Kim's County Line

Czech Mate

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 15:59:34 +0000

"Czech"mate: Another Kansas day trip has been successfully completed.

A trip last week took us to the Czech Capital of Kansas - Wilson - and to Lucas by way of Claflin. (Exploring Millers of Claflin furniture store is a whole other kind of trip, but that's another story.)

You know the saying about kids' allowance burning a hole in their pocket? Randy has that kind of reaction when he hears about road trips. Ever since he heard about friends who took their grandsons to the Garden of Eden in Lucas in mid-July, he wanted to schedule a similar road trip.

With a little cooler day in the forecast last Thursday, he convinced me.

During the 1870s, a large migration of Bohemian and Moravian immigrants from Czechoslovakia settled in and around Wilson. Many Czech families still live in the area and carry on Czech traditions, including Czech food, art, dancing and music. The City of Wilson acknowledged its pride in its Czech heritage in 1967, when the State of Kansas declared Wilson the Czech Capital of Kansas. Czech eggs are traditionally painted or embellished eggs exchanged at holidays and celebrations. The painting of the egg is known as the art of kraslice in the Czech culture.

The idea of creating the World’s Largest Czech Egg began in 2003. Hess Services Inc from Hays delivered the fiberglass egg in August of 2012. Volunteers sanded the egg in the summer of 2013, and the black base coat was painted by volunteers in the summer of 2014. The egg design was done by Christine Slechta, the Wilson School art teacher, with students and volunteers doing the painting in the summer of 2015. The egg was dedicated in July 2016, 10 years ago.

The design includes an eight-pointed star, which symbolizes birth and the belief that every person has their own star. The radiant sun means good fortune, and specific colors like red represent joy and health.

The World’s Largest Hand-painted Czech Egg stands 20 feet high and 15 feet wide under a gazebo in the Ed and LaVange Shiroky Park in Wilson. There are smaller decorated eggs scattered around Wilson's downtown.

I loved this sunflower egg. (We should have stopped and taken some other egg photos, but Randy's real destination was the Garden of Eden. Plus, it was getting warmer.)

And who knew there would be a "news peg" for this blog post? On Wednesday morning (08-11-26), I saw that Governor Laura Kelly had announced that the State of Kansas and the Czech Republic signed a Statement of Mutual Cooperation. The statement will allow for greater cooperation between Kansas and the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Industry and Trade related to trade, business development, technological research, and several other key areas. The governor's office said it will foster even stronger bilateral relations and create new avenues of cooperation among Czech and Kansan entrepreneurs, businesses, scientists, artists, universities, and other institutions. The Statement of Mutual Cooperation focuses on four key industries: aerospace; agriculture, animal health, and biotechnology; advanced manufacturing; and nanotechnologies.

And Wilson was mentioned in the press release: "The statement strengthens ties between the citizens of the Czech Republic and Kansas and supports Czech cultural heritage in the state. Kansas is home to several Czech businesses as well as the town of Wilson, the Czech Capital of Kansas and one of the largest Czech-American communities in the United States."

We ate lunch at Made From Scratch in Wilson. Both of us were planning to order bierocks, but they were sold out. I had a delicious Reuben sandwich on homemade rye bread with house-made sauerkraut. Randy finished his meal with rhubarb pie ala mode.

Then we were off to Lucas. Driving by Wilson Lake was a trip down memory lane for Randy, who used to take the kids there on camping trips. He pointed out the convenience store where he'd let the kids choose Oreos and other snack foods. When he was a teenager, there were also plenty of excursions to Wilson Lake with his family and neighbors.

From the Lucas Chamber of Commerce web page

Lucas is known as the Grassroots Capital of Kansas. Grassroots art is defined as creative work made by self-taught individuals. Lucas has grassroots art from more than 20 artists. Lucas was named one of the 8 Wonders of Art by the Kansas Sampler Foundation.

The movement in Lucas began way back in 1907, when Civil War Veteran Samuel Perry Dinsmoor began creating his cabin home and sculptures using concrete and native post rock at age 62.

He constructed the home using limestone logs, some up to 21 feet long. Then, using 113 tons of cement, Dinsmoor built 40-foot tall "trees" to hold his larger-than-life figures for his sculpture garden. The sculptures reflect Dinsmoor's views about Populist politics, life and the Bible.

Dinsmoor built a 40-foot tall limestone mausoleum for himself and his first wife. Visitors can actually "visit" Dimsmoor in his handmade glass-topped concrete coffin. Yes, it's bizarre. But then again, I supposed The Garden of Eden is bizarre, too.

The mausoleum is the pyramid-shaped building on the right.

Adjacent to the Garden of Eden is Roy and Clara Miller's rock park.

It was created by the Millers originally "as an oasis for weary travelers" and was located on the west edge of town. The Millers traveled to 37 states, picking up interesting rocks, minerals, shells and artifacts. They incorporated their finds into a series of cone shaped towers. The park opened in 1921 with sculpture construction started in 1932. In 1969, the site was sold to settle the estate and sculptures moved to Hays. But in 2013, the sculptures came back to Lucas.

These aren't the only bizarre attractions in town. Because Lucas has more than 15,000 visitors a year exploring the grassroots art, the city needed public restrooms. So the Grassroots Art Center and other residents created a public restroom that's also an art attraction.

The building is shaped like a toilet tank, the benches in front represent the curved toilet seat and the entrance is like a raised toilet lid. The sidewalk spools out of a toilet paper sculpture.

Inside, almost every surface of the bathrooms - except the toilet and the sinks themselves - are mosaic art.

Inside the women's bathroom:

And inside the men's bathroom:

Toilet Bowl Plaza was voted the 2018 International Toilet Tourism Award for Quirkiest. Imagine that!

We also went into other art galleries and the Roadside Sideshow Expo, which features "the World's Largest Collection of the World's Smallest Versions of the World's Largest Things." (Now that's a mouthful!)

If oddities and curiosities are appealing, a road trip to Lucas might fulfill some of your hankerings for the bizarre.

Trojan Pop Shop: Enterprising Sisters

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Tue, 04 Aug 2026 16:33:13 +0000

(This article was written as part of a new contest sponsored by Stafford County Economic Development during the 2026 Stafford County Fair. Entrants were tasked with taking a photo of a Stafford County business owner and then writing two paragraphs about the business. I also turned in a short version of this story to fit the contest parameters, but I wrote this feature-length story after enjoying my interview with all the girls and their moms. After all, I am a feature writer/reporter at heart.)

A Facebook post on May 3 provided the first inkling that something new was coming to 111 West Broadway in downtown Stafford:

6 girls.

3 sets of sisters.

Lots of ideas.

We can’t wait to share more with you soon.

From the Pop Shop Facebook page

The first of those ideas was realized when those six girls – and their moms – opened the Trojan Pop Shop on May 16 for the first time. The girls are Paisley and Bristol Byer, Rylee and Reagan Ferguson and Braxie and Emersyn Lopez. Their moms are Julie Byer, Holly Ferguson and Stacie Lopez. The shop offers drinks, dirty sodas, snow cones and ice cream. That may sound simple. But the menu gets more complex all the time as the girls brainstorm new drinks and tasty treats.

Mom Julie Byer admits she hoped they’d sell six drinks a day. They had 200 cups when they first opened for business, and they figured they’d last a week … maybe even the whole month. They barely made it through the first day. The moms were on a grocery run for additional supplies after only a couple of hours. By the end of the day, they’d been back to the store three times.

Stafford had shown up for these budding entrepreneurs. And they continue to show up. On June 13, the Pop Shop celebrated its 1,000^th transaction with confetti. By July 11, they were nearing their 2,000^th transaction and were already trying to come up with a way to celebrate another milestone. They purposefully set their prices much more economically than the big-name drink shops. They wanted to build repeat customers through competitive pricing, and the strategy has paid off with high traffic during pool hours, through drink runs from local businesses, during the lunch hour, after work and for after-dinner treats.

The idea originated with the moms, who all work together at Stafford County Hospital.

“These girls have basically grown up with one another,” Julie said. “They’re like family.”

Holly said that jobs for teenagers – especially those younger than 16 – aren’t readily available. Rylee had been a lifeguard at the Stafford Pool before and there were the inevitable babysitting jobs. But all the girls wanted a different summer job – a “fun summer job,” Braxie adds.

The building at 111 West Broadway was already set up for food service with a serving counter and seating. The location in the heart of downtown Stafford was ideal. The moms saw a pathway to employment, and the girls bought into the idea. The owner of the building generously allows them to use the building rent-free. The Pop Shop pays for its own utilities.

There’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes before it’s time to open a business, the girls learned. They went through the Serve Safe certification program to learn how to safely handle food and ingredients. They were inspected by the Kansas Department of Agriculture food inspectors before they could open their doors. They all had to learn the point-of-sale computer system.

Trojan Ice Cream Nachos - photo from their Facebook page

But there were fun parts, too. They brainstormed drink ideas. To give customers inspiration for drink creations, the girls each had signature drinks on the menu when they opened: Bristol (Crazy Coconut), Paisley (Electric Wave), Reagan (Orange Oasis), Rylee (Classic), Braxie (Pink Paradise) and Emersyn (Trojan Punch). And the brainstorming continues. The girls have dreamed up new drinks to tie to other things happening in Stafford. When the Ritz Theatre brought in “Toy Story” and “Minions and Monsters,” the girls came up with additional drinks unique to several of the main movie characters, like Jessie’s Roundup, To Infinity and Beyond and Kevin’s Banana Split. Similarly, there was a slurry of new red, white and blue creations during the 4^th of July weekend.

From their FB page - one of their 4th of July specials

“We like tying the drinks to things happening around town,” Stacie said. “It helps both us and the other business.”

Similarly, they’ve brought in several different food trucks on Saturdays. Customers come and get a meal at the food truck and then visit the Trojan Pop Shop for drinks, snow cones and ice cream treats. They have food trucks scheduled for the first four Saturdays of August.

“Every food truck we’ve cooperated with has sold out by mid-afternoon,” Julie said. Those days also bring more money to the Trojan Pop Shop till.

The girls are giving back to the community with those proceeds. Their ice cream machine had been used in the Stafford USD 349’s concession stand. At the end of the summer, a percentage of each ice cream cone sale will go to Stafford’s after-school STAR program. By July 10, they’d sold 600 cones.

There’s another piece of the community behind the counter. A mint green milkshake blender that had been used in the Curtis Café now whirs up ice cream treats for their customers, so there’s a bit of nostalgia for older Pop Shop customers. The girls prefer it to the newer machine beside it. However, after the first week, they did add a modern electric lemon squeezer to the kitchen arsenal to make their fresh-squeezed lemonades.

The girls are learning more than even their moms imagined. They are hands-on with inventory, ordering, counting the money, customer service and advertising through social media. Soon-to-be eighth grader Emersyn Lopez writes the pay checks and pays the bills by check.

These are busy young women, each with their own extracurricular activities, ranging from volleyball, basketball, cheerleading, trap shooting, 4-H, driver’s education classes … the list goes on and on. But since some of the girls are in middle school and some are in high school, they’ve juggled the schedule so that at least three of them are on staff during their business hours: 11 AM to 6 PM on Wednesdays and Thursdays and 1 to 8 PM on Fridays and Saturdays.

The moms are working at the hospital, so the girls are on their own the majority of the time serving customers. During their weekly four-day run, they go through 16 gallons of ice cream base, countless bottles of flavored syrups and creamers, as well as a rainbow of mini M&Ms, nuts, cookie crumbs and more.

