The Cúpla Sisters have two female ancestors who bore the name Mary Hollyday. The surname was variously spelled Hollyday, Haliday or Holliday. This unusual name helped me track their ancestral line to Sir Leonard Holliday who...
Connemara Cottage
Empty windows facing back to view a new world, far away from grey walls still willing to shelter strangers huddled near the long-cold hearth. ...
58 ‘Vette Goes Continental
The sweet 1958 Snow Crest White Corvette with Inca Silver coves is headed for a new life in Brussels, Belgium. For being such a little lady, her departure left a big empty spot. My husband raised her from a ‘rusty pup’...
Apple Pie Baking Time
Apple Pie time
One taste of the apples from Dad’s trees and Deb O’s kind delivery of freshly picked Fugi apples were inspiration enough to get out the pastry board and rolling pin. Pie baking time is here!...
Stepping Back in Ripon
Ripon, Wisconsin, has always been on our radar. My sister nearly took a teaching position there, but as I recall the story, a blizzard intervened. Also, we grew up hearing tales about our great-great grandfather’s role...
Camping on Colorado’s Continental Divide
Blue Lake
Tom and friend Doug recently returned from their annual fall pilgrimage to South San Juan Wilderness in Colorado’s majestic Rockies. After driving 2 ½ hours of gravel trail-service roads, they met up with Kent, the...
Connemara Cooling
True to form, the Midwest is bayou-sultry for the start of school. Students’ attention spans drop in relation to increases in the dew point, and teachers wish they had opted for circus performance as a career. Everyone is searching for...
Sneaking One in Before School
Mississippi River at Clinton, Iowa
School starts next week; duty calls. I was fortunate, however, to enjoy a last little get-away at Betsy M’s lovely home. After a restful afternoon in the back yard overlooking their peaceful pond, we moved...
Half-Day Vacation
Perfect Day for Smooth Sailing
Not too long ago we received a Facebook post which listed ten great microbreweries in Iowa. Big Grove Brewery in Solon, Iowa, was on the list. Their menu, particularly the ”From the Garden” section, looked...
Mint and Fruit Martinis
The three little mint slips of chocolate mint, orange mint and pineapple mint I potted in May are threatening to burst out of their pot. I’ve been enjoying fresh mint tea almost every afternoon and provided friends with fresh...
More Homes for Bees and Butterflies
Some years ago, Sister Sue, a friend and I were driving on an Iowa country road when we began to spot Monarch butterflies headed our way. I always cringe when my car destroys one of...
Always Elegant Calla Lilies
We have experienced strange weather patterns this year. Some of my most reliable flowers just haven’t performed up to their usual standards. Others that were showing great promise became dinner for hungry deer and bunnies. The always elegant...
GOTR Waverly Stopover: So Long Coming – So Soon Over
Cúpla sister and I have always wanted to attend an outdoor music festival together. Beth Ann received a notice from her alma mater, Wartburg College, concerning the Mumford and Sons’ Gentlemen of the Road (GOTR) tour stopover in Waverly,...
So Many Peonies
If you visited the Cúpla Sisters post for April 23rd, you saw the amazing paper peonies created by my sister. Since that post, we have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of real peonies created by Mother Nature with assistance from...
Scott Hill Strawberry Granita
The strawberry beds were in need of refreshing this year. As I sorted and replanted the healthiest plants, I thought of Richard Dart’s memoirs of his youth in Green Lake, Wisconsin. His father brought Richard...