For those of you who have read this column for a number of years, stories of my great-grandpa Charlie are familiar fodder. It is with respect and sadness that I write of the passing of his only remaining child from our midst.
Just two days shy of her 91st birthday, my great-aunt Virginia Myers Patterson […]
“The snow holds for what seems to be forever in the valley and in the far pasture. As I plan my garden once again, we find our patience being tested as yet another snowfall is predicted. One day, we will see the finches and know that we have survived yet another winter. For now, we […]
One of the single biggest differences I have observed between the childhood of the older generation and the youth of today has to do with food.
In rare moments over the course of a lifetime, we cross paths on our journey with incredibly unique individuals. There are those who are blessed with a wonderful dose of grace, kindness, charm, humility. I was fortunate enough to have known one special lady who encompassed all of this and more.
Hornet’s nest
I was a […]
“Winter in Missouri. The coyotes are singing almost every night now down in the hollow, the creek bed that runs below my southern boundary. Their song is a chorus of yips, yelps and barks that increases in intensity and number as more and more join in, until it climaxes in a series of howled wails. […]
“We weren’t really alone, of course. Each square mile of farmland, bordered on all sides by those perfectly straight Iowa roads, was called a section. In those days, most sections held four family-owned farms….there were 17 children in our section, so we had our own baseball game. Even if only four kids showed up, we […]
Today’s problems cannot be solved if we still think the way we thought when we created them.”
– Albert Einstein
All my life, my friends and family have known each inaugural year they must figure on leaving me alone Jan. 20. If the press will bring it to me, I will absorb it. I have been […]
“At the heart of the meadow, the old watering hole froze over quite nicely. We used the horse-drawn sleigh to get there and before long, there we were, ice skating like old timers who skated every day. The chill was held at bay by our laughter and glee. There was no place else we would […]
“One of my obsessive pursuits here at Bedlam Farm is observing the animals, watching the way the residents here change in relation to one another. The farm is a whole, a collection of its parts, and everything affects everything else. I no longer see this place in terms of sheep or dogs, donkeys, chickens, groundhogs […]
“When the strong storm winds blow, look to your elders. When pain and worry persist, it is good to have elderly friends. They have seen, and survived, the worst of times.”
– James Waite, 1929
All of my life, I have found comfort in the company of the oldest generation. When my three older sisters […]
