Category Archives: Columns

Bob could never relax

March 24, 2021Bob, Columns, worksusanmanzke

It was January, Bob had no farm work and he was on vacation from the canning company. Of course, he couldn’t sit still. There had to be a project that needed doing. Housework didn’t count.

He found a window that needed fixing. I was drafted to drive tractor and … Well you’ll have to listen and find out what Bob had me doing.

Lifting Bob in a tractor bucket wasn’t fun, but somehow he found chores that needed me driving and raising him up.

I always held my breath doing this kind of work with Bob. I also had my fingers crossed.

One was an early bird, the other wasn’t.

March 19, 2021Columns, Family, Odds and endssusanmanzke

Families are all different. Members in one family are not identical either. This reading shows how two of our children had different sleep habits.

As a good mother, I got up early with the lark and stayed up late with the owl. No wonder I was tired most of the time. I was trying to burn my candle at both ends.

Are you a lark or an owl? I’ve changed over the years. I’m more of a lark these days.

A snowsuit dilemma

March 18, 2021Columns, Family, winter, worksusanmanzke

Snowsuits were handed down as our children grew. In this account from 1988 I tell about snowsuits that almost didn’t make it through to spring.

The expense of a new snowsuit wouldn’t have fit our budget, even if one could found for sale.

The eighties gave us many problems. Money was tight. I always say we hung onto our farm by the skin of our teeth. Sadly some of our friends lost farms.

We did our best, even patching a disintegrating snowsuit helped save money.

Another roller skating experience

March 14, 2021Columns, Family, funsusanmanzke

A year later and it’s time to chaperone the school’s outing to the skating rink agaom.

I’m glad I was able to chaperone many school trips. They were adventures I can’t repeat.

A call interrupted

March 13, 2021Columns, Family, speakingsusanmanzke

When we were raising our young family, I figured it was a good thing we didn’t live in an apartment. Our pack of loud-mouths would have gotten us kicked out for disturbing the peace. On the farm they could make all the noise they wanted and they sure did.

This remembrance is a time when noisy kids almost cost me a speaking job.

Now, my home is too quiet, but I have memories that make me smile. I doubt if I was smiling when chaos was breaking out as I was trying to have an important phone conversation. Still, yelling at those noisy kids wouldn’t have made a good impression either.

As the world returns to near normal, I hope to have speaking opportunities again. Fingers crossed.

Susan Manzke

Writer, Speaker, All-Around Good Person