Linda and Rocky enjoy all kinds of outdoor activities. They hike, watch birds, explore and camp together. The Polks lived within the Indiana Dunes National Lakehore several years ago. If the Midwest is the heart of the country, the Indiana Dunes is the heart of that heart. The Dunes are renowned for biodiversity.
Bud has been coping with Bipolar Disorder -- or manic depression -- for more than thirty years. The disorder affects the body, mind, emotions and spirit. BP disorder is caused by a genetic predisposition, environmental stressors and chemical imbalances. It can be managed, but cannot be cured.
Each button takes you to a sub-index page where you will find a brief statement and links to creative non-fiction, articles and poems written by Bud.
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since the Gilgamesh epic.
