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”
Category Archives: Change
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”
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”
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”
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”
Antiques
I learned sad news about two of my favorite antiques stores when I met a friend for lunch recently. One store was already closed with all the merchandise gone, and another posted Going out of Business signs in the window. These stores had their heyday ten or fifteen years ago when everyone wanted toContinue reading “Antiques”