When school starts, the Trojan Pop Shop will take a hiatus. But every girl says they want the job again next summer. They plan on being open during Stafford’s Oktoberfest and may find some other open weekends for a “pop-up” customer experience advertised through social media.

Bristol says she’s been amazed at the wide range of ages who frequent the shop. Paisley says the experience has helped her learn to stay calm – even when a line of customers forms. Reagan, Rylee and Braxie have been amazed at the faithfulness of the customers, especially those who show up almost every day to support them. And Emerson may be the most honest, when she says her favorite part is getting paid.

The moms have seen growth, too. Like the good friends they are, they spoke together, adding onto the ways they’ve seen their daughters grow this summer.

“Of course, sisters have their moments – probably more with their own sibling than with their friends. But they’ve even grown up this summer with their sibling relationships. They’ve had to work together and rely on one another. They’ve learned what being an entrepreneur and being self-employed means. They’ve learned about customer service and communication skills, about revenue vs. expenses and about paying taxes. They formed an LLC and each has their own bank account. They’ve been forced to problem-solve when they run out of ingredients or something doesn’t work. They have taken giant steps towards adult life.”

None of the girls think that a career slinging drinks or making ice cream cones is their ultimate job goal. But they can see that their experience would make them a qualified barista or part-time café employee in a college town for a little extra money. And being an entrepreneur on some level is among the options at least one of them is considering as they move toward adulthood.

Fair Fare

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Tue, 28 Jul 2026 20:03:31 +0000

Randy in 1967, a 5th grader and his first year in Stafford County 4-H with his first 4-H beef project.

4-H is "very fun." Just look at any beginning 4-Her's permanent record book.

Randy's record book from his first year as a Stafford County 4-Her in 1967 said:

This year is my first year in 4-H. I have enjoyed it very much. Going to the 4-H things has been very fun. I really enjoyed the refreshments very much. I am looking forward very much to next year in 4-H. This year, I have enjoyed 4-H camp and have got lots of ribbons.

My first 4-H story was also written in 1967, as a fourth grader. (The photo at the left was the one attached to my 4-H permanent record.) My story was longer. (There's a big surprise, right?) I used the word "fun" six times to describe my song leading job, picking out ingredients for my Snacks and Little Lunches project, 4-H Sunday and assorted other 4-H events. I also "enjoyed" things twice and "liked" 4-H another time or two. A glance at Jill's and Brent's record books mirrored our family's outlook that 4-H is "fun" and very likeable.

4-Hers - and their parents - have been "liking" the youth program for more than 100 years, long before there was a "like" button on Facebook pages. On Friday, we went to the Shawnee County Fair in Topeka to see Kinley's and Brooke's 4-H projects. Kinley and Brooke come from a long line of 4-Hers, including their maternal great-grandparents and their paternal great-grandmother (Bonnie Ladd).


Bob & Janis Moore - Pratt County Fair service award recipients	in 2011

My family's involvement with 4-H started with my parents back in the 1940s. Both were members of the Lincoln Bluebirds 4-H Club in Pratt County, the club that my siblings and I later joined. (That club later merged with another, and we became the Lincoln Climbers.)

Eric's family is similarly entrenched in the 4-H program. These days, Eric is one of the community leaders for the Auburn 4-H Club in Shawnee County. His dad, Alan, worked in both Kansas and Iowa Extension before retirement. Grandma Christy still judges her fair share of hand pet projects at county events.

Participating in county fairs is second nature to all of us - including Kinley and Brooke. This year's fair for the girls wrapped up on Sunday.

But the girls excelled in the foods division. Kinley's Apple Cider Doughnut Cake with caramel frosting was Best of Show, giving her a chance to sell in the premium auction.

Kinley also had the top ribbon for decorated cookies or cupcakes.

This year's entry was a beach theme. The decorating/artistic part of food preparation appeals to Kinley, and she's had a purple ribbon in that category every year of her 4-H career.

Here she was in 2021 and her decorated watermelon cookies at her very first Shawnee County Fair. We all think she could sell the cookies professionally, but she'd have to get faster to make it economically feasible. Bonus: The leftover cookies were delicious!

Brooke also got to sell during the food premium auction. Her braided Everything Bagel bread got the champion ribbon in intermediate foods.

I had to show the full balloon display created as a backdrop for this year's fair.

Brooke had a great first year in photography. Two of her photos got champion and reserve champion in beginning photography for color photos. Until this year, I'd helped Kinley mount her photos for the fair. But this year, Kinley mounted her own and taught her younger sister. That's what 4-H is all about: Learning to do something and then passing it along to another 4-Her.

Brooke also got a champion ribbon for her educational notebook on book genres, which helped complete her 4-H reading project.

Kinley and Summer were back in the dog obedience and agility competitions.

Summer made it through the agility course with no errors, a first for this duo, which qualified for a purple ribbon.

We did plenty of laughing getting Summer to the fairgrounds for the show. Kinley and Eric had to go early to help set up. Eric asked us to bring a wheelbarrow to help move all the paraphernalia after the show, so Summer couldn't sit in her customary spot in the back of the SUV. She invaded Brooke's personal space.

And she probably caused some second glances from other drivers at stop lights as we drove across Topeka to the Expo Center.

The fair ended on Sunday after the style show. Both girls earned purple ribbons in that competition and both qualified to compete at the Kansas State Fair fashion review in September.

The girls definitely had a better outcome at the Shawnee County Fair than I did at the Stafford County Fair the week before. But that's OK. I definitely have had my share of champion or reserve champion photos in open class in the past.

And I did well with the extra photo contests - one sponsored by the Kanza Chapter of the D.A.R. and another contest sponsored by Stafford County Economic Development.

This composite photo was chosen by the D.A.R. as the winner in a contest celebrating America's 250th birthday. I created it several years ago and have used it on notecards, but I thought it was perfect for the sesquicentennial.

This photo taken in a milo field last October got the top award in the commerce category from Stafford Eco/Devo.

That photo is now on a conference room wall at the Staley Leadership Building on the campus of Kansas State University. (Story HERE.) It will also be used for the South Central Community Foundation Match Day campaign this fall. The photo also got a blue ribbon in the fair's open class agriculture category.

A cropped version of this panoramic sunset shot taken last December at Quivira National Wildlife Refuge was second in the Stafford County Places category.

A story and photo about the Trojan Pop Shop in Stafford operated by three sets of sisters won first place in the business owner/blog category, a new category for the fair. I'll post that story in an upcoming blog.

Other blue ribbon photos in open class were this one, taken on the Durango-Silverton train in Colorado last October ...

... And this photo I took when we were on vacation with the girls earlier this summer in Omaha at the Lauritzen Botanical Gardens.

I had several other photos which were second- or third-place in their open class photography category and some that didn't place at all.

My online scrapbooking entry in arts and crafts got first place in its category. I try to do a book after our trips to collect the photos and the blog posts I write following the trip.

While it wasn't a banner year for me at the Stafford County Fair, that's not why I do it anyway. I've been part of county fairs in one way or another for my entire life. It's a tradition that's worth preserving.

And while it's great to collect purple ribbons and extra prize money, I hope what the girls ultimately collect from the 4-H experience is to take the 4-H pledge and the 4-H experience to heart.

I pledge my head to clearer thinking

My heart to greater loyalty

My hands to larger service

And my health to better living

For my club, my community, my country and my world.

The 4-H Pledge, Written in 1919 by Kansas 4-H Leader Otis Hall

It would probably be a better world if all of humanity would think about the principles that 4-Hers vow to uphold: Clearer thinking, greater loyalty, larger service, better living ... those are all attributes that would do this old world a whole lot of good.

For 120 years, 4-H has been changing lives. Back in 2006, we celebrated 100 years of Kansas 4-H. The youth program has been part of the national landscape since 1902.

The 4-H website says:

The 4-H idea is simple: help young people and their families gain the skills they need to be proactive forces in their communities and develop ideas for a more innovative economy. That idea was the catalyst to begin the 4-H movement and those values continue today.

No wonder it's stuck around this long.

America: Celebrating 250 Years

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Fri, 03 Jul 2026 15:38:12 +0000

Last evening, we went to Sterling Community Theatre's production of the musical, Come From Away. It tells the true story of how the people in the small town of Gander, Newfoundland, opened their homes and community to strangers when American airspace closed during the 9/11 attacks. Ultimately, 38 international planes carrying 6,579 passengers and crew were diverted to an old air base in Gander.

The airline passengers were from all over the world, speaking different languages and practicing different religions. But local residents opened their homes, schools, churches, community buildings and hearts to thousands of travelers they had never met. While the musical acknowledges some misunderstandings when the various cultures collide, the overriding message celebrates how ordinary people can find common ground and care for one another with hospitality, compassion, and human connection during difficult times.

Photo from the Theatre Kansas Facebook page

I'd never seen the musical, but I read the book on which it was based, The Day the World Came to Town: 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland, by Jim DeFede. The Sterling Theatre Troupe is chock full of talented singers and actors. The musical has a 12-member cast who portray more than 150 characters. There aren't elaborate sets. Only a few chairs and tables are shifted to create the illusion of being inside an airplane, at a local pub or finding shelter at a school gym. (If you're near Sterling, there are still two opportunities to see the musical at Sterling High School: 7:30 Friday, July 3, and at 2 PM on Sunday, July 5. There is no July 4th performance. Tickets are available at the door.) The production also includes a talented nine-member band that almost made you believe you were in a pub in Newfoundland with their whistles, mandolins, fiddles, accordion and more.

The musical's central message is this: Despite our differences, we are all connected. And isn't that a good message to remember as we celebrate our nation's 250th birthday?

Display along Highway 50 in Stafford, KS

It may be hard to remember that, if we're only relying on news programs or scrolling through our social media feeds with the plethora of contrasting opinions and points of view ... and the viotrol that often accompanies those sources.

This morning, I picked up a little book that has been decorating my mantle from Flag Day to the 4th of July. It was one of the "treasures" from my Grandma and Grandpa Neelly's house. It's called We Love America: Simple Stores of American Living. The back cover says it is part of the Patriot's Series. I don't remember my Grandma reading this particular book to us, but I loved the illustrations so I brought it home anyway.

The book's copyright is "MCMXLI." I'll save you a Google search. That's 1941.

On the inside cover, it says: Janis Neelly from Your Sunday School Teacher. It's Grandma Neelly's handwriting, so it was really to my mom from her mom masquerading as her Sunday School teacher. (We moms are always wearing multiple hats, aren't we?)

It had been awhile since I'd looked inside. But this morning, I picked it up and looked through it.

The book "visits" different children and tells about their homes - everything from the "big city" to an "Indian pueblo." I've shared a few of the pages on the blog before.

Some of those children live on a farm: I couldn't help but contrast the hay found in the book with some photos I took a couple of weeks ago in a neighbor's hay field.

I liked the patriotic wrap against a dramatic sky.

But, back to the book. Other American children live on a ranch:

It's not surprising that the farm and ranch pages appealed to me. But this time, I noticed some other pages. In one, three little boys watch a parade. But they don't all look the same.

"They do not all have the same ways. But they all like parades."

The same is true for three little girls at a circus:

"Do you know something? American girls do not all look the same. They do not all have the same ways. But they all like to go to the circus."

A little boy discovers he can go to school, even though he doesn't have any money.

Sammie learns that American libraries are free.

One of the pages reminded me of the message of Come From Away: "It's fun to be friendly, wherever you go."

