Innehållsförteckning för May 2017 från Country Extra

THE RHUBARB PATCH IS READY, the grass needs a good mowing and I’m itching to clean out the annuals section at my favorite nursery. It must be May! This is the time of year when everything is possible, and I start dreaming of what could be. Before long, I have a list of projects, and I know I can’t tackle all of them. Reader Kristi Kronz has wonderful advice for folks like me: Take it slow and focus on the things you do well before adding to your plate. On page 16, Kristi, who built a homestead with her husband near Nampa, Idaho, offers some wisdom from her own experience. It’s good stuff that applies not only to homesteading, but also to just about anything you plan to do.…

AMERICAN PRIDE From American flags to fireworks and Fourth of July parades, capture and share the spirit of America in your best patriotic photos. Make sure to include details about when and where you took the photo and why you are proud to call this big, beautiful country your home. MAKE US LAUGH Country life produces its fair share of sidesplitting moments. Here at Country and Country Extra, we love nothing more than a good laugh. Share your silliest stories and jokes, and send us pictures of the amusing antics and quirky sights you’ve seen across America. HEIRLOOMS Was your great-aunt the state’s best quilter? Do you cherish Dad’s antique tool collection? Give your heirloom the recognition it deserves by sending photos of the object or collection and the person…

Have you ever found a four-leaf clover? I am talking about the bona fide lucky kind you find only after patiently searching. I find myself looking for four-leaf clovers without really trying. When I’m riding the mower, I keep my eyes on the ground as I pass by a patch of clover—in some cases with unfortunate results, as certain lopsided bushes or scarred trees around the house can attest. Over the years I’ve found quite a few, and sometimes my sons, Willis and Ethan, have joined the hunt. I can’t say for sure that any of the clovers I’ve found were lucky. I haven’t won the lottery, and I’m still waiting for the Publishers Clearing House van to pull into the driveway. On the other hand, I have the time…

May 2017 This month marks the start of warm days and walks in the sun. 1 Celebrate the start of wildflower season with a visit to Mount Pisgah Arboretum in Eugene, Oregon. Learn more at mountpisgaharboretum.com. 6th Kentucky Derby The sun shines bright on the old Kentucky home as thoroughbreds race for glory. 28 On this day in 1892…   conservationist John Muir founded the Sierra Club to “make the mountains glad.” 29 th  Memorial Day We honor our fallen military heroes. Spring is new beginnings—the blooming of dogwood, daffodils, forsythia and crocuses. It’s the start of spending more time outdoors. Lorri Burns Keyser, West Virginia MAY 31ST Synchronous fireflies light up the night sky in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Viewings abound in…

“The first bite of creamy filling lets you know this isn’t any old omelet.” — ANNE TROISE CREAM CHEESE & CHIVE OMELET ANNE TROISE MANALAPAN, NEW JERSEY PREP: 15 min. • MAKES: 2 servings 1 tablespoon olive oil4 large eggs2 tablespoons minced chives2 tablespoons water 1/8 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon pepper2 ounces cream cheese, cubed Salsa DIRECTIONS 1. In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Whisk the eggs, chives, water, salt and pepper. Add egg mixture to skillet (mixture should set immediately at edges). 2. As the eggs set, push the cooked edges toward the center, letting the uncooked portion flow underneath. When the eggs are set, sprinkle cream cheese on one side; fold other side over filling. Slide omelet onto a plate; cut in half.…

St. Paul United Church of Christ in Delta,Wisconsin, is a charming little chapel in the North Woods. We are known as the Little Brown Church in the Wildwood. Ours is the only church in Delta, and that has been a foundational part of our character. We are truly a community church, a fact that was reinforced this summer as we undertook a major restoration of the building. Back in the 1930s, the inside of our building was beautifully hand-painted by some talented church members. Time, unfortunately, had taken its toll, and the walls were in need of some refreshment and repair. Such a task might have been too great for a small congregation, but not for a whole community. The people of Delta, members of the church, summer residents and…

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.…

I love the smell of sheets off the line. Nothing in a bottle compares to the fresh, clean scent that sunshine and a breeze impart to linens dried outside. I grew up on a dairy farm in upstate New York, and when I was small, we had a washing machine with rollers. Mom hauled it into the kitchen, hooked it up to the faucet for water and put the clothes through the wringer to squeeze the water out. Then she hung the clothes on the line outside. Sometimes the towels and socks were a bit stiff, but they sure smelled good. A few years later we got a new washing machine. Just put the clothes in and turn the dial. Magic! Then the dryer entered the house. Clothes could be…

Whenever I passed a yard full of kitsch, I groaned and wondered what possessed someone to put just one more strange thing in the grass. Now I know. It starts with the first thing. For my husband, Fredrik, and me, it was a simple wooden bird feeder. I didn’t give it a thought at the time. In fact, I encouraged his suggestion. He’s retired, and he’d abandoned old job interests in favor of following me around saying, “What’s for dinner?” So I practically kicked him out the door. Off he went to the hobby shop, purchased a basic bird feeder and stuck it in the yard. No birds tried it, but the squirrels were delighted. Within a week we understood the tin-snipped, grease-smeared coffee cans, along with the various knotted…

