Anna Scheyett

  • Seven Positive Dwarves

    In my family we have this silly running joke about the Seven Dwarves (yes, the ones from Snow White). Whenever one of us is sick and someone asks how we are, the reply is simply “I am all the Negative Dwarves” meaning that I’m Sleepy, Grumpy and Sneezy. Well, for this holiday season I have…

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  • Hope for the Holidays

    I don’t know about you, but lately I’ve been feeling like there is a lot of bleakness in the world. Hurricanes, an ag economy full of negative predictions, H5N1, famines around the world…I could go on, but you get the idea. There’s lots of bad news out there. With all this darkness, it is really…

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  • Family time needed for good mental health

    Thanks to our guest blogger Debra Cox for providing some thoughts on family time and stress during this holiday season.  Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!! Think back to a time when the whole family, including grandparents, gathered together…a time before cell phones and computers.  Families would play board games, work in the kitchen canning…

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  • National Rural Health Day

    Today is National Rural Health Day , established by the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health (NOSORH) to celebrate the “Power of Rural” and the communities, organizations, and people that work to meet the health needs of folks in rural areas. I really like the phrase “Power of Rural.”  To me it highlights…

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  • Orange Peanut Butter Crackers are not a Meal

    Anyone who knows me knows I periodically go on a rant about those processed, pre-packaged orange cheese and peanut butter crackers you can get from a vending machine or by the case from a big box store. Now, don’t get me wrong. I think they are tasty, full of salty, peanut-buttery yumminess. But they are…

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  • Don’t Run with the Red Queen

    These days the idea of taking a break can seem laughable. Between weather disasters, economic stresses, and just the tangles of everyday life, it can feel like we have to run as fast as possible to just barely keep up. Running Isn’t Always Progress Sometimes it all reminds me of Alice in Wonderland. In one…

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  • Things happen, but they are not who you are

    One of my favorite bloggers and podcasters is a woman named Steph Schmidt. She is a farmer in Australia and she’s also a psychologist. She writes wonderful, thought-provoking pieces on farmer mental health, and speaks from the true experiences of her own life. The other day I saw something she posted, and it stopped me…

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  • World Food Day

    Today is World Food Day. The United Nations celebrates all the #FoodHeroes in the world who provide us with food that is diverse, nutritious, affordable and safe. Today is a day to celebrate our farmers. The foundational #FoodHeroes, because without you, the rest of the food chain wouldn’t exist. Today, and every day, let’s thank…

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  • Beyond the Casserole Stage

    I’ve been thinking a lot lately about losses. When I lost my parents, people were so kind and attentive. There were cards and calls and flowers and casseroles…sooo many casseroles. After a few weeks the outreach faded and it got very quiet. People went back to their regular lives, and the casseroles stopped. That was…

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  • After the Storm

    Well, Hurricane Helene is gone, but the storm’s impact is going to be felt for months and years to come. Many of you had damage to your crops, your trees, your buildings. Others of us, who were luckier, escaped with minor damage. Everyone has seen images of flooding and wind destruction. Everyone’s heart hurts. Stress…

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