Christmas time is here! As I write this, snow is melting on the ground and the sun is shining bright. The ground is pretty much bare, but that is pretty much the way it is around this time of year. One cannot normally expect a white Christmas, and it is a delight when it does arrive. The thought of a […]

Gratefulness is an attitude that comes from the heart. This time of year, gratitude arises as one anticipates the arrival of Thanksgiving, especially when family and friends come together to make the event memorable. We are so happy to be with people who truly matter to us! This year, the list of things to be thankful for is growing. Having […]

Members of Congress, do your jobs! Stop your fundraising efforts for re-election. Stop your partisan grandstanding displays on Capitol Hill. Stop your emotionally charged outbursts of staged outrage and go back to your offices, committee rooms and your respective Houses, employ your staff to research the issues and get to work! Earlier in this decade, my responsibility as a duly […]

It’s hard to believe that 50 years of the Hillsboro Arts & Grafts Fair was celebrated this past Saturday. I can remember when it first began (yes, I was 11 years old at the time). Fifty years can only happen because some people had a vision and then a lot of other people caught the vision and kept it going […]

“Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” James 2:15-17 Summer is nearing its […]

Grace and friendship; two concepts which cross my mind these days. Wheat harvest is finished. Most necessary fieldwork, tillage, spraying weeds, etc., is completed, giving opportunity to focus on other tasks. Though rarely less important, changing priorities refreshes the mind and renews the spirit, inviting me to think beyond my world of agriculture. Friendship: I have long been a fan […]

Do pets feel the loss of a mate or littermate? Are we sure they do not feel the mental pain of loss? A recent experience may shed some light on this subject. Little more than two years ago, our momma cat gave birth to her first litter of six kittens. Shortly after weaning, she was killed by a predator of […]

“No president I know of has asserted a blanket power to reject any request that doesn’t suit him—until Donald Trump” Garrett Epps, Professor of constitutional law at the University of Baltimore As our nation is approaching the upcoming campaign season for the 2020 national presidential elections, the citizenry must up their game of engaging in due diligence to discover which […]

“I don’t think situations create heroes. I think situations reveal who people are.” – Dr. Phil Last week, after driving home from Minnesota and leaving our extended family, I came down with a severe case of Bronchitis. I’m not sure if I inherited this from our family from the northern regions, as Deborah and I were already exposed to numerous […]

“The Chinese can agree on just about anything, but the question is; will they actually follow through?” – Former Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack, currently President and CEO of the U.S. Dairy Export Council, regarding ongoing trade negotiations with the Chinese government. Part of my weekend consists of watching newsworthy programs on television or on the Internet. Former Secretary of […]