• nature,  Terre Haute

    “P”arks

    Hawthorn Park is beautiful in the spring, summer and fall. It can even be peaceful in the winter, with new fallen snow. Photo by Diane Weidenbenner. One benefit of living in Indiana is the abundance of natural parks and wetland refuges within a short driving distance from towns and cities. It’s not uncommon to drive 15-30 minutes or up to one hour to reach parks, rivers, lakes and other such beautiful natural settings to relieve stress and enjoy time away. I live in Terre Haute and in a 15-30 minute drive from my house, I have access to Hawthorn Park, as an example, which is on 250-plus acres and includes…

  • humor,  Terre Haute,  yard work

    “S”napper: mow, mow, it’s off to work we go!

    When we moved to Indiana, my father-in-law kindly donated his “seasoned” Snapper riding mower to our almost-one-acre of land.  (The fact that he wanted a new, zero-turn radius mower sweetened the deal).  Husband Joe was up to the task of tackling the brambles, branches and bushes as well as neatly mowing and trimming the grass. The first mow of the season took two and a half days – not solid mowing time of course and only during daylight hours. Adjustments needed to be made to the seat, spark plugs, carburetor and blade. And, it quickly came to our attention that mowers need oil. Who knew? Joe’s dad knew. However, Joe…