It’s often said that for those of us who live in North Dakota, June is our reward for January. On our farm, June is perfection. The days are long and warm, and the evenings are cool. The landscape is green, growing, and lush, and our sheep and cows graze belly-deep in grasses and forbs. The…
We had been waiting in line for, well, as long as you wait in a line at Disney World. When it was our turn, my girls would be riding Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin together while Joe, my husband, and I shared a spaceship with our preteen son, Peyton. The ride involves a game where…
Have you ever leash-trained a dog? We’re on our third Labrador, and we haven’t successfully leash-trained one yet. Our first dog never needed it; she naturally stayed with us and behaved on walks. Our third and current dog came to us at the age of six via our son’s fraternity. He has plenty of bad…
Every weekday morning, I have a gap of about forty-five minutes between when my son leaves for school and when my younger daughter needs to get out of bed. My oldest is in college, so these are the only two in the house I encourage to rise and shine. Most mornings I use this time…
I fight the urge to hyperventilate as we get close to the trailhead. I wish the cause was adrenaline and excitement, but that’s not the problem. Self-recrimination runs wild. How could I do this to myself again? What was I thinking when I said another yes to this kind of trip? Did I forget that…
Sometimes when I think my face is merely at rest, my expression is serious enough that I convey unfriendliness or that I’m upset or even angry. This is so annoying. When I told my mother that a coworker had informed me of this trait, she revealed that she’d had the same problem in her workplace….