Home Country
Home Country
Philosophies
Old Jasper Blankenship came down from the diggin’s last week. He always says he has to get groceries, but we believe he comes down three times a year just so he can amaze us with his new philosophies.
Oct 19, 2005 - 12:05:00 PM
Home Country
Trophy
When Bob Garcia removed that old mossyhorn mount from its place over the fireplace, we were a bit confused.
Oct 12, 2005 - 12:02:00 PM
Home Country
Chicken Ranger
“Now that’s the job I want,” said Steve, putting down the paper. “A guy could really sink his teeth into something like that.”
Oct 5, 2005 - 11:55:00 AM
Home Country
Object Lesson
It was that magic time of morning for those of us at the Mule Barn; the time when we're so full of coffee we can't walk, and it's time to decide whether to order lunch there or go home.
Sep 21, 2005 - 3:03:00 PM
Home Country
Fake Lawn
Herb Collins may be forgiven for his fake lawn. We all know about the knee surgery he had, and how difficult it's been for him to get around since then. He had to pay neighborhood kids to mow the lawn for him, and his wife had to water it, something neither of them wanted to happen. Herb was always afraid she'd miss spots with the spray from the nozzle and cause yellow blotches.
Sep 15, 2005 - 12:05:00 PM
Home Country
Haircut
By the time we saw Dud, of course, the damage had been done.
Sep 7, 2005 - 12:02:00 PM
Home Country
Lemonade
We heard about the lemonade stand later, of course, as it was several blocks from where the rest of us lived, but it was only a couple of houses from Herb Collins. He had to go there. He couldn't resist.
Aug 31, 2005 - 8:01:00 PM
Home Country
Jenkins' Cabin
We all know that someone will someday find Jenkins's cabin. Oh, it's up there in those hills somewhere. We all know that.
Aug 24, 2005 - 7:58:00 PM
Home Country
Art Show
It was Herb who first saw Janice Thomas, the art teacher, come in.
Jul 13, 2005 - 12:14:00 AM
Home Country
Dewey
We all knew it was bound to happen, sooner or later. Dewey drives a truck like an Olympic high diver's best: headlong, full out and without looking. The accident with the grease truck was only the latest achievement of the guy who could turn a safety class into an ambulance call.
Jul 6, 2005 - 9:30:00 AM
Home Country
Art
We all read about Pastor Jeff's latest tribulation in the local paper. Maybe tribulation is too strong a word, because, after all, when someone leaves your church a huge legacy, isn't it time for rejoicing? Shouldn't we all be walking around the walls of Jericho tootling on ram's horns and beating the drums in jubilation?
Jun 29, 2005 - 8:47:00 AM
Home Country
Heat
The other night it was hot. Hot during the day, hot at night. Heat seems to define June for us, in many ways.
Jun 25, 2005 - 8:42:00 AM
Home Country
Canoe
I took the canoe out on Miller Pond the other day. It was a nice kind of day, sunny and warm, no wind. I paddled around for about an hour, I guess. Good exercise, right? A relaxing paddle, right?
Jun 15, 2005 - 8:38:00 AM
Home Country
Mosquitoes
It was Doc who first noticed Dud's strange behavior.
Jun 9, 2005 - 11:54:00 AM
Home Country
Seeds & Froth
Bert, usually loquacious, was in one of his rare, but deadly, silent coffee mornings. Normally he'd fill the Mule Barn truck stop with his pronouncements on life, love, literature and the price of cauliflower, but not today.
Jun 1, 2005 - 11:49:00 AM
Home Country
Backhoe
When Jim Kennedy uses his big backhoe, a crowd usually gathers. He's an artist, you see.
May 18, 2005 - 2:04:00 PM
Home Country
Building
A building project (for those of us who are carpenterially challenged) can be a confusing nightmare of little whatchits we never learned the name of and have no idea how to use.
May 11, 2005 - 3:45:00 PM
Home Country
Dog's Loss
He told me he was sorry, but he didn't have a single hound any more. Had to quit coon hunting for good.
May 4, 2005 - 3:41:00 PM
Home Country
April Mornings
April mornings are like Christmas.
Apr 26, 2005 - 3:41:00 PM
Home Country
Laying Eggs
Irma has it figured out. She's a bona fide, egg-laying member of the "Production Red" hen sorority and she knows her rights.
