Little Pasture on the Prairie

Last week featured my least favorite day of the year: The day I have to sell sheep. I’ve been a shepherd for over a decade, and I’ve learned a lot, but one thing that hasn’t gotten any easier is deciding who stays and who goes. I wish they could all stay, even the ones who are kind of jerks.

Home Country

Many of our Native American tribes call this month the “hunger moon,” and for good reason. The early fall hunting is generally over, the late season hunts in the snow aren’t happening yet, and the fishing? Well … let’s just say the salmon are all spawned out and dead, the trout?

Stray Thoughts: The Buffet

There was a time in America when our fate felt secured. America’s destiny seemed to be standing on solid ground.When we faced challenges as a nation, we rose up together.Young men and women lined up for the opportunity to serve, prompted by the phrases: “Ask not what your country can do for you.

PRESSED BETWEEN THE PAGES: We just did it!

“Nobody ever died from hard work.” Our father said it many times. The folks had grown up during the Great Depression. 750,000 farms were lost in our country to foreclosure or bankruptcy between 1930 and 1935. A bushel of corn sold for as little as eight cents.

Listen to your gut

People often talk about having a “gut feeling” or are told to “listen to their gut” when making a decision. Do you know what your gut is trying to tell you? There are multiple things that your digestive system can do to get your attention. Do you know what your body is trying to tell you?

PRESSED BETWEEN THE PAGES: Side by side

When our folks said “I do,” in 1939, they knew they would need to work together as they began married life on the farm with a song and a prayer. Having grown up in the Great Depression and seen many farms lost, they were determined to make a go of it.

Little Pasture on the Prairie

Two weekends ago, I suddenly had the idea that we should go camping in the pasture. This is an idea I regularly have in late autumn, but usually don’t act upon. I’m sure it’s because after the first deep frost, the reality of what’s coming settles in, but it’s already too cold to camp comfortably.

The key to boosting immunity

It’s hard to look at your television or social media and not see a headline about some “superfood,” supplement, or other product promising to “boost immunity.” And who doesn’t want to boost immunity, especially in a year in which measles outbreaks are becoming routine?

Little Pasture on the Prairie

This weekend, our family took part in one of the most quintessential rural midwestern traditions – the corn maze. Now, I grew up in the metro-Detroit area, which is also technically Midwestern, but a lot less rural. Consequently, I did not grow up going through corn mazes.

Little Pasture on the Prairie

I’ve been feeling very middle-aged lately: Impressed by the breadth of my own experiences and wisdom, but fully embracing that wisdom is mostly knowing how much I don’t know. There’s also a feeling of settling in, like an older home that’s fully anchored in its foundation.