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Cherries and Cheer

It’s always fun to get a surprise in the mail, especially when sent by friends from far away. Though we see them but once in a while, the memories are always a cherished treat.

Hopping Glad

Little Brown Bunny Rabbit has it made. It has plenty to eat, a nice ”briar patch” to call home, lots of friends, and no predators. For the rabbit it truly is a “magic kingdom.” 🐇

We were half way around our usual route when Fairy pointed at the ground and excitedly exclaimed: “Look.” A pair of voles had emerged from the sod, with the teeth of the one solidly latched onto the backside of the other. A little struggle ensued and finally the bite-ee leapt away from the biter andContinue reading “Trouble With the Mrs?”

Summer Sunrise Surprise

Fingers of sunrise pried between a gap in the trees and poked through the window above the door to paint shadows on the adjacent wall. This happens only when the Sun is at its northernmost part of its travels through the seasons. Already it has begun its southerly retreat towards its winter residence, and inContinue reading “Summer Sunrise Surprise”

Small Shoes, Big Hearts

It’s not the size of the shoes, it is the size of the hearts of the ones that wear them. Grandkids are here filling our days with youth, vigor, and purpose. It is really nice to be so old, and yet feel so young because of their very presence.

Pleased to Meet You, Guess My Name

In the autumn of 1970, a young lady and her friends were bantering about good-naturedly in this building. They were part of a college weekend retreat, and I happened to be in the area visiting my parents who lived near there. I had seen her around school, but did not know her name. When theContinue reading “Pleased to Meet You, Guess My Name”

Itty Bitty Butt Biters

They were very cute, very small, and tolerated attention, especially if you offered them a treat. Be careful, however, when you walk away because they love to pony up behind you and bite your behind. When we heard someone yelp while ambling about the grounds, we knew they had experienced another adventure with equine backbiting.

Milling About

As a child I recall the sound of the whirling windmill on our farm, driving the pump shaft up and down to draw water from the ground into a large round metal tank for the dairy cattle. But it was more than just an essential farm fixture, it was a place of imagination and adventure.Continue reading “Milling About”

He’s On the Wall!

He was my namesake, Uncle Howard, botany professor, who had served in WW II in the Pacific, and four times stormed island beaches under fire and survived to tell the tale. He returned to “Hays, America,” as a professor at Fort Hayes State College at Hayes, Kansas, and became curator of the Sternberg Museum ofContinue reading “He’s On the Wall!”

Ukulele Sunset

The setting sun gently caressed two of my ukuleles hanging on the wall in the music room. The brown ukulele came from Moorea, near the island of Tahiti, and was made by a local using wood from a family-owned island nearby. It sounds as lovely as it looks, and brought pleasure to many locals withContinue reading “Ukulele Sunset”