Apr 22, 2005 - 12:41:00 PM
Home Country
Blades of Grass
When, in the course of rural events, it becomes necessary to straighten out the world situation, invent a new gadget, or provide for the common fishing good, there are two venues: coffee or the hunker.
Apr 13, 2005 - 12:39:00 PM
Home Country
Labradoodles
"Labradoodles? Some lady in the city has Labradoodles," Doc said, putting down the paper.
Apr 7, 2005 - 11:01:00 AM
Home Country
Crossing Guard
There could be lots of reasons Martin chose to become the "crossing sergeant."
Mar 30, 2005 - 12:10:00 PM
Home Country
Sailboat
When old Ben died recently, the town was saddened, but probably not for the usual reasons. Ben had been widowed for nearly 20 years and had lived alone in the house where he and Judith had raised their boy, John.
Mar 24, 2005 - 5:42:00 PM
Home Country
Catalogs
The garden catalogs start coming when the snow is too deep to even find dirt. But we don't care.
Mar 18, 2005 - 3:15:00 PM
Home Country
Deer Pointer
We were kinda flattered that she'd come sit with us, but wondered why. After all, this high school art teacher never has been one to sit down and solve the world?s problems, the way we do.
Mar 9, 2005 - 12:50:00 PM
Home Country
Iditarod
It's the first Saturday in March, 1973, and more than 40 dog mushers are ready to leave the semi-pro baseball stadium in Anchorage and drive their teams more than 1,100 miles to Nome.
Mar 2, 2005 - 12:30:00 AM
Home Country
Dishwashers
“Technology,” said Bert the other day, “will save us all. Nothing like it. Just about the time you think you’ve seen it all, they come up with new flimdiddles that make life easier and faster for us all.”
Feb 23, 2005 - 9:06:00 PM
Home Country
Exercise
There’s nothing like kitchen-table guilt. From my kitchen table, I can look out on the path along the creek and see my ambitious neighbors wearing themselves out each morning.
Feb 9, 2005 - 12:28:00 PM
Home Country
Coffee
All Jim wanted was a cup of coffee when he stopped down at the Mule Barn the other day. Sometimes when he comes the three miles down off the interstate with his big rig he has a full meal, but this afternoon it was just for a quick cup and a friendly smile.
Feb 2, 2005 - 6:48:00 PM
Home Country
Night
There’s something to be said for the brightness of day, of course, when the energies of the world improve our lot in life. But for a special time, give me the night.
Jan 28, 2005 - 10:20:00 AM
Home Country
Dog's Auction
One of the great pleasures of hanging around down at the livestock auction barn each Saturday morning is being able to take your dog along.
Jan 26, 2005 - 12:43:00 PM
Home Country
Solenoid
Whenever my lack of mechanical prowess threatens to surface, I sure miss the solenoid.
Jan 23, 2005 - 2:17:00 PM
Home Country
Eating Out
The food’s awfully good down at the Gates of Heaven Chinese Restaurant. Delbert Chin’s been putting on a decent feed there since he came to this country many years ago.
Jan 19, 2005 - 7:45:00 PM
Home Country
The Big Two
There’s something so satisfying about getting out of bed when the world is still dark and quiet and resting.
Jan 7, 2005 - 2:10:00 PM
Home Country
Art
Janice Thomas hasn’t spent 23 years of her life teaching art appreciation and history for nothing.
Dec 29, 2004 - 8:23:00 AM
Home Country
Axes
These days we don’t think much about axes. They’re kinda old fashioned and they are too closely associated with manual labor for them to be very popular.
Dec 22, 2004 - 11:32:00 AM
Home Country
Growing Old
The truth is, the morning coffee drinkers of our area aren’t really old, not
inside. We hurt a bit more the next day when we do things, that’s all.
Dec 17, 2004 - 9:27:00 AM
Home Country
Fireplaces
It’s natural to mumble nasty things about the cold weather. We all do it from time to time. But even the cold has its merits.
Dec 15, 2004 - 8:42:00 AM
Home Country
Firewood Fence
We watched the fence growing, growing even as the snow fell, and there was bile and envy oozing from several pores in town.
Dec 11, 2004 - 12:02:00 AM
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