Category: Adventure

I’m Back in Farm Broadcasting
Adventure, Agricultural Communication, Transitions

I’m Back in Farm Broadcasting

Granted, my original stint was only for a summer, but that definitely counts.

Some background:

During my senior year of high school, I visited with Gary Truitt, a long-time farm broadcaster who had just started a new company called Hoosier Ag Today. I had been interested in radio for a little while and used the news source while studying for FFA competitions. I asked Gary if I could job shadow him, and he said he’d need to make sure I could visit when he went out and about to interview people.

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Sheep, a Cow, and Scottish Flags
Adventure, Farm, Home

Sheep, a Cow, and Scottish Flags

Winter birthday parties nowadays require sitting outside, which worked out quite well on Saturday because Jeff and I were working with the sheep in the barn that morning.

We’d dropped off some Christmas trees a little while ago, trees that neighbors had wanted to recycle. It’s said there are some beneficial properties to evergreens that will help sheep rid themselves of parasites, and so we’ve been trying this the last couple of years.

So far, the Shetlands like the pines, but not the firs.

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Then and Now (Could also be considered Guardian, Part 3)
Adventure, Home, Photo Essay, Photography, Transitions

Then and Now (Could also be considered Guardian, Part 3)

A week after I returned home from New Zealand, a high school friend, L, and I drove around the county to see the annual Covered Bridge Festival and visit bridges we didn’t often see. We took our photos in front of nine of the 31 structures.

Of course we stopped by West Union.

Who knew that two and a half years later, we’d be standing on the same bridge as bride and bridesmaid.

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Guardian
Adventure

Guardian

This is another edition of Joint Blogging with L, where my fellow blogger and I go on adventures and then write about them. This time, we found a way to have an adventure long-distance. Here is L’s version. Other installments in this series are from Purdue’s Spring Fest and the Covered Bridge Festival.

A few weeks ago, my friend L and I set aside a day to work on a 20-paragraph piece for a short-story contest from Owl Canyon Press (it’s still going on if you want to participate). In this competition, the organizers provide the first and twentieth paragraphs, and the participants connect them with eighteen paragraphs that each contain at least fifty words.  

Often when writing, I type furiously on the laptop, but this time, I wanted to try something different: writing my first draft by hand. This story seemed to be one that needed paper and pen.

The process revealed why.

The song, “This is the Greatest Show” from The Greatest Showman stuck in my head.

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A Special Announcement
Adventure, Farm

A Special Announcement

I wrote this announcement on Facebook and Instagram and wanted to share it here, too.

With the horses on our wedding day, May 16, 2020. Photo by Rainstorm Photo.

The 16th of each month is special for Jeff and me (Elise), as the day marks how many months we have been married. So it only seemed fitting that today be the day for a Special Announcement.

As we began our new life together, we knew we wanted to farm. We also knew that we wanted to both preserve my farm heritage and incorporate Jeff’s specialties, creating a new path with an exciting future.

So today, we wanted to share the name we have chosen for our farm and agritourism endeavors:

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A Speech and Some Sheep: Sharing Joy from the Indiana State Fair
Adventure, Character, Faith, Farm, Food, Home

A Speech and Some Sheep: Sharing Joy from the Indiana State Fair

“State officers!”

Our heels spin in the dust of the infield. The grounded hot-air balloons to the right form dark silhouettes against the silver sky. I squint in their direction, looking for the source of the voice.

A 4-H member in a red t-shirt emerges from the early morning haze, a wide blue lanyard swinging around her neck. Her short brown hair frames an excited grin.

“Meg!” I exclaim. “Hi!”

“Hi! I saw the jacket and knew it had to be you, so hi!”

“I’m giving a speech at the Opening Ceremony. It’s starting soon, we need to go.”

“I’ll be there, too!”

I wave, she gives me her usual salute, and my teammates and I spin again and rush to the FFA Pavilion to meet our supervisors.

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