Perhaps those are messages worth remembering as we celebrate our 250th birthday. May we - like those Newfoundlanders - find common ground in our differences and respond with compassion and understanding.

Happy Independence Day weekend everyone!

Catch and Release

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Tue, 30 Jun 2026 14:27:31 +0000

"Who hears the rippling of rivers will not utterly despair of anything."

-- Henry David Thoreau

I often see inspirational posts, touting the healing powers of the ocean. And while I would never dispute the beauty and majesty of the seashore, it's little more than a pipe dream for someone who spends most of their time in land-locked Kansas.

While it may not be as mighty or awe-inspiring as the crash of waves along a rocky shore or the ebb and flow of water racing toward a sandy beach, a trip to a favorite fishing spot along the Ninnescah River also provides that calming sound of moving water. (Be sure to have the sound on as you watch the video.)

For weeks, our home along the Stafford/Reno County Line had been in a slash of red on a map right in the middle of Kansas. That red signified an area of extreme drought.

But last week, 5 inches of rain improved our drought status here. And Randy was anxious to visit the Ninnescah pasture for a fishing trip.

The Johnson pasture along the Ninnescah has long been a "summer vacation spot" for our mama cows and their calves. On that summer evening, the cattle were grazing in another part of the pasture. They might have been missing out on the beauty, but it was there for the taking for a couple of interlopers in a Gator.

Randy is the fisherman. I'm more along for the ride and the natural beauty. I may hold a fishing pole for awhile, but I'm usually more interested in holding the pages open on my book, competing with inopportune page turning from the Kansas wind.

And let's be honest: Randy does the hard work on these expeditions. He gathers the supplies and equips the Gator and baits the hook. I guess he finds the companionship worth it? Or maybe I'm there to be the cheerleader? Or official photographer to prove his mighty fisherman status?

That night was a "catch and release" night. He weighed the catfish, reported its 3-pound heft and then tossed it back in the water.

I'm also content to wander around and find the splashes of color provided by the wildflowers.

There were yellow cone flowers.

The lavender of the wooly verbena is always a favorite for this K-State fan.

And the purple poppy mallow almost mimicked a rose. (I personally think they should be called pink or magenta poppy mallow, but nobody asked me.)

But the "music" of the evening was provided by the river as it tumbled over the dam and crashed into the rocks below.

The frothiness looked like suds on top of an ice-cold soda pop, which might have made the humid June evening a little more tolerable.

When Randy first felt a tug on his line, the froth covered up the "prize" until he reeled it in. It wasn't a catfish. It was a turtle, which he unhooked and sent on its way.

After a precarious slide down to the water's edge when he caught the catfish, I am adding another tool in Randy's fishing arsenal. I ordered a fishing net with an expandable handle. It will go right along with the retractable/expandable golf tool I bought him a few years ago for Christmas that he uses to retrieve balls from underneath trees or in water hazards.

While the water is great and all, taking an unexpected swim isn't in the plans - even if it might have felt good on a warm June night.

Making Memories: Part II

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Wed, 24 Jun 2026 13:09:14 +0000

Omaha has been the destination this month for the NCAA Men's College World Series. And while we've watched some of the baseball series on ESPN, we definitely avoided those dates when planning our trip to Omaha with Kinley and Brooke.

Our third day took us first to the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge.

Affectionately known as "Bob," this 3,000-foot-long, S-curved cable-stayed bridge spans the Missouri River, connecting Omaha, Nebraska, to Council Bluffs, Iowa.

It's not like the girls needed to check off a trip to Iowa.

After all, their other grandparents lived there until recently.

But Grandpa Randy loves rivers.

Often, he's driving as we cross bridges, so this gave him ample time to gawk without danger of bodily harm to him or any passengers.

Our next destination was visible from the bridge.

It was just a short walk down the riverfront.

The Luminarium was new to Randy and me, too. It had been added to the Omaha landscape since our last visit. It's an 82,000-square-foot interactive science museum. Opened in 2023, it features more than 125 hands-on exhibits designed to explore the intersections of science, art, and human perception.

We all loved it. It ranked right up there with the zoo's aquarium among our top spots in Omaha.

It's hands-on, like this station where Brooke made waves.

There were the typical activities you'd expect at a science museum ...

Chain reaction ...

... Gravity ...

... And the value - or not - of teamwork.

But it also makes you think about things like the economy in the U.S. ...

... Growing your money ...

... Building a thriving society ...

... and even thinking about how individuals react differently.

Kinley contemplated a name change ... and why. (Brooke did it, too, but then it wouldn't come up on the screen.)

Kinley and I tried to match our faces to create a whole new face.

My favorite was a station on water drop photography.

Brooke liked making the robots dance.

Grandpa liked finding living things when he examined soil. (Imagine that ...)

And Kinley liked a You Wear It Well exhibit, where she got to “try on” outfits by projecting different clothing styles onto her body. It was a reminder that our clothing is one way we message who we are in the world.

We made bubbles and watched them dance with a little air movement ... but not too much!

We sat across the room from one another and were able to hear what the other person was saying.

The "whisper chairs" (or whispering dishes) demonstrate the physics of sound waves by letting you have a perfectly clear conversation with someone located far across the room. When you whisper into the dish, it focuses and directs your voice across the room in a concentrated beam, allowing a person sitting inside the receiving dish to hear you clearly despite the distance. It was mind boggling!

All of us would highly recommend this stop if you're in Omaha.

What's a trip to the "big city" if you don't do a little shopping ... especially if you're with a teen and pre-teen? We spent part of the afternoon at Westroads Mall. (There is no photographic evidence, but there are shopping receipts to prove our presence.)

We left the next morning to take the girls home, so that we could turn around and go back to Kearney, Nebraska, for a church conference. And it was worth every mile to spend a few days with the girls.

Making Memories: Part I

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Tue, 23 Jun 2026 14:09:49 +0000

Time passes quickly. I know writers are supposed to avoid tired, worn out cliches like that. But the sentiment is definitely apt. When the 2026-27 school year begins, Kinley will be a freshman in high school. Brooke will leave elementary school behind for her first foray into middle school as a sixth grader.

And we know we're not getting any younger. So we decided to make a few memories while the girls were still willing - and able - to spend a few days with us. With their packed schedules - no matter the season - carving out time is a challenge. Last year, we took the girls on a short trip to Branson, Missouri. This year, the destination was Omaha.

Thankfully, Kinley and Brooke were patient with the old people. And, as the society pages in the old weekly newspapers would report, "A good time was had by all."

We left Topeka on Memorial Day. A flag-filled park in Auburn, Nebraska, caught our eye. We "crashed" the community's Memorial Day celebration in Legion Park. And it gave us a beautiful place to stretch our legs.

Legion Memorial Park is designated as a National Historic Park Site (one of six in the state of Nebraska). The granite and limestone building structures were part of the Works Progress Administration projects of President Roosevelt. On Memorial Day, there were hundreds of flags lining sidewalks and dotting the grass throughout the park.

Our next stop was the Lee G. Simmons Wildlife Safari Park near Ashland, Nebraska. It's a four-mile, drive-through wildlife park, featuring elk and buffalo.

We did see both elk and buffalo, but they were far enough away that the photos aren't memorable.

There are also a few places to park - like the Pelican Wetlands.

American White Pelicans can be seen fishing in groups, where they swim in circles to concentrate the fish and simultaneously dip their heads below the surface to catch them. During mating season, they produce temporary growths on the top of their bills. (You can see that better in the photo below.)

There was also an enclosure for black bears (maybe one black bear ... we only saw the one).

Our next destination was the Holy Family Shrine near Gretna, Nebraska. Randy and I visited their twice when Jill and Eric lived in Omaha just after they were married.

The structure of the chapel reminds us of the one we visited in Eureka Springs, Ark., a few years ago. (I wrote about the Holy Family Shrine in more detail HERE and HERE.)

The Holy Family Shrine was built not far off I-80. The idea for the shrine was conceived in 1993, and the visitor center was completed in 1997. The visitor center is built into a hillside, bringing to mind Jesus' burial in the tomb following his crucifixion. After the original chapel collapsed in a windstorm in 2000, the rebuild took two and a half years to complete.

On Good Friday 2009, they erected a crucifix outside the shrine. It is approximately 40 feet tall, one foot for every day of Lent. The figure of Christ is just over 8 feet tall.

Since we'd last been there, they'd added a walkway with the Stations of the Cross. Even though we are firmly United Methodist - not Catholic - I think the symbolism and beauty are well worth the short detour off I-80.

Next stop was Lauritzen Gardens in Omaha. We began in the 17,500-square-foot Marjorie K. Daugherty Conservatory, which features a glass dome that houses thousands of tropical and rare plants. The grounds feature more than 20 distinct outdoor areas, including the Rose Garden, Japanese Garden, Victorian Garden, Song of the Lark Meadow and an arboretum.

We probably didn't do our best planning in regards to this stop. By the time we arrived, it was pretty hot. And remember what I mentioned about old people? Well, sometimes it's not just plants that do some withering in the heat. And, honestly, the teen and pre-teen were fading, too.

But we did get a few 4-H photos taken.

We chose the Inner Rail Food Hall for supper. With eight different food vendors, everyone could choose what they wanted. We liked that so well that we returned for another supper later in the week.

As intended, we arrived at the Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium the next day at opening time to try to capitalize on the cooler morning, at least for as long as it lasted.

This was another destination we'd explored when Jill and Eric lived in Omaha, but this was B.C. - before children, so it was fun to experience with the girls.

The zoo consistently ranks as one of the country's best zoos, and we would concur. It spans 160 acres and houses more than 33,000 animals. In the photo above, we're in front of the Desert Dome, the world's largest indoor desert and the largest glazed geodesic dome. It recreates ecosystems from the Namib, Australian, and Sonoran deserts.

All four of us chose the Suzanne and Walter Scott Aquarium as our favorite zoo spot. It features the largest aquarium inside of a zoo, complete with an underwater tunnel that lets guests walk beneath sharks, fish and sea turtles.

And Brooke tried some more photos for 4-H - bonus!

At the time we arrived, a zoo keeper was inside the puffins enclosure, so it was fun to watch her feeding and interacting with the animals.

The penguins seemed to be watching us as much as we were watching them.

They have a huge enclosure for apes, gorillas and monkeys.

This guy seemed protective of his celery.

I also loved the butterfly house. (Others were probably not as enamored.)

We saw the usual lions and tigers and bears - oh my! - along with elephants and giraffes. We also cooled off with some Dole Whip.

And we saved some steps riding the Skyfari.

We ended the day watching two films in the Imax theater. There was a method to our plan. The theater was near the exit. We watched Coral Sea Adventure and Wild Asia: Life at Extremes in the air-conditioning as the afternoon temperatures continued to climb.

After a rest and showers for grandparents and girls, we ate at Cheesecake Factory. Of course, we had meals. But the highlights were the desserts. Brooke isn't a cheesecake lover, so she ordered the chocolate cake. But the rest of us got cheesecake. (Half of the desserts ended up going back to the hotel refrigerators for another day-end treat.)

Grandpa's Banana Creme cheesecake is also shown above.

Yes, I should have taken the photos when they arrived at the table - pristine and photogenic. Come to think of it, it's a good thing that a guy asked to take our photo at the zoo just as we were getting started. It would have been a less photogenic picture at the end of the zoo day.

Pot of Gold? Wheat Harvest 2026

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Tue, 16 Jun 2026 13:38:29 +0000

Photo taken Saturday night - June 13, 2026

It's not a year when the wheat crop is like a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. But the sun has set on the 2026 wheat harvest.

