As I drive through North Platte, NE, I always think of Janene. I didn’t know her well, but she intrigued me. She was a strong woman who knew what she wanted and flaunted what she had. She was brash, with style. She had amazing clothes as well as shoes, jewelry, and handbags. She drove a big Lincoln, and her brick home was fit for entertaining royalty. Her bedroom was … [Read more...]
Sam and the bow of a boat
I had the pleasure of visiting with an artist who was living in a rustic cabin on the border of Rocky Mountain National Park. Her name is Sam. She shared the details of an online art class she was taking. The course required her to use the same subject or object for each assignment, incorporating the various techniques of each lesson onto the subject. Her choice was the bow of … [Read more...]
Alaskan Homesteaders
On a land and sea trip to Alaska, my husband and I had the honor of visiting a homestead family. Jonelle, one of the daughters, met us at the hotel, rode on the bus with us, and told us the family story. In the 1960’s, when she was three years old, her mom and dad, who rented farmland in South Dakota, decided they were never going to get anywhere there, and heard about a … [Read more...]
Three rural women in Utah
It is wonderful to get sweet stories every day, even when I least expect them. Little sparkles of gifts. Here are three tiny stories told in a few moments. All three women, as they shared themselves with me, helped me remember places I visited and gave me refreshing perspectives. I caught these stories while traveling from AZ to CO through Utah. Enjoy and appreciate the … [Read more...]
Serendipitous meeting with gracious and candid woman
Waiting for our room to be cleaned at the Ellerbeck Bed and Breakfast in Salt Lake City, a woman came from an adjoining room and greeted us with a big smile and high energy. We returned niceties, and she sat down to visit. Enthusiastically, she said, “I retired yesterday from twenty years of teaching, and after my retirement party, I said to myself, 'I am retired, and can do … [Read more...]
Happy start to my day
On a Spyder (three wheel motorcycle) from Arizona to Colorado through Utah, I tried to 'catch' rural women's stories. I met the women spontaneously and serendipitously. The stories are short because our conversations were quick and happened in passing. Interesting and accomplished rural women are across our country. The pictures correlate with the town or area. Enjoy! I … [Read more...]
Glad I’m not a cow
Being a new farm/ranch wife, with no experience in rural life, I connected, and felt sympathetic for cows. I liked them; they had big brown eyes, were great mommas, and lived by rigid rules or died. They looked at me when I jogged, and came to me when I called, “Here Bossy.” They have a hard life, and they are not dumb. When a heifer calf is born, the rancher is initially … [Read more...]
Small town vs city
I walked into a local thrift store in a small mountain town and heard a female voice say, “Ya, he walked in and said, ‘I'm gonna divorce you!’ and I said 'HALLELUJAH!'” I chuckled to myself and continued my scavenger hunt. I never saw the woman, but I did figure out she was on the phone to someone she hadn’t talked to in a while. She had the phone on speaker, and I could hear … [Read more...]
Mrs. Cooper – continued
One of the stories in my book My Clients…My Teachers is a story about Mrs. Cooper. I recently passed through a town where Mrs. Cooper lives, and stopped to visit. It was a treat for me and hopefully for her. She told me she so enjoyed getting my book. She lost her husband three years ago, and said, "I just wanted to go and be with him." We visited about her family and her … [Read more...]
Have you written YOUR life story?
You can think your life is boring or insignificant, but it is YOUR story in the making. Nothing happens that does not contribute to the story line, setting, and plot. Like any good novel, there are ebbs and flows, but always connections to history, past and present characters, and dreams. Fred Allen, American radio comedian, said, "A human being is nothing but a story with a … [Read more...]
Rural Women Are a Class Act
Rural Women Are a Class Act. This week I had the privilege of attending a conference of farm and construction equipment dealers. These rural businesses deal with individuals, families, and companies who buy tractors, tilling, and planting machines as well as large dozers, etc. for the construction of roads and buildings. (Sorry for the minimal description of what they sell and … [Read more...]
Rural women’s strength and resiliency
Rural women’s strength and resiliency What a great week. I had the opportunity to reconnect with women I have not seen in a long while. Enjoy my brief synopsis: Opal finally had the courage to leave her husband of twenty years and to build her life without the man who chose to have multiple women. She spoke of the pain and the damage to her self-esteem. She was naturally … [Read more...]
Rural Women are Connected
Nancy, Peggy, and Rose... I had the honor in one day to visit with three rural women who were as diverse as they were similar. I personally knew all three and each was genuine, pleasant, and glad to see me. I was thrilled to see them. I wish I could have spent more time with each person. I had not seen one of the women in twenty years. Nancy had brain surgery and her memory, … [Read more...]
Voices of Rural Women across American Heartland-14
Mary May in Central NE We stopped for ice cream and met a delightful rancher. Her story is a grand finale to my rural women stories collected as we drove across the Heartland and into Canada on our Can Am Spyder. Sitting while hot, tired, and lapping up a creamy delight, a woman came and sat with us. We had unconsciously sat where a cup was left on the table - it was her … [Read more...]
Voices of Rural Women across American Heartland-13
Laura in North Central Indiana While at Amish Acres in Nappanee, Indiana, we had a rural Amish woman give us a tour of the only Old Order Amish Farm listed on the National Register of Historic Places. She allowed us to ask our curiosity questions and answered them with candor. She was a rural woman extraordinaire. I hung on her every word - I was impressed, intrigued, and … [Read more...]