Commentary

Stray Thoughts: The epidemic excess

When I was young, there were far less secondhand stores around. Why? Everyone just used all their possessions until they were worn out.Hand-me-down clothing was very popular among the “working poor.

Home Country

We wondered about the origin of the new sign down at the Read Me Now bookstore. Sarah McKinley has had the place for about five years now and has become a real asset to our valley. If you’re looking for a book, she either has it or you don’t need to read it.

Little Pasture on the Prairie

By Eliza Blue Thirteen years ago, almost exactly, I got the idea to start writing this column. I imagined it would be entertaining to the folks who lived in and around my tiny town, and it would give me a creative outlet since I was no longer touring full-time as a musician.

Home Country

When old Joe Gilliam began digging that hole in his front yard, out there close to the street, neighbors watched and wondered. When he got his grandson to help him carry the shade tree sapling from his pickup to the hole, people nodded.Mystery solved. Old Joe’s planting a tree.

You are offended? So what?

I can’t help but think about protesters screaming obscenities at law enforcement officers. It is not important so much who they represent, what is important is that screaming obscenities is a tactic that doesn’t work in almost any setting.

Little Pasture on the Prairie

Growing up in Michigan, Easter almost always arrived during the first full blush of spring. Our side garden would be alive with daffodils and pastel tulips; our Easter outfits were worn with light jackets and dress shoes. That is decidedly not the case here on the Northern Plains.