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My hubby and I may not own a cabin or a summer home, but we do have a “home away from home,” our camper trailer. It takes us wherever we like to go. It can be be parked near a lake to provide a wonderful lake side view. It may take us on a journey to visit relatives or friends that live miles away, it may take us on a winter trip to an RV park in a warmer climate, or it may be stationed at a farmstead where yard and pasture work needs to be done for more than one day. All is done in the comforts of our “home away from home.” where we have ou...
High school freshmen have a lot less to beware of starting their school year than the freshmen did years back. Back in the day there were sneaky seniors who couldn’t wait for high school freshmen initiation to arrive at the start of a new school year. That was just the thing to do back then when the freshmen class got plenty of attention. It was considered as sort of a “right of passage” by all of the high school students. After all, the sophomores, juniors and even the seniors had to go through the dreaded Initiation Day, and all knew once...
Looks like the “Dog Days of Summer” are extending. Reports say officially the Dog Days begin the last of July and continue on into August. This saying was originated years ago and has to do with the Romans and Greeks, noting a certain star alignment. All I know is as far as many are concerned, August has always been noted as a month to deal with concerning hot temperatures. Lately it hasn’t been a good last couple of months for farmers and ranchers in the area. Temperatures have been easily and regularly reaching up into the 100s or the high...
Most earnest seamstress women and those that do the necessary stitch work probably have a fabricated tomato pincushion included in their sewing basket. As I again take out my tomato pincushion where all my stick pins and needles stick out making for an easy find, memories of these pincushions comes to mind. I received my tomato pincushion 60 years ago when my mother and I were gathering all my required items needed to take home economics class in high school and learn to sew. Though I never fully understood the importance of this unusual...
It’s Olympic time! I enjoy watching the trained and dedicated athletes from all over the world come together to complete for medals. Most of the athletes begin their training at an early age. It makes me think of what we had as youth that would have aided us in our athletic training years ago. As a child, our playground equipment was made out of metal and wood. We had what was called a “merry-go-round.” It had a round metal platform where we’d stand and hang on to metal pipe like handles. When we’d climb on and get in position to take a ride, s...
Having attended the annual Jewell County Threshing Bee and Antique Tractor Show last weekend and seeing the demonstrations of the way things were done years ago, made me realize again how much time and labor went into work that was done back then. Some of the things noticed were the way rope was made mostly by hand, and the labor it took to place the logs just right on the saw mill so the blade could cut them. There was a blacksmith that worked hard forging the metal into needed tools and in mending wagon wheels. Grinding of wheat was mostly do...
It was almost 150 years ago that our earliest pioneers faced one of the worst years on their prairie farms when swarms of grasshoppers invaded the land devouring everything in sight. It was at the end of July 1874. For the previous two years there had been good wheat crops and 1874 was no exception. The wheat had just been harvested and the corn fields were promising a good crop. A Jewell County settler, Joel Green, who had a farm west of Burr Oak, on July 21 began to notice swarms of grasshoppers arriving in his fields. Two days later, he...
The word adventurous means to take a risk, or try new methods and ideas. Have you ever asked yourself what have you done that you considered being the most adventurous? For some it may be be taking a zip line ride, sky diving or mountain climbing but for others it may not be taking those kind of risky adventures. When I think of my most adventurous times, they may be simple but to me they are just as important as the high risk takers. It may be the times standing in from of a group of people and singing a solo or standing in front of judges...
Here’s wishing you had a Happy July! It’s always been a favorite month of mine but maybe one reason for that is my birthday falls in July, though I must say I don’t look forward tomy birthday as much as I did years ago. Thoughts of July that come to mind are making homemade ice cream for friends, relatives and family who come for a Sunday afternoon visit; watching the fireworks as they are sent up into the air,bursting and flowing everywhere; trips to the swimming pool the fun of running through the yard sprinkler on a hot day; taking the t...
Happy 248th Birthday, America! Lately it seems this “sweet land of liberty” has become more chaotic than patriotic. America is still considered to be the best country in the world and the best place to live and raise a family, but we all need to work to make it remain that way. After all “Freedom Isn’t Free.” Thinking back to when the first American Patriots decided that they didn’t want to live under the rules of England and its king, they began to rebel and stood up for what they believed. Those patriots were few in number and were willin...
The country roads are busy as wheat harvest is underway. Like all harvests, the farmers are anxiously getting to reap their rewards for all their efforts and costs of planting their crops. Though wheat harvest isn't like it used to be, it still is an exciting time. With the larger combines, semi trucks and tractor-pulled grain carts, harvesting moves much faster these days. There isn't as much wheat planted as there used to be. The crops most planted in recent years are corn and soybeans....
Looking back on my teen years during the mid 60s, we did some pretty unusual things but also there were some pretty neat things that were done also. Being a teen in those years was unforgettable and I must admit we were pretty sheltered. With the introduction of Rock and Roll music in the late 50s and early 60s, it was the rage to keep up with the latest in music and dance. Elvis, the Beatles, Dave Clark, Petunia Clark, the Supremes were some of the top singers and teens rushed to purchase their 45s and albums. It seemed like every week there...
Some people have favorite trees. My husband likes the native Cottonwood tree since it reminds him of his childhood, as his family lived by the Solomon River where the Cottonwood trees grew in abundance. He enjoyed hearing the sounds of their rustling leaves. For myself, my favorite tree is the native Catalpa tree. It was about four years ago that my husband and I planted a Catalpa tree in our front yard. It has grown a lot since it was planted. Now it provides shade from the morning sun through the front windows of our house. Some may wonder...
