Paula Johnson

by Paula Johnson Within the past few weeks, I was talking with a friend who lamented that she was in a restaurant and saw a young couple sitting opposite each other and on their phones – not talking to each other nor even looking at each … [Read more...] about Bits & Pieces: Bicycle Emancipation

by Paula Johnson Ah, retirement! I still have piddly bookkeeping for the farm, but nothing as it used to be. The phone in the office is not only quiet – it is missing! I took out all the landlines that plugged into the wall sockets and … [Read more...] about Bits & Pieces: Friendly Recipe

by Paula Johnson Optical illusions appear everywhere. One of the most famous is the one with the old lady/young lady.    When I first saw it, they both came to me, but upon further viewing, I could only see the old lady. … [Read more...] about Bits & Pieces: Optical Illusions

by Paula Johnson Welcome May! May is the month of my favorite fruit pie – rhubarb (sorry, John, without strawberries). Some of my favorite people are May babies: sister Chris, Sarah Essex, Norm Carlson, nephew Dylan Porter, cousin … [Read more...] about Bits & Pieces: May Trivia

by Paula Johnson Getting nostalgic for something simple or cozy or familiar?  The book and film Bridges of Madison County wasn’t about covered bridges, but it might have spawned a return to them. Not a “return” as in building new … [Read more...] about Bits & Pieces: Nostalgia

by Paula Johnson When Arnie Schten started his match-making between Curt and me, one of the things he told me was, “Curt reads.” He added that his topic is usually farming: methods, crop enhancement, etc. However, Arn knew that … [Read more...] about Bits & Pieces: Gluten Free

by Paula Johnson One of my stress reducers and fun things to do in my spare time is bake. Nope – not cook, bake! I save dessert recipes with the intention of making them.     So, when I finally got to retire – for the … [Read more...] about Bits & Pieces: Individual No Bake Lime Cheesecakes

by Paula Johnson April’s birthstone is the diamond. Let’s see how you sparkle with this trivia quiz. Questions: 1. Where or when did the U.S. record snowfall occur? 2. What do we call a baby puffin? 3. How are New York City … [Read more...] about Bits & Pieces: April Trivia

by Paula Johnson Is your mailbox beginning to look like Christmas – only with seed catalogues instead?!!    My farmer is switching this year from acres to food plots. We call it retirement. Interestingly enough, though, … [Read more...] about Bits & Pieces: Michigan Agriculture

by Paula Johnson Vocabulary words are a favorite with me. During high school years, I used the family’s Roget’s Thesaurus almost to the point of a third appendage.     The 1946 edition that we had, not only was “the … [Read more...] about Bit & Pieces: Words

by Paula Johnson Call me an eternal optimist, but I think spring is in the air.    Spring is many things to many people, but by and large it means getting outside, opening the windows, and letting the outside … [Read more...] about Bits & Pieces: Presidential Exercise

by Paula Johnson  We all know what a trial my farmer has had over the past 2+ years, and he is coming along exceptionally well. After his time at Cleveland Clinic with radiation to kill the tumor pushing on his brain stem, he seemed … [Read more...] about Bit & Pieces: Gulf of Mexico Cruise 2025