The hum isn’t the mower

August 20, 2021Sunnybook Farm, Susan, wildlifesusanmanzke

Mowing Sunnybook Farm’s large lawn is enough work. Too bad buzzing biters make it even more of a challenge today.

Every time I got near a bush or tree, mosquitoes swarmed out around me, making my driving shaky at times, as you can see in this video.

The mosquitoes have multiplied and gone crazy.

I swat. I slap. I wave my hands, but nothing I do perturbs them.

They land on my arms. They land on my legs. They circle my head.

I drive my mower faster, out into the open, into the sunlight. For a time I’ve left them behind. But I have to return to the shade and there the war with those bloodsuckers continues.

Campers would be eaten alive.

Until next time, that’s it from Sunnybook Farm.

The Charm of Clouds

August 19, 2021Columnssusanmanzke

I’ve always been fascinated by clouds. As a child, I’d lay back in the grass and watch them float through the sky.

During recess in elementary school, my friend Joyce and I gave them numbers so we could recognize them. We had to know which was which because we bought, or at least laid claim to the prettiest clouds.

Imagine riding a cloud. Going to other places. Seeing other lands. A cloud and playful fantasies can take you on wonderful trips without leaving your backyard.

May good clouds come your way. If you need rain, may they bring your land needed moisture. If you are dreaming, may clouds take you on adventures of the mind. And if you wish to see magic may a rabbit hop overhead, or a pegasus fly, or a giant dance across the sky.

Until next time, that’s it from Sunnybook Farm.

Ground fog’s beauty

August 18, 2021Columnssusanmanzke

Before the sunrise this morning, I took this video of the farm.

Usually, sandhill cranes are talking and flying. Today they were quiet.

Hardly a bird twittered a greeting.

Soon the sun rose and the fog vanished.

The quiet beauty remained with me.

Until next time, that’s it from Sunnybook Farm.

The Search for Peace and Quiet

August 17, 2021Family, Memories, Odds and endssusanmanzke

For years, with a house filled with children, I was always looking for peace and quiet. Now, I have too much peace and quiet.

This 1987 column tells about life on Sunnybook Farm when children rulled and Bob worked too many hours.

As a single mother during summer and fall, some days I felt like I was going crazy.

Here’s a sample of my life back then.

I don’t know that I would go back to those frantic days, but memories are good and I’ve got plenty of them.

Until next time, that’s it from Sunnybook Farm.

Bob’s farm vehicle

August 16, 2021Bob, worksusanmanzke

My columns tell about our lives on Sunnybook Farm. Today I read one about Bob.

It’s no secret that all our machinery was old. Bob never bought new, except one Ford tractor when he was in Illinois and in a partnership with his dad. Otherwise, everything was used.

Today I share a tale about a family van that was turned into a farm repair van.

Bob much rather work on a tractor than on a car or a van. He preferred big machinery.

Every machine was worked until the end of its natural life. Some were used to fix another, but that didn’t work with cars or vans. They just went to the big junkyard in the sky.

This van was nearing its final days when I wrote this column.

Until next time, that’s it from Sunnybook Farm.

Susan Manzke

Writer, Speaker, All-Around Good Person

The hum isn’t the mower

The Charm of Clouds

Ground fog’s beauty

The Search for Peace and Quiet

Bob’s farm vehicle