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.
I shared my prairie with a four year old this weekend. We took about five steps down one of the wood chip paths I’d created and he exclaimed, “It’s a jungle!” “Yes it is,” I…
Read More“I would hope some of this is consistent with what actually happened,” my friend said as we stood to stretch our legs during the intermission of Jersey Boys. If you haven’t seen it, Jersey Boysrecounts…
Read MoreMy challenge today is creating a character analysis for two of the main characters in my novel. As a writer of non-fiction, the idea of creating characters totally from imagination is a huge challenge. For…
Read MoreThe prairie popped with new flowers this week. Many sent me scurrying back to my Tallgrass Prairie Wildflowerbook for help with identification. This lilac beauty is one I knew – Wild Bergamot, Monarda fistulosa. Wild…
Read MoreI learned of another approach to marking trails while doing research for an article for The Iowan. “Before highways and road signs” was published in the May/June issue. I’m reprinting the piece here with permission.…
Read MoreGrowing up on a dairy farm, I had many opportunities to bring the cows up from the pasture for milking. Walking in single file, the cows headed for the barn, inevitably using the same paths…
Read MoreI took my husband with me when I walked out to the prairie this morning. I couldn’t resist having a photo to mark brilliant sunshine on such a mass of yellow flowers. And they are…
Read MoreWhen I spotted this among the coneflowers in my patio garden, I didn’t know quite what to think. The center cone is part of a purple coneflower, but only a part. Why weren’t the long…
Read MoreMy prairie is awash in Black-eyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta. The seed mix sown a year ago must have been heavy in this species. They are brightening the prairie no matter where you look. Nothing else…
Read MoreCoffin or casket? Is there a difference? And if there is, does it matter? Until recently, I used these words interchangeably. But I learned by talking to Loren Horton, an expert on Victorian and early…
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