June 4, 2026

As my brother aptly described of his harvest in Pratt County, "Wheat 2026 is in the bin. Just didn’t fill the bin."

We don't have the final figures in. The Millers have the wheat custom cut by Frederick Harvesting out of Alden. They started cutting on us last Thursday and finished on Saturday. We are always amazed at how quickly it goes when a custom crew is involved. Back when we were farming full-time, it took a minimum of 10 days to get everything cut ourselves. It often stretched out further with weather delays and breakdowns.

You can barely see the third combine in the dust behind the grain cart.

But, when there are three combines in the field with 40-foot headers, things go quickly. (The one combine we owned at the end of our active farming (2022) was 35 feet. Randy says he thought that was big at the time.)

With a custom crew racing on to the next customer's fields, you often don't get the scale tickets immediately, so we don't have the yield-per-acre numbers yet.

But it was a year when we didn't get timely rains during the time when the wheat heads were filling, so we knew it wouldn't be a "pot of gold" year for our golden crop. It was a dry winter in our area. Until two weeks ago, we were in a swath of Central Kansas in extreme drought. Now, we're in an area classified as severe drought.

Randy rode along with one of the combine operators a few times. Saturday morning, we spent quite awhile just watching the action.

Two combines were cutting during most of the time we were there, with a third broken down.

But they eventually got it running, too, taking even bigger swaths through the fields.

We were glad they got to our fields when they did. Weeds were starting to emerge, brought on by June rains. Those rains weren't beneficial to the wheat, but it was extremely helpful to alfalfa fields, pastures and fall crops.

Still, we anticipate that the yields will be a little higher than we initially predicted.

But time - and those scale tickets - will tell.

Speaking of pots of gold: Our neighbor Gary called us Saturday night and asked if we'd seen the double rainbow to the east. Our house is surrounded by trees, so we had not. But with his call, we hurriedly put on shoes and went down the road for a better view.

And what a view it was!

We had never seen a double rainbow that lasted so long and was so vivid. What a treat!

We watched until the clouds swallowed up the rainbow.

The photos don't do it justice. What a blessing to see an unobstructed view!

The Ball of Twine and Other Scintillating Tourist Spots

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Fri, 05 Jun 2026 15:21:32 +0000

It was raining when we got to Cawker City, Kansas, last week. But I still got out of the car to take photos of the World's Largest Ball of Sisal Twine.

Actually, this was our second trip to visit the Ball of Twine. It was also a stop on a long-ago vacation with Jill and Brent. Let's just say that vacation was ... memorable. I have never claimed to be either a camping enthusiast or a fisherman. I didn't grow up doing either of those things.

Usually, Randy and the kids had their own camping adventures. They'd visit some convenience store situated near a lake and they'd load up on Oreos and other delicacies. Poker 101 was part of the curriculum for these educational journeys.

But for this particular long-ago trip, I consented to go along - mainly because we weren't sleeping on the ground. Even at that age, my back couldn't take that. Randy booked a "cabin" at nearby Waconda Lake. It was ... rustic. It was more like a trailer that hadn't been updated with decor or repairs since it came off the factory line many, many moons before. And, of course, it required bringing and fixing all the meals. Yay ... what a vacation! (?)

I'm always willing to hold a fishing pole. I may have a book in the other hand, but I'll hold the pole. We all tried valiantly to catch fish. We even had a guide.

And we didn't catch one.

We did catch a glimpse of Cawker City's Ball of Twine. It's still a vacation that the kids talk about. You can imagine what kind of talk. I snapped the photos and texted them: Remember the BEST vacation EVER?

Just in case you haven't seen it yourself, here are the stats:

At 17,320 lbs, 40 foot circumference, and more than 7,938,709 of sisal twine, the Cawker City Community Club is the official owner/caretaker of the ball of twine. Each year a Twine-a-Thon is held in conjunction with the annual Cawker City picnic and parade, so the ball never stops growing. Frank Stoeber started the twine ball in 1953 on his farm and by 1957 it weighed about 5,000 lbs.

Snapping the photos gave me an excuse to get out of the car. We were on a 5-hour trek from Topeka to Kearney, Nebraska. Earlier in the week, we'd driven from Topeka to Omaha for a short vacation with the girls. (More on that to come.) We then took them back to Topeka, watched a tennis lesson and stayed the night before getting in the car again to go to Kearney for the Great Plains United Methodist Church annual conference, where I was our church's lay representative.

Not long after our brief stop in Cawker City, we started seeing signs for the Home on the Range cabin. Neither of us had ever been to this historic cabin. After a lot of rainfall in the area, we weren't sure whether the road off the highway would be firm enough to travel. But it was well-graveled, though I was glad we didn't meet another car.

By the time we got there, the rain had stopped and it was a beautiful day. And the cabin is in an idyllic setting among trees and near a creek.

It was easy to imagine how Dr. Brewster Higley VI conjured up the words to a poem he called "My Western Home" back in 1871.

At the time, Higley was living on a dugout that he built on the banks of the West Beaver Creek in Smith County, Kansas. Not long after, with the help of a few friends, he constructed a cabin in 1872. Dr. Higley presented the poem to his friend Dan Kelley who set it to music and then gave it to John Harlan, the leader of a family band that included Kelley. The song “Home on the Range” was born.

The plaque says: Dr. Higley enjoyed sitting outside his cabin, writing, meditating and simply listening to the sounds along his beloved West Beaver Creek.

There were times he would play his violin with the music enjoyed by those living on the Jones Homestead just south of Home on the Range.

The location of the historic Higley cabin was approved for listing on the National Historical Register in 1973. The cabin site is 57 acres of grassland on the 240-acre homestead. The crop land is rented to a private operator. Net income from the landlord's share of the farming operation is invested back into the site. No individuals benefit financially from the site. The entire site is privately owned and managed by the Peoples Heartland Foundation, a 501c3 charity.

The restoration of the cabin was done in 2013, but the management of the historic site have even bigger hopes and dreams. They'd like to build a $2.5 million amphitheatre on site. As with most projects, funding is the obstacle. They have built a new bridge and have created a walking path named in honor of Pete and Ellen Rust, who moved to the farm in 1936 and finally attained full ownership in 1950. The Rusts and everyone in the Highland community knew the cabin was built by Dr. Brewster Higley VI, yet it continued to be used as a chicken house until 1947, when Home on the Range became the state song of Kansas.

It was during the following years that the Rusts had several chances to profit from the sale of the cabin, but in every instance, declined the offers because the buyers planned to move the cabin off site. They established the basis for the cabin staying forever on the site for the enjoyment of all who visit. The Cabin is open for visitors daily from daylight to dark. There's no admission charge, though there is a collection box, if visitors wish to make a donation.

We thought it provided a nice little break from the drive and were glad we took the time to stop. From Athol, Kansas, it's 1 mile west on US 36, then 8 miles north on Home of the Range Highway (K-8). Turn left on 90 road for a about a mile down a narrow gravel road.

My Western Home

(also known as Home on the Range)

by Dr. Brewster Higley

Oh, give me a home where the Buffalo roam
Where the Deer and the Antelope play;
Where seldom is heard a discouraging word,
And the sky is not cloudy all day.

Chorus:

Home, home on the range!

Where the deer and the antelope play.

Where seldom is heard a discouraging word,

And the sky is not clouded all day.

There are several other verses. One I particularly like is this one:

How often at night, when the heavens were bright,
With the light of the twinkling stars
Have I stood here amazed, and asked as I gazed,
If their glory exceed that of ours.

For one of the verses, I believe the poet took some liberties. There may be some hills in Smith County, but there are no mountains. And I had to look up curlews. Yes, it's a bird.

I love the wild flowers in this bright land of ours,
I love the wild curlew’s shrill scream;
The bluffs and white rocks, and antelope flocks
That graze on the mountains so green.

However, as I stood at the cabin site, this next verse definitely sang true:

The air is so pure and the breezes so fine,
The zephyrs so balmy and light,
That I would not exchange my home here to range
Forever in azures so bright.

I may make light of a big Ball of Twine (though I definitely admire Cawker City's efforts for a little tourism). But I, like Dr. Higley, would not exchange my Home on the Range.

On our way home from Kearney, we took part in a little Nebraska tourism. We stopped at Runza for lunch. A runza is what we in Kansas call a bierock - hamburger, cabbage and seasonings inside yeast dough.

I'll have more from our trip to Omaha with the girls to come.

Then and Now

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Fri, 22 May 2026 15:24:38 +0000

Isn't it funny how day by day nothing changes, but when you look back, everything is different?

C.S. Lewis

How can the little girl who wanted to be a dolphin trainer just a few years ago now be graduating from 8th grade? How is it that we'll have a freshman granddaughter next year? How is it that she is old enough to drive us instead of us driving her?

There was no Willie the Wildcat nor caps and gowns like there was for her preschool graduation back in the day. But, I guess we blinked and life happened. Kinley graduated from 8th grade at 8 AM May 21. (Yes, 8 AM!) There were 127 students in the school's Navigators Team. (There was another graduation ceremony with a similar number of students later in the morning for the other team. Coming from a small school, the numbers blow my mind.)

The afternoon before, Brooke was promoted from 5th grade, making way for middle school next year. She started kindergarten in 2020 in the midst of the Covid pandemic.

Yes, she still had the handy, dandy sign made by her mom, but her classroom was in the basement at home. Back in that moment of time, she wanted to be a teacher.

On Wednesday, she was among 90 classmates who said goodbye to elementary school.

Brooke's preschool graduation in May 2020.

No caps and gowns for her either. Maybe we could still see a glimpse of that little girl in that confident, maturing new 6th grader?

I'm not sure what their current dreams for their futures are. But we've certainly been enjoying the present this spring.

While the bulk of the girls' middle school tennis season was last fall, Kinley got to compete in a mixed doubles tennis tournament earlier this month.

She and her partner got 2nd.

Then, she got 2nd in her pool in the league singles tournament on May 6.

In her "spare" time, she also went out for middle school track. She ran the hurdles ... and she didn't get hurt (the most important part).

She high jumped. (I was not responsible for any of those genes.)

At various meets, she ran the mile and the 800. (Also not responsible for those genes.)

Tennis will be her sport in high school, so these final track meets will likely be her last. That's the difference between tiny schools and 6A schools. Students do more specialization.

During the winter, we also got to watch Brooke play volleyball - with her mom as coach. It was amazing to see how much all the girls had improved from last year to this year.

She played basketball, too.

Earlier this month, we went to Brooke's 5th grade music concert featuring recorders. Brooke told me and Grandma Christy that we could skip the concert. You know ... recorders and 5th graders? Yes, there was the requisite Hot Cross Buns, in both a traditional and a jazzy version. But who could turn down a chance to hear recorder renditions of Eye of the Tiger or Coldplay's Clocks? Contrary to pre-concert warnings, it was a good performance.

"The days are long, but the years are short."

Long days are probably more a reality for parents than grandparents. But even for we grandparents, time races onward.

For my girls as you both leave behind the old and stride toward something new:

Always remember that you are braver than you think, stronger than you believe, smarter than you realize and more loved than you can imagine.

Thunderbird Legacy

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 15:28:00 +0000

The creation of Skyline Schools in 1967 meant closing the doors at four community schools in Pratt County. The Byers Hornets, the Coats Bulldogs, the Cullison Owls and the Sawyer Eagles became the Skyline Thunderbirds. The old school colors would be traded in for Columbia Blue and White.

