Country February/March 2018

If you believe that Iowa is flat and boring, please turn to page 40. There, Justin Rogers will show you why the Hawkeye State is God’s country. With its weathered barns, covered bridges, pastoral landscapes and the genuine character of those who call it home, Iowa captures the spirit and beauty of America’s heartland. Justin became a contributor to the magazine thanks to the Country Life Photo Contest. Last year, his image of a foggy morning sunrise at Iowa’s Badger Creek State Recreation Area won the scenery category. I was so intrigued by the photo that I reached out to him, and we turned his enthusiasm for photography and Iowa into a cover story. That’s what makes the Country Life Photo Contest special—the people who enter share with us not…

Find all sorts of extras from Country readers on Facebook, rd.comrd.com and Instagram. If you aren’t following us regularly on social media or visiting , here’s what you’re missing. Candy Thompson takes care of the birds that visit her feeder in winter. She took this photo of a pileated woodpecker snacking. facebook.com/countrymagazine Kerysa Ford’s photo of tulips at the Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe, Vermont, made us long for spring. instagram.com/country.magazine Dreaming of traveling in the flowering season? Pack your bags and head for these destinations. rd.com/springdestinations…

Enter your best snapshots in Country’s first ever Winter Photo Contest, and you could win $250! You’ve got until March 23 to submit as many images as you’d like in each of the four categories: Animals, Scenery, People, Kids. It’s easy to enter. Go to country-magazine.com/contests to upload your photos and read the official rules. Submit your entries online at country-magazine.com/contests by March 23, 2018.…

AS I DROVE on our two-lane country road one evening, the cars going in both directions suddenly stopped ahead of me. All I could see was a dog running in and out and around the cars, seeming quite intent. I assumed we were stopped so we would not hit him. This went on for several minutes, and I wondered why he wasn’t afraid of all the cars. Soon enough, I saw the reason for the commotion, on a dirt road off to my right. The dog lay still and flat on the ground, his eyes locked on about 20 sheep standing in a pack. A truckload of sheep had somehow gotten loose. They were running all over the street, and the dog was rounding them up. The dog’s owner stood…

My son Blu McMullin is always helping those in need, especially animals. He and his wife, Jan, live on Paradise Farm. It really is 25 acres of paradise. As we enter their drive, we see 12 beautiful horses grazing on the green grass, and geese and chickens in the barnyard. Three farm dogs meet us in the driveway and there are four smaller ones in the backyard. All rescues. Blu also has ducks on two ponds, one stocked with bass and the other with catfish. He volunteers at the Charleston Dog Shelter and has helped find happy homes for more than 100 puppies. Once, Jan and Blu had six 2-day-old puppies that they bottle-fed every four hours. All of the puppies survived. Animals make Blu’s world a happy place. He…

“On these still-cold days, when the clear air is heady to breathe, it is wonderful to put on my warmest old clothes, go outside and feel the weather.”— JAN BLANKENBURG Donnellson, Iowa Vermont is usually what comes to mind when people think about maple syrup. However, in the hills of northern Michigan, maple trees abound, and there are many folks who head out to the sugar bush to tap trees each spring. My family is among them. In early March, Dad shovels out his “sap shack” to get ready for the impending start of the sweet stuff. As a child, I always loved maple syrup season because it meant longer days outside enjoying 45-degree weather (practically tropical after a long, snowy winter) and gathering buckets full of sap. My folks…