Category: Home Sweet Home
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One Big Free Bird
For many years Pringle’s had a chicken that’s somewhat of a free bird in the area. It loves a good time and is especially drawn to crowds. Back in the nineties, a nine foot chicken was given to the Pringle Volunteer Fire Department. For a long time it hung out in the back of…
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The Kirk Family Christmas Tree
Living in the Black Hills has drawbacks because it’s a vacation destination but one of perks I love the most about living here is being able to go into the woods and pick out our own Christmas tree. The Forest Service sells Christmas tree permits that are a third of the cost of buying one,…
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The Thrashing Machine & Other Boy Games
No, that’s not a typo. Threshing machines and the thrashing machine are similar but the thrashing machine is man-powered. My brothers and son invented it about ten years ago when my boy was a sweaty-headed, little three year-old bouncy ball. A couple of weeks ago we had everybody down for supper and card playing and…
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oo-Mom-ee
Umami is not a word cattle producers are likely to make a habit of using regularly but has an effect on them whether they know it or not. Umami defines what an aromatic beef dish tastes like and is the reason farmers and ranchers never tire of eating beef. Umami is a Japanese word derived…
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A Lot of Junk Drawer Miscellanea
While escaping the craziness of opening weekend of elk season for the SD Festival of Books in Deadwood, it turns out I didn’t miss anything exciting. A few tags were filled but the report I got was that those who went farther south of Pringle to hunt down in the Minnekahta area between Hot Springs…
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A Token of Friendship worth Savoring
If friendships were measured by gifts given or received then jars of jam would be considered the gold standard. Many friends who are given homemade preserves as a gift are friends thought of with high regard. Harvesting fruits in the form of homemade jams and jellies is a way to savor the summer during the…
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Eating Beef and Umami
I love talking about beef. I love getting people thinking about eating beef and informing others about beef and its counterparts. My favorite way to do this is by writing about it in a way that makes people salivate so badly that they’re hungry for a succulent sirloin, juicy mushroom-swiss or bacon cheeseburger, pronto. Crafting…
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Girl Jam
No matter where a person grows up, there are always going to be associations with the summertime of his or her youth that becomes a tradition as an adult. The events may be unintentional, but earmark the season every year. One of mine is picking raspberries, as well as for many others who grew up…
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My Apologies
I’m apologizing to you readers for my inconsistency in posting my blogs. Maybe some of you have already figured this out about me and have chosen to accept me the way I am. Did you not read my column story about the butter dish and sugar bowl (Ranch Life Suits a Gemini in the archives…
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Play Dirt
Dirt and boys they just go together. When our son was a toddler, his idea of hitting pay dirt was getting to play with it. His fascination for fine dry soil started a dirt-kicking phase. It all began when he followed me under the slat-covered porch one day to clean out all the debris that…