My dad was president of the Board of Education when Skyline was formed. In April, he was recognized as the first inductee to the Skyline Schools Thunderbird Legacy award.

Back in the mid-1960s, the state of Kansas was mandating consolidation of rural schools.

"We had no say. If we didn't do something, the state was going to mandate it," said my dad, Bob Moore, in an article in The Pratt Tribune in 2018 to commemorate Skyline's 50th anniversary.

Initially, the state was pushing county consolidation. That meant that the smaller school districts would be absorbed into the Pratt district. In 1964, rural voters overwhelmingly defeated a vote for county unification, with 1,063 rural patrons voting against and only 82 voting in favor.

A board was elected in 1965 with representatives from all the small rural schools, with my dad as the first president. They began exploring the qualifications necessary to become a Unified School District (USD). The area had to cover at least 200 square miles, have a valuation of at least $2 million and have a student population of at least 400. Most importantly, they had to convince the rural patrons that combining into a unified school district was the way to go.

"We (school board members) went to each town and talked to people in person," he said in the 2018 article. "We went to each school and presented our ideas. We took questions and took a vote at each meeting. It was favored by a great majority. ..."

Not everyone was convinced.

"My doctor and my car dealer told me personally, 'You won't last five years,' " my dad recalled in the 2018 article.

But with rural residents backing the plan, my dad and other board members toured other schools across the state, looking for designs and ideas that would ease the transition and provide the best possible education for students. The small schools were part of the Skyline League for athletic competition, so Skyline Schools became the logical choice for a name. They chose Columbia Blue and White for the colors to avoid any of the previous school colors.

On an August day in 1967, some familiar faces filled the school bus as we traveled toward rural Pratt. Before, I had only 3 1/2 miles to ride from my farm home to Byers. Now, it was closer to 12 miles. I don't really remember the first day, but my mom always took a photo to commemorate the beginning of a new school year.

5th Grade class at Skyline and our teacher Opal Hemphill minus me. I guess I liked being the photographer rather than being in the photo back then, too

At Byers, I had only three people - counting me - in my 4th grade class. It was quite a change to have a classroom full of one grade level.

It was an honor for my dad to have been chosen for the first Legacy award. All of us siblings were able to be at the gala.

My siblings (l to r) Darci Webb, Lisa Bauer, me and Kent Moore

While my mom was never on the school board, she - and the other wives - certainly played a part in the success of the process behind the scenes.

As for my dad's doctor and car dealer, they were wrong. Skyline Schools is still going strong.

Me in 1975 in my Skyline blue

And several of the family members who attended the Skyline Gala are also Skyline graduates.

Thanks to the committee for honoring my dad in this way!

Mountain Vibes

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Wed, 08 Apr 2026 15:50:00 +0000

I wouldn't have thought that "Mountain Vibes" would describe a location in Oklahoma. But, then again, I'd never been to southeastern Oklahoma until last weekend.

Our family spent the extended Easter weekend near Broken Bow, Oklahoma. Technically, we were closer to Hochatown.

Brent had been to the area before and found an Airbnb called Mountain Vibes north of Hochatown that we called our home-away-from-home for a few days. It came complete with a pickleball court (that also doubled as a basketball court).

There were several rousing games of pickleball during the weekend ... and even a round robin tournament on our last night there.

It included a sauna. (Some people liked that feature more than others. Kinley and I both questioned why anyone would choose to get hot and sweaty by sitting in a small room, but to each their own.)

The hot tub got some good use.

And a firepit gave us a chance for night-before-we-depart s'mores. (If you haven't cracked open an Oreo and inserted a perfectly-browned campfire marshmallow between the two cookie layers, you should try it! Of course, the graham cracker version was great, too!)

All those options were available in a home that reminded us of a Colorado cabin.

The covered back deck

It was located near Broken Bow Lake and Beavers Bend Marina.

That lake access was supposed to lead to a guided fishing trip on Saturday morning for the guys. They had their Oklahoma fishing licenses ready to go, but lightning and heavy rain kept them off the lake. (We wish the rain had fallen at home, but that didn't happen.) That was really the only disappointment for the whole weekend.

Randy and I arrived a day before the rest of the crew. That gave Randy a chance to check out the Idabel Country Club for some golf (and reading for me).

It was pretty among the pines and other trees.

Everyone but me went for a hike along the river.

The Friends Trail in Beavers Bend State Park runs along the Lower Mountain Fork River.

According to the AI Overview: This 1.5-mile loop trail, known for its scenic views and moderate difficulty, often runs beside the water, particularly near the Spillway Creek area below the Broken Bow Lake dam.

I was proud of my clan, who sent me lots of great photos from the hike.

Randy is still basking over Jill's comment that "not every 70-year-old could have done the hike."

We visited Hochatown a few times. For Saturday's lunch, we ate at Grateful Head Pizza. (Since it had just finished raining, everyone else vacationing there had the same idea.)

And we went bowling at Gutter Chaos Sunday afternoon. Randy told the crew that anyone who beat him would get a $10 bill. (He kept his money ... but barely.)

Randy and I ate at Shuck Me, a seafood place, the night before others arrived.

And we had some ice cream at Okie Girls Coffee and Ice Cream, where Randy found another friend, a picture he had to send to his breakfast buddies.

What a fun, memory-filled weekend with family!

Leadership Lens

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Tue, 31 Mar 2026 13:47:00 +0000

"How do you view leadership through your camera lens?"

That was the question K-State's Staley School of Leadership proposed to professional and amateur photographers as they looked to refresh their building's artwork.

The Leadership Lens initiative generated 86 images from 28 artists from Kansas, Colorado, Nebraska, Oregon and Texas. From the entries, a juried panel selected 19 photos from 15 different photographers to refresh the hallways and conference rooms of the Staley building.

There was a photo from the South Pole. Another showed a desolate desert scene from a world away. And even from among those unique, far-flung places, I had two photographs chosen for inclusion - taken by a farm wife in South Central Kansas. It just goes to show that there is beauty everywhere. It's in city skylines, but it's also found on an early morning down a dirt road in Kansas or reflecting off water at sunset. It's just a matter of opening our eyes to the wonder.

Last Friday, March 27, the Staley School of Leadership hosted a reception for Spirit of Leadership, an annual event where alumni, friends, students, faculty and staff come together to reconnect, reunite, and re-energize around leadership. They also recognized the photographers whose work was chosen for display in the 2025-26 version of Leadership Lens.

They moved into the Staley School of Leadership building on the K-State campus in 2010. At that time, they chose photos to include in the hallways and conference areas. In 2017, they offered the opportunity to submit photos for a "refresh" of the space. (I had two photos chosen then. Click HERE for more about those photos. They auctioned those 2017 pieces off to raise money for programs at the Staley School.)

Last fall, they again offered the chance to submit photos and to focus on how leadership could be reflected in the images by submitting artist's statements.

My artist statement for A New Day Dawns: The best sunrises and sunsets occur when there are clouds in the sky. The clouds create a unique texture of light, shadows and color to make the sky an interesting tapestry. As leaders, we may wish for blue skies and an easy path. But the “clouds” in our lives build our tapestry, too. It gives us empathy for others and helps us persevere. Likewise, milo is known for its resilience in difficult growing conditions. Success seems sweeter when we have faced obstacles and come out on the other side.

I took this photo of a sunrise over a milo field south of our house last fall. It now hangs in a second-floor conference room.

The second photo chosen was taken at Quivira National Wildlife Refuge during a December 2021 sunset. It hangs in a second floor hallway at the Staley School.

Taken at Quivira National Wildlife Refuge, Stafford County, Kansas

My artist statement for Ripples:

I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the water to create many ripples.

--Mother Teresa

Effective leadership radiates outward like ripples in water. The ripple effect underscores the power of small leadership actions in creating significant, positive changes. When leaders recognize small wins, practice active listening, demonstrate empathy and foster open communication, they can build a strong, cohesive and motivated team and make "ripples" in the world at large.

The artist statements hang by the artwork.

I was thrilled that several members of my family could join Randy and me at the reception. (Brooke had a birthday party for one of her best buddies.)

Eric's parents, Alan and Christy, also joined us.

It meant a lot to me that they all made the effort to be there.

There is art other than photography in the building, too. Susan and Kinley did their best statue impression.

Organizers of the event used the monarch butterfly as a central theme for the evening's festivities, handing out lapel pins.

It seems to be a lesson we could all use these days: Practice leadership by nurturing growth within yourself and others. Like the monarch butterfly, embrace and celebrate transformation.

This Facebook reel shows some of the process of selecting and installing the new artwork.

What an honor it was to have photos chosen! If you're ever on campus, check out all the artwork.

Leftovers

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Tue, 10 Mar 2026 14:42:00 +0000

This was on Jill's 1st birthday before the car was fully assembled. She was pretty happy!

The memories are not for sale.

But we are passing along a kitchen, a work bench and a car to new owners. No, I'm not giving up cooking or driving. These particular items are vintage toys.

It's a reality check when your kids' toys are now considered "vintage." We have been slowly whittling away excess "stuff" from our house since we began the process during Covid. In this round of decluttering, we have hauled several vintage toys to Topeka where Jill can list them on Facebook Marketplace. Any money raised will go into the girls' accounts.

I must admit there are some "pangs" from this sentimental mom. And these Little Tikes toys can still take up real estate in my mind - just not in my basement. (I somewhat jokingly say that we need to get rid of some of these things while Randy is still physically able to haul them upstairs. But there's also some truth to that.)

Jill

Loading up her dolly for a ride.

The Cozy Coupe was our first Little Tikes toy. This gift to Jill from my parents was "driven" hundreds of miles by Jill and later Brent.

Cousin Blake in his car

My parents also gave cars to Jill's cousins, so my parents' great-grands put even more mileage on the cars as the next generation drove them around.

Kinley in the Little Tikes coupe

According to an internet search, the 1990s marked the peak of the Little Tikes coupe. The class '90s model - like the one Jill got for her 1st birthday - was often referred to as a Flintstone car because it was propelled by the driver's legs. By 1991, it was the top-selling "car" in the U.S. In 1997, 313,000 units were sold in the U.S., with another 100,000 in the UK. Our coupe stayed in the house, so it's still in decent shape even though both Jill and Brent - as well as Kinley and Brooke - put the miles on it.

The design remained largely unchanged until 2003.

When Brent was 1, we added another "vehicle" to the fleet. It was a little two-wheeled Playskool "bike," also propelled by kid power. Jill had a slightly larger pink version, but it evidently didn't survive. We didn't find it among the toys in the basement.

Jill also put lots of miles on a baby walker. Even Goodwill wouldn't take it. (I think walkers like this were banned because of safety concerns, but Jill certainly put lots of miles on hers.)

We also hauled the Little Tikes workshop and kitchen to Topeka to be resold to new owners. Though I'm not sure what year we gave them to the kids, they did make for a memorable Christmas. Somehow, Jill's name got attached to the workshop and Brent's was on the kitchen. And while we are all about equal opportunity experiences, it wasn't exactly how Mom and Dad had planned. However, it's made for a funny memory that's been retold time and again. In fact, Jill said she might not remember it had the miss-marked toys not happened.

Unfortunately, I have not yet discovered the plastic tub that houses the photos of the play kitchen and tool bench.

The Little Tikes play kitchens from the 1990s had mounted corded phone and coffee pots. They had burners that clicked. There was a small sink area with a molded faucet. Not all the components survived, but we hope some child will still enjoy playing with it. We had plenty of pretend meals served from that kitchen at our house.

