It Comes in Threes – Empty Nest by Curt Swarm
It started when the internet went down. We live in the country so we have…
It started when the internet went down. We live in the country so we have…
Linda and Kevin Ross live on the Skunk River near Augusta on the Lee County…
Ginnie and I participated in the First Annual Walk for Nohema in Chautauqua Park in…
Lorrilee McCall-Miller heard something outside their door as she was getting ready for bed. It…
Gracie’s mother prostituted her when she was 11. At 13 she stabbed a kid in…
Easter-egg hunts at our house when I was a kid were conducted on Easter Sunday…
Erin Merryn is an Illinois woman who was sexually abused as a child by two…
In restaurants or public places he sits in a corner with his back to the…
I’ve suffered from tinnitus (ringing, buzzing in the ears) for over 20 years. I had…
“I disagree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right…
I was asked to be a reader at the Mt. Pleasant Public Library—me, an ex-drunk…
With the Pandemic, we’ve been doing a lot of Zoom church attendance. Ginnie still showers…
During the flood of 1947, 17-year old Jack Dorothy was swimming in the flooded waters…
Eric Robbins, in his late 40’s and 100 pounds over weight, sat in the doctor’s…
He started as a dishwasher-busboy at Pizza Hut and rose to be a regional manager. …
The call came while Ginnie and I were eating supper. It was from a lady…
In honor of the Winter Olympics, I fashioned the Olympic Rings out of old wagon…
On a table in front of Dr. Joel Brown’s picture window is a large Nativity…
Sharon Bortz of Mt. Pleasant, formerly Sharon Smith of Ottumwa, watched the Miss America pageant…
This is too uncanny to not share. Ginnie and I made a special trip to…
I stared down at the half-full bucket of water on the barn floor. It was…
Mount Pleasant has a famous author and motivational speaker. Mark your calendar for Friday, December…
I spent Thanksgiving with Ginnie’s family in Jefferson City, Missouri. We all met and had…
I have a vivid memory from when I was a kid. It was the summer…
We called him Mr. Johnson. Today he goes by Bob. He was my high school…
I’ve been clean and sober for longer than I drank. It just dawned on me…
My oldest brother was 14 years old when I was born. My first memory of…
Fall is my favorite season. Call me a romantic if you want, I don’t care. …
My farmer friend, Earl—we call him Earl the Pearl for no good reason except it…
Author’s note: I ran this article in 2009. But upon rereading, I couldn’t resist resubmitting…
When most other people are whining and crying about the pandemic, economy and lack of…
French artist and now Burlington resident Cecile Houel (pronounced “well”) has her art on display…
“Seventeen, hot rod queen, cutest girl you’ve ever seen, tell the world I’m really keen…
It started in the fifties when H.D. Dewees, a farmer from Marion, Iowa, was on…
Debbie and Jon Finney of Keosauqua are playing out an age-old tradition of selling the…
Out of the corn and soybean fields it rises like a beacon of hope. Its…
It happened on August 5th. 82-year old Dale Netherton, of rural Farmington, shot an 80…
When I saw the artwork of Bisa Butler advertised I knew we had to see…
It’s not unusual for a church to have a 75th Anniversary, but for the pastor…
I saved the Villages of Van Buren County from havoc, and I did it while…
I couldn’t believe it. I’d been watching some young “punkins” growing on the vine in…
Surrounded by corn, soybeans, and pasture, our two-and-a-half acre Empty Nest Farm was devoid of…
Part of our garden this year is doing spectacularly, part of it isn’t. The peaches-and-cream…
No fooling. A world premier play is going to be performed in Mt. Pleasant and…
As we pulled out onto the highway for our week-long vacation at Yellowstone National Park,…
Anna Banana where are you? A sign in the shape of a chicken in the…
She doesn’t look a day over 80, but Betty Kilbourn, a resident of the Van…
Ralph Messerli of Fairfield hates ties. But being a high school principal, guidance counselor, coach…
I have a number of these whatchamacallits. I make sculptures out of them. I weld…
I didn’t get the garden in until Wednesday, May 12, this year, Hump Day. (Am…