PRESSED BETWEEN THE PAGES: Every cent counts

He slowly pulled back the trigger mechanism and placed the penny in the designated slot. “Watch this!” he commanded. With great fanfare, my brother pressed the silver button. Just like that, the spring released and a blurred shape flew into the opening before it.

The pitfall of worry

Everyone is conditioned to worry. Our conditioning begins as soon as we learn to speak. Since we see everyone around us worrying, we emulate their behavior. There are no limits to what you worry about. You worry about the past. You worry about the present. You worry about the future.

Little Pasture on the Prairie

Last year, our Jersey cow, Pumpkin, came up “open,” meaning she didn’t get pregnant after being with the bulls. She’s been a great mom and milk producer for us, so we decided her body needed a year off.

Stray Thoughts: The lesson of sepsis

Just over a year ago I contracted sepsis… a full body, all-consuming bacterial infection.An infection I never saw coming left me face down on the floor of my home in minutes.Right in front of my wife and my only daughter, whom I no longer had the ability to recognize.

GUEST COLUMN Leadership myth that’s holding us back

In small rural communities, leadership matters – but are we unintentionally shrinking our own leadership pool? We care deeply about who leads. We trust the people who show up, pitch in, and carry history with them.

The not-so silent struggle of sleep apnea

Take a moment to breathe. Close your eyes. Slowly inhale through your nose, pause, and gently exhale through your mouth. After a few steady breaths, you likely feel more relaxed and ready for the day.

Home Country

“Moon’s getting big,” Dud said over coffee the other day.“Sure is,” said Herb Collins.“Time to go after The Ghost again.” “Tomorrow night?”“I’ll be there,” said Dud.The Ghost, hereabouts, is a raccoon. He lives along Lewis Creek and is a wily old rascal.

Stray Thoughts:

An elderly woman went missing in the desert southwest, which is sad.She wasn’t particularly noteworthy.She was related to a famous person.But I am completely in awe of how this normal grandmother became the singular focus of world news.

Rethinking Rural: considering the impact of Native American communities

The following excerpt is reprinted with permission from the new book “Rethinking Rural: Reflections on Changing Communities,” which is edited by Matt Ehlman and published by the North Dakota State University Press as the second volume of the “Rethinking Rural” series.

Little Pasture on the Prairie

Winter on the Northern Plains often includes a phenomenon called “false spring.” Because it represents a brief respite from the relentlessness of frigid winter temperatures, false spring is a welcome occurrence, but it also brings a quality of false hope.