Ted Kooser describes with exquisite detail and humor the place he calls home in the rolling hills of southeastern Nebraska an area known as the Bohemian Alps. Nothing is too big or too small for his attention. Memories of his grandmother s cooking are juxtaposed with reflections about the old-fashioned outhouse on his property. When casting his eye on social progress, Kooser reminds us that the closing of local schools, thoughtless county weed control, and irresponsible housing development destroy more than just the view.

In the end, what makes life meaningful for Kooser are the ways in...