The 1990s Little Tikes workshops were made of thick molded plastic and featured bright primary colors. The components included a hammer, saw, pegboard for hanging tools, and a storage area. Some of those "extras" actually survived, including the phone.

The toys aren't the only paring down I'm doing. I've also been whittling down my kitchen supplies. However, I must admit that I am finding it difficult to part with my Grandma Neelly's square-shaped cake pans. Grandma Neelly sometimes used those for birthday cakes. I always wanted a homemade angel food cake, but others opted for other flavors. As I was looking through photos, I did find cakes she'd made featuring the square shape. In the photo below, he had the bonus gift of a few of his great-grands serenading him with the "Happy Birthday" song.

I took the pans out of the cabinets for awhile. But, I must admit, they went back in. It's silly, since I haven't ever used the pans since bringing them home from Grandma Neelly's house. (And I've made plenty of cakes since that time.)

I know that even if I get rid of the pans, I'll still have the memories. We'll see ... They do take up less room than the toys.

Ash Wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Tue, 24 Feb 2026 15:17:00 +0000

The sunset on Ash Wednesday (February 18) was beautiful. But, as we stopped at the corner south of our house on that Ash Wednesday evening, I couldn't help but think about how ashes from massive wildfires south of us were helping to color that sunset.

We were returning home after a drive through the baby calves. But 117 miles away or so, other cattle owners were fighting fires for the second day and still trying to move cattle to safety.

It was only nine years ago that so many of these same ranchers lost their homes, farm properties, hundreds of miles of fencing and thousands of cattle in the Starbuck Fire.

These were numbers from the 2017 fire. It will be days before everything can be accessed from this latest fire.

As Greg Gardiner of Gardiner Angus Ranch in Ashland says, their operation was almost to the point where they could say they'd "recovered" from the 2017 fire. Though how do you truly recover from that?

The 2026 Ranger Road fire burned more than 283,000 acres. Map courtesy Oklahoma Department of Forestry Wildfires4-RFP-022326. It is still not fully contained - a week after it started.

Beginning a week ago on February 17, 2026, wildfires ripped across areas of Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas and Nebraska, killing livestock, destroying structures and sending firefighters to the hospital with fire- and smoke-related injuries. Winds gusting over 65 miles per hour drove flames through dry fuel and kept air support grounded.

The largest fire this time, known as the Ranger Road fire, ignited in Beaver County, Oklahoma, and crossed the state line into southern Kansas, burning more than 283,000 acres. The towns of Ashland and Englewood, Kansas, were evacuated, as were rural residents along the fire's path.

In television interviews, Gardiner says they learned many lessons from the Starbuck Fire in 2017, and they used that knowledge to try and mitigate the losses in 2026. But even your best efforts doesn't mean that you are able to dodge the inevitable.

I sometimes wonder about the people who settled the Kansas prairie. Did they marvel at the sky? Did the call of birds wake them to see the hint of color painting the eastern horizon? As their covered wagons rumbled toward the west, did they marvel at the sunsets?

I imagine the temperaments that marked the people who set off from established homes in the eastern part of the U.S. and decided on adventure, traveling westward to a new kind of life.

Since the state was established in 1861, Kansans have had to pick up the pieces from all kinds of natural disasters. Why do they do it?

That pioneer spirit brought people to Kansas. And some of the heartiness remains generations later.

Maybe the fortitude to stay had something to do with the joy of seeing those cute faces in their cattle herds. As we drove through the cattle lots and watched the baby calves race one another or sip contentedly from their personal "mama milk machines," I couldn't help but think of the ranchers still battling the wildfires.

For those in the wildfires' paths, lives won't go back to normal anytime soon. They are still burying their livelihoods in big mass graves in the burned ground. They are tending to injured cattle, bottle feeding babies whose mothers died, rebuilding thousands of miles of fence. And some of them no longer have a home where they can lay their weary heads come nighttime, after days of physical labor and emotional heartache.

Even today - a week later - firefighters aren't saying the wildfires are totally under control. Instead, they say the blazes are "90 percent" under control. And today is another day when the wind is howling, stoking those embers yet again.

It's going to take a new pioneer spirit for them to rebuild. Just like us, their families have been on Kansas soil for five generations, and, for a few, even six generations. That pioneer spirit is part of their DNA.

Like us, they delight in seeing new life every spring.

To assist livestock producers affected by the Ranger Road fire, please reach out to any of the following. That way, you know the money or supplies will go to the people who need it:

SHAW FEEDYARD: Shaw Feedyard in Ashland is a drop point for hay. Please contact Ryan Koons at (620) 805-4682 if you have any questions. The address is 2428 CR 15 in Ashland, KS.

ASHLAND FEED & SEED: Ashland Feed & Seed is a drop point for hay and feed. The address is 1975 CR U, Ashland, KS 67831. Contact the main office: (620) 635-2856.

Cash donations can be made to the ASHLAND COMMUNITY FOUNDATION. One hundred percent of the money will be redistributed to those in need. You can donate directly by clicking https://www.ashlandcf.com/donate-today or mail or drop off monetary donations to STOCKGROWERS STATE BANK, 622 Main Street, Ashland, KS 67831, or mail checks to ASHLAND COMMUNITY FOUNDATION, P.O. Box 276, Ashland, KS 67831.

KANSAS LIVESTOCK ASSOCIATION is helping organize in-kind donations for delivery to affected areas in Kansas. To donate hay or trucking services, call KLA at (785) 273-5115. Cash donations can be made through the Kansas Livestock Foundation (KLF), KLA’s charitable arm, by going to www.kla.org
and clicking on Donate under 2026 Wildfire Donations. Checks can be sent to 6031 SW 37th, Topeka, KS 66614. Please put “wildfire relief” in the memo line. KLF is a 501 c(3) organization. Donations to the foundation are tax-deductible. All funds will be used to support fire relief efforts for Kansas producers.

From Isaiah 61 - The Year of the Lord’s Favor

61 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
    because the Lord has anointed me
    to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
    to proclaim freedom for the captives
    and release from darkness for the prisoners,
²to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
    and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
³    and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
    instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
    instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
    instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
    a planting of the Lord
    for the display of his splendor.

⁴They will rebuild the ancient ruins
and restore the places long devastated;
they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations.

Ah Kansas!

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Tue, 10 Feb 2026 21:21:00 +0000

If there's anything better than life - it's life in Kansas.

Kansas Chamber of Commerce, 1930

It's been awhile since Randy and I were in school. But we can still complete an assignment. This morning, we spent an hour with Mrs. Kylie Meyer's second grade class at Stafford Elementary School, Randy's alma mater.

Mrs. Meyer gave us an assignment to compare the "then and now" of farming. The second graders are learning about comparison and contrast. Mrs. Meyer helps to illustrate the concept by inviting community members with different backgrounds to talk about their professions or interests and compare them, then and now.

Another Then and Now comparison: When Randy was in second grade, there were two classes of 26 each. This year's class has 16. We also talked about the difference in the number of farms and the county population when comparing then and now.

We have gladly participated in this activity for several years now. I put together a PowerPoint slide show with historic photos from both of our families. We were both 5th generation farmers before retiring in 2022. Many of the photos are from books my mom compiled for our kids with memories of family members and farm equipment from my parents' farming legacy. (There are several photos from the slide show and links to family history posts HERE in a blog post from 2022.)

For this year's presentation, I added some information on the number of farms in the early 20th century compared to now. That information was from our visit to the Kansas Museum of History in Topeka on the day after Kansas Day. I suppose a Kansas Day visit on January 29 would have been more symbolic. But, after finding out that 800 people (mostly school children) had been at the museum on Kansas Day to celebrate the state's 165th birthday, we were happy we were able to visit on a quieter day!

What is Kansas? Kansas is a crossroads. The heartland. A geographic center. The birthplace of ideas that have shaped our nation. A site of adaptation, conflict and consensus. A home of people, ideas and dreams ... Why Kansas? People came to Kansas for many reasons: for the land, for its resources and for the promise of a better life. Some, regrettably, came by force. Kansans stayed to make a home, to make a living or to fight for a cause. While here, Kansans have experienced conflict and cooperation, engaged in innovation and adaptation and promoted celebrations and communities.

From displays at the Kansas Museum of History

Randy had been to the museum with our Kansas Master Farm Family group four years ago. However, I was sick and didn't get to go on the tour.

Since Jill and crew live in Topeka, we're often looking for something to do when the girls are in school and Jill and Eric are working. The Kansas History Museum wasn't an option for several years. It had been shut down for three years, undergoing a $6 million renovation. It updated the 1980s-era displays to new, colorful, interactive exhibits.

While we were mainly in Topeka to see the girls' sports activities and to enjoy some family time, we thought the Kansas Museum of History was a worthwhile diversion. The gallery shares personal stories of people who came for many reasons and became Kansans for many more. The new exhibits are broken into four main themes: Bleeding Kansas, Making Kansas, Connecting Kansas, and Changing Kansas:

Bleeding Kansas tells our formative story from the territorial period, tracing the political and violent events that led to our statehood and recounting Kansas' role in the Civil War.
Making Kansas shares stories of people building lives, developing industries and grappling with extreme weather - experiences rooted in the land and its rich resources.
Connecting Kansas weaves accounts of trails, transportation and the railroad which shaped our towns and influenced immigration and settlement.
Changing Kansas explores efforts for civil rights and social reforms, examining why Kansas is often at the heart of issues with national implications.

There was also information on Kansas' indigenous history, featuring contributions from all 36 tribes with historical ties to the area.

We have seen the actual mural of John Brown in the Kansas Capitol on another "tourist" day in Topeka. (Click HERE for that blog post.) The Capitol mural was painted by artist John Steuart Curry on the east and north walls of the east corridor of the Capitol's second floor.

But a reproduction of the mural also helped tell the story of "Bleeding Kansas" in the museum. And I learned something new about the mural:

The famous mural depicts the moral complexities of war, featuring a heroic, yet fanatical, John Brown painted larger than life. Many Kansans opposed Curry's interpretation, saying it misrepresented their state's identify. Frustrated by the criticism and unable to fulfill his vision, Curry refused to sign his statehouse murals and left Kansas. He died of a heart attack in 1946 at the age of 48, never knowing how celebrated his work would become.

As required by the new constitution, the first Kansas Legislature established the state seal and motto in a joint resolution on May 25, 1861:

The east is represented by a rising sun in the right hand corner of the seal; to the left of it, commerce is represented by a river and steamboat; in the foreground, agriculture is represented as the basis of the future prosperity of the state by a settler's cabin and a man plowing with a pair of horses; beyond this is a train of ox-wagons going west; in the background is a heard of buffalo, retreating, pursued by two Indians on horseback.

The motto, Ad astra per aspera, which means "to the stars through difficulties," is above 34 stars, representing Kansas' entry as the 34th state in the Union.

What is Kansas? It is the promise of a better life - sometimes fulfilled, sometimes deferred. It is striving to reach the stars in the face of difficulties. It is the joy of belonging, the creation of community.

Kansas is the story of everyday people whose inspiring narratives reach far beyond the state's borders. Some Kansans served the noblest of goals. Some served their own self-interests. Most, just like the rest of us, acted with complicated and very human combination of both. Regardless of their intentions, they all helped shape the world we know today.

The Emporia Gazette used this cylinder press from 1890 to 1906 to print daily and weekly issues, including William Allen White's influential 1896 editorial, "What's the Matter with Kansas?"

