Rural Delivery

Home for the holidays.
That was always Grandma’s house as I was growing up. For nearly twenty years, no matter where we lived or what the circumstances, our family made a regular pilgrimage to Grandma Amelia’s home, a clean and spacious ranch-style structure on the rural edges of Billings, Montana.
Grandpa Ben lived there too, of course, [...]

The idyllic vision of life in the country is a dream for many who imagine rolling hills, beautiful streams and a leisurely pace. But West Virginia University researchers question that scenic tableau in a study showing that injuries requiring hospitalization occur at much higher rates in rural areas.
“The perception is that life in rural areas [...]

by Michael Hofferber. Copyright © 2007. All rights reserved.
Most songs don’t keep. People sing them for a few years, then lose interest. New tunes replace the old in a continuous cycle and yesterday’s lyrics are soon forgotten.
Even Christmas carols, the most traditional sounds in American music, have fairly shallow roots. The most popular Christmas song [...]

Winter begins today, or so says the calendar.
The first day of winter is traditionally linked to the winter solstice, that point in the earth’s wobble when the night is longest in the Northern Hemisphere and the sun crosses the sky low in the south. After the solstice is reached the days start getting longer.
Why then, [...]

by Michael Hofferber. Copyright © 1995. All rights reserved.
These are the longest nights. From now until mid-January the sun will set before most of us are done with the day’s work. We’ll be coming home in darkness and leaving the house again before dawn. Some folks never see their home in daylight this time of [...]