Stories by Judith Sutherland

Judith Sutherland, born and raised on an Ohio family dairy farm, now lives on a 70-acre farm not far from the area where her father’s family settled in the 1850s. Appreciating the tranquility of rural life, Sutherland enjoys sharing a view of her world through writing. Other interests include teaching, reading, training dogs and raising puppies. She and her husband have two children, a son and a daughter, in college.

Packing a picnic and picking up a pig

Thursday, April 26, 2012 by Judith Sutherland

A wealthy senior citizen spent a good bit of time showing off some photographs of his collector cars one morning recently. I was impressed by the scope of his stellar collection, but a part of me was drifting off long before the photo parade came to an end. Collecting perfect antique sports cars, only to [...]

When did my children grow up?

Thursday, April 19, 2012 by Judith Sutherland

They’re born and the next thing you know, your children are adults. How does that happen?

Spring: Easter, birthdays and new life

Thursday, April 12, 2012 by Judith Sutherland

Remember when old ones died and new were born. And life was changed, disassembled, rearranged. Remember when 30 seemed so old. Now, lookin’ back it’s just a stepping stone to where we are, where we’ve been. Said we’d do it all again. Remember when … – Music and lyrics by Ivan Kral, Cindy Hudson By [...]

How did you learn the joy of accomplishment? Can you say ‘rock pickin’ party’?

Thursday, April 5, 2012 by Judith Sutherland

The farm ‘chain gang’ toiled in the fields, in the hot sun. But we weren’t planting or weeding or even picking a crop. Unless you call rocks a crop.

Desiderata: Words of wisdom for all ages

Thursday, March 29, 2012 by Judith Sutherland

Sometimes just the right words, placed on paper, can help make sense of what seems totally senseless.

Fast food? No such thing in 1930s

Thursday, March 22, 2012 by Judith Sutherland

In historical terms, I had never really thought about how young our country was in the 1930s. The United States Regional Cook Book, edited by Ruth Berolzheimer, copyright 1939, made me realize this simply by the index of the book. Broken down in sections for the Scandinavian part of the country, the Wisconsin Dutch and [...]

Living off the land: sweet satisfaction

Thursday, March 15, 2012 by Judith Sutherland

One aspect of country life that interests me most is that it is never the same day after day. There are always new footprints on the snow, some familiar, like those of the skunks, who leave a special track near the big old trees where the tail drags, and some others that are impossible to [...]

Do we continue to close our eyes?

Thursday, March 8, 2012 by Judith Sutherland

In a recent poll among U.S. citizens, 73 percent believe America is heading in the wrong direction. One friend quipped, “but hey, with the price of gas, we can’t afford to get there!” I was coming of age during our first real gasoline spike back in the late 1970s. Just prior to it, I can [...]

Dirt don’t hurt … and it might help

Thursday, March 1, 2012 by Judith Sutherland

By JUDITH SUTHERLAND Farm and Dairy columnist I read with interest the academic study report just released that says growing up on a farm impacts immune system health in a positive way. The University of Bristol’s School of Veterinary Sciences research has shown that spending early life in a complex farm environment increased the number [...]

Pekingese dogs finally have their day

Thursday, February 23, 2012 by Judith Sutherland

A Pekingese isn’t your typical farm dog, but they’ve been the favorite of columnist Judie Sutherland her whole [farm] life.