A new beginning

For those familiar with my ramblings in my previous life as the publisher of three weekly newspapers, you'll find this blog to be a continuation of some of my thoughts, but with some new additions.

If you're new to my rantings and observations about the world around me, all you need to know is that I reside in a mostly sleepy hollow near the center of Fayette County, Iowa where the silence is most often broken by the howl of a lone coyote (or a pack running wildly along the Volga River) or perhaps the chirping from spring peepers and croaking bull frogs in early summer.

More specifically, in our yard, there's often a "wauccckkkkkkk- wauk-wauk" from our favorite hen, "Dot," who is fond of sticking her beak into anything we might happen to be up to. Dot and our seven other hens typically provide the majority of amusement at the Bradley ranch – particularly when they interact with our three felines: Honey, Louie (now Lulu since we determined 'he' is really a 'she') and a sweet calico named, "Lucy."

Just this morning, after I threw a handful of sunflower seeds in the direction of a hen named "Daphne," I watched as Lulu peered at the seeds trying to determine if it could be something she'd like to sample. The chicken, preferring to keep all the sunflowers to herself, gave poor, innocent Lulu a sharp peck on her nose. Offended by the unfriendly gesture, Lulu gave Daphne a look of disgust and ambled off for a nap under the porch.

And now for my advice of the week: If you missed the St. Peter Lutheran Church Haunted Hayride Sunday night, Oct. 31, don't make the mistake of missing it again next year!! It was a fabulous production that impressed everyone who visited the community of 100 that night. At every turn, there was yet another member of the community, or someone with ties to the town, portraying a character or ghoul. As a narrator spoke of Eli Elrod and how the pioneer still haunts the community, spooky tunes including Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' were piped at high volume across the church yard, echoing between houses.

These three characters are my cousin, Amy; my Aunt Irene and my mother, Mary. They are pictured in the church yard in front of a graveyard created by Wendy Stahr, Jill Richards and Kristi Meitner. Inside the schoolhouse, folks entered the Mad Scientist's laboratory.

And this lovely corpse, laid inside a real casket playing the role of a corpse. On occasion, she reached out to touch those brave enough to jest that she might be anything less than the real thing.