There are some things that are just perfect summer combinations, like a dash of salt on watermelon to bring out the juicy sweetness.   I replace the seeds of a cantaloupe half with a scoop of …

What a difference a year makes! I’ve mowed my yard more in one month than I did all last summer. The grass in the front of the house appears to have come back from the dead. It is now soft as …

I was thumbing through my sister Nancy’s recipe collection when I came across these special treats. She was known to bring these treats to potlucks to share with everyone. Once you saw her …

What’s the difference between adapt and adopt?   Both are action verbs with the change of one little vowel creating a special moment. Think of this: Adapting old ideas by adopting new …

As a former Tri-County Beef Queen, it is my duty to continue to promote my favorite source of protein and iron: beef. As dairy farmers, we are fortunate to support two commodity check-offs with one …

I have an earworm song swirling in and out of my mind as I decipher the story I want to tell.   The Beatles sang, “You say yes. I say no. You say high. I say low. I don’t know …

The sweet sound of robins serenading me during morning chores, heralding the arrival of a glorious sunrise, puts a spring in my step. I can’t help but feel excited and giddy of a new day. The …

What do you do with a winter like ours? Things you could only imagine. Many of the projects on the bottom of the to-do list have suddenly pushed their way to the top of working projects. …

I know the calendar says it is only the beginning of March, but did anyone tell Mother Nature? Golfers are taking swings and walking the greens. Novice gardeners are ready to start digging and …

Naming calves around our farm is considered a family sport. A mass email goes out to all of the kids and adopted family members for their most creative suggestions for the next generation of Ralma …

The idea for this article started with a baking hack I saw on the internet. I like to make muffins, but I hate how the bottoms are always tough and overbaked due to the high temperatures required to …

All I wanted for Christmas was to create memories with Mark. I told Mark all I wanted were 12 gifts. I would like for him to plan a date each month for the year. It could be a movie night, cards with …

Now that we’ve made it through the holiday baking and cooking season, I’m looking for easy ways to enjoy family favorite treats.

Every year during the holiday season, the ghosts of Christmas past sneak into our consciousness as we recall special moments with family and friends. One of my favorite holiday memories is from the …

Many of us have already pulled out our family’s favorite Christmas recipes in anticipation of holiday baking. These recipes anchor family traditions through the generations and keep missing …

Some would call our recent turn of weather an Indian summer in November. I like to think of our warmer and drier weather as a second chance, kind of like a snooze alarm for winter. Unfortunately, we …

With the holidays just around the corner, I’ve been searching for new desserts to put on the table. I was craving traditional flavors yet wanted to find something the grandkids would like to …

At choir practice last week, the director asked us to share the highlight of our day. Many said a long walk through a tree park as colorful leaves danced to the ground. Another member said an extra …

Apples, pumpkin and cinnamon are three of my favorite things about fall. We haven’t had a killing frost yet, but a few chilly nights are pushing me out of the garden and back to the kitchen to …

The older we get, the more memories we have stored away someplace in our brains.