Hello, my name is Kathy and I’m a hoarder. It has been ten years since I last purchased Slenda at Sam’s Club and I find myself in my car on the way to “restock”. I have no idea what the “best by” shelf life is, but it is so cheap that I can’t help myself as I drive 30...

Have you ever noticed that men and women approach chores differently? Take mowing for example. My husband gears up for mowing as if he is going into battle. He wears boots, pants and long sleeves along with goggles, a face mask and a big straw hat, and his mower has a...

You know it is humid in Iowa when even the frogs want to come inside. I opened the door last night to see a tiny frog clinging to the screen door hoping to get a blast of air conditioning, and Steven found a family of frogs living on top of the shop light. (I'm not...

Last month, I was helping customize some closets in my daughter’s first house. My work crew was comprised of several paramedics and nurses that work at the same hospital that my daughter works at. I was supposed to be supervising, but I have never been the sort to...

It is the subtle statements in the instructions that always seem to create a problem. I remember assembling a stationary bike and getting to a simple instruction to insert bolt B into the crossbar and frame. Sounds simple enough, but in fact, a person would have to...

Tomorrow is the big delivery date. Our fish arrive! I studied, I Googled, I talked to friends and searched the internet and finally placed my big fish order at the farm store. I ordered 5 grass carp and 25 catfish. It is a bit of a bizarre process. You fill out the...

It is that time of year where people ask me, "What is that stuff on your pond?" How should I know? It is green and slimy, so I thought it was algae. Some people tell me it is duck weed, and yet others say it is something else entirely. If I had a clue what it was, I...

We have a mouse in the house. I don't like it. I don't even like the thought of it. I was preparing dinner the other night and expecting Gene to be home at any moment when I noticed Dolly staring into the bathroom. I thought that was unusual since she has never shown...

Years ago, I remember a conversation in the car with my 4 year old son as he asked his father, “Daddy? How come you don’t drive in the grass like Mommy does?” My husband burst into laughter as I alternately glared at him and then my son. He patiently explained that...

A man, a parrot, and a zebra walk into a bar . . . I know, it sounds like the opening of a joke.  But truth is often funnier than fiction.  I'm an avid newspaper reader.  I can't seem to help myself.  So when I ran across this story a couple of years ago, I saved it...