• ancestry,  Pennsylvania Dutch

    “O”rigin

    My dad, Sterling, and my nephew Matt. A person’s “origin” can mean several things. It can be a place/location where I was born (Denver, Colo.), it can be a culture from where my ancestors originated or it can be my very beginning, which I consider to be in God’s image/likeness. My brother, sister-in-law and I took a trip to Pennsylvania…

  • healing,  Mother's Day,  women over 50

    “M”other’s Day

    I’m four weeks out from having a total knee replacement and I’m grateful for the surgery, albeit still quite sore. I’m 52 years old and this is the first major life event that I’ve had since my mom passed away in 2010. You would think at this age that I would be a seasoned professional at handling life’s twists and…

  • kittens,  pet adoption

    Blogging A to Z: “K”-ittens

    There is something special about kittens. Don’t get me wrong. I like grown up cats and dogs, too. After all, eventually all kittens and puppies grow up. We have four cats and all but one were adopted as kittens. No matter how tall or round the cats get, I still see them as those fluffy, adorable, sweet kittens that like…

  • Dubois County,  German,  Jasper

    Blogging A to Z: “J”-asper, Indiana

    My husband and his family are from Jasper, Indiana, a town founded in 1830, with a rich German, Catholic heritage. Today, Jasper has almost 15,000 residents and is the county seat for Dubois County. The area was originally inhabited by the Piankishaw/Shawnee Indian tribe and was covered by forest. St. Joseph Catholic Church, Jasper, Indiana. Photo by Diane Weidenbenner. Jasper’s…

  • Denver,  drive-in,  history,  women over 50

    Blogging A to Z: “H”-istory is awesome!

    Photo by Diane Weidenbenner, 2015, Indiana. Who remembers drive-in movies? I took this photo in Indiana on one of my country drives, and it brought back fun childhood memories of times spent at our favorite drive-in movie theater in Denver, Colorado. The movie theater that we frequented was the Cinderella Twin Drive-In movie theater, which opened in 1973 near the…

  • farms,  Indiana,  rural life

    Blogging A to Z: F-arms

    It’s happened. I’ve become one of those weekend drivers who likes to wander the countryside, aimlessly looking for something: an old barn; a herd of sheep; a cool flower garden; any type of unique farm animals (miniature horses, goats, etc.); tractors (the older the better). I happen to think farms are cool! I drag my friend Sandy with me, along…