“Dad, you’re never home!” My son, Rhett, cries, burying his face in his hands. Then he throws himself on the kitchen floor. “You’re never here at dinner, and I just want to be with you!” I glance out the kitchen window, the sky is still dark, but there’s a hint of red on the horizon. … More Both Can Be True
One day, God looked down at all the fields, barns, pastures, and farmers and knew He needed someone to take care of all the families on the land. He knew it had to be someone confident in herself to see that the farm doesn’t come first, even when it sometimes feels like it does. He … More So God Made a Farm Mom
First, and this is key; you must declare, “I’ve always wanted chickens! Wouldn’t it be fun?” (Even if you just thought of it yesterday.) You imagine restoring the run-down coop in your farm yard and ask your husband, “Can you fix this coop for me?” He is in the middle of seeding the spring crops, … More How to Save $5 on a Dozen Eggs
“She’s probably the last little one we’ll have at harvest,” my father-in-law said, looking at Nora in her car seat. She smiled at me, her cheeks covered in chocolate, leftover from dinner in the field. I could tell from a distance that her hands were still sticky. The last eight years have been full of … More On Being a Farm Mom During Harvest
I shivered, tucking my hands into the pockets of my brand new Carhartt coveralls. Just the year before, I wore dress pants and skirts and walked the halls as a high school counselor. My old life in the city was a world away from my new life on the farm. Now, cows mooed around me, … More In Good Hands
For weeks, people on social media have been excited about spring. More light! Longer days! My cranky side thinks, Yay, more hours for my husband to be gone! My stomach turns in knots in the weeks leading up to the next busy season. I begin to feel anxious, knowing what’s to come. (And worried at … More Sometimes I’m an Idiot Sandwich
The wind is terrible here. It howls through the windows, and the tree branches scrape against the house’s roof. It’s dry too—we need rain. We needed it weeks ago. Every time I look out the window, I see dirt blowing across the gravel roads—and it feels like a bit of hope is carried away with … More Woman Declares She’s Never Writing Again; Then Posts on Her Blog
My son, Rhett, is stuffing his feet into the wrong shoes when he asks me if I’m going to play football with him and his dad. I’m in the hallway on the way to my office, but I pause to look at him—the familiar knots in my stomach bubbling up. “I have a few things … More The Keeper of All the Things
Nine years ago, love looked like counting down the minutes at work on Friday, then breaking the speed limit to get to the ranch. My stomach full of butterflies—all to spend the weekend with my boyfriend in the calving barn. We worked side by side, our love growing over manure, afterbirth, and newborn calves. My … More Love Evolves: A Short Story
I didn’t mean to pee at a stranger’s house on my wedding day. But I did. After Rich and I exchanged our vows and walked back down the aisle together, my friend, Cassie, handed me my first drink as a married woman. Then we lined up, and people hugged and congratulated us. Then we took … More Never Pass a Place to Pee