A new addition: a bouncing baby joy
How does it happen that a tiny 2-pound bundle of energy can take over the world as we know it? Back in July, a tiny little Yorkshire terrier came to be a part of our family.
Moving In
No matter how much we plan ahead at our house, it seems those plans always change. I choke back some frustration, let the rest of it torture the eardrums of my family in heated words, and tell myself to stay flexible.
Forging a ‘failure for life’ in first grade
There is a certain, delicious agony in failing first grade. Granted, it's virtually impossible to really flunk out on the second day of school, but me, I'm an overachiever.
Summer’s end is filled with yellow
The end of central Illinois' heat-stoked, rain-starved summer is being whispered in the yellow leaves rattling on my backyard's black walnut trees.
Look back and relive beloved times
Have you ever been driving along, listening to the radio, when a song comes on that simply takes you back to a day, a moment in time, a place you never thought you would be again? I have experienced that same incredible jolt at times when looking at treasured photographs.
Demo-Derby Driven
Driving home after a day at work can get to the best of us. With hectic schedules and multi-tasked minds, it's hard to avoid road rage as we hustle around each other.
Here’s to a not so ‘perfectly’ good year
On your mark, get set, go back to school! That rite of passage, the "back to school season," is upon us once again, ready or not.
Court piles on meatpackers’ power
Killed the Packers and Stockyards Act of 1921. Largely gutted the U.S. Department of Agriculture's mandate to "promote fair and competitive trading practices for the overall benefit of consumers and American agriculture.
Immunity depends on feeding dam’s milk fast to newborn calves
It is the Red Bull power drink for calves, and then some. We tend to take colostrum for granted, not fully appreciating how amazing this first milk is.
Essentials farmers can’t live without
I have a big question for all farmers out there. Who among you could possibly farm without the following agricultural essentials: baler twine, duct tape and a tarp strap or two.
