To See

I have been researching things to do on our July vacation to the west coast. There are mountains to see and an ocean to sit in front of. There will be car drives and, I’m anticipating, amazing vistas to take in. I want my kids to be awestruck. I want their jaws to drop and …

The Pool In The Woods…2

This Spring has started out drizzly and windy and cold. It’s a Spring season like this that make me happy we don’t have a swimming pool anymore. And it’s a Spring season like this that remind me of all of the grumbling and extra work that my husband put into that swimming pool. Before he …

Welcome 2021!

It’s New Year’s Eve An end to another 365 days of a calendar year. And the beginning to a new 365 days. Many form resolutions or, in this day and age preferring not to label everything they do, lists of self-improvement. I don’t have resolutions or self-improvement ideas, but I do LOVE a list. So …

Tough Times

While the world at large has gone through many changes within the last few months, my world on the farm has been dramatically dull. Rural America doesn’t change quickly, as can be seen in how people casually drive around looking at the cows in the field and waiting for the corn to grow towards the …

The End Of School

School has been cancelled for the remainder of the school year in Illinois. Plenty of other states had already declared this outcome for their students, so it was kind of a “wait until they officially tell us” moment. My kids seem to be fine with it. Me, I’m a bit more emotional about it. It …

Locking It Down

It’s day “I’ve lost count” of the Coronavirus lockdown. The kids and I don’t go anywhere we don’t have to. We were running low on milk and fruit, so Zoe drove us to the grocery store a few days ago. She got her driving permit at the end of February. Which was lucky now that …

Today I’m Making The Corned Beef

Today is one of my husband’s favorite holidays. Saint Patrick’s Day. He seems to have been 1/4 Irish. He thought he was about half, but since his death the kids have taken an Ancestry.com DNA test and they are almost 20% Irish/Scottish. Because of her Father’s DNA, Gigi is actually 1% Jewish. Shalom! My DNA …

Another Letter

Dear Husband, It's been almost 10 months since you left us. Yet, I feel like I just saw you yesterday. The kids are okay one day and not okay the next. They have kept their grades up...straight As for both on their first report cards this year. But, it's still weird to be at school …

A Million Miles Away…

School days and after-school activities are taking up most of our time these days. Zoe is in high school now, so I am constantly picking her up after the school bell has rung it's last sound of the day because she's at a club or a rehearsal. I told her before her freshman year started …

Coconut Ice Cream

Monday, July 29th is my wedding anniversary. 19 years. I'm still married, even if my husband is gone. No divorce. It was more of a forced separation. We met and tied the knot within 10 months time. We traveled with 30 others to Las Vegas to stand in front of an Elvis impersonator. he sang …