Species: Eastern Bluebird more

Jan. 26, 2024 more

A friend called a few days ago asking if I had a lantern she could borrow, not an unusual request from someone needing a light, but she had another purpose. more

Last week I wrote about “Mean Girls” and the problem of having seen a version of the movie before, which made it too familiar and predictable. I meant it in a very literal sense – there was a 2004 movie called “Mean Girls,” written by Tina Fey, with basically the same characters and story (though no more

Hi to all my wonderful rambling friends. I am glad to be back for another story from the past. Last Tuesday, I had a call from a school wanting to bring 100 third graders to Frontier Theater for their annual spring field trip. I told the teacher that I was no longer hosting school field trips. Folks, for those who do not know, I started Frontier Theater in 1989. For five years, it featured many different venues. In 1994, we hosted our first school field trip. Long story short, the park entertained and educated over 100,000 kids. We featured Native American Skills, Early Settler Adventures, and Civil War Reenactments. Plus: old-fashioned games and much more. Friends, I can not begin to tell you how wonderful our artisans and reenactors were. The best of the best! The kids loved and respected them greatly. more

I’ve come across the word “anachronism” often in reading, but I was never exactly sure what it meant. Context usually hinted it was something out of place, but I wanted to be sure; so, as a last resort I looked it up in the dictionary. more

Hi to all my rambling friends of Webster County and beyond. A few weeks ago, I was driving down Old Wire Road (west of Marshfield off of Hwy 38 and E ) and noticed a crew of skilled masonry workers. They were restoring the old spring house that kept the milk cool before electricity was available across from the famous Hosmer dairy barn. O.K. folks: Let’s all go back into the past and review when the Hosmer’s dairy operation was the pinnacle of all dairy herds. During the early 1900s, the Wire Road was the main travel route through Webster County. In addition, Highway 38 West from Marshfield was nothing but a dirt trail. When the Hosmer’s first began they milked a handful of cattle with the aspirations of expanding. They were always trying to improve and be the best. Through hard work and good management, they expanded over the years to an unheard number of 100 cows. more

Now that we’ve had a cold snap – and along with it, snow – we can say that winter is here. Although many of the conditions associated with winter (snow, ice, cold weather, etc.) make us grumble, it should be pointed out that there is a bright side. Because of our recent periods of less-than-balmy weather, it should be a great time to see one of the area’s most eye- catching winter visitors – bald eagles. more

I passed by my grandpa’s farm on the old Springfield/Buffalo road one morning last week. more

Hi to all my rambling friends. It's always my pleasure to share another bit of forgotten history and memories with you. I grew up near Elkland, and as a child, I have many fond memories of the little town in the northwest part of Webster County. Folks, this week, I have been asking several people this question: what is the tallest structure in Elkland? I have heard many varied answers. Do any of my rambling readers want to take a guess? Did anyone say or think of an old-fashioned concrete silo? more

January was always a hard month when I was a boy on the farm. more

Hi, rambling friends. Let's start this new year with a story that is part of our local history. Let's step back in time to March of 1981. I had a 1980 Ford four-wheel pickup with deep mud logger tires that I thought could go through anything. One day, on my way home, I decided to take a different route to enjoy the country roads. I was on Sand Springs Road and went to the bottom of a hill, and suddenly, I was confronted with a challenge I was unsure about. The old country road was underwater for about 50 yards. Back then, we did not have the luxury of our roads being graveled with white gravel as we do today. I stopped my truck and thought, "this could be a problem!" Being young and invincible, I said, "Go for it." I backed up a ways, revved my four-wheel truck up, sped forward at a high rate of speed, got about 100 feet, and sank it to China. Here I am now in the middle of a swamp of red clay and mire and mad. All I could do was get out, talk to myself, and walk home for the last two miles. Got a friend with a tractor and long chain, and he pulled me out. After being pulled out, my friend with the tractor went home, and I got to thinking about where I was at and the importance of this spot. more