Opinions

My mother made stew often in winter. It was crowded with big chunks of tender beef, potatoes, carrots and onion in a rich sauce similar to thin gravy, laced with garlic, bay leaves, and thyme. It had simmered most of the day in a big kettle on the stove, filling the house with its enticing aroma and, steaming up the kitchen windows. His mother made soup. A clear, tea-colored broth swimming with bits of meat and vegetables and reminiscent of last Sunday’s roast beef.

Every year I try to make at least one pilgrimage to my husband’s hometown in northwest Iowa. There are friends and family there, and a little brick house that has been in the family for many generations since they arrived in Graettinger from Oklahoma in the ’20s. Not far from the Minnesota border, there are several lovely glacial lakes within a few minutes’ drive from the town. The soil is black and rich– some of the best farm land in the world– fields of corn and beans stretch, lush and healthy, for miles.

This year’s ride started as planned Thursday morning. After winding our way through the familiar streets and trails of Iowa City we soon found ourselves on Black Diamond Road, a remote ribbon of tar going from nowhere to no place. Sometimes I wonder why I love cycling but rolling quietly over roads like the Black Diamond brings it all back. It’s the sun on your back, the forgotten cemetery you would have missed if in a car, the smell of clover, the time to remember and reflect while you inch your way along… At mile 16 we arrived at the KTZ’s Roadhouse in Windham.

We all know that it is not safe to leave a child in a car in hot weather, but many don’t realize that it is far more dangerous for a dog or a cat than for a human. A human can sweat, which helps cool the body. A dog has only a few sweat glands in the pads of his feet. He keeps cool in hot weather by panting. When your dog pants, he inhales fresh air through his nose. The nose contains a maze of moist surfaces that are cooled by evaporation. If the dog is in a hot car, the air he breathes in is not cool enough to do him much good.

Sabra and I recently returned from a trip to Colorado where we ran into a shocking development.
No, I’m not talking about legalized recreational marijuana… yet. I’m talking about brunch. It seems people in the Centennial State rarely eat breakfast or lunch these days but have instead opted to go with brunch.