Another time, another country more

Impatience: Digital cameras made it worse more

Fun facts about the fifth month more

Born: more

Binweed and Nutsedge more

I walk through the house, my eyes laser-focused on my foe. I mentally prepared myself for what I was about to do. It feels like a lifetime ago when I became a crusader, seeking a surrounding clear and clean of vermin. more

How I learned to cook more

Angela: Living with the loss more

What I used to eat, but don’t now more

The sky dancer more

Nearly famous more

When someone tells me that they have seen something that makes them think of me, it’s always kind of fun to see what that something is. Sometimes that item is a moose or a Snoopy or a plant, but usually it is an item related to recycling and most likely it is about reusing. My friend, Anna Miller, recently sent me an article on reusing toilet paper rolls as starter pots for plants. She knows me! She knows I love plants and reusing, so she got 2 points for her effort. You can use toilet paper rolls or paper towel rolls. Simply cut them into about 2” sections. On one end, make four ½”-¾” cuts equally spaced apart. Fold them towards the inside of the cardboard tube and tape. Fill with your favorite potting mix, add a seed and water and there you go! Obviously they won’t last forever, but they should last long enough for your seed to get a head start before you transplant it into its new home. Thanks to Anna for reminding me of this idea to share. Now if I could just get her to get a little more involved in recycling and visiting the recycling center… more

Most days I wish I could turn off the evening news, but I can’t. more

Wish I could turn off the news more

I knew my way around cows when I boy on the farm. I never worried one might hurt me, though all had dangerous-looking horns. more

Getting to sleep is difficult sometimes, especially with the recent time change. I find it means going to bed way too late and oversleeping in the morning, leading to dark circles under the eyes, hair that is barely combed, and a groggy (and sometimes grumpy) disposition. more

Polk County residents have taken to social media to voice their displeasure with State Bill 4 (SB4) and how their representative voted for it. more

The following events are happening at your local library. more

We always planted potatoes on March 17, St.Patrick’s Day, when I was a boy on the farm. more

“Mickey 17” is the kind of movie where you just have to trust the filmmaker to take you on a ride. Fortunately, it’s a filmmaker who has proven trustworthy with such rides in the past. Six years ago, writer/director Bong Joon-ho released “Parasite,” another movie that didn’t really telegraph its story. Even if people knew about its early stages about an impoverished family taking on jobs as servants of a wealthy family, they probably wouldn’t have been able to guess where the story was going. But enough people trusted Bong enough to see the film, which they overwhelmingly loved. Word of mouth carried the film to a Best Picture Oscar win, even though it was still a tricky movie to summarize because of all the subtleties and tonal shifts. more

I took advantage of the snow cover and light north wind recently to burn a brush pile. more

It is hard for me not to give into a severe dose of Spring Fever when the temperatures cooperate with that notion several days in a row. My youngest grandson, Kolin, shares my enjoyment of planting seeds and watching them grow. He already thinks we ought to be spending some time in the greenhouse. He knows that I am always saving containers to use to start plants in, so he also has an eye out for such things. After enjoying his Lunchable the other day, he smiles and tells me he has an idea for his empty Lunchable container. Off he goes to rinse it out and then place it upside down to drain. He was pretty pleased with himself and I was equally proud of him. Reduce, reuse and recycle. At four years old, he is getting a great head start on at least one of the 3Rs…reuse! more

There is something special about time spent around a campfire any time of the day or year. Smoke drifts up into the sky, wood crackles and pops. Flames dance and flicker. Sparks float hypnotically upward. more

Like most other products in the past year, eggs have been in the headlines as the subject of record inflation. Prices of the kitchen staple have risen precipitously in the past few months, leaving many consumers with flat cakes and empty breakfast plates. The situation is leading other consumers to take matters into their own hands and start raising their own hens. more

COLUMBIA, Mo. — For many nursing home residents, a trip to the hospital can be a jarring experience — one that leaves them confused and stressed. Yet avoidable transfers happen far too often, not only disrupting a resident’s routine but also costing the U.S. healthcare system $2.6 billion annually. more