Category Archives: Farming

Of Mud and Thunder

Posted on July 25, 2025 by Doc Arnett

Transplanting small clumps of grass with a thunderstorm approaching triggers reflections on the need for strong roots in true sustenance. Continue reading →

Posted in Christian Devotions, Christian Living, Farming, Nature, Poetic Contemplations, Poetry, Spiritual Contemplation | Tagged crabgrass, dirt, erosion, fence, fencepost, grass, horse paddock, transplanting grass | Comments Off

Picking Strawberries on the First Wednesday in June

Posted on June 5, 2025 by Doc Arnett

A flush crop of strawberries and a couple of neighbors transform a dull evening into a bright time of simple sharing. Continue reading →

Posted in Christian Devotions, Christian Living, Farming, food, Gardening, Nature, Poetic Contemplations, Poetry, Relationships, Spiritual Contemplation | Tagged childhood memories, Doniphan County KS, Matt Boos, neighbors, ripe berries, sharing, spring, strawberries | Comments Off

In spite of very strict rules forbidding such, my mom used to wear pants when she’d go blackberry picking back in the Fifties and Sixties. It was, I think, a wonderful application of the concept Jesus taught when he said, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.”

But she did wear a dress over the pants! Continue reading →

Posted in Christian Devotions, Christian Living, Family, Farming, food, Gardening, Spiritual Contemplation | Tagged berry picking, blackberries, family, farm life, Fifties, grace, judgment, Kentucky, mercy, religious rules, Sixties, tradition, west Kentucky, women wearing men's clothing | Comments Off

The Two-Legged Turtle

Posted on April 2, 2025 by Doc Arnett

A little farm kid finds something unusual in a tiny pond and learns that good intentions don’t always lead to good results. Continue reading →

Posted in Christian Devotions, Christian Living, Death & Dying, Farming, Nature, Relationships, Spiritual Contemplation, suffering | Tagged caring, motivation, motives, nature, painted turtle, pond, racoon, red-eared turtle, travel, turtle, turtles, west Kentucky, wildlife | Comments Off

The Shadow of Abe Lincoln & Jeff Davis

Posted on March 28, 2025 by Doc Arnett

Sorting through our own history should involve careful judgment and deliberate appreciation. Continue reading →

Posted in Christian Devotions, Family, Farming, Relationships, Spiritual Contemplation | Tagged Abraham Lincoln, Civil War, Confederacy, grace, Jefferson Davis, judgment, Kentucky, legacy, mercy, personal history, South, southern, west Kentucky, writing | Comments Off

Remembering West Kentucky, 1960

Posted on March 13, 2025 by Doc Arnett

Love moved in the toil and duty of callused hands that worked the land, fed families, mended clothes… Continue reading →

Posted in Christian Devotions, Christian Living, Family, Farming, food, Gardening, Poetic Contemplations, Poetry, Relationships, Spiritual Contemplation, Work | Tagged caring, devotion, farming, gardening, Kentucky, love, Sixties, west Kentucky, work | Comments Off

The Storm Sparrow

Posted on March 4, 2025 by Doc Arnett

Blizzard Warning. Kind of gets my attention, you know? The same wind that blows the nest away can bring fresh straw and string. Continue reading →

Posted in Christian Devotions, Christian Living, Farming, Humor, Metaphysical Reflection, Nature, Spiritual Contemplation | Tagged blizzard, concern, empathy, grace, nature, nest, peace, snow, sparrow, storm, strength, weather, wind, winter | Comments Off

Dressing in the Dark

Posted on February 28, 2025 by Doc Arnett

Getting dressed in the dark can help your spouse continue to sleep… and could lead to embarrassing yourself a bit! Continue reading →

Posted in Aging, Christian Devotions, Family, Farming, Humor, Spiritual Contemplation, Work | Tagged admitting mistakes, footwear, funny, getting dressed, getting dressed in the dark, mistakes, pride, shoes, stupidity, wrong shoe, wrong shoe on the right foot | Comments Off

Commotion in the Barnyard

Posted on February 12, 2025 by Doc Arnett

A snow goose’s noisy escape from an eagle near the horse pen turns a routine morning into a startling experience. Continue reading →

Posted in Christian Devotions, Christian Living, Farming, Metaphysical Reflection, Nature, Spiritual Contemplation | Tagged birds, danger, eagle, eagle attack, escape, horses, nature, snare of sin, snow geese, temptation, wildlife | Comments Off

Fire and Ice in the Cedars

Posted on January 9, 2025 by Doc Arnett

It is easy enough to let the glum and ho-hum of this world leach the color from the palette of personality. Easy, yes.

But it is still a choice. Continue reading →

Posted in Farming, Nature, Poetic Contemplations, Spiritual Contemplation, Work | Tagged attitude, cedars, choice, golden hour, ice, icicles, light, nature, perspective, photos, pictures, snow, trees, winter | Comments Off