Perhaps no plant is more a part of my early childhood than a pecan tree. It brings to mind several family photos in my memory book. The first image is playing under a huge shade tree on a quilt pallet, while the older folks in my family shook the tree and picked up the nuts that fell. They were rewarded with a share of the harvest and a small wage. The second picture is of the whole family gathered around the kitchen table, the room lit by an oil lantern, and we all would work together to separate the meat from the shell. For me, it wasn't really work because we were entertained by stories and songs. The third picture is of an annual Christmas gift- a bag of shelled pecans sent by my cousin who still owns a native grove.
Today we’ll take you out to the ball game. Though we won’t buy you some peanuts and crackerjack, we’ll have another type of treat. We’ll tell you the story of a tiny town in Haskell County, Kansas that had a semi-pro baseball team in the 1950s, and of the top notch uniforms they wore. Sometimes when you think something is over and done with and gone for good, it will come roaring back, better than ever.
Growing up, I heard story after story about the Dust Bowl from my parents and grandparents. Dad described his mother shoveling rather than sweeping post-storm drifts. Grandma told how she placed wet sheets over her children’s beds to protect their lungs as they slept. She’d launder the linens the next day because they got so dirty.
Why not end the holiday season with the three R's? Today, we'll look at ways to renew, reuse, or recycle that Christmas tree you thought was trash, but just might turn out to be a treasure.
Let's get ready for the new Year by taking a drive to Lake Scott State Park. Maybe the weather will let us try our hand at some trout fishing, and we'll take a turn on the lake in a canoe. Afterwards, we can explore the ruins of El Quartelejo, the only Indian pueblo in Kansas. Keep an eye out for wild turkey and deer. No wonder Lake Scott made the recent list of Best Beaches in the USA!
St. Olaf Christmas Festival from St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN
The glorious voices of Chanticleer, a 12-voice men's choir, on Chanticleer Christmas 2012
An illustration from the book of the Cantigas de Santa Maria, a vast repertoire of poetry, songs, stories, and recitations about the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The Dale Warland Singers featured on Echoes of Christmas
Music from classic movies that take us back to wonderful Christmases past on Roll Credits: A Hollywood Holiday
Christmas classics from popular song and Broadway music of the early and mid 20th-century on The Great American Songbook: Holiday Special 2012
Holiday cheer, snarky barbs and the best holiday songs from new and emerging breakout bands on All Songs Considered for the Holidays
Stay tuned to HPPR throughout Christmas Day and enjoy a full schedule of special programs drawn from the greatest Christmas traditions of music and words spanning the centuries of time and the continents of the world.
In China that was the year of the horse or sheep or some such beast. Around my country home, it was the fall of the skunk.
Driving up our 1/8 mile long entry road the other night, I counted four black and white creatures in my headlights. Since those were visible, who knows how many stinky little pests ran around outside my vision.
Today I'd like to share a new twist on how to cook your Christmas goose. I guarantee everyone will love this recipe. You'll only be using the breast, but don't throw away the rest of the bird, you can use it for jerky or to make stuffing. You'll want to start your preparation the day before cooking to allow time for marinating.
Keep HPPR with you this Christmas Eve and enjoy a full schedule of special programs drawn from the greatest Christmas traditions of music and words spanning the centuries of time and the continents of the world.
HPPR's toll-free number is not operating due to problems with our telecom service providers. Please use our main office number -- 620 275 7444 -- in the meantime. We apologize for this inconvenience.
Update 12/27/12 - 800 number still down. We may not have that service restored until after the new year. Please check here for further updates.
During the holiday season a look toward the sky could catch a glimpse of a snowflake or two, or even a miniature sleigh and eight tiny reindeers. At construction sites it could also yield the sight of a Christmas tree high atop a roof beam. Today we'll look back in history and spend some time in the great north woods part of the world to find our Growing On The High Plains topic.
We’ll celebrate the Christmas holiday by recounting a Christmas blizzard of long ago, when Santa traveled across the open range of the Texas and Oklahoma panhandles. It seems that jolly old St. Nick joined some ranch hands in a snowstorm, and he left a special gift in the chuck wagon that he made himself.
I grew up in a hunting household. My dad made an annual pheasant pilgrimage to Kansas. He also spent time stalking javelina and deer in Arizona, but he was always a rifle hunter.
Today we’ll travel north to see one of the world’s largest paintings. Located in Goodland in Northwest Kansas along Interstate 70, the Big Easel can’t be missed. Look for a vase of giant sunflowers, a tribute to Vincent Van Gogh and his signature series of seven sunflower paintings.
It's time for mistletoe and holly, but here on the High Plains, the only place you are likely to see this traditional holiday plant is on cards and wrapping paper.
Gift giving is hard for me. When it comes to giving the perfect Christmas gift for the outdoorsman on the list, I've found the best presents are the tools I use that are tried and true.
If junior high dances are anything like they used to be, on the way inside, you pass noisy boys jostling one another for dominance. You hear snippets of saucy trash talk, see manly posturing with exaggerated shoulders and aggressive chins, as well as smell a mixture of colognes designed to tantalize the fairer sex awaiting that evening’s Prince Charming.
A major U.S. Highway that runs through Western Kansas began as a rough trail that connected various boomtowns who were waiting for the railroads that ultimately passed them by. Today we’ll travel in a classic coach on the Southern Stage Line and head south out of Garden City, stopping for a bite of lunch and then an overnight stay by the Cimarron River.
Most of HPPR's network of stations will be on-and-off the air on Thursday, December 6th between 1 and 3 pm CT due to required maintenance work. During this time technicians from the Public Radio Satellite Service will be making adjustments and upgrades to satellite system that HPPR uses to distribute programming to its 21 FM stations. The most likely period for being off-air will be between 1:30 and 2:30 pm.
Books and films about the Dust Bowl era, including Ken Burn’s new documentary The Dust Bowl, draw heavily from the deep archive of photographs and films created by the Resettlement Administration and Farm Security Administration from 1935-1942. You can peruse this collection yourself at the Library of Congress’ online catalogue of the collection. The catalogue is indexed and easily searchable by place names and subject area
After every rifle season, lucky hunters celebrate their success stories, recounting details of the hunt to their friends and anyone else who will listen. Over the years, I have heard many a tale about the one little turn of good fortune that transformed the ordinary hunt into the extraordinary hunt. One story I never heard ought to be told because that hunter is the luckiest of them all.
Autumn sounds different on our rocky hilltop. As the temperature drop and days grow shorter, life looks and sounds considerably altered than it did just six weeks ago. We have new guests at the bird feeder while other frequent diners headed South weeks ago.
