Blog

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As a curious observer of life, I blog on writing, marketing, my prairie - anything that interests me in the moment. I like to have conversations with readers, so don’t hesitate to leave a comment. I'll respond.

back to school

Back to school – Teaching English

By Carol / 19 September 2023 /

Back to school is an exciting time. New books. New subjects to learn. New friends to make. I went back to school this fall, too, but not as a student. Now, I teach. My students…

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Standing up for justice & equality

By Carol / 29 August 2023 /

Human rights have been under attack in Iowa. The onslaught of abortion bans, book bans, and laws targeting LGBTQ+ children – all laws passed by the Iowa legislature this year – has been soul crushing.…

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Drought-stressed Cup plant still blooms.

Drought on the prairie

By Carol / 25 August 2023 /

We are in the third, maybe fourth, year of drought here in Iowa. Capricious rains tease us into thinking the drought may be over, but there’s no denying the affect of too little water on…

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White man's footsteps

White man’s footsteps – weed or something more?

By Carol / 18 August 2023 /

I’m always delighted to learn something new. Even better when I’m totally surprised by the discovery. This week, I was surprised and delighted to find that a plant I’d always considered nothing more than a…

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She Had No Regrets

By Carol / 12 June 2022 /

“What epitaph do you want on your tombstone?” the workshop facilitator asked. After a little thought, I scribbled down, “She Had No Regrets.” At that time I’d recently experienced a moment of clarity about my…

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Go out and do something

By Carol / 27 April 2022 /

“Go out and do something, even if it’s wrong!” That was the advice my husband’s mother gave to her eleven children.  While the ‘even if it’s wrong’ part leads me to imagine all sorts of…

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I’m sorry

By Carol / 19 April 2022 /

This is now I feel today. I’m sorry What does the future look like? For my granddaughters, my step grandsons, the children in pre-schools, the young adults in college? North Korea launches another missile. Is the target South…

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Crystal Bridges - We the People opens exhibit integrating art and racial history

Integrating art and racial history in America

By Carol / 14 March 2022 /

How can integrating America’s art and racial history tell a broader and more accurate story of our country than we commonly see? A remarkable exhibit at Crystal Bridges Museum encouraged me to see it can be…

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mystery, love of reading

“Eighth Day” reflects a love of reading

By Carol / 28 February 2022 /

“Let’s be reasonable and add an eighth day to the week that is devoted exclusively to reading.” – Lena Dunham After reading my post on struggling to read and write, my friend Jean Balser shared…

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Have you lost your love of writing? Or reading?

By Carol / 21 February 2022 /

I know when I lost my urge to write. Or at least to write positively. It was shortly after Donald Trump was elected President. All my efforts to blog came out angry or flat or…

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