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Lifestyle

I Love the Smell of Manure

September 24, 2023

I love the smell of manure. I don’t get to smell it every day like I used to. Friday, when I was walking to the post office, I was caught off guard a bit by the familiar smell that wafted into my nasal cavity.    It was like an old friend.  But where was it coming from?  It is not a typical smell in the village of Greenwich.  It…

Lifestyle

It’s Fair Time

August 20, 2023

It’s time for the fair!  And getting Jacob George to Michigan State!  Once this hits your inbox, cows will be moving to the fairgrounds, the haylage will be judged, and the final load of laundry will be drying.  There will have been some tearful goodbyes, registration papers will have been checked, and the car will be packed and ready to head to East Lansing, Michigan.  Is it possible…

Lifestyle

I Have a Royal Confession to Make

May 7, 2023

I have a royal confession to make.  I am a card-carrying royal watcher.  I receive notifications from People Magazine about the latest going’s on at the palace.  And I OWN IT!  (please don’t think me pathetic) This “interest” goes way back to when I was younger and visitted England.   I can’t help myself!  All those jewels, fineries, and stories, oh, the scandals! So, of course, I tuned in…

Lifestyle

Here’s to the Support Staff

April 30, 2023

A farmer is not slow, lazy, or inconsiderate.    However, a farmer always thinks they can get one more thing done before they have to return to the house to clean up and go somewhere. Whether it be to a wedding or funeral, family gathering or church meeting… there is always one more thing to do before. But speaking as a support staff member, I know you better be ready,…

Lifestyle

A “State Fair” on April 1st!

April 2, 2023

Happy Birthday, Grace and Scott! 16 and 54–2 very special people born on the same day, March 31st.   No better way to celebrate them than to do a party “Westover” style!  With a “State Fair” theme.  We walked the tightrope with the Flying Wallenda’s family, and learned how to judge pork, with an official Iowa State Fair pork judge. We ate Dick’s special corn dogs and the “Cilley-est” Big…

Lifestyle

Livin’ Skinny

January 8, 2023

It feels like he just got home and is already returning to school.  Take good care of him this semester, Purdue!  We miss him when he leaves. I would love to say that the holidays treated us well this year, but the fact is that our family went from the flu to very bad colds over the course of the two weeks that encompassed Christmas and the new…

Lifestyle

Carhartt how I love thee…

December 11, 2022

They are loden, lined bibs, given to me many Christmases ago from someone who loved me. They are stiff and not much to look at, but we all know appearances can deceive us. Like a trusty old friend, they embrace me as the last leaf flickers off the branch against a gray November sky. They shield me from cold, damp winds on a frosty morning when the first…

Lifestyle

We got a star amongst this crew

December 4, 2022

We got a star amongst this crew!  Our very own MAC editor, Chandler Hansen, from Hansen’s Histories, is an actor extraordinaire! I bet you didn’t know how deep our team goes!  And he has a beautiful singing voice too! I am so proud of him and was able to spend a fun evening last night being entertained by the cast of “There is Still No Business Like Snow-business”…

Family Lifestyle

Happy Halloween!

October 30, 2022

The kids don’t trick-or-treat anymore, and the costumes are hidden away in the attic. But we will carve a pumpkin tomorrow afternoon and light it tomorrow night because… …it’s still Halloween!  And for any sweet tooth candy hound like myself, it’s an excuse to eat candy like it’s your business! So that’s what I will be doing today, Monday, October 31.  Preparing for my trick-or-treaters–who this year will…

Lifestyle Perspective

Calling All Gnomes

August 21, 2022

It’s time for the fair! Once this hits your inbox, we will already be moving the cows in, shaking the flakes of hay out, and raking the alleyway for herdsmanship. Below is a piece I wrote years ago. It was prompted because one of the FFA leaders was looking for a garden gnome to complete their display at the fair.  The request gave me pause to think and recollect…