Innehållsförteckning för February/March 2018 från Country

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…

DEEP IN THE SOUTHERN tip of the Lone Star State, along the twisting Rio Grande, there lies a 120-mile ribbon of lush, semi-tropical habitat that is home to a delightfully diverse number of birds and butterflies. Situated right in the heart of this natural paradise is McAllen, the region’s largest city and the perfect base for a visit to the Rio Grande Valley. Chief among McAllen attractions is the urban sanctuary of Quinta Mazatlan, a historic, Spanish Revival-style adobe hacienda with 20 acres of butterfly and bird habitat. Stroll under the shade of native plants as you admire buff-bellied hummingbirds, great kiskadees, green jays and Altamira orioles. If you have a checklist of species to spot, stop at the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge, the Edinburg Scenic Wetlands and World…

I was an ocean-loving girl, born in the sunny state of California. However, when I was about 4 years old, my family uprooted and moved to Washington state, where for a short time we had the privilege of living one field over from where my maternal grandparents lived. During those two years of my young life, the country grew roots in me deeper than the great depths of the ocean. The warm soil on my toes; the lush green, rain-ripened grass fields; trees with great limbs for climbing; old red barns and sweet carrots pulled fresh from the earth are just a few of the things that have never left my blood. Three decades later, I finally get to live on my own piece of paradise on a little mountain…

Many people think Iowa is just another flyover state. But anyone familiar with the region can tell you Iowa is much more than that. So what draws folks to the heart of the Midwest? Maybe it’s the affordable living. Or the stunning sunrises and sunsets over the gentle rolling hills of the countryside. Or perhaps it’s the mantra of Iowa Nice that greets those passing through. Iowa has a way of spreading kindness, as evidenced by the Hawkeye Wave, which takes place at university football games in Iowa City. After the first quarter, everyone in the stadium turns and waves across the street to the University of Iowa Children’s Hospital. Inside, patients and their families wave back. Even the opposing team waves. Beyond kindness, Iowa holds other treasures. My wife,…

Though I’m all grown up, I can still feel the peacefulness and see the pastoral beauty of my childhood home in West Virginia. My parents, three older brothers and I lived in a huge old house on a ridge. Often I felt the wind on my face and in my hair. When it blew hard, I was sure that if I jumped, it would pick me up and fly me over the mountain. I could never seem to jump high enough, though. A wooden table stood in the center of our kitchen. From my chair I watched Mom move from counter to sink. Our water came from a hand pump. To get it flowing, Mom pulled the handle up and pushed it down with all her might. No water since…

You could say my sister Lavada is a farmer’s wife who lives in her SUV. Whenever I talk to her, she’s in her car, either picking up her grandkids from school or running to the store to buy parts for the farming equipment. At noon you will find her delivering lunch to her husband, Les, out in the field. This is where she probably picked up the little black and orange hitchhiker. Lavada is always in a hurry. A couple of weeks ago she had to run to town to get a part for the combine. Les told her that he absolutely needed the part to harvest the grain. So when she opened the door to her vehicle and noticed a large spider web right under the driver’s dash, she…

DELUXE MASHED POTATOES VIVIAN BAILEY CEDAR FALLS, IOWA PREP: 30 min. • BAKE: 35 min. • MAKES: 6 servings 4 to 5 large potatoes (about 21/2 pounds) 3 oz. cream cheese, softened 1/2 cup sour cream 1 Tbsp. chopped chives 3/4 tsp. onion salt 1/4 tsp. pepper 1 Tbsp. butter Paprika, optional DIRECTIONS 1. Peel and cube the potatoes; place in a saucepan and cover with water. Cook over medium heat until tender; drain. Mash until smooth (do not add milk or butter). 2. Stir in cream cheese, sour cream, chives, onion salt and pepper. Spoon into a greased 11/2-qt. baking dish. Dot with butter; sprinkle with paprika. 3. Cover; bake at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until heated through. “These tasty steaks are special but fast enough for everyday…

1 DUNNINGS SPRING PARK A 200-foot waterfall (right) is the star attraction of this park in Decorah. parks.decorahia.org/decorah-parks 2 MOUNT HOSMER VETERAN’S MEMORIAL PARK On a bluff high above Lansing, this park boasts panoramic views of the Mississippi River Valley. lansingiowa.com/outdoor-fun 3 YELLOW RIVER STATE FOREST Camp, hike, horseback ride, fish or cross-country ski at this haven for outdoor adventure. iowadnr.gov 4 EFFIGY MOUNDS NATIONAL MONUMENT Learn about the history and culture of native peoples at this protected sacred space (left). nps.gov/efmo 5 PIKES PEAK STATE PARK Hiking trails traverse wooded bluffs and valleys hundreds of feet above the Mississippi. iowadnr.gov…

