Blog
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.
Nature decides when it’s really spring. She lets us know one bit of color at a time. Today, weeping willow fronts tinge yellow as they begin to bud. Green daffodil leaves persist in pushing through…
Read MoreI remember the very first Eastern Bluebird I saw. The unexpected colors of that charming little bird perched on the top wire of the fence that separated my country school yard…
Read MoreI’ve been off the farm for years, but I’m a farmer at heart. Every spring, I can’t wait to get outside and get some dirt under my fingernails. Friday was the day. Temperature almost 60.…
Read MoreI walked out of the Des Moines Art Center last night and into a winter wonderland. Big, wet snowflakes the size of golf balls filled the air and covered the ground. The snowfall was absolutely…
Read MoreThere are 26 robins under the crab apple tree outside my office window. Twenty-six, give or take. They keep hopping around, so I can’t be absolutely sure. This is the second large sightings or…
Read MoreFrank Buckles, the last of the World War I doughboys, died on Sunday. He was 110. Buckles drove an Army ambulance in France in 1918. Buckles was only 17 when he enlisted, lying about his…
Read MoreMy grandmother grew up on a farm in the early 1900s, the youngest of five children. Though farms – particularly at that time – were known for requiring an abundance of hard physical labor, apparently…
Read MoreI’ve always wondered how birds survive the winter cold. It seems impossible that their little bodies can hold enough heat to survive freezing temperatures. Even worse when constant snow cover makes it hard…
Read MoreLast fall my husband and I took a driving tour of New England. These states are known for their granite. The Granite State– New Hampshire – takes center stage. I knew when we set out…
Read MoreEver since I was a kid, I’ve enjoyed seeing and identifying animal tracks. Each animal is so distinctive. Snow provides a unique opportunity to see what wildlife live on or travel across our property. No…
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