By Susan Shanklin Finally! Finally we had a good old fashion snow storm yesterday. Storm warnings went out and you’re not sure if you believe them or not. It seems like the weather forecasters are always crying wolf when it … Read more>>>
By Susan Shanklin Ahhh…birthday cake. Don’t you just love birthday cake? Oh, it’s just not another day. It’s your day! There is no other day like the day you were born. It’s a special day and we here make birthdays … Read more>>>
This message preached by Tom and Susan Shanklin deals with the subject of caring for your body. We know that the spirit is of primary importance, but according to the Scripture, the body is also holy and set apart to God. … Read more>>>
By Susan Shanklin Tom was hoeing the carrots next to the strawberry patch that I was laboring in and he says, “You sure grunt a lot.” You know, that’s really not what I wanted to hear as I was straddling … Read more>>>
Editor’s Note: This month Susan has been very busy with her grandmother ministry, due to the birth of our new grandson, Everett Fitzgerald Jackson, and our subsequent baby sitting of his older sister, Emmeline. We thought you might enjoy this … Read more>>>
By Susan Shanklin Oh, I thought spring would never come! For us here in the upper Midwest, winter wasn’t too snowy, but rather cold and gray. Everything stays brown and gray for so long. I started tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, cabbage, … Read more>>>
By Susan Shanklin I’ve come into the modern age. I am the very proud owner of a smart phone! To be more exact, a proud owner of an Apple iPhone. The phone is pink but looks more like tangerine with … Read more>>>
By Susan Shanklin Every Tuesday, well, almost every Tuesday, I attend a meeting of about 40 women and one guy weight-loss group. Some of us have lost weight and try to keep it off and the other half are trying … Read more>>>
By Susan Shanklin Eve, our five-year-old Minneapolis granddaughter, came to the farm to stay the weekend recently and we built our first-ever snowman on the Shanklin’s 3.3 acres. Why no snowman was ever built before puzzles even me. Anyway, we … Read more>>>
By Susan Shanklin The edges of the trees are being kissed with orange, yellow, and red hues. The lettuce has bolted and flowered in the garden. Cabbages are soooooo swollen with life they are begging to be picked and the … Read more>>>
By Susan Shanklin Oh, poor Ella! The world came crashing down on Ella the other day. The world that she trusted and felt so sure about came to a shocking end. Ella is our 70-pound yellow lab dog that we … Read more>>>
By Susan Shanklin It’s so close to August I can almost touch it and the garden is increasing to the point that I don’t know which vegetables to eat at each meal! Tom’s ever favorite vegetable to eat at breakfast … Read more>>>
By Susan Shanklin Do you have desire for something? A longing for something out of the ordinary? Just something special you want? Oh, you don’t talk about it much for you might think people think it silly or not necessary? … Read more>>>
By Susan Shanklin Have you ever imagined in your mind an event or plan? Had it all scoped out in your mind in detail, with color and sound? You are thinking that this is how it is going to go … Read more>>>
By Susan Shanklin Most late mornings or early afternoons you will find Tom and me walking in an older style mall which used to house Pennys and Sears and other shops. The big name box stores are long gone and … Read more>>>
By Susan Shanklin I’m charged. I’m ready! Ready for what? Harvest! Oh, I can say with a certainty it seemed to come oh so fast. Spring was wet and cold and early August felt like spring, but it doesn’t matter … Read more>>>
By Susan Shanklin When Tom returns from his domestic travels he sometimes brings home items given to him for me or us to use, try, and enjoy. His recent trip to North Dakota produced not deer meat nor honey nor … Read more>>>
By Susan Shanklin I baked a couple of Butternut squashes up today and sorted through Haroldson apples for ones that wouldn’t keep any longer. I ended up with two quarts of applesauce, canned and two quarts of yummy bright orange … Read more>>>
There is an old saying, “Bread is the staff of life.” I’m not quite sure what that means but here at the Shanklin Ponderosa, bread is one of our main foundations for healthy eating. Tom called it his “secret weapon” … Read more>>>
By Susan Shanklin I see the radar on the weather map showing red, yellow and green shapes moving into our area this morning, indicating heavy rainfall. Yikes, what should I do? I really should run out and harvest some Swiss … Read more>>>
