Isms Views on life in rural America

The Antelope County 4-H shows I viewed were a lot of fun. You could tell members invested a lot of time and energy in their projects. And, despite the heat, animals mostly cooperated.

I wish I had been able to see the other shows. Instead, I was battling an infection and made multiple trips to the emergency room to receive IV fluids and antibiotics.

The descent into sickness began Tuesday, once the paper was put to bed. A quick whoosh of something washed over me and, within minutes, a 103° fever began, complete with chills. I couldn’t stop shaking, so I went home and threw on a sweatshirt, had...