“Mooommm!  There are men outside with funny looking skid loaders that AREN’T ours!” my six-year-old exploded. If we lived in the city, I’d think we were having road construction. On the farm, mystery skid steers in the front yard are a different story. “What are they doing?” I questioned from the oth­er side of the house where I was working. “They’re driving into the … [Read more...]

By Angela Denstad Time and again, it begins in the fall: I get sucked into a seasonal time warp wherein I imagine all the best treats will magically converge on a collective table of sheer memory, citing, “Oh, I made this once!” as evidence that all things should again appear. String together a couple decades of culinary curiosity and that’s a whole lot of recipe re-creation … [Read more...]

There was a 10-foot wall in front of my house that completely blocked my view. Who put that there? It wasn’t there earlier this summer, and I certainly didn’t build it! It was thick, it was tall, and if I got too close it would slice my arms. It’s a cornfield. For the past few years, this field was alfalfa. We enjoyed a fully open view of the bluff country right from the … [Read more...]

Isn’t it nice when you take a break for a change of pace?  That is just what we did.  The pattern of summer’s rainy weather this year made farming a challenge.  Getting work done was frustrating.  Yet, finally the work did get done enough so that we could have a getaway.  We traveled to our cabin in northern Wisconsin.  Although a short visit, it became a much needed … [Read more...]

Have you ever written a list of what you did not want your family to look like? What would make your list? Cluttered home? Hurried? Impatient? Overworked? Overbooked? Over committed? Tired? Fighting parents? Sassy kids? What would you not want? I recently attended an online homeschool planning boot camp in which we wrote down our family vision, non-negotiables, and the … [Read more...]

By Angela Denstad Time and again, back-to-school season comes around, and that means – whether you’re a student, a parent of a student, an educator, friend, fan, or neighbor of students – life shifts into school mode. Even for those who only vaguely recall their own long-ago school days, the fresh, fall air and dewy mornings might just lead to a longing for a new pair of … [Read more...]

Excerpt from Tales From Heritage Farm written by Wenda and Randall Grabau. Squeak, creak went the old door. A flash of light split through the deep darkness of the storage closet. Many items had been set aside in the closet to hibernate while snow boots and mittens, stocking caps and parkas had their hey-day.  The frigid winter waned, and signs of spring began to pop out … [Read more...]

By Angela Denstad Time and again we treasure summer as a season of ease and adventure: a relaxing of the routine, the runaround, the wardrobe — a time for embracing an easy, breezy bonhomie. I’ve been enjoying my summer vacation for weeks now … except for the fact that I haven’t had one. Not in the usual sense, anyway. I haven’t taken any time off from work, engaged in … [Read more...]

Let me start by digging myself a hole. We’ve all heard the story of that lady (of course, no one I’ve ever known) who goes into her closet full of clothes and bemoans with a sigh, “I have NOTHING to wear!” Ok ok, we can make an excuse for her, like “those are winter clothes” or “I’m not feeling like that color today,” or “the laundry bin has taken my favorite shirt hostage.” … [Read more...]