We make commitments to each other in our marriage vows, to our children when we decide to become parents, and to the animals that share our lives. Dogs and cats sometimes live 15 years, but horses can live 25 or 30 years. Marriages end through death or divorce, as mine did. Commitment to myContinue reading “Animal Friends”
Author Archives: llzranch
Hail Storm to Heat Wave
A severe thunderstorm with hail swept though eastern Nebraska and into Iowa on Father’s Day. I drove from a family reunion 70 miles west of my house, back toward home late afternoon. It was sunny and 75 degrees at the family gathering. As I drove east, the temperature dropped and a rain front became visibleContinue reading “Hail Storm to Heat Wave”
Vacation and back to school
A week exploring western Nebraska and eastern Wyoming ended with a visit to the Dignity statue in central South Dakota. She is impressive from Interstate 90 as well as from this view at the rest stop where she resides. The back of her blanket is beautiful as well. It was a peaceful and fitting finishContinue reading “Vacation and back to school”
High Summer
It’s late July, high summer season for garden harvests, flowers and mosquitos. It’s also the general timeline I gave myself to make a retirement decision. I can busy myself picking green beans, husking sweet corn and pruning flower beds to avoid difficult decisions. It’s been a great year for green beans. This is an earlyContinue reading “High Summer”
Windmills
I purchased a photograph of a windmill in Holland from a Dutch photographer, Adrie Nab several years ago. It is a beautiful photograph, and reminds me that windmills are changing. “The iconic Dutch windmills were once state-of-the-art flood control technology. They pumped water from uninhabitable marshes and turned it into farmland, redefining the landscape ofContinue reading “Windmills”
Spring’s Rollercoaster Weather
I started this blog yesterday, but lost it in cyberspace. Writing a second draft is a useful process. It forces me to think about my topic and hopefully do a better job this time. Late April snow blanked the yard. Trees damaged, siding torn from the house in windstorms, and lilacs blooming late are allContinue reading “Spring’s Rollercoaster Weather”
SUNRISE
I like to be up early in the morning and watch the sunrise. It’s life-affirming to see another day emerge from darkness as mother earth turns. Spring mornings often go from pink, to mauve, gold, or red as the morning brightens, as if a master light engineer is controlling the process. I’m sometimes tired andContinue reading “SUNRISE”
Creating Unique Names and Titles
It’s been a while since I posted to this blog, so I’m writing a retirement plan update. One of about a zillion possible ways to think about retirement is to reinvent oneself and start a small business. I’m considering opening a private counseling practice. As I explore this possibility, I learn about a long listContinue reading “Creating Unique Names and Titles”
Birds
Sandhill Cranes gather by the thousands along the Platte River this time of year. Even on a overcast grey morning, it’s an amazing sight to see the islands formed in the river from sleeping crane families. As they fly from the river, it’s often in large groups. If you want to learn more about cranes,Continue reading “Birds”
No Closer
It was a wonderful spring break in Nashville, TN and Ashville, NC. The Smokey Mountains are beautiful. I’ve returned home to a snow-covered landscape and below-freezing temperatures. As the landscape here at home is covered in white, my decision-making is obscured in fog. I hoped to make some progress toward my retirement decision during vacation,Continue reading “No Closer”