While I enjoyed all the exhibits, I especially liked the "power of the press" section. (I worked as a reporter and editor at The Hutchinson News for nine years and have done a daily M-F radio Central Kansas Report for KFRM 550AM radio since March 2008.) The exhibit featured Emporia journalist William Allen White's printing press and a projector showing Kansas headlines, even as recently as the police raid on The Marion County Record newspaper back in August 2023.

And, of course, both Randy and I were attracted to the displays featuring farming and agriculture.

I took a photo of this because the windmill was from Clay Center, where my sister lives.

"All parts of Kansas grow good corn, but
in wheat, Kansas can beat the world."

-- Topeka Daily Capital, 1889

Farming is a way of life in Kansas, impacting its politics, laws, innovations, social customs and traditions. The economy relies on many agricultural businesses, including those related to storing, transporting and processing farm products.

Most early Kansas farmers wanted to grow crops they could sell. The standard farm size of 160 acres was too large for subsistence farming but generally not large enough for commercial ventures, especially as farmers moved west. As technology advanced in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, farming became big business in Kansas. There were 178,000 farms in Kansas in 1910, with an average farm size of around 244 acres. That number dropped to 55,000 farms in 2023, with an average size of 807 acres. Changing - and more expensive - technology, fluctuating crop prices and efforts to make farming more efficient all contributed to the rise of larger farms and agribusiness. With its advancements in agriculture, Kansas came to be know as the Wheat State and the Breadbasket of the World.

This just scratches the surface. There is also a 1914 biplane made in Topeka, an 1860s cabin, train cars and depot and lots more. Both Randy and I would recommend a visit if you're near Topeka. Hours are 9 AM to 5 PM Tuesday through Saturday and Sunday from 1 to 5 PM. It is closed on Mondays.

***

And, just for my memories, we also got to experience several of the girls' activities.

We picked up Kinley from school and got to watch her tennis lesson.

We saw Brooke's basketball game.

And we got to see a couple of her volleyball games (and witness the coach's skills.)

Though I don't have photographic evidence, we shopped for Kinley's 14th birthday presents in Kansas City and ate lunch with the whole family - including Brent and Susan.

Fun and a little education? It was another great stay.

Butterfinger Mix

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Tue, 03 Feb 2026 15:11:00 +0000

Serving a snack that's called a "Butterfinger" Chex Mix probably isn't ideal when you're talking a menu for the Super Bowl. Clumsy Butterfingers and football don't mix.

But, since the Chiefs aren't in contention this year, I am not overly invested in the game's outcome. So, if one of the teams has "butterfingers," so be it.

Of course, we will still watch the big game between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots. I'm probably leaning toward the Seahawks. If only former K-State Wildcat standout Tyler Lockett were still there ... Cheering for the Seahawks will also make Randy's cousin and my Pacific Northwest blog friend happy, so there is that.

But let's get real. This year - like most of America - I'm mainly there for the snacks and the Super Bowl ads.

This was the second Christmas season that I added Butterfinger Chex Mix to the snack mix repertoire. Our family enjoys the treat, and I also gave away some for gifts.

It's super easy, especially if you use the the Butterfinger Bits. Another option is smashing up regular-sized or mini Butterfingers if you can't find the Butterfinger Bits. If your store stocks them, they are likely in the baking aisle by the chocolate chips and other mix-ins.

Enjoy - whether you're watching the big game or just need a sweet, decadent snack! It would be a sweet treat for your Valentine, too!

Butterfinger Snack Mix

5 cups Chocolate Chex or regular Rice Chex cereal

1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/4 cup butter

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups Butterfinger Bits (or crushed candy bars)

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Preparing the coating: In a microwave-safe bowl, combine chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter. Microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring between each, until the mixture is smooth and fully melted. Add vanilla and stir.

Place the Chex cereal in a large mixing bowl. Pour the melted chocolate mixture over the cereal and gently fold to coat evenly. Sprinkle the Butterfinger candy over the coated cereal and fold again to distribute evenly.

Transfer the coated cereal into a large resealable plastic bag or a bowl with a lid. Add the powdered sugar; seal and shake until the cereal is fully coated. (I used an extra-large Tupperware bowl for mixing the whole recipe and just added my powdered sugar at the end.)

Spread snack mix out on parchment paper or waxed paper. Cool and dry. Once set, transfer to a serving bowl or store in a sealed bag or bowl until serving.

NOTE:

For the Butterfinger Snack Mix I gave away at Christmas, I mixed red and green Christmas M & Ms in to add a festive color. You could do the same, adding the colors of your favorite sports team.

***

Need other ideas for your Super Bowl party?

Click on the links for the recipes pictured below. Looking for something else? Type "bar cookie," "snack mix," "cookies," "sandwiches," "soup," etc., into the blog search engine. The search engine is found in the upper lefthand corner of the blog post.

Oven-Baked BBQ Ribs AND Sweet & Sour Baked Beans

BBQ Meatballs - Make them full-size or bite-sized

Chili Lime Tacos with Grilled Pineapple Salsa
Homemade Guacamole

Cheesy Pull-Apart Sliders

Zesty Italian Wraps

Turkey Club Pinwheels

Crescent-Wrapped Cranberry & Brie

Cranberry Cream Cheese Dip

Lemon Muddy Buddies

Super Snack Mix-Up

Brownies for a Crowd

Butterfinger Blondies

Peanut Butter S'Mores Bars

Southwest Ranch Cheese Dip

Baby Boom

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Thu, 29 Jan 2026 14:23:00 +0000

A photo from Todd of twins born to one of our mamas, No. 775. We were in Topeka at the time, watching our granddaughters' activities. The twins got to stay awhile in the shed but are now out in the lot with their mama and the herd.

I have a pretty cushy job these days. I get to be the paparazzi for our new baby calves. But I don't have to staff the overnight shifts. Or - come to think of it - the daytime shifts either.

Tye and Todd, who handle the day-to-day care for our mamas and babies, had several days when they took catnaps in their pickups instead of getting into REM sleep their nice cozy beds. Sub-zero wind chills and newborn baby calves are not a good combination.

The twins have their own "earrings" now. Tye and Todd use a different system than we did. They tag the babies with the mama's number.

I don't think the few cookies I delivered make up for the sleepless nights. But we sure appreciate all their work. It wasn't all that long ago that we were the ones watching the maternity ward and warming up new babies.

Come to think of it, maybe another cookie run is in order.

Snow and chilly temperatures haven't made calving easy on man or beast. But - ready or not - it's calving time in Kansas for us and for lots of other folks. We always had people ask why we calved in January and February. Like many Kansas farm families, our operation was diversified. Crop farmers are busy in the spring, summer and fall with those duties. They have time for the extra work that feeding cattle and calving entails during the dormant winter season.

Our mamas and babies have the yellow tags. Tye and Todd use other colors.

For the last few years before retirement, I was the hired hand who helped with feeding chores and did my best to help when Randy needed to pull a calf. I can't say that I'm missing the time in that rather drafty feed truck every day. But I definitely enjoy the drives through the cattle lots with camera in hand.

Some extra hay spread out gave babies a place to snuggle down.

On one of our trips through the cattle, we saw a mama cleaning off her brand new baby.

It's good that Tye and Todd have a liberal visitation policy. I'm sure the paparazzi will be back.

Who Let the (Sun) Dogs Out?

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Wed, 28 Jan 2026 22:49:00 +0000

Who let the "dogs" out?

As I turned onto the highway toward Stafford for my Recently Read Book group at the library last evening, the sunset colors had some competition. A vertical rainbow added some additional color to the evening sky. Of course, I had to pull over and take some photos.

I had seen sundogs during a cold patch back in 2019, but those looked a little different. (I wrote about them at this link.)

So I wasn't positive that my singular "rainbow" was the same thing. But after some research today, I think it, too, was a sundog or sun pillar.

Here's what the AI Overview said:

A vertical rainbow in winter is typically a sundog (parhelion) or a sun pillar, created when sunlight refracts or reflects off ice crystals in the cold air, often appearing as vertical, colorful streaks or bright spots on either side of the low sun. These phenomena occur when plate-shaped ice crystals align as they fall, acting like millions of tiny prisms.

Key Details About Vertical Winter Rainbows:

Cause: They are formed when sunlight passes through ice crystals in the atmosphere, often from high cirrus clouds or low-level lake effect snow. The ice crystals in the upper atmosphere act as prisms.
Appearance:
They can appear as colored, vertical pillars of light (sun pillars) or bright, rainbow-colored spots (sundogs/parhelia)
.

Timing: These are most common during sunrise or sunset when the sun is low on the horizon.

Terminology: They are sometimes referred to as "mock suns," "phantom suns," or colloquially as a "snowbow".

These optical phenomena are not actually rainbows, which require liquid water drops, but rather a form of atmospheric ice halo.

Some interpretations view a winter rainbow as a symbol of the loyalty of friends and family ... or so says one source.

OK ... that's a nice thought.

Writing for the Old Farmer's Almanac, James Garriss said this:

In medieval times, the three bright lights were sometimes interpreted as the sign of the trinity, a sign of great fortune. Nowadays, they are a sign that you were lucky to be looking at the sky at just the right time.

I like being at the right place at the right time. And then I got to hear about some favorite reads at my local library? That's a pretty great evening in my "book." (A little library humor for you!)

Make 'Em and Hide 'Em!: Peanut Butter Fingers

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Tue, 20 Jan 2026 16:36:00 +0000

Before Christmas, I was lamenting the "death" of the snail mail Christmas card. Perhaps I should have taken a lesson from Mark Twain. You might recall his famous line: "Reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated."

By the time Christmas arrived, we did get some cards. I appreciated every single one.

One card from a college friend offered an "assignment" of sorts. Along with a brief update of life, she included a recipe. Becky said this:

I'm pretty sure you have every recipe known, but I thought you might get a kick out of this one from my Mom's recipe box.

I've never been one to turn down a recipe - or a challenge. How could I resist the handwritten note by Becky's mom at the end of the recipe?

Cool; cut into bars and hide 'em!

That made me laugh. And surely it gave me a preview for the tastiness of the recipe. So I made Peanut Butter Fingers from Becky's mom and served them as one of the cookie selections for the Core meal I did this past week.

I should have taken a photo earlier in the evening when I still had full containers, but it still shows the variety available.

I only had four of the bars left over at the end of the night.

In case you'd like to try them too, here's the recipe.

Peanut Butter Fingers

From Becky Miller's mom

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup peanut butter

1 egg

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup flour

1 cup quick oatmeal

1 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar

1/4 cup peanut butter

2-4 tbsp. evaporated milk

Cream butter, 1/3 cup peanut butter and sugars. Add egg, vanilla and salt and blend until well incorporated. Add flour and oatmeal; mix. Spread in greased 13- by 9-inch pan. Bake at 350 for 20 to 25 minutes. (I baked it 20 minutes.)

Remove from oven and sprinkle with 1 cup chocolate chips. (I used mini chocolate chips.) Let stand for 5 minutes.

In the meantime, combine sifted powdered sugar, 1/4 cup peanut butter and the evaporated milk. Mix well.

After the 5 minutes are up, spread the melted chocolate evenly over the cookie layer. Then drizzle peanut butter mixture over the chocolate.

Cool; cut into bars and hide 'em!

