In early elementary school, I was fascinated with all books by Beverly Cleary. I can remember my first grade teacher reading Ralph. S. Mouse to our class out loud and loving every page. When I started reading chapter books at the end of first grade, I became very enamored of…

My husband looked at our front steps from the sidewalk to the middle of our front yard and said out loud, “Those steps are going to be a big pain to fix.” I looked at them and thought inside my head, “Those steps are going to make a great photograph.”

This is what my backyard corner tree looks like this week! I love flowering trees. My husband hates them. He is not able to enjoy the beautiful flowers because he knows berries are coming later in the summer that stick to the bottom of his shoes.

I didn’t take the picture because at the time I was feeling a bit frustrated, and didn’t manage to think of my camera stashed away in another room. Large quantities of soap and water were on my mind. While The Banana was napping this morning, I thought it would be…

For at least five years, my favorite part of summer has been lounging about in my hammock swing, cuddling my babies and toddlers, and watching kids run around like crazy maniacs while I sway gently underneath the shade of a lovely tree. So, not long at all after taking up…

When I was back in North Dakota two weeks ago, my Gramma Jan asked me if I wanted to take any special books with me when I moved. Gramma Jan is a reader, and she has an extensive library. Whenever I wanted to read something while I was a teenager,…

Just move to a city with an enormous, incredibly steep hill, a hill that’s so steep your car and legs think it’s almost vertical, and you’ll never have to worry about cardio excercise again. The street I live on is popular for walkers and joggers, who climb from the level…

The Banana, near lunchtime today.