It’s that wonderful time of year when it is hard to avoid ruts. Moisture from snowmelt or spring rains create a muddy mess. If you don’t have concrete everywhere you need to drive, you’re probably creating a rut. It will either freeze or dry into place, and you’ll be left with two options – follow the same path or take the uncomfortable route across it.

“Winning isn’t everything; it’s the only thing.” Who doesn’t love a good Vince Lombardi quote?

As the new year brings excitement for new things, I thought I’d share something I’ve learned over the past several years.

By the time this issue hits mailboxes, my husband and I will have, the Lord willing, settled in at home with our third baby girl. Especially compared to the journey we went through with our second daughter, this pregnancy was mostly uneventful – until I was hospitalized with COVID-19 for a week in September.

In early October, I took time off from my regular occupation to help set up a fundraising event for my children’s school. It is a Fall Festival that includes food, games, a cake walk, country market and live auction.

I don’t think I have ever watched my dad walk from one task on the farm to another. He zips from one end of the yard to the other, taking long quick strides, and is always trying to cram and complete as much work as possible in a day as he possibly can. To do so, it means he needs to move things along as quickly as possible.

Do you like bacon? Unless your freezer is stocked with a hog from a county fair livestock auction, there’s a good chance you’ve picked up a pack of pork products out of the grocery store case.