Notes:

I had chunky peanut butter in my cabinet. My attempts to use a decorator tube to actually drizzle the peanut butter mixture were not as attractive as I wanted for serving away from home. So after my drizzle, I lightly spread out the peanut butter drizzle on the bars.
While the topping was still wet, I also sprinkled with Peanut Butter Mini M&Ms - again, just making them pretty for serving. You can find the PB Mini M&Ms in the candy aisle at bigger grocery stores.
I only used 2 tablespoons of milk. This may depend on humidity, etc.
Becky's mom didn't indicate how many bars this recipe made. But, since she called them "fingers," I cut them into narrow bars.

Why Is the Sky Blue?

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Tue, 13 Jan 2026 15:52:00 +0000

December 27, 2025 - Quivira National Wildlife Refuge - Little Salt Marsh

Once upon a time ... long, long ago, I was in charge of Kansas State Fair coverage for The Hutchinson News. I practically lived at the fairgrounds during its 10-day September run. In fact, I stayed one night in the 4-H Encampment Building for a story, also walking down to the livestock barn to visit with fair entrants who were snoozing overnight there with their cattle. So, I guess I did "live" at the fair that day and night.

The fair established an office for print journalists adjacent to the KWCH-TV studios. Of course, we print journalists were the ones behind the scenes. The TV anchors were schmoozing with their fans at the open air studio next door.

I'd write my stories and send them electronically back to The News. Then, I'd wander around the fairgrounds looking for other ideas. On one of those strolls through the Commercial Building, I had the idea of talking to the people who traveled from state fair to state fair, trying to sell knives, pots and pans, magazine subscriptions, windows or any number of consumer goods.

A persistent encyclopedia "hawker" asked me an important question: "How will you answer your child's question, 'Why is the sky blue?' "

Besides being a newspaper reporter and editor, I was also a mom to a toddler at the time. So the question did make me think - then and throughout the years as both Jill and Brent asked their share of difficult questions.

Thankfully, I resisted the urge to pony up the big bucks for an enormous set of encyclopedias, which would have become an expensive set of paperweights and flower pressers in these days of push-button technology and information.

Nowadays, when you type "Why are winter sunrises and sunsets more colorful?" you get an AI overview that condenses the answer:

Winter sunrises and sunsets are so colorful because the sun is lower in the sky, light travels through more of the atmosphere, scattering blues and leaving reds/oranges, and the air is often cleaner, drier and contains fewer particles (like humidity and haze) that would normally mute colors, allowing longer wavelengths to shine through move vividly. Cooler, drier air, combined with specific clouds, enhances these vibrant displays.

And, if that's not enough to satisfy your curiosity, there are plenty of other articles to explore - all with a simple click on the links.

No matter the science behind the colorful sky, there have been plenty of opportunities to enjoy the unique masterpieces of the Kansas sky in winter - even on unseasonably warm December nights like we found at Quivira on December 27.

It's also a tradition for me to take a photo of the final sunset of a year. The photos below were from New Year's Eve 2025:

December 31, 2025

I do the same for the first sunrise of a new year.

January 1, 2026

But it doesn't have to be New Year's Eve or New Year's Day for me to take the short drive away from my tree-lined farmstead to take in the beauty.

January 7, 2026, sunrise, back at the sunrise tree

January 7, 2026

Every day and every sky is different and another opportunity to glory in God's masterpieces - His bookends to the day.

Sunset, January 5, 2026

And for that, I am thankful - no matter the reasons why.

Sunset, January 5, 2026

The sky is the daily bread of the eyes.

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

The Cat's Meow

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Tue, 06 Jan 2026 14:51:00 +0000

The newest residents of The County Line are the cat's meow. Literally.

On November 3, Randy added two new kitties to our farmstead. While we've sometimes been overrun with cats, the population had been severely depleted. Randy spent some time on area humane society websites, looking for new feline friends.

Randy has a particular affinity for yellow kitties. You might remember Big Cat, who was a favorite around here for a long time.

Big Cat - May he rest in peace.

Randy's newest yellow kitties were adopted from the Golden Belt Humane Society in Great Bend on November 3.

They are Carat ...

And A Boy Named Sue. As you might suspect, there's a story behind Sue's name. Susan and Brent gave Randy money to adopt a kitty for his 70th birthday. Hence - A Boy Named Sue.

The girls got to meet them during Christmas.

They are fitting right in ... at least, in Randy's estimation.

Sue

Most days, they are good for some evening TV viewing ... at least, for awhile.

Carat & Randy

Randy was glad to welcome them to the menagerie, but one of the older cats was less welcoming.

That cat decided that there was no vacancy in the Igloo Inn.

As the weather got colder, the kitties discovered the area between the back steps and the house.

They certainly aren't the first ones to find that cozy sleeping spot. Randy even purchased a cozy rug for the space.

Kitties from the past - Salt and Pepper

We had done some looking in pet stores and farm stores for another igloo or small cat abode, but they were more expensive than Randy wanted to spend.

But I decided that I'd buy one for a Christmas gift for Randy. Unfortunately, the box that arrived on the back porch was clearly marked "Cat House." So I skipped the wrapping paper, and Randy put it together before Christmas.

We texted the kids with our new cat apartment complex.

Little did I know at the time that Brent and Susan had the same gift idea for Randy.

As the kids say, we now have a cat compound.

Word on the street must have spread among the cat community that the County Line now has deluxe apartments. On Friday, January 2, one of our long-lost cats showed back up.

We're not sure whether it's Will or Avery. Since it was the day that the NCAA portal opened up again, Eric said we should say it's Avery, in hopes that K-State's quarterback Avery Johnson would stay put. (He did!) However, Randy's pretty sure it's Will.

Will seemed to be in great shape. We can't believe how big he's gotten. Randy says he either found another family to mooch from or he's an excellent hunter.

Will definitely remembered the routine. Randy would let him in the back door and he'd immediately go to the loveseat in the living room, where he'd curl up with his favorite human to do things like watch Jeopardy!

The text thread with the kids gave us lots of laughs. Brent said:

"Would pay for a ticket to a documentary that tracked Will's actions for the months he's been away and what made him do a Homeward Bound."

It came complete with a snippet of Homeward Bound, one of Brent's favorite childhood movies.

But, Will was gone again on Sunday. As Randy said:

"I guess Will hit the transfer portal."

Well ... the saga continues. On Monday, Will returned.

I need a scorecard ... kind of like college sports these days.

Snacking Your Way to 2026

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Tue, 30 Dec 2025 15:17:00 +0000

Do I need more snack mix recipes? No.

But do I keep adding them anyway? Yes.

Susan raved about this one after a K-State football tailgate and got the recipe from a friend. I made it for the first time for our family appetizer Thanksgiving.

But I also added it to the mix - so to speak - for the Christmas array of snack mixes. I made a total of eight different snack mixes this year. Lots of it is given away as gifts from the kitchen. But there's always plenty for our own family Christmas celebration, too. And I always provide plenty of plastic bags for much of it to go home with the kids.

This one would be a good one to say goodbye to 2025 and hello to 2026. There's just a hint of sweetness and a little kick from some cayenne pepper. I was a little worried about the spiciness because Randy and I are wimps when it comes to heat. But it even worked for our wimpy palates.

It also uses a fun combination of mix-ins.

So, whether you're looking for a last-minute snack mix for a New Year's Eve party or wanting something different for the full array of bowl games and NCAA football playoff games to come, check out this mix. It didn't really have a name. So I've christened it "Tailgate Snack Mix."

Tailgate Snack Mix

1 cup butter, melted

2 packets ranch dressing mix

1/4 cup light brown sugar

3 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

5 cups Chex (I used Life cereal for part of this)

3 cups mini pretzels

3 cups mini club crackers

3 cups Cheez-Its

2 cups Ranch Cheez-It Grooves

Preheat oven to 225 degrees and line two trays with parchment paper.

Melt butter and mix first five ingredients together. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. Pour wet butter and seasoning mixture over dry mix and toss until evenly coated. Spread on the lined trays. Bake 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Cool, then store in airtight containers.

Christmas-Birthday-Driver's Ed Combo

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Fri, 26 Dec 2025 18:05:00 +0000

It never lasts long enough. But we always pack in plenty during our Christmas celebration.

This year's Christmas Eve was extra special, since my mom was celebrating her 90th birthday, complete with balloon arch and all 33 of us.

We moved to the shed for our birthday meal several years ago. We outgrew the house.

After the buffet, Mom got the annual rendition of "Happy Birthday to You!" and people chose from two kinds of cake (chocolate and confetti) and three kinds of homemade ice cream (mocha, cookies and cream and strawberry).

Thanks to Tamara for setting up the camera timer so we could all be in the shot!

Then, we successfully accomplished our annual photo shoot.

Their kids ...

The grandkids ...

The great-grandkids ...

The group we affectionately call "the outlaws."

And a new one this year: The decorating committee, who did their usual wonderful job with place cards and table decor.

Before the "official" photos, we also managed to squeeze in a time for an updated family portrait. My tip for you: In the absence of a professional photographer, choose a teenage girl for your portrait. They are used to handling the phone camera. (Thanks to my great-niece Neelly for her assistance.)

Photo by Brent

I wish I'd gotten one with us and the granddaughters, but we missed that one.

Our own family Christmas was just as packed with activities. Besides opening presents and eating (a lot!), the girls met Grandpa's new cats - A Boy Named Sue and Carat.

Notice the kitty hiding under the blanket?

Brooke helped restock the bird feeders and added some of Grandpa's new feeders.

And, maybe most important of all, had driving lessons.

Kinley, who will soon take her driving test, got a little practice on rural roads with both Grandpa and Uncle Brent.

And Brooke had her time in the driver's seat with the Gator.

It was over too soon ... other than the leftovers. I'm thankful for those today!

Christmas Greetings

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Mon, 22 Dec 2025 15:45:00 +0000

I think Christmas cards are going the way of the dinosaur. They are soon to be extinct.

However, I'll be one of those people hanging on until the bitter end. I've been part of photo Christmas cards for most of my life.

It's a family tradition. I starred in my very first one in 1957, as a 6-month-old baby.

By the time 1958 rolled around, I was already sharing space with my sister, Lisa, on the annual missive from Bob and Janis.

Though my brother, Kent, was born in December 1966, he didn't make the Christmas card until 1967. This is the first photo card with all my siblings. I would have been 10, Lisa, 9, Darci, 6 and Kent was 1.

My parents included their children on the family Christmas card until we graduated from college. Randy and I sent our first photo card in 1981, the year we were married.

We didn't send another photo card until 1985, the year Jill was born. It was only natural, I suppose, that we continued the tradition with our own children.

Christmas Card Photo - Jill - 1985

We sent one with the three of us in 1986, when Jill was 15 months old. After that, I usually stayed on the other side of the camera and just included the kids. (When you're the one doing the work, you get the most votes.)

Christmas Card Photo - 1986

The first one with Brent was in 1988. Brent would have been about 7 months and Jill was 3.

Christmas Card Photo - 1988

Back when Jill and Brent were little, this annual attempt was captured on film. And you weren't sure what you'd gotten until the film was developed. I have rolls and rolls of film chronicling the misadventures of getting two little kids to look their best in the same frame. The move to digital photography makes the storage problem easier - though it can't help everyone look great in every frame.

Kinley made her first Christmas card appearance in 2012.

When Brooke joined the family in 2014, I featured several outtakes of the girls on the blog. This was just one of them. Kinley, almost 3 at the time, was definitely in her cheesy smile stage.

This one was from 2020. (Boy, the girls have sure changed!)

We didn't do the formal family portrait this year, so some snapshots had to suffice for the 2025 Fritzemeier Christmas card.

No matter whether you're a Christmas card advocate or you aren't, Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

Peace on earth, good will toward all.