I love libraries. After each move during my husband’s Air Force career, one of the first outings with our children was a trip to the local library. It was an attempt to smooth the transition of our move and make the unfamiliar seem familiar. Looking back I wonder how many of those libraries belong to […]
Madonna of the Trail and Other Delights
A steady drizzle fell as we pulled into Council Grove two weeks ago to visit once again this engaging town on the Santa Fe Trail. The gloomy sky suddenly brightened at the sight of a welcome sign in front of the Post Office Oak where our tour was to begin. Members from the Council Oak […]
Native American Treasures
Years ago, while digging through our old family trunk in the attic, I discovered photos my great-uncle had taken of Native Americans while he lived in Gordon, Nebraska. Unlike most of our family who are farmers and teachers, James Miller chose a different path and became a photographer with a studio in this sandhills town […]
Wrapped in Love: The Family Quilt
Family quilts hold special meaning, often because they were made by loved ones and handed down through the years. Although I don’t have the skill or equipment to create a genuinely quilted heirloom, I have wanted to sew quilts for each of our grandchildren. I decided high school graduation was the perfect occasion since I […]
Remembering the Civil War on Memorial Day
“Let no neglect, no ravages of time, testify to the present or to the coming generations that we have forgotten as a people the cost of a free and undivided republic.” General John A. Logan 1868 Memorial Day, the day we honor fallen service members, traces its roots back to the Civil War. Southern […]
Miners Hall Museum
What to do on a golden autumn day but jump in the car for a breezy drive to a small town in Southeast Kansas and visit the Miners Hall Museum. We were greeted by Operations Manager Donna Sue Pintar, who readily offered information and answered questions during our visit. To fully appreciate the museum, you […]
Theodore Clement Steele
Come along with me on this perfect August morning for a ride through the beautiful hills of Brown County, Indiana, to visit the home of artist Theodore Clement Steele. Our drive will take us down scenic Highway 46, then south, following the winding road up through the wooded hills to the top. T.C. Steele, an […]
Blooming Prairie by Candace Simar
The fourth and final book of the award winning Abercrombie Trail series is Blooming Prairie. To offset the loss of crops due to the Rocky Mountain locusts, Evan takes a job driving a mule train over the Wadsworth Trail. The author takes you along for the ride, describing in detail every jolt of the exhausting, […]
Birdie by Candace Simar
It’s 1873 and the story of Evan and Inga Jacobson and their growing family of five sons continues on the Minnesota prairie. Candace Simar has created such life-like characters that you are totally invested in their success or failure as they strive to tame the wilderness and create a home in the face of bank […]
Pomme De Terre by Candace Simar
Pomme De Terre is book two in the Abercrombie Trail series by Candace Simar about the 1862 Sioux Uprising in Minnesota. Simar writes this book from three points of view: Gust Gustofson, his wife Serena, and Drumbeater, nephew of Crooked Lightning who is Evan Jacobson’s life-and-death friend. Through these three narratives, the clash of cultures […]