The last living memory I have of my mom was the day before my 18th birthday. For more than half of my young life, she had struggled with serious complications from diabetes and passed away at the age of 52. As a result, for the last 39 years, I have found myself meandering through life trying ...

When the Best China and Linens Come Out By Nell B. NicholsCompany for dinner! This announcement awakes within every normal woman the desire to prepare and serve a first-class meal. Selecting the menu is the first task. Finding the necessary recipes is next in order. Then plans of work, or the ...

It’s upon us at last. Each year, as February drags on, April can’t come soon enough. Don’t get me wrong, I love fall and winter. Nothing brings peace of mind for me like sitting in a tree stand hunting for whitetail deer in the fall, or traipsing through tall CRP grass in pursuit of ...

Tribute to Grandmother and Her Apron I loved the article “Mom’s Apron” in the Spring 2016 issue of Capper’s Farmer. Since you asked for stories about aprons, I thought I’d share a poem I wrote in 2009 about my grandmother’s apron – observations as to what it meant to me as a young ...

A System That Builds YieldsBy M.N. BeelerThe Johnstone farms originally had been fertile. But a generation or so ago, folks weren’t concerned with soil maintenance. Several years of tenant farming had reduced crop yields below the possibility of profit. So fertility was the first problem G.C. ...

Fan of Allis-ChalmersI read with interest the article “The Truth About Old Tractors” in the Summer 2015 issue of Capper’s Farmer. Back in 1971, my husband, John, bought a Model G Allis-Chalmers (above), which he still has – and continues to keep freshly painted and repaired. We have ...

Several years ago, there was a department called Reverie in our sister publication, GRIT. It was a one-page regular feature that showcased a photograph and a quotation. One of my favorite Reverie packages featured this quote: “The gods do not deduct from man’s allotted span the hours spent ...

Farmstead Plans that Save StepsBy Ivan D. WoodIn Cass County, Nebraska, on the Omaha-Kansas City road, you may see a well-designed brick house placed on a rise of ground about 100 feet from the highway. It is the home of E.H. Spangler, and the latch string always is out to visitors. Visitors ...

A good fence that will turn anything from a chicken to a bull is one of the best money makers that can be put on a farm. Shawnee County, Kansas, farmers have learned that from experience. H.B. Cowles is a breeder of Holstein cattle and keeps a flock of 700 chickens. His farm fronts on a paved ...

Christmas on the farm, with three young boys spaced two years apart, was a special time of year at the Regan household. Our family was of sufficient, but by no means wealthy income – Dad was a schoolteacher and Mom was a homemaker, though through determination she supplemented the family ...

When I was young, we lived up North where there was plenty of snow and cold winter weather. My sisters and I anticipated that last day of school before Christmas break, and would veritably bust out of the school building and race for home as soon as the day ended.We had what seemed like a small ...

Every family has traditions when it comes to celebrating the holidays, from must-have foods and decorations to church services, to decorating the tree and opening gifts. Following are the family traditions from the editors of Capper’s Farmer.Holiday Traditions from the StaffPlaying in the ...

My folks made Christmas a special time for me and my younger sisters, with lots of decorations, fun and love.I remember decorations all over the house. I’m sure my mother didn’t have those in the early years, particularly when I was very young, but she certainly has them now – many large ...

When my sister and I were kids, Christmas dinner with my mom’s side of the family took place at our house, and later that night, we went to my grandparents’ house to celebrate with my dad’s side of the family. So, since Christmas Day was full of activities from sunup to sundown, my ...

Christmas has been one of my favorite holidays since I can remember. As a family, we would head to the pasture and cut a cedar for our Christmas tree. We’d haul back the fragrant mass of prickly branches, and my brother and I would immediately begin to decorate it together, all the while ...