SUPERSTITION MOUNTAINS AND LOST DUTCHMAN STATE PARK Arizona STARTING IN LATE February and through March, after the winter rains have ceased, the desert floor in Arizona turns its color wheel to the intense yellows of flowering brittlebush, the bold oranges of Mexican gold poppies and the vivid purple hues of Coulter’s lupine and common owl’s clover. One place I love to see this profusion of glorious flowers is Lost Dutchman State Park, underneath the spires of the Flatiron formation of the Superstition Mountains. Just 40 miles miles east of Phoenix, Lost Dutchman offers several short trails that lead within mesmerizing reach of the flowers. Hiking there, you might also spy coyotes, javelinas, jackrabbits and rattlesnakes. There is much history of the Old West here along with high desert beauty. Lost…

Warm sunshine highlights my young daughter’s coppery curls as she hands me clothespins. My mind drifts back 30 years to a snug white house nestled between cornfields. I am standing barefoot in dewy grass handing clothespins to my own sweet mother. She speaks of her childhood memories as she works, and I contentedly listen. My mom, Donna, spent part of her childhood on a Kentucky farm. I loved hearing how she rode her horse, Queenie, bareback when she was a little girl. Once, Queenie dipped her head in the creek for a drink, sending my mother sailing into the water. Her parents looked on in amazement as the horse picked her up by the waistband and placed her safely on dry land. I have so many fond memories of my…

1. Share photos and stories with us using the online form at country-magazine.com/submit. 2. Note which department you are submitting for, and whether the material has been published before. However, your item may be selected to run in any section of our magazine, or elsewhere. 3. We do not return submitted materials. Although we are unable to acknowledge receipt of a submission, we will let you know if it is published. 4. We accept high-resolution digital images. Digital images should be about 4x6 inches at a minimum resolution of 300 dots per inch, or about 1200x1800 pixels. Photos must be in focus and of good quality. Please only send submissions through our online form. 5. If we print your submission in the magazine, we will send you a complimentary copy…

We rely on readers to tell us what’s going on in rural America. There’s a lot to say about the beauty and values of the country. That’s why we’re bringing back volunteer Field Editors. What does a volunteer Field Editor do? Submit gorgeous photos and heartfelt, true stories. Share insights about the country way of life. Get active in online conversations. Share and comment on stories and photos on our Facebook and Instagram pages. Spread the word. Get friends, family and neighbors involved with Country. Here’s what you’ll get as a thank-you for your time: • A free subscription to Country • Occasional books and other products as they are available • Our enthusiastic gratitude—we love our Field Editors! How to apply: For more details and to apply, go to…

BESIDE THE TOOL SHED, I had my secret sacred garden, untouched by the grown-up world. Here lettuce and onions thrived in harmony with daisies and, one year, with a small jungle of evening primroses. Evening primrose. To a 9-year-old girl, the name evoked visions of graceful ballerinas. One night my mother treated me to a colorful bedtime story in which flowers jumped about with elves and hobgoblins. I decided that it was time to witness such an event personally, and this was the perfect night for flowers to dance. I tiptoed to the shed and peeped around the wall. In the still of the night, the evening primroses had come to life. Pale yellow petals unfolded one by one, flower after flower, like butterflies’ wings. They did so at such…

THE SEA LURED US to Canaveral National Seashore, where we explored the 24-mile stretch of powdery white sand, laughing at funny little birds (sanderlings), running from the blue-gray waves and breathing in the salty air. Home to more than 1,000 fish and bird species and even more plant and wildlife species, Canaveral sits on a barrier island complex. The Atlantic Ocean is on one side, the Indian River (really a lagoon) is on the other, and in between lies Mosquito Lagoon, which covers about two-thirds of the park. We made our first stop at the Apollo Visitor Center, picked up a map, learned about the history of the island and set off to find the nesting sea turtles that lay their eggs under the sand. My family and I scoped…

BEE BALM Monarda spp., Zones 3 to 9, full sun The name says it all. This unusual beauty grows up to 4 feet tall and starts flowering in midsummer, inviting bees to your flowerbeds. Plants come in hues of red, white and purple. CATMINT Neptea x faassenii, Zones 3 to 8, full sun Don’t let the name dissuade you from planting this bee favorite. Look for well-behaved varieties that don’t reseed and take over the garden. You and the bees will be rewarded with purple flowers that top silvery foliage all season long. FLOWERING DOGWOOD Cornus florida, Zones 5 to 8, partial to full sun Thanks to pink and white bracts surrounding the flowering dogwood’s small green flowers, bees pay…

PUPPY PAL Our grandson Cillian knows there’s no better place for daydreaming than sitting on a hay bale with your best friend. JACK KUEHN Woodville, Texas COUNTRY SPRAWL A bed of petunias nearly covers this old trunk next to my barn. These cheerful blooms really brighten up my day every time I see their lively display of color. GERALD YOKELY Tobaccoville, North Carolina FOLLOW THE LEADER Clint, age 4, and Ryan, age 6, are already following in their grandpa’s footsteps by helping in the garden. KEN AND DEB WATTS Lakeville, Indiana BIRDS OF A FEATHER My son Sam, age 4, fell in love with Junior, a Silky rooster. Sam carried Junior around every day. STEPHANIE GALE Lebanon, Ohio A MAGICAL MOMENT While…