Articles

ANN BAILEY: Bonding with board games

In the era that I grew up, one without multiple television channels, iPods or Facebook, my family and I played board games when we were stormed in. Though my children have a variety of electronic devices and social media at their fingertips, they still enjoy carrying on the tradition.

• Ann Bailey

ANN BAILEY: Traditional Easter fare

Though the landscape outside looks more like it should be Christmas, Easter Sunday is just a few days away. Cooking a big dinner on Easter is a tradition in our family. We either go to my in-laws or host. This year, it’s our turn to cook, and we expect to have about 15 to 20 family members.

• A retro and fun do-it-yourself Easter mint
• A minty Easter lamb deliciously turned inside out
• Ginger-crusted Ham
• Pineapple Casserole
• A simple, stunning tart for a sweet Easter treat
• An Easter lamb that cuts the fat, keeps the flavor
• Delicate, lemony cookie to set the mood for Easter
• Pan-seared pound cake becomes easy Easter dessert

ANN BAILEY: Celebrating a short, full life

Among the things that I have been sorting through from my parents’ house are high school annuals that belonged to my brother, Richard. “Rich,” as family and friends called him, died 20 years ago this Sunday at age 40.

• Ann Bailey

ANN BAILEY: Lessons of a winter road

Depending on which route I take to get to a paved road, I either have to drive 3½ miles on gravel roads or 1½ miles.

• Ann Bailey

ANN BAILEY: Good-bye to a family friend

In the early 1880s, 16-year-old Ellen Kelly came to North Dakota from New York with the Cooley family, one of the founders of the Cream of Wheat company in Grand Forks.

• Ann Bailey

ANN BAILEY: After a foggy night, a photogenic day

I wanted to capture the winter wonderland not only in our farmyard, but out in the countryside surrounding it, so I took the camera with me when I went to my mom’s house to feed the chickens.

• Ann Bailey
• Ann Bailey: Pictures from the farm

ANN BAILEY: Teaching moments at a mall

I am not a recreational shopper. When I go to a store I have a list of items I need, and my goal is to buy them and then get out as quickly as possible. My 9-year-old daughter, Ellen, however, has an entirely different view of shopping.

• Ann Bailey

ANN BAILEY: Distraction in a fur coat

Ann talks about her kitten, who stays busy being alternately pesky and adorable.

• Ann Bailey

ANN BAILEY: Wrestling mirrors life

Four years ago this month my oldest son, Brendan, then a sixth-grader, decided he wanted to try out for wrestling. His younger brother, Thomas, then a fourth-grader, decided he too wanted to give wrestling a try. So, my husband and I became wrestling parents.

• Ann Bailey

ANN BAILEY: Too hot in summer, too cold in winter

One of the things I like about our 101-year-old house is that it has character that you wouldn’t find in a modern home. Along with that character, though, there are some trade-offs.

• Ann Bailey

Columns

ANN BAILEY: I love a good story; keep in touch

Twenty-nine years ago this December, I went to the Grand Forks Herald and asked then-managing editor Mike Jacobs if there were any openings in the newsroom for writers.

• Ann Bailey

ANN BAILEY: Six Flags visit brings back memories

When I was a girl, every summer a carnival came to my hometown of Larimore, N.D. Many of the rides were ones that twirled, and it didn’t take me long to figure out that I couldn’t stomach them.

• Ann Bailey

ANN BAILEY: Necessity is the impetus to get the to-do list done

Amidst the pictures and magnets on the front of our fridge is a to-do list. Writing down jobs, I want to get done helps me be organized. The fact that the jobs are on the list, however, doesn’t guarantee that they will get done anytime soon.

• Ann Bailey

ANN BAILEY: Hay, that was a hot day

As a girl growing up on the farm, I never had to worry about buying the hay that I fed my horse. My dad baled hay for our cattle and made sure he saved the cream of the crop for Socks and his pals, Ginger, Beauty, Gypsy and Socks, which belonged to my dad, brother and sister.

• Ann Bailey

ANN BAILEY: Wet or dry, weeding is hard work

After decades of too much rain, our fields and gardens are suffering from lack of it. The heat and drought did in the radishes, and the pumpkins, squash, cucumbers and melons in our garden are drooping. But wet or dry, one thing is certain: The weeds will thrive.

• Ann Bailey

ANN BAILEY: Strawberries straight from the garden to mouth

When it comes to strawberries, there’s nothing like fresh-picked. The commercial ones may be gigantic in size, but most of the ones I’ve eaten don’t come close to the garden-grown ones in the taste category.

• Ann Bailey

ANN BAILEY: Embracing the cold weather

One of the common sayings of people who live in the Northern Plains is that 40 below keeps the riffraff out. I’m not sure about that, but I do know it keeps some other pests at bay.

• Ann Bailey

ANN BAILEY: Carrying on the family Memorial Day tradition

When I was growing up, my family’s Memorial Day weekend tradition was to visit cemeteries where my parents’ relatives are buried. In 1996, my dad died, and on Memorial Day 1997, my mom and Brian and I visited the cemetery to put flowers on his grave, her parents’ grave and Richard’s grave, along with my great-grandparents.

• Ann Bailey

ANN BAILEY: Spring is alive

In spring, the countryside is alive with sights, smells and sounds. After winter, a quieter, less colorful season on the farm, I feel like my senses, too, are coming to life again.

• Ann Bailey

ANN BAILEY: Mother’s Day brings back many memories

Today, Mother’s Day, seems like a good time to reflect on my mom. Though she died in September, there isn’t a day that goes by that I am not reminded of her, not once but many times, or that someone who knew her doesn’t mention to me how much they miss her.

• Ann Bailey