Eight years ago I moved to the small town of Winchester, Ontario. I fell in love with this place but was missing the church I’d left behind. I went to work at the hospital, where I met a co-worker who offered to take me to her church. The next Sunday, off we went. I walked into St. Luke’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in Dunbar and immediately felt at home. I was welcomed with open arms, and the pastor, Joachim Barkley-Probst, and his wife, Sandra, included me in the service by introducing me to the congregants and thanking me for attending. Fast forward to today: St. Luke’s has connected me with the Lord and given me my church family. When someone is unwell, going through some financial hardship or celebrating a special…

Planting Wisdom When weeding your garden, there’s an easy way to tell the difference between a weed and a vegetable or flower. Pull on it, and if it doesn’t come up, it’s a weed. But if it comes out easily, it’s not. JOYCE ANCRILE Vienna, West Virginia Prayer Request After dinner one night, I asked my son Jimmy to fetch a broom from the back porch so I could sweep the floor. Complaining, he said, “But it’s dark out there. I’m afraid.” I said to him, “It’s OK, God is with you.” Slowly Jimmy opened the porch door and said, “God, if you’re out there, would you hand me the broom?” LOIS RITENOUR Galesburg, Illinois My Undersized Load Shortly after we moved to rural South Carolina, we found…

Twice each day I walk the same downhill path to the barn for chores. Sometimes I’m half asleep, sometimes weary from working a long day in town. I walk most often in the dark, sometimes sliding on icy snow or slipping in mud from unending rain, sometimes wading through a sea of overgrown grass. The constant in this twice-daily journey is the path itself and where it always takes me, no matter the time of year, the weather, or how temporarily difficult it is to discern. I have learned the way by feel as much as by sight—the twist here, the dip there, the aromatic stretch through the stand of wild mint—all while trying to avoid stepping on the playful farm dogs or the barn cat underfoot. I prefer to…

“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…

With a fascinating past and more than four centuries of history, St. Augustine is the nation’s oldest continuously inhabited city—and an American treasure. Located on Florida’s Atlantic coast, it is home to many fine examples of European colonial architecture and wild, scenic vistas. In 1513, while searching for the storied Fountain of Youth, explorer Juan Ponce de Leon happened upon this land. He called it La Florida and claimed it for Spain. Then, in 1565, conquistador Don Pedro Menendez de Aviles established a settlement here, which he named in honor of a Catholic saint. Except for a 20-year period of English rule, Florida remained under Spanish governance until the United States took control in 1821. In the years after its founding, the city was attacked by the French and English,…

When I was about 9 years old, a beautiful white cat showed up at our church. The pastor’s wife left food out for the stray and named her Snow White. The cat had such a sweet temperament, and it soon became obvious she was pregnant. Not long after becoming an inside cat at the parsonage, she gave birth. Snowy, as we called her, and her babies then moved to our house to live with my family. As much as my sisters and I loved her, we already had several pets and would have to put the cats up for adoption. It was quite a drive to the shelter. We got the kittens out of the car. But because Snowy was considered feral, my parents were unsure if the shelter would…

BREATHE IT IN My husband and I pulled over at the lower end of Lake McDonald in Montana’s Glacier National Park for one last look before leaving. The clouds briefly lifted, exposing the base of the peaks we’d been trying to see all throughout that gray, wintry day. DENA WARREN Reva, Virginia REFRESHING RIDE My wife, Diane, took advantage of a warm winter day (20 degrees) to ride Lakota on an ice-covered lake. DOUG BELLEFEUILLE Rochert, Minnesota FOWL PLAY I love how candid and fun this photo is. The chicken wanted to peck her bright blue fingernails. CRYSTAL LAWRENCE Victor, Montana ROCKY ROAD My wife, Christie, and I live close to Rocky Mountain National Park and often spend Sundays on Trail Ridge Road, which soars to 12,183…

A family of noble bald eagles lives in nearby pine trees. The young hatch in spring, leaving the nest in summer. ANN MARIE EBERHART GIG HARBOR, WASHINGTON I saw this gorgeous mountain goat in the South Dakota Black Hills. The wildlife and scenery there are my favorites in the whole country. LAUREN BASSART SHERMAN OAKS CALIFORNIA A sleek red fox hunts in the snow at Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. ERICA HARVEY RAPID CITY SOUTH DAKOTA…