Are You Tracking with Me? I’m embarrassed to say that I made a 2023 image board for my 2023 goals and I am STILL planning to print it... as in, I lived 12 months meaning to take action on my goals and there it sits on my computer - unprinted and unused. It’s not like I didn’t do anything last year. I did a lot, but did it align with what I wanted for my year? It could have … [Read more...]

Today, my workday included printing and cutting this year’s Christmas cards with its accompanying year-end letters.  We send out cards intending to reconnect with many dear friends and relatives. At lunch, my husband brought in the mail.  As I went through the various envelopes, it brought my attention to bills to pay and a bank statement from which to balance our account. … [Read more...]

Don’t Settle for the Postcard I know you’ve seen it. That postcard that makes you long to be at the beach. As our Minnesota winter starts to rev up, the feeling in my toes and fingers starts to go away. My aunt, who grew up on the farm, says, “Winter means pain.” The cold gets in and likes to stay. That’s where the postcard comes in. It’s bright, with blue water, white sand, … [Read more...]

Mr. Rooster This morning my daughter and I dug up bulbs from our flowerbeds to preserve them till next spring. After completing our task, I chose to take a walk on the farm.  I noticed that the cool, crisp air of autumn was carrying on it the sounds of the harvest. As I walked, I could hear the laboring of our neighbor’s combine as it moved down the amber swaths of … [Read more...]

Nothing has gone as planned today. You know the day. I set my alarm early to get some kid-free work done and then they woke up before my alarm. (How do they know?!) I didn’t eat the nutritious breakfast I was planning because I was feeding a crabby baby and I felt munchy. (#oops) I didn’t stretch, exercise, or gather my thoughts this morning because #littlepeople. Now they’re … [Read more...]

Welcome to the Internship! A couple of days ago the weather was so perfect I almost couldn’t help but run into the sky from my front yard. The hot air balloons were up and slowly descending into the fields all around us. Their enormous size and slow motion movements make them seem otherworldly. The draw was all but irresistible and I ran into the sky to join the dance. It … [Read more...]

One Job Done for the Year Our old rooster is resting warmly in my kettle.  Today has been a big day for us all.  At the farm, there are three big days out of the year which our children and grandchildren come from their homes to help with butchering our roosters.  In exchange for their work, they receive some of the tasty meat for their freezers. There is a good deal of … [Read more...]

My kids got bit by the hot cocoa bug this week. Somehow, when the weather changes, it takes our diet with it.  Does it change yours? My menu shifts completely from summer cookouts to soups and roasts. It doesn’t matter the season, I know giving my kids a cup with 1,000 grams of refined sugar in it isn’t the best idea. So, I cringe a little when they ask for hot … [Read more...]

The cool air of autumn carries so many memories and feelings as it swirls through the leaves. There’s not much that can give feelings of nostalgia quite like a perfect fall day. Memories of playing in leaves, fires with marshmallows, harvest parties, wagon loads of corn, and as much apple crisp with ice cream as we can eat. But do feelings of nostalgia tell the whole … [Read more...]