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COUNTRY EXTRA READERS, you’re in for a pleasant surprise when you turn this page. You’ll notice that this issue is different in a good way—we’re running fewer ads so we can bring you more of the photos and stories you love. We’ve added pages to America the Beautiful (page 24) and God’s Country (page 32) and created new content celebrating the traditions of country life. The back cover is now on glossy paper with a collectible photo, an inspirational quote and a patriotic salute to America. Plus, Art Director Scott Schiller has given the magazine a new look that makes your heartfelt stories easier and more enjoyable to read. Here’s a preview of what’s new: ♦ The Country Almanac is a calendar chock-full of useful information, including time-…
Enter the Our Country Home Contest and you could win $500! Submit at least six photos of your home (high-resolution JPEG files, please) along with a 500-word essay explaining why it’s the best place in the country. Here are the four categories: 1. Gardens 2. Interiors 3. The View 4. Farmland The grand prize is $500, but there are more ways to win! The first-, second- and third-prize winners will receive $250, $150 and $100, respectively. Here’s how to enter: 1. Go to country-magazine.com/contests and click on the link. 2. Fill out the submission form and upload your photos and essay. 3. Click Submit. 4. To enter another category, repeat steps 1, 2 and 3. The contest ends July 7. For complete rules go to country-magazine.com /contests.…
RICHARD NELSON: “Our Swedish Flower Hen roosters are eye candy with a winter backdrop. No two are ever exactly alike, and the colors are gorgeous.” KAREN MILLER: “Barred Rocks, Buff Orpingtons, Black Australorps, Araucanas. Nice mix of layers so I get eggs all year in Virginia.” TERRI PATTERSON MINNICK: “We had 10 acres with lots of hens and roosters. Husband became very ill so we moved to less than an acre on a small lake in the country. I had to be able to have my hens. So they are with me, helping me garden and entertaining me. I don’t have a lot of free time, but my hens bring me joy.” Follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/countrymagazine.com.…
HEIRLOOMS Was your great-aunt the best quilter in the state? Do you treasure Dad’s collection of antique farm tools? Give your heirloom the recognition it deserves by sending photos of the object or collection and the person who loved it, and tell other Country readers what makes it so special to you. VIEW FROM OUR PLACE Fresh air, wide-open spaces and friendly folks are what make days in the country rewarding. Here at Country and Country Extra, we celebrate simple pleasures and good values. Tell us why country roots are important to your family, and share pictures of the splendor and beauty in your neck of the woods. WORDS TO LIVE BY People who live in the country have a knack for telling it like it is. Over the years,…
Growing up near Chicago, I didn’t visit a national park until the year I turned 12. That was when my parents packed up the kids and the grandparents and drove us to Alaska. We camped at Denali National Park & Preserve. Known back then as Mount McKinley, the size of Denali (at 20,310 feet above sea level, it’s the tallest peak in North America) made a lasting impression on this young, city-dwelling flatlander. So did the pristine wilderness that encompasses the park. I became certain of one thing on that trip: I wanted to be a national park ranger when I grew up. After graduating from college, I was hired as a ranger at Isle Royale National Park in Michigan’s Lake Superior. My dream came true. Looking back, I’m so…
FORTY YEARS AGO I started walking the three-plus miles of our old country road, and I have been doing it almost every day since. I don’t walk far from the house before the road becomes all dirt. As winter leaves us, the scenery is drab; the fields lay dormant and brown, the hardwood trees stretch tall and bare of leaves. But the softwood trees of pine and fir strain their branches skyward. The green firs are a soothing sight this time of year, when winter has left us with a lack of luster and color. It’s quiet. Hardly a car goes by. As I start to crest the first hill I can hear the wild turkeys gobbling. My neighbor has an abundance of bird feeders out, and the spillage from…