Flowers are growing and blooming more this spring than in years past. My favorite, the peonies, out did themselves and now the irises are showing off. Irises have been in North America since the 1600s. They were brought from Europe by early settlers. These lovely flowers can be found not only in North America and Europe, but also in the Middle East, Northern Africa and Asia. History tells us the ancient Egyptians placed an iris flower on the brow of the Sphinx as a symbol of bravery and wisdom. Where did the name “Iris” originate? Reports say...
Recently a hard decision was made at the Schlaefli farm. With our farm pickup getting age and some mileage on it, we decided to trade it for a newer one. For us, as with most farmers and their families, the farm pickup becomes part of the family and makes it hard to part with it. Thinking back over the years we had our farm pickup, we relied on it so many times. It was dependable and came through for us. Whatever the duty we gave our pickup, it was up for the task. Our pickup wasn’t given a nickname as we had done in the past with our other pic...
It was a wet, showery Monday morning and it was enjoyed. After getting flowers, veggies and grass planted last week, the rains were welcomed. Maybe the old saying “April Showers brings May Flowers” should be changed this year to “May Showers bring May Flowers.” I recalled rains received while a youngster on my folk’s farm. Those rains would often fill the ponds, ditches, draws and creeks. I couldn’t wait until the rains stopped and the sun came out as it meant fun times running down into the home pasture, shedding my shoes and wading into...
Ready or not here comes May! I don’t know where April went, but it’s gone. It’s always a busy month. It’s time to be getting a vegetable garden planted, clean out and start up the water fountain, mow grass and mow again. Then there is my favorite May duty. That’s making trips to my favorite local flower-garden centers to shop for the flowers I hope to get planted in my prepared flower beds. It’s time to be neglectful to my house cleaning duties. It’s time to put on my straw hat and gardening gloves and get to digging in the worked soil....
Last week found my hubby and me on a trip to Kentucky, a state that we had not traveled in before. We saw lots of sites but with both of us being history buffs, we had to tour at least one Civil War battlefield. The one we toured was the biggest Civil War battle that occurred in that state, Perryville Battlefield. A hilly area, it was pictured with the U.S. troops all on one hill. Directly across a small valley was where the Confederate troops were stationed, firing cannons from one hill to the...
In the days before children’s attention was drawn to playing computer games and they had their faces buried in their cell phones, there were some pretty interesting youth games played. Growing up, some of my generation played many physical games that did also require some thinking and planning. During recess at school, games such as dodge ball, softball, Run Sheep Run and Red Rover were often played. At home, my sister and I would compete against each other with games such as Pick Up Sticks, Jacks and Marbles. The Pick Up Sticks were either w...
Rural entertainment has picked up on the Schlaefli farmstead. A few days ago our neighbor turned his cow-calf herd out in the field directly across the road from our house. The cows seem content as there is plenty to eat as they are stationed in a tall green wheat field. Some of the cows have had their calves and some are still in the process of calving. The little calves are bouncing around but never travel far from their mothers. The newborn calves are hard to see when they lay down in the thick wheat. Once in a while the calves play with...
Our calendars are telling us that spring arrived a week ago and Easter is just a few days away, but Tuesday morning as I looked outside, it didn’t look like spring or Easter. Blowing snow arrived late Monday afternoon and in our farm yard, three inches of snow covered the ground. Tuesday the sun was out and the blades of grass and road ways were sparkling showing an ice covering. Yet, there is still hope for a brighter Easter as weather predictions say some of the day temperatures this week may get into the 70s. If this happens, the snow w...
This week I attended a memorial service honoring a fellow club member and friend of my mother’s. As her obituary was read, it was said she was a member of the Young Matron’s Club. Chuckles went up from those in attendance as a remark was made about the club continuing on for years. Why did they never change the name of the club as the members aged? I believe this honored woman was probably the last member of the Young Matron’s Club. My mother was one of the original members of the Young Matron’s Club as I believe the honored one was also on...
It was an unusual 76 degree day Monday and my hubby and I decided to head to the farmstead I grew up on. My cousin had called me earlier in the day and said we needed to come to the home pasture to see the new calves and the first calf heifers when we had the time. I was eager to go. That is one of the things I miss doing since my hubby retired from farming. We used to go out at least once a week to the pastures to check on the cattle. It was extra fun in the fall when the calves would arrive. I enjoyed those cattle and calves checking times....
Currently politics is front and center in many people’s thoughts as this country prepares for the upcoming Presidential election. It seems that over the years, politics and the elections have become more torrid, verbal and targeted. It wasn’t always that way. Growing up in a Republican family, my Granddad and Granny Boyles did not back away from their political views. It seemed my parents followed suit. Granddad and Granny thought highly of President Dwight D. Eisenhower partly because he was a Kansas guy, second was he was a successful general...
Volunteers Wanted! This is a request that seems to be always floating around here and other places. Recently I noted on a social media site volunteers were needed to help with some of the interior construction on the new Jewell County Community Wellness Center. In the local newspaper, a request was made that more volunteers are need to help in the operation of the Ute movie theater, as is the case with a lot of the movie theaters in the area in order to keep the doors open. A recent email gave a shout from the Salina Community Theater that...
