As a 6-year-old kid, the farmer’s auction barns fascinated me. There were no dress codes, what you drag in on your boots left with you along with something else, and the smell was unimaginable. But that’s ok! Going to the sale barn wasn’t like going to church. Sitting in the ...
My grocery bills have been a challenge recently, so I’ve tried to be better about planning. Quite honestly, it’s been fun. Well, some of it has been. Because of the economy of grocery shopping, I’ve found the need for stricter strategies and more miserly meals. In this vein, I have three ...
Dear Editor: Iowa Republicans like Brenna Bird blame democrats for illegals in Iowa. It is republicans who have complete control in Iowa, not democrats. It was a republican farmer who hired the illegal that murdered Mollie Tibbetts. When I worked in a meat packing plant that hired ...
Life changes us. Sometimes in increments, like accidentally stepping off the curb. Sometimes in ways akin to falling off a cliff. It’s these cliff-changing moments that transform us in ways we could never have imagined - before. It’s like falling from one world into another - into a life so ...
I lived in perhaps the greatest period of time, the 50s & 60s, besides all the other great things of this era, we also lived and were raised in the period called "Small Town, USA." The small town where there were no upper, middle, or lower classes. All the same. Band Concerts, ...
It's been a busy first month of session and we've gotten a lot of feedback from Iowans. While vouchers have dominated the communications we've received from constituents so far, we've gotten a lot of feedback on other issues like property taxes, medical malpractice, and book bans. If there is ...
For farmers across the country, the first months of a new year mean thinking about planting their next crop. For many, it also means thinking ahead to the deadline to sign up for federal crop insurance. Generally, federal crop insurance refers to a set of programs available for agricultural ...
Years ago, I worked as a counselor in a prison when an inmate I’ll call “Kerry” (not his real name) told me a very shocking…and yes, the sobering story of his life. He and his wife had a high-needs daughter, putting an insurmountable strain on their marriage. Finally, they had it ...
I didn’t pay much attention to football for much of my life. But then I gave birth to three sons who adore the sport. I watched them all play while they were growing up, and now I watch with them in front of the flat screen on Sundays (and Mondays and Thursdays - September through the second ...
Last year, Americans spent $23.9 billion on Valentine’s Day gifts! On what? My frugal mind goes to a card (probably homemade) and a marshmallow-filled chocolate heart. But some gift offerings blow my mind! For about 200 bucks, you can buy a portable tabletop fireplace! I didn’t notice ...