Shyanne went into labor the night after her birthday. Her husband, Jacob, and her dad and I were by her side. (Well, her dad was huddled in a corner chair trying to stay out of the way but anxious to meet our first grandson!) Friday morning at 11:43, after quite a hard labor, their first…
Category: Our Family
A Magical December Day
‘Twas all very strange, really. Something out of a sci-fi movie, perhaps. A thin Santa Claus wearing a mask, shielding half of his face, sitting behind a sheet of plexiglass. All the children in line did not think much about it. We took photos in front of the ho ho ho’ing Santa behind glass. My…
Time at Home
The governor issued a Stay at Home order until April 11th. I was livid. I was supposed to go see my granddaughters this weekend. We have three birthdays coming up (including mine). We have celebrations and a life to live. And now we can live it in the living room alone. I was mad. In…
The Old Jar of Rhubarb
It is magical how something simple can transport us to another time, amongst people we love, to memories…so often bittersweet. Suddenly and without warning, I found myself in Great Aunt Donna’s garden. I could see her jutting along with clippers and bags. I could see her deftly slicing the tops off the rhubarb stalks with…
A Wedding in the Woods
On July 27th, a hundred-year-old lodge was decorated with pastel roses and succulents, lights, and pink table runners to celebrate a special union. There were photographs of the bride and groom as children and a few of the parents of the couple in their wedding splendor, in frames glued together to make centerpieces. The place…
Cowgirls, Colonial Dresses, Apples, Tinctures, and the Family Farm
Emily is driving “over the river and through the woods to grandmother’s” (Grammie’s) house this morning. We are taking my six year old granddaughter, Maryjane, to her first horseback riding lesson. If you have been following me over the years, or if you know us, you know that Maryjane Rose came into this world a…
The Multi-Generational Legacy of Farming and Homesteading
I wish we had started homesteading and farming long ago. It would be nice to have a multi-generational legacy of land and tradition that becomes genetically ingrained in the children and is always a sense of comfort and a place to return. My eldest child grew up near the beginning of our journey so he…
Where Did the Time Go?
That was probably the most common question asked in my grandparent’s home. Where did the time go? They would be telling a story about a friend who used to live there, or the neighbor and her daughter, or look at how tall we had gotten and shake their heads and utter the question. This continued on through…
Farewell Nancy Mae
I know she can hear me… Her eyes closed, pressed into drug induced coma. The air from the oxygen clashing with the rattling rasp coming from her throat. The death rattle. I recognize it. So much I want to say but as I go to speak my words catch and my eyes well and the…
The Enchanted Friendship and Birthday Wish
Did we all have that friend when we were kids? The one that was intertwined with our very self evolution? The memory we keep with us forever? I have written about mine a few times over the years. Her name was Susan. I watched her through the windows of my classroom that looked out on…
Farmgirl School 