Columns

The asparagus patch called my name

At last, our blissful autumn bid us adieu this past week. Then, up from the valley our middle-aged asparagus patch called my name. When I planted twenty-four crowns twelve Marches ago, at the end of growing season, I let some spears develop ferns to turn brown and...

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Time to start thinking about holiday stress

Today’s fast-paced life is a breeding ground for stress, and the holidays, which are just around the corner, often add an extra layer. Unlike our parents and grandparents who enjoyed simpler lifestyles, our lives are so busy we rarely have time for everyday tasks much...

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A gift from the Egg Lady

On these late autumn mornings, I wait for the fog to burn off before hen chores. This allows the ladies time to lay a handful or two of eggs for the freshest and most nutritious breakfast known to mankind. As I'd expected with the shorter days and cooler weather, our...

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Study Bible and find treasure

As a kid of eight or nine years old, I liked to walk along railroad tracks and pick up interesting debris. The best score was a railroad spike, but I also collected a lot of anthracites. I don't know why I was fascinated by coal, but I was. One day I was showing my...

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To Country View and back

My husband aimed north for Country View Bulk Foods in Snover. We don't keep a deep pantry, which concerns my friends who've dehydrated vegetables and fruit in preparation for a long-term food shortage. We've heard the repeated predictions since 2020 due to the broken...

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Another angle to those family stories

When you get together with family members after you haven’t seen each other in a while, it seems the topic of conversation always steers back to your childhood. Such was the case for my sisters and me recently. My sister Michele, her husband Pete, and daughter Sarah...

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Gold and silver benefits

On a sunny October day, the Townsend Tunnel shines like gold – one benefit to living on a former cow path that intersects Townsend Road, sometimes impassible due to ditches and pot holes from rain and thawing snow flowing downhill. However, whether descending or...

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The Millikin Women – Early Pioneers

On August 13, 2022, Don Millikin, Class of 1967, stopped by the museum. He was in town to attend his 55th class reunion. He had heard that I was looking for family trees of Almont’s earliest settlers. He brought in a tree he had prepared, a detailed tree prepared by...

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A steadfast principle

I arrived in Prestonsburg, Kentucky, before nightfall, the main streets crowded with locals celebrating the annual Jenny Wiley Festival. In the 1950s, Floyd County, Kentucky, developed Jenny Wiley Park in honor of the legendary pioneer taken captive by Native...

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Mary Swan Crosby Farley – Belle Arbor Pioneer

Mary Swan Crosby Farley was born March 1, 1818 in Merrimack, Hillsborough, New Hampshire to William Crosby (1793-1831) and Mary “Polly” Crosby (1793-1878). Mary Crosby’s maiden name is uncertain. Her maiden name is listed as Crosby but I have not been able to confirm...

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