guest column

Fresh from the Hen House

I am getting closer to the point where I’ll be pulling our sourdough starter, Oscar, from the fridge and attempting to perfect fresh-milled flour sourdough. Last winter, my youngest started her very own starter as well. We turned it into a whole 4-H/homeschool project. She even kept a journal on it. Then, the two homeschoolers and I did a sourdough experiment, baking loaves using different kinds of flour once Oswald, her starter, was established. One of us used all-purpose flour, one store-bought whole-wheat flour, and one all freshly milled hard red wheat. We were using fresh-milled flour for most things besides sourdough at this point, and this experiment taught me that there was going to be a learning curve with fresh-milled flour sourdough, though, we did make an edible loaf. By the time school was out, life was picking up pace, and we put the sourdough starters aside. I would need more time than I had to delve into the freshly milled flour sourdough.

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Fresh from the Hen House

I spent the better part of last week catching my youngest up on homeschooling since I was in the field the week prior. When she wasn’t in the field with me, she was at home with a pretty good understanding that she still needed to do school. Though, when I sat down with her this past week, I questioned what she had truly done, because oddly enough, I didn’t have much to grade, nor was the house sparkling. I would’ve been happy with either option. Of my three children though, she knows how to get distracted the most, even under supervision. I do give her the benefit of the doubt, she is home, where chicks are peeping in the porch, butterflies are at the window, kittens are in the yard, snacks are on the counter, so I do understand, but she is truly my queen of ending up doing something entirely different than told.

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If the broom fits

October is the scariest month of the year. I’m not sure why. Maybe because fall symbolizes our transition into a season of death. Maybe because winter’s too cold to be scary and summer can’t possibly be scary if it’s also the season of the tank top.

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The History Road: Railroad History West of the Mississippi River

Crossing the Mississippi River had long been a symbolic act of significance in the United States even before the Louisiana Purchase as it represented the entry into the West. Prior to the American Civil War, the Mississippi had been crossed first with the Chicago & Rock Island Railroad bridge between Davenport, Iowa and Rock City, Illinois. Immediately after the civil war had ended in 1865, focus on developing the West increased. Economic interchange grew as the railroads came to and prospered in St. Louis. At first, the Mississippi River was a hinderance. Trains carrying goods West, and or materials East had to stop at the rail yards in either St. Louis or East St. Louis. Wiggins Ferry Company, who owned a virtual monopoly in St. Louis carried all rail cars across the river where they were again connected to locomotives for the rest of their journey.

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Scented Markers

I’m a professional writer. That means they actually pay me to write the words. It’s a good job and I take it seriously. That’s why I know a thing or two about writing utensils. Before the children were born, I would always write with a pen. I was quite particular about my pen. I went through an expensive fountain pen phase, an expensive fineliner phase, and an expensive rollerball phase. I later moved through more economical versions of the same phases. I wrote with domestic pens, European pens, Asian pens. I toyed with tip sizes, jumping back and forth between medium and fine. I also experimented with colors—including a short-lived but regrettable stint with green. All I wanted was a pen (or three) that would make me a better writer than everyone else. Is that really so much to ask? Which is why, when my seven-year-old daughter asked for scented markers, I thought: Holy smokes. I never even considered scented markers. And so, today, we must.

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Fresh from the Hen House

Sometime after my mom passed, someone gifted me this little crystal angel with purple wings. Unbeknownst to the sweet person who gave it to me, purple was my mom’s favorite color. I held on to this angel, trying to decide where she would go. I wanted a special, meaningful place. She hung out on my counter for a while, awaiting her spot. Then the first wheat harvest without my mom approached, and I quietly slipped into her role of grain cart driver.

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Senior Moments

The Horton Senior Citizens were sponsors of the Brown County Senior Social along with other sponsors from the Hiawatha area on Sept. 25. Horton area supporters were Aged Goodness, Pizza Bakery, 1st Option Bank, Central Auto Parts, Horton Thriftway, Maximum Insurance, Kidwell Chiropractic, Schlagel Popcorn, Lentz Express, American Family, Union State Bank, NEK Home Health and Hospice, and two new businesses, Vilma’s Cafe, and Dejavu Vintage Treasures & More. Many thanks for their support for a very successful event!

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Fresh from the Hen House

The current 4-H year is coming to a close, and that means we’ll soon be able to sit back down at the kitchen table. Three kids means three 4-H record books, which also means a whole lot of information to be input into those record books. We’ve come so far in organizing 4-H projects and information, but the record book mess has me realizing that there is a lot more organizing we could be doing. Goals for a new year!

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Fresh from the Hen House

My life feels as messy as our deteriorating road from all this rain. It’s smooth for a while, then there are all these ruts you’ve got to get through. Then, all of a sudden, it’s slick and sending you in directions you didn’t plan on going. And if you don’t keep going, you’re, well, more stuck than a goat with its head through the fence. Throwing mud routes in with all the other activities of the past couple weeks has been a little more juggling than I want to do, but we’re slowly sludging through it all.

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