I freely admit that I am not a morning person. Over the years, I’ve become better at getting out of bed and making it to the coffee maker without leaving massive destruction in my wake. I can also manage to get the kids up, dressed, and out the door to the bus with no casualties. Heck, some mornings we’re almost […]

Not too long ago, and definitely not too far away, I was peacefully minding my own business, knitting happily away. It had been a thunderstormy kind of evening but had been clearing up so as to not be a dark and stormy night. A rumbling shook the house. Odd, I thought, how it seemed to echo through the floorboards as […]

A stunning revelation occurred to me tonight. For the last coon’s age, or however long I’ve been writing this column, I’ve written almost exclusively about humorous happenings that feature me and/or my children. Every now and then, I mention my ever-so-patient and generous hubby, but not often. You might, therefore, think that he leads an uneventful life, having to put […]

Most young girls go through a horse crazy phase. You know the one, where their every waking thought is about horses: favorite breeds, favorite colors, favorite riding styles. Every book read, poster hung, or knickknack obtained must be horse-related. The second part of the phase is where their thoughts are geared more toward obtaining said favorite breed and color of […]

Some animals are just plain easier to love than others. Kittens are cute and fluffy, and grow up into cats, which are usually helpful at controlling mice. Puppies are also cute and fluffy, and grow up to be dogs, useful for a whole range of jobs from companionship to protection. Most girls go through a horse-crazy phase, which some of […]

I have always loved animals. For years, my dad teased me that quite possibly it was possible for DNA to be transmitted via television, and I had turned into Elly May Clampett. My mom will gladly confirm the vast quantities of literature I consumed about various animal types, breeds, colors, genetics, and behaviors. I always love to hear stories about […]

Long ago “in the olden days,” as my kids like to say, I had an extreme near-deer experience. Some people have near-death experiences, but apparently mine are wildlife oriented. I suppose I’m glad we don’t live in bear country. We were driving my Grandma’s 1963 Chevy Impala (looking back, I appreciate the irony there), heading toward Hutchinson to visit Dairy […]

I read a book a while ago in which the main character learns about the “age of never.” That age where, “It never used to hurt to do this,” or “I never used to have trouble seeing that,” or even “It never took THIS long to finish something before.” That character reached that age at about 50, and I’m noticing […]

As you get older, you find that your parents were usually right. Money does not, in fact, grow on trees. They were indeed not born yesterday. There were definitely starving children around the world that would have been happy to eat my cooked spinach, liver and onions, or Impossible Cheeseburger Pie. (That one still makes me shudder, by the way. […]

Back in the mists of prehistory, also known as my childhood, I recall Christ­mas­time as a season of anticipation. I had my Christmas list written in July, and it grew steadily until Christmas Eve. My brother usually started saying, “Just you wait until you see what you’re going to get for Christmas” sometime in September. The tree usually went up […]