School will be out for summer by the end of the month, and I’m sure you’re already starting to think of different ways to keep your kids entertained and engaged. I found a bunch of old …
I slipped down home to Illinois before the Easter/spring planting rush to host a dual bridal shower for my two nieces. As I was counting up the number of trips I’ll be making this year for …
It appeared everything was falling in place as I checked off my to-do list at a blistering pace. The relief milkers were ready to handle all the cattle chores. Check. Our neighbor boy was eager to …
“Prepare. The end of the world is coming.” We’ve heard the doomsday news cried out over the centuries. Remember 12/31/1999? Yet, we are still plugging away, and the earth is still …
I saw something the other day that made me giggle. “Welcome to adulthood, where you will have to decide every night what to make for supper.” I used to never think twice about what …
Like age, cold is just a number. It does not matter what the actual temperature is but more of how it feels. Without looking at a thermometer, there are telling signs of just how cold it is outside. …
January 2025 is finally football playoff season for Minnesota Vikings fans. I grew up in Illinois cheering for the Purple People Eaters of the 70s. It seemed like the Vikings were always in the Super …
We are running out of room in our “inn” this holiday season. Forget an Advent calendar counting down the days to Christmas — it seems every day there is a new gift delivered, …
I’m always on the lookout for special Christmas gifts throughout the year. I’ll stash my treasures in a secret closet away from snooping kids or in one of my freezers. I have bags of …
It feels like we have been running against the wind these past few weeks trying to complete the harvest marathon. The fall season has lingered a bit longer than expected, creating opportunities and …
Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. There are the standard fares of turkey and pumpkin pie, but it is also a chance to incorporate cranberries into the menu. Once the cranberries arrive in …
Can it truly be the end of another growing season? It seems like just last month Austin was explaining his tillage and planting experiment on the back 40 as we walked through fields of reduced …
Even though I am a beef girl through and through, I still enjoy a meal with the “other white meat.” I found the recipe for Maple-Glazed Ribs years ago in Taste of Home. It is a family …
As I was reading last month’s article in the Dairy Star, I was confused. The title was “Cleaning Up,” but the article was not what I had written earlier in the week. I accidentally …
I can see the signs of fall all around me these days. Early morning school bus routes. Drooping ears of corn. The sound of sandhill cranes congregating for their southward trip. It also signals a …
I don’t know which is worse — cleaning up little kids or cleaning up big cows? It doesn’t seem to matter how hard you work to get them both clean, they always seem to find a way to …
After a nine-year hiatus, the Langola Livewires 4-H Club is back. We’re “plugged in” and ready to roll. After Austin graduated, the club became inactive because we had no young …
What makes someone an expert? Education? Experiences? Distance? It is sometimes hard to be an exper in your own backyard despite your advanced degrees or life experiences. Some people still see you …
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 …