Janet's Blog

Way back in the 1980s, our friend, Amy, and her family rescued two llamas. I don’t remember the exact circumstances, but I know both llamas, who were brothers, had been malnourished and generally neglected before Amy stepped in to offer them a better home. But even though Amy and her husband had plenty of farmland in southeastern Nebraska, they weren’t really equipped to care for the two young llamas. So, Amy talked Dad into taking them. They came with the names of Bruno and Caesar. Bruno was the nice llama. Caesar was the naughty one, with a penchant for spitting and coming up behind someone (usually my mom) and attempting to knock her down, sometimes successfully. That’s when Mom started carrying a rather hefty walking stick along on her walks through the pasture. Dad was always an animal lover, with a variety of unusual pets when he was growing up. Like most farm kids, he and his siblings had dogs and cats and horses, but they also raised an owl, a coyote pup, a baby skunk, a racco...

As another Father's Day is approaching, I've been thinking of Dad, and the time we spent together. So here, in honor of Father’s Day and in no particular order, are some things I learned from my dad: Dad had me on his horse with him long before I could walk. Throughout my childhood, he taught me basic horse sense, and how to ride and care for a horse. When I was no older than three, Dad taught me how to poke the little shriveled pea seeds into the ground. From him, I learned the difference between weeds and beneficial plants, and how to grow a productive garden, especially tomatoes. Dad taught me how to make use of what I have. He was always frugal, so I have those tendencies, as well. Dad’s strong work ethic also rubbed off on me. From him, I learned that anything worth doing is worth doing well, no matter how long it takes, or how hard it is. Dad napped for a short time nearly every day throughout his adult life, showing me that I don’t need to be ashamed of getting the rest ...