Packing people into the back country doesn’t sound really exciting, I know. And sif it gets exciting, it’s undoubtedly because something went wrong. But we did have occasional chuckles during those eight summers.  more

Imagine every pair of shoes you have ever worn lined up in chronological order. Each pair clutches a story untied by memories. more

I am Isabelle Foland, and I have been working as an intern and part-time for the Missouri Valley Times since about January. I am now getting ready to move to college at the University of Iowa to begin my freshman year. more

Eight greedy beasts roamed the ground below me, watching…waiting. Like ravenous vultures they circled, ready to pounce on anything that dropped to the ground. more

Looking around at all the yard signs and hearing politicians tell us on television what a lying crook their competition is, I have to admit I miss Guv Reeve. more

Rough dark leaves grazed my face and arms and made me itch. Toes sank into the black South Dakota dirt as I trudged between rows of tall fibrous stalks. more

“You know it used to was even hotter than it is right now, don’t you?” Windy looked up from his lunch. more

It was Doc who first noticed Dud's strange behavior.  I was too busy trying to drop an elk-hair caddis fly, size 16, just beyond that big smooth rock on Lewis Creek. more

On the top of my right foot there is a small triangle-shaped scar. Scars usually have stories to tell. more

“It’s time to get up, DeAnn! There’s a lot to do this morning,” Mom called up the stairs. The tone of her voice indicated that this morning she would not be my snooze button. more

The Bahdziewicz clan trooped into the Mule Barn for lunch the other day, happily and noisily as only eight Americans totally in love with summer can do. more

Two kids were arguing just outside my window the other day. Now that school’s out, they have more time for the important issues of life, of course. This time, the subject was ghosts and whether or not they are real. more