What does it mean to be an American today?

I just finished a novel by James Patterson and Bill Clinton, The President is Missing. I did not vote for Bill Clinton. I say that with neither pride nor chagrin; a mere statement of fact. And I do not read much of James Patterson; too much violence and intrigue for my kind of reading.

Little Pasture on the Prairie

Somehow a week has passed, and here I am, writing once again, the morning sunlight pouring in. Outside, my husband and the kids work in one of our outbuildings, warmed by a cozy fire in the wood stove.

Stray Thoughts: What we are

What fascinates me is the discovery that we sometimes are only the one thing they see, and that how I know me to you may not be. Most never discover or try to uncover why we are one thing to one and to another some other, whether enemy, friend, neighbor or brother.

LETTER

Dear Editor, "Words matter" — the theme of a recent editorial. Sometimes the unspoken words are more damning than those uttered.

Little Pasture on the Prairie

I’d just started supper when the phone rang. My husband answered. “Really?” He said with the hard laugh he often uses when receiving bad news. “How big are the flames?” he asked, then paused for a beat.

Stray Thoughts: What parents wish

Our son begins college next week and we are both sad and happy to see him go. His future has been patiently waiting and we all know it. These are exciting times for him, but anxious times for us.

We are more alike than different

America is grappling with a difficult legacy. Our society was built by the blood and sweat of slaves, on land previously occupied by Native Americans. When we won independence, only white male property owners were fully enfranchised. Enslaved peoples were not fully counted under the constitution.

Words Matter

Words matter. Fellow Americans and the rest of the world watched as President Trump called for the large group of his supporters to “walk to the capitol” after implanting the thoughts of “You will never take back our country with weakness. We will never give up. We will never concede.

Testing Our Constitution

Our U.S. Constitution was tested this week. As most of South Dakota now knows, on January 6, I voted to uphold the 2020 election results that were certified, recounted, and audited from various states across the nation.

Legislature should step up precautions

The South Dakota legislature will convene for its annual session in only twelve days, and from a distance, it doesn’t appear as if it’s ready for this mid-pandemic session. Rep.