The Haxtun-Fleming Herald - What can we reason but from what we know? -Alexander Pope

It can be hard for people to find themselves outside of their accustomed elements. To be removed from the known and cast into the unknown, sometimes with little notice or fanfare, can be, well ...

The heart of fall is upon us. It is easy to spot because it is characterized by the grand entrance of varieties of colors. The colors have been there all along, the chlorophyll of the plants masking...

A taste of fall is in the air. The last several days have ushered in cooler air and a freshness that says early autumn has arrived. The gardens have also responded by offering up fall blooms that...

This week has been a great week celestially speaking. Not long after sunset, Jupiter, Saturn and Venus extend in a straight line from one another in the darkening sky, Jupiter toward the east and...

Some things are never meant to last. The bountiful summer produce we enjoy is the perfect example. Sweet corn, cantaloupe, summer squash, and rhubarb are rivaled only by the free-wheeling joy ride...

Being fully present in today’s world can be trying to say the least. Socially, it feels as though we are pushed to the edge. Telling people why they are wrong takes precedence over inviting others t...

It is late summer, otherwise known as tickle grass time. Its grassy seed heads seemingly pop up overnight and manage to cartwheel their way into every nook and cranny around the exterior of the house...

Summer is casually wearing on flowerbed annuals and perennials. Not much has changed temperature-wise, yet there is a smugness one senses in the season that fall is close by. Happily, there is much...

“Come on, Honey, let’s go to the horse sale today.” I suggested to Sue the other day. “What are you going to the sale for?” she replied. “You don’t need another horse and you sure...

The wild onions inhabiting a corner of our rhubarb patch do not lend themselves well to sayings equating life and peeling back layers. Pulling apart the layers isn’t exactly easy when stalks and...

A regular interaction with my life partner has been encouraging one another to find the best in each day, no matter the circumstances. It usually occurs in the form of a question, “What was...

Summer gardens are in their prime. In our case that means lots of yellows to contrast with the raucous carefree colors of potted petunias and other mainstay annuals that help balance our mature garden...

In recent conversation with a sibling, we both paused to admire the full moon as it rose in a glory of deep orange bordering on red. A true harvest moon. It was worth it to pause our dialog and...

What disservice we place at the feet of others when we lament the passage of time and its dilatory effects on us. Our lack of understanding allows ageism — the disparate treatment or prejudice again...

On a scale of one to 10 Every year, we keep running statistics on the consumption of certain summer foods, in particular, watermelons, cantaloupes, and, believe it or not, rhubarb custard pie. How...

It was a box that could only have come from a shop overflowing with decades of “I may need that someday.” It’s not a bad mindset to have if we are going to learn to caretake our only planet a...

Dogs and trucks were made for each other. Some dogs ride in them, others want to chase them. Whatever joy is derived on behalf of the dog, however, is genuine and without artifice. When they ride,...

It is that time of year when certain invasive weeds betray themselves upon blooming. One such species is the nodding thistle, or musk thistle. A combination of rain and warmer weather has encouraged t...

The longest days of summer are nearly here emphasizing the movement of the seasons as well as the beauty of their timing. Early mornings or late evenings are a delight to get caught up in the colors...

Seemingly overnight our irises are back in full force after being shredded a year ago by storms. It’s a reminder of the resilience of nature and God’s divine touch on creation. It’s not only...

Rains and milder temperatures provided blessings this week. Not everyone was eager to claim them, however, given the accompanying damage attendant to several of the storms. It’s been a year since a...

Measuring up The annual spring roundup has begun, not to gather in four-legged critters and such, but to corral the multitude of stray hand tools that survived winter projects only to be misplaced...

The hackberry tree row in our north shelter belt has been present for 80-some years if counting growth rings is worth anything. Hackberries are durable, drought resistant and rather tenacious....

Some decisions are easier than others as evidenced by the driver’s side door latch on our secondary vehicle. It got fussy the last few months and finally refused to work at all… except from the...

Very few things are set in stone, even if we believe them to be absolute and unchanging. That is true in the case of our old farmstead and the concrete steps leading up to the back door. The original...