Lung cancer screening saves lives

This year nearly 250,000 patients will be diagnosed with lung cancer and 130,000 will die from it. In South Dakota, 660 people will be diagnosed and over 400 will die from the disease. Lung cancer accounts for the most cancer deaths in both the US and in South Dakota.

Little Pasture on the Prairie

Whew! Another very cold week out here on the prairie. With night time temperatures in the negative numbers, and daytime temperatures that weren’t much higher (not to mention the half foot of snow on the ground and the gale force winds) it may not technically be winter, but folks, IT’S WINTER.

Gratitude for Grandparents

A three-pound baby entered the world in recent days. This precious child was born after his Mom spent seven weeks in the hospital on bedrest. At home, Dad and two siblings were working, going to school, and worrying.

Stray Thoughts: Gravy

There are few times as wonderful as gathering with family on Thanksgiving to fill ourselves to the brim with turkey and all the fixings while laughing and telling family stories together.

Election Suggestion

The votes come in hand-carried one-by-one or by the case from Smut-Eye Alabama from Myrtle Beach’s Peyton Place and as they arrive, they’re checked and stacked and sorted into piles where they will sit the whole day through until all can be compiled.

Little Pasture on the Prairie

We dug the last of the carrots out of the raised beds as the first drops of freezing rain began to fall. The day had been misty and silent; the branches of the trees in the windbreak, and the tips of the tall grass were already painted silver and the temperature was dropping fast.

Little Pasture on the Prairie

This week, the sandhill cranes passed over our ranch. Their distinct whirling coo and haphazard V formation are easy to recognize, and it always feels bittersweet to watch them ambling south. Unlike the return voyage, the harbinger of warmth and light, this passing heralds the long cold ahead.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

To the editor: I am writing these thoughts in response to a statement written by a candidate running for State House District 28A. In his interview this gentleman stated he felt the abortion issue should not be decided by our 105 legislators but by a vote of the citizens of the state.

Little Pasture on the Prairie

A friend of mine once came across a book titled, “I was a Really Great Mom Before I had Kids.” She posted a picture on Facebook of herself holding the book in the foreground, while in the background you see her young son, a menacing expression on his face, aiming a nerf gun at her head.

The vital role women play in men’s health

A hug when I come home after a long day. A smile that melts my heart. A song and a dance that are spontaneous and carefree. Those are some of the blessings that come to mind when I think about my daughter. Daughters can be a blessing in so many ways, as can sons of course.