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…
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…
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…
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”…
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…
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…
“In every garden, there is a depth, and planted just under the surface is a foundation of hope…” –Author unknown I dig, I plant, I water…I love it! It’s been a week of gardening, yahoo! We have waited all winter for this. And this year, we planted some trees too! Trixie supervised, and now we water, water, water, and water some more. Not much to say this week,…
It was a sweet, summer night, early in August. The air was perfect as the sun was beginning to get low in the sky. The call came in during evening office hours. The farmer had a down heifer, up in Northfield, and needed the doc to come up and take a look. Donna was the vet on call that night; I was 18. Matt, the vet student, was…
Dear Readers, It’s been a busy week! Lacrosse is in full swing, the leaves are about ready to burst out of their buds and I think, by the time you open this article on Monday morning, there will be lilacs ready to be picked. I do love this time of year, it’s so fresh. What I wanted to share this week, is just a little piece of a…
Daylight savings time… …how I loathe thee. You feel like an archaic institution that has not yet been thrown out. Can we get rid of you? Your presence means that I will wake up even more tired and grumpy than usual on a Monday morning. From my perspective, you mess everything up. You wreak havoc with my rising time. I must wake to darkness with no sun to…
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