At 5:30 a.m. in a rare moment of early morning ambition I tiptoed downstairs, expecting to spend at least 30 uninterrupted minutes at the computer before the rest of the house tumbled out of bed. But the soft glow of the backroom light spilled into the kitchen along with a steady hum. My farm boy was already awake moving “corn”. The sleep barely rubbed from his eyes, Ethan goes to work grinding ...
Just Breathe
In this not so glamorous life, I sometimes host mini-pity parties. The parties are mini because I usually have one guest – me – and because they usually don’t last too long. This afternoon I had a party. It was just one of those days where every phone call, text or email felt like someone was requesting a piece of me, of my calendar, of my ear, of my input, of my thoughts. . . even I wanted a ...
God Bless Teachers
The past three days of my not so glamorous life have been spent at the kids’ elementary school and the All-Star Book Fair. I volunteered to coordinate the week-long event, and am learning that a book fair takes some serious coordination. But that’s not the point of this blog. The point is that I love teachers. I love teachers because after spending three days behind school doors and ...
Tricked Out Tractors
These days’ tractors come with amenities found in most man caves. Comfortable seats – yes, multiple seats because more than likely you’ll always have a rider. Some have mini-refrigerators tucked under the seat. Most are equipped with GPS and auto steer technology, docking stations for iPods, one touch controls for driving and computer screens – again, multiple screens – to monitor the field, ...
Wackie Day. Wackie Cake.
My day can be summed up with this – book fair, power surge and chocolate cake. Here’s the explanation: It’s All-Star Book Fair week at the kids’ elementary school. I arrived about 8 a.m. to make final preparations. On Monday every half hour starting at 8:30 until 2:30 students file through to make their wish lists. The challenge is directing their attention to the books and away from the ...
Sunday School Lesson
I am a firm believer that God teaches us through challenges. We just have to know when we’re being taught and be smart enough to understand the lesson. For example, I believe His effort to teach me patience started a long time ago when I took up showing cattle at the 4-H Fair. Many hours of my springs and summers were spent coaxing cows into a halter and gaining their trust so they’d follow me ...