Love: An Investment of Time
One of the traits that endears my husband to me the most is his love for planting trees. When we first got married, we lived in an apartment adjacent to our grocery store with a highway running past and a
The Reluctant Minimalist
My daughters and I moved to Tennessee with a suitcase each. My husband was scheduled to come a week later with the rest of our things, but by the time he arrived, I had already gotten settled and didn’t want
Watching the World Go By
“Hey, Honey,” the cashier said. “Got any plans for the weekend?” I was so caught off-guard, I almost laughed. “This is my second weekend here.” She smiled. “Oh, you like it?” I explained that I was actually returning to Tennessee after living in
Life’s Non-linear Adventure
It’s 9:37 on a Saturday night, and I’m confined to my toddler’s bedside, which is actually my bedside, because she declares she is scared of the new nursery. Whenever I glance over at her by the light of the computer screen,
Why We’re Moving Back
Today, Father’s Day, seems the appropriate time to write that our family is moving back to Tennessee, because the reconciliation of family is what’s driving this return. Before we moved to Wisconsin in November 2014, I stood in the carport with
An Unexpected Gift
There is a sense of detachment—almost timelessness—about our new homeplace in the Driftless Region of Wisconsin. I used to have stress dreams about Ebola, but now I have stress dreams about getting my wash in off the line before it
Marriage: Handle With Care
This week, I thought I became a widow. My husband and father-in-law were outside, jacking up the shipping container holding almost all our worldly possessions, when I heard a tremendous crash. I was in the midst of packing my closet, and
Our Big News
As I went through my closet today, culling dresses with yellow sequins and stiff crinoline slips and stacking them on a pile for Goodwill, I thought of that quote by the hippie transcendentalist Henry David Thoreau, “Beware of all enterprises
In-depth Interview About The Amish Heritage
On July 13th, The Outcast had a book launch at my mother's store, Miller's Amish Country Store, in Greenbrier, Tennessee. My agent, Wes Yoder, attended and invited his cousin along, whose name is Rachel Yoder Shetterfly. I liked Rachel
The Outcast’s Becoming an Audiobook!
We didn’t have a TV for the majority of my childhood. So before I was old enough to read, my cat and I spent a lot of time stretched across the kitchen countertop, watching my mother make supper and listening to