Spring Photo Contest

For this year’s photo contest, I’d like to introduce the theme of water. I’m looking for shots found naturally in nature:  ponds, streams, lakes, waterfalls.  Please DO NOT submit ocean shots with sunrises or sunsets as that is a whole category unto itself.  Bonus points if your shots include wildlife (no humans). If you’d like to... read more

A Singer, A Cat and Jesus

So what do these three random things have in common? No, it’s not the title of Blake Shelton’s latest album. I’m so not country that Blake Shelton is the only country singer I really know (thanks to The Voice). The common denominator is that they are stories that make me laugh whenever I think about them. I hope one of them... read more

Bread Bread Baby

My first memory of making bread was during home economics class in junior high. Yes, I’m that ancient. We made pumpkin bread, a quick bread that requires no yeast, no kneading and no rising time. Back in those early days, I was a timid eater. Kind of like the kids now who only eat white or yellow food. When we poured the canned pumpkin into... read more

Swenga

As February approaches each year, I get a bit nostalgic because it’s when my dad’s birthday comes around. This year, I thought I’d honor his memory by sharing one of the funniest days of my life with him. What makes this memory extra special is that it involves both my sisters. This story goes back almost 20 years, but I remember it... read more

The Bird Lady

For the holidays, I wanted to repost a fun article from the valsroad archives. I adapted this one from the summer of 2013… So I think I am spending too much time in the garden as I’ve started personifying birds. It all started with a couple of cute starlings. Three or four of them decided to take a bath in our fountain. Then, they invited... read more