Hill City Prevailer

Revisiting Narnia

Published by admin on Wed, 09/20/2023 - 9:17am
After finding the 
“Chronicles of Narnia” movies I watched growing up, I decided to revisit the world of Narnia. I missed this fantastical place where deep truths are wrapped in childlike whimsy. This levity is too often pushed past in the day to day because we’re busy. We have things to do and deadlines to meet. 
Along the way, we forget the very truths our childhood taught us. We forget to laugh and find joy in the moment. We forget to have faith in our struggle for control. We forget that good can come from difficult things.

Agility, obstacles or spartan

Published by admin on Wed, 09/13/2023 - 9:03am
Hoops. Tunnels. High jumps and broad jumps. Steep ladders with challenging ascents and descents. Weaving in and out of obstacles.
This described the agility course Zeus dog went to last week.
When we arrived he was immediately “tunnel curious” and it turned out to be his best obstacle. Weaving, not so much.
And as much as he loves to jump, he seemed to jump highest while he was waiting his turn in the hallway as opposed to on the actual course itself.

Summers at Grandma’s house

Published by admin on Wed, 09/06/2023 - 9:03am
The goldenrod has been in bloom for a few weeks now, which according to folk wisdom, means that the first frost of the upcoming fall is just a few more weeks away. You may have also noticed that the wind too has begun to sneak a slight chill into its breeze and the trees are being smudged with bits of yellow. The annual appearance of goldenrod feels bittersweet. Like the way the changing direction of the wind bends their stems, I vacillate between nostalgia for joyful summers, excitement for the changing season or dread for the disappearance of warm weather. 

The battle of imposter syndrome

Published by admin on Wed, 08/23/2023 - 8:41am
Have you ever thought of yourself as an imposter? When people gush about how great you are, do you shake your head thinking if only you knew? Can you list your failures faster than your successes?
An artist I follow on YouTube struggles with this too. Recently things came to a head when he got burnt out. As a result, he painted his imposter syndrome. The painting showed all these different images that he portrays for the camera, but in the middle is just him holding a mask and looking sorrowful. Because some days it’s just hard. 

Legacy in a jelly jar

Published by admin on Wed, 08/16/2023 - 8:56am
Chokecherry season crops up at the most inconvenient time. It’s hot outside, hot inside, and even hotter standing over a boiling pot of almost-jelly, stirring and pouring and fishing hot jars out of hotter water, burning fingers and creating chaos in the kitchen. It isn’t as if there’s not enough to do or the summer hasn’t flown by fast enough.
The branding irons are hardly cooled and we begin the late summer work of preconditioning calves. The bulls hardly start their summertime gig before we gather them up for their 10-month vacation.

Catching up on the latest news

Published by admin on Wed, 08/16/2023 - 8:56am
Things are starting to gear up for the next session, so I thought I would touch base and give you a quick update.

Coming down the mountain

Published by admin on Wed, 08/09/2023 - 8:08am
I stood on top of the world. Sort of, anyway. And while I should feel elated, proud, or even excited, I’m not.
It was one of the hardest things I ever did to get on top of Whitney this way.

Tips for creating a new habit

Published by admin on Wed, 08/02/2023 - 8:43am
Have you ever purposely tried to create a new habit? Off hand, creating a habit seems easy and perhaps a little minuscule on the larger scale of things. This is probably because habits are, well, habits. We act on them without really thinking about it. 
However, this is also why creating a new habit is so challenging. It requires intentional action, precise planning and forethought rather than being automatic. Forming a new habit also requires creating new pathways in your brain which take time to solidify. 

Facing the Mountains

Published by admin on Wed, 07/26/2023 - 9:04am
In a few days I am going to attempt to stand on the top of Mt. Whitney for the second time in my life.
It will be a miracle if I succeed this time. Last time I had trained for months carrying a rope three miles every day in the flatland of Minnesota.
This time…

Getting back to fiction writing

Published by admin on Wed, 07/19/2023 - 11:37am

On Sept. 1, 2019, I penned “The End” on the first draft of my second novel. I spent two years pouring my heart and soul onto 389 pages, two years imagining dialogue and plot points to craft into 91,000 words. I had readers, supporters and even a few fans. It felt like I was on a straight-shot path to achieving my dream of being a published author.
Not many people know about this dream today. I’m known as a writer but not a fiction writer.