The hundred-mile vacation
5 WEEKEND GETAWAYS. 5 DAY TRIPS.

We live in such a vivacious and beautiful place that people come from all over to see our world, to browse our friendly downtown shops, to play and hike and fish and bike and golf.

No matter how wonderful home is, though, sometimes, it’s just time to hit the road. Especially now, after all the flooding and seemingly endless clean-up, who couldn’t use a chance to sit back, let someone else cook, and simply soak in the sights and sounds of a cool little town?

Mississippi memories
There’s no place like home
by Ann Morrison

I remember it as if it were yesterday: July, 1971, and Mom reaches out the back door, pulls the mail out of the black tin mailbox, and says, “You’ve got a postcard, Ann.”

At nine years old, this was a big deal. I never got mail, except from an Arizona cousin I corresponded regularly with, and she never sent postcards. I took the card from my mother’s hand and stared at a picture of Mt. Rushmore, where my neighbor Jody York was—out West, camping with her family.

Stars are aligned.
Finish what needs finishing

Mars conjoins Saturn mid month, giving us the appropriate motivation to do the job, complete the task, and empower our self discipline. It is now time to move forward with your projects and realize that the energy you put behind them will serve to bring you a greater foundation for the rest of the summer.

Save the animals!
And the money will take care of itself

Dear Prudence,

My guest rooms are full of toy stuffed animals. They sit looking pretty in baskets. My baby is 22 years old and does not live at home. When is it all right to give away the toys of her childhood?
—Empty Nester Mom

Dear Mom,

Oh, deer!

Main Street’s undull moments

Big Bang theory
The craft of oohs and ahs
by John H. Sime

It’s July, the month of going to sleep to the sounds of neighbor kids shooting off fireworks and the fantastic displays of color, light and sound that come with our national observance of the Fourth of July.

Family Valued
A picnic remembered
by Carolyn Solverson

July is the time for family and picnics. Family reunions bring families together every summer for all varieties of food and fun. Grandparents coax the children to come, bring the new babies to be ooh’d and aah’d over. Families gather to reconnect and catch up on news, with threats of winter weather over and spring planting done.

My family picnics for the Best side (that’s their name, not a description) happened every summer in Maple Dale at my great uncle Wilbur’s.

Act one
new community theater in the planning stages
by Anne O’Connor

When Jane Kouba dreams, she dreams big. And then she gets moving.

Coon Creek
Saving the soil started here
by Joe Hart

Earlier this year, a group of farmers and politicians convened in Coon Valley to celebrate the birthplace of modern conservation as we know it. The basic tools of soil and water conservation, including contour strips, terracing, and grazing and rotation methods, were pioneered in the Coon Creek watershed, and this year marks the 75th anniversary of the federal program that launched their practice.

When the rains came again, we decided to keep our cover story about backyard vacations for our July issue, despite the devastating impact of another round of record-breaking flooding. Last August when the floods hit, we were a week away from printing and we ripped up the planned cover and started over with the flood coverage. This time, we were three weeks away from printing, and I knew that by the time our July issue hit the streets, most people would have had their share of flood coverage. One woman, from Readstown, had had more than her share.