I started this post nearly a year ago. Volatile spring weather is a constant each year and has caused havoc from coast to coast in the past year. After an extremely cold February and early March, we are indeed marching toward the end of April. A sunny, windy, warm Easter weekend had turned into aContinue reading “Nature is steering a rocky path this year”
Author Archives: llzranch
Shete Boka National Park
Located on the north end of the Caribbean island of Curacao, the Sheta Boka National Park is, according to their website, an “Area with more than 10 beautiful Boka’s (inlets) where three species of turtles nest. A boka is, in fact, an inlet. Shete Boka stands for ‘seven inlets’. Years ago, the environmental group AmiguContinue reading “Shete Boka National Park”
Visit to an island
Visit an out-of-the-way island for a winter vacation from snow.
How to be happy in January
I’ve been thinking about selecting a good topic to discuss this January, but the grey sky, wind chills, and snow are like a blizzard in my brain, obscuring creativity. Some days, when the sun shines on new snow, however, my mind clears and I appreciate that nature is beautiful. Many other days are gloomy whenContinue reading “How to be happy in January”
Retirement Anxiety
I’ve worked part-time selling irrigation parts, in a kitchen dish room, and winding used film. My full-time jobs include working for a grant-funded group home, a developmental disabilities office, and a state college. I’ve been employed in some capacity for nearly fifty years. Each job provided a regular paycheck. My anxiety is on high alertContinue reading “Retirement Anxiety”
Water
Managing Without Plumbed Water I’ve been writing this blog to help me think about how and when to retire. My decision is made. I’ll be parting from my employer at the end of November, but I’d change that date if I’d have known my rural well was about to fail. I would have worked forContinue reading “Water”
Seasons
There’s been a little snow here early this fall after weeks of wet cold, and now late October warm sunshine. As the season progresses, I’m progressing toward retirement. I selected a last workday, and turned in a letter to make the retirement official. It is a really difficult decision to walk away from students andContinue reading “Seasons”
Barn Swallows
The barn swallows are gone for this year. They left sometime in September. https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Barn_Swallow/id I watch for their return Mid-May every year in Nebraska. I know they will leave end of summer and think I’ll say good-bye this year. I look for them in the evenings, and find they are already gone like quicksilver. OneContinue reading “Barn Swallows”
Animal Friends
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”
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”
