It was so hot the other day I saw a funeral procession pull through a Dairy Queen. OK, that’s an exaggeration, but it was really hot.
Editor’s note: This column was originally published February 17, 1997. We’re running it now in honor of all the hard work that has gone into county fairs this summer and as a guide as you plan for next year.
Editor’s note: This column was originally published on March 3, 2003.
In America, we can always count on exceptional summertime fairs across the Midwest. These fairs display the best that our industry has to offer — 4-H and FFA competitions, foods for all tastes, agricultural and home life exhibits, carnival rides and a wide range of entertainment.
Editor’s note: This column was originally published on March 3, 2003.
- By Jenn Patterson
Summer only arrived a few weeks ago, but extreme heat and storms have already taken a toll on many Iowa farms. Corn fields are uneven. Soybeans are patchy. Some fields will recover; others won’t.
On a recent Saturday morning, my wife and I had run a few errands when she reminded me she had been given a gift card for a new business. Neither of us were familiar with the place but gathered from the name that they sold cookies.
Afew months ago, I was at my brother’s farm for a quick visit. Rudi, my German Shepherd, and I were enjoying the warm, sunny spring day by going for a long walk.
Years ago, on an airplane, I found myself in conversation with a business executive from Texas Instruments. He was generous enough to share his formula for success: Find a need, fill it with quality and market to those who have the need.
God made a wise decision when He decided females would serve as mothers. Men generally just can’t do mommy things as well as mommies.
Editor’s note: This column was originally published July 19, 2000.
What the world needs now is love, sweet love…” Jackie DeShannon’s 1965 hit record spoke a truth. The world always needs more love.
I have a quarterly project with Rudi, my 3-year-old, wonderful German Shepherd. We take a bag while walking so we can collect garbage.
At the outset, let me use a common term in today’s vernacular to describe the experience: Amazing! Absolutely amazing! All you want to know and are not afraid to ask. The fruit of scientific discovery, the best practices and the wisdom and knowledge of the world’s best thinkers is accessible to us.
Editor’s note: This column was originally published on Nov. 1, 2004.
I have a confession to make: I do not follow social media, but I do some doomscrolling.
Editor’s note: This was originally published May 30, 2005.
Some time back I saw a bumper sticker that read, “If you can read this, thank a teacher.” I quietly mumbled, “Amen.”
Jeepers Creepers, where’d ya get those peepers?” Now there’s a phrase you probably haven’t heard for a while. Perhaps you’ve never heard it. The line is from a song recorded by Louis Armstrong in the late 1930s.
As a twice-married man and a father, I have been made fully aware of all my faults. One of those faults is my temper. Over the years, I have learned to control that temper… until someone pushes all the right buttons.
As a mere lad of 60 years with some semblance of youth, or as some would say “denial,” I wrote about meeting the challenges of growing old in a column entitled “Seven Ways to Grow Old Gracefully.”
Fitting the pieces of a farm transition puzzle together can be challenging. Like a puzzle, you need to find the corner pieces first, then the outer straight edges to frame up the foundation.
David and his two grandsons decided to take the afternoon off and go to the county fair.
People who study those things tell us that the sense of smell is most closely related to our memory. An odor or fragrance can trigger a memory more quickly, they say, than sound, sight, touch or taste.
Unless the spigot shuts off in July, this ought to be a banner hay season across the upper Midwest.