Janet's Blog

Here in Nebraska, High School Track and Field begins around the first of March, and continues through most of May. It isn't uncommon for the weather to be cold and windy, or even snowy, as the athletes are preparing for their spring track meets. Runners can run outside in almost any weather, or practice inside in any gym, but outdoor pole vaulting is not safe when the wind is blowing a gale or the heavens produce springtime snow or rain, and indoor vaulting venues are rare in our area. Because of these challenges, pole vaulters don't often get as much practice as they need to excel in the sport.                                               I don't remember when Bill first started thinking about opening an independent indoor pole vaulting facility, but his initial  Pole Vault Passion  began years ago, when Meagan started to vault in Junior High, and Bill's pa...

For several years, as I walked near Scotts Bluff National Monument, I couldn't help but notice a golden, globe-shaped shrub that burst into glorious bloom every September. I wasn't familiar with it, since it doesn't grow in eastern Nebraska, where I grew up, but it lines the fence along the path I walk, and grabs my attention every year about this time. So, last year, I took its picture and let my phone's plant-identifying app put a name to it. Each oddly-named Rubber Rabbitbrush shrub is normally two to six feet tall and two to four feet across. I learned that it grows best in the dry, wide open spaces of the western United States, pollinating and blooming in late summer and early fall. Since Rabbitbrush pollen is a common trigger for allergy sufferers, it might be part of the reason for my fall allergies. Rubber Rabbitbrush is fast growing, reaching maturity in less than four years, and having a 20 year lifespan. It thrives in full sun, tolerates perpetual wind, and i...

I love thunder and lightning, puddles, and rainbows. I love the smell of rain, and the beauty of the thunderheads as they overtake the entire sky. The last few years have brought an abundance of rain to the Nebraska Panhandle, but this summer is different. This year, our last significant rain was more than two months ago. Since the beginning of June, we've seen some promising clouds, heard a little rumbling thunder, and experienced some devastating hail, but we've only felt a few sprinkles. Just this week, I saw these unwelcome words in print: severe drought . Ugh! So, this summer, we've had to celebrate the wonders of water in other ways, and in other places.  Ask the LORD for rain in the springtime; it is the LORD who sends the thunderstorms. He gives showers of rain to all people, and plants of the field to everyone.  Zechariah 10:1 We set up our pool early this year, before Memorial Day. Pool accessories have been hard to find this summer, so we've made do with a pa...

Jackson spotted them first, or maybe, he smelled them. Anyway, he alerted me to the deer's presence, just a few feet away, on the other side of the ditch. I had driven about a mile from home, past the landfill, to the small parking area next to the bike path that skirts the east side of the National Park land. We had left the house a little later than I planned, so the sun had disappeared behind the Monument before we started walking on the path. It was a beautiful, still evening, right at dusk. I was hoping the light would hold out until we made it back to the car. I was hoping, too, to spot some wildlife of the four-legged kind--I can do without rattlesnakes, thank you very much! The lingering sunset, on the north edge of Scotts Bluff. We met a couple of other walkers on the path, with their black lab, but otherwise, Jackson and I had the path to ourselves. I snapped way too many sunset pictures. On the way back, we crossed over to the alley that borders the bike path, to get jus...