Dr. Vivek H. Murthy, surgeon general cited loneliness as a public health concern with the publication of Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation.
Continue reading “A Poetic Reflection on Loneliness”A Poetic Reflection on Loneliness
A Very Good Carpet and Upholstery Cleaner
I like to deep clean before ringing in a new year. Do you deep clean right after Christmas? It’s always nice to get things back in good order after the chaos of the holiday season.
Continue reading “A Very Good Carpet and Upholstery Cleaner”Fresh Garden Tomatoes in Early Winter
I’ve written several blog posts about positive outcomes from our lazy gardening methods. I’ve make a list.
- 1. Plants can be found at rock-bottom prices when you’re the last to plant your garden.
- 2. The farm crop is in, so all attention is paid to planting the garden.
And now here’s another positive outcome to planting 1-2 months later than your peers.
- 3. You can enjoy produce well into December.
Duct Tape to the Rescue!
Farming is always a nail-biter. The weather is rarely perfect. After some monsoon-like rains, we are now experiencing a drought so bad that there have been many combine fires in the area caused by dry harvest material igniting on heated combine parts. This can be scary stuff.
Continue reading “Duct Tape to the Rescue!”Pear Crisp
Our ancient pear tree is laden with pears and they are falling to the ground. I will pick as many pears as I can off the tree before any more fall.
Continue reading “Pear Crisp”On Making Pepper Jelly
The grief of losing a child is unfathomable. Lila wrote a poem March of 1997, six months after losing my older brother, her first-born, to the ravages of his alcoholism September 24, 1996.
Continue reading “On Making Pepper Jelly”Purple Ribbon Coconut Snack Cake Recipe
Iowa County fair season starts in late June and really starts cranking up the month of July, culminating with the Iowa State Fair, held in August. With over 1 million people attending, the Iowa State Fair is the Granddaddy of all state fairs. The start of Iowa schools are delayed until the end of August to accommodate attendance to the fair.
Continue reading “Purple Ribbon Coconut Snack Cake Recipe”Bald Eagles in Iowa
About three years ago my dear husband was picking up rocks on the far east end of our farm. He happened to look up into the towering eastern red cedar trees at the end of our fields and saw a large nest! A Bald Eagle nest!
Continue reading “Bald Eagles in Iowa”How Farmers Can Save Soil
I have to warn you that some of the photos in this post are disturbing.
Continue reading “How Farmers Can Save Soil”What is Big Ag?
Wind conditions are just right to use our air compressor to “dust” the combine. A strong northwest wind is blowing consistently to help me with this three-hour job. Our John Deere 9410 four-row combine is considered vintage, and while it may appear laughable in 2024, it’s OUR vintage combine. We own it and we can repair it at will.
Now hunker down for the longest post I’ve ever written….
Continue reading “What is Big Ag?”