Contents
Contributors
16 Brown County Humane Society
~ by Bob Gustin
20 Life on the Farm
~ by Julia Pearson
24 Roberta Chirko
~ by Bob Gustin
34-35 Photos ~ by Mike Briner *
38 Music & Morels with Barry Elkins
~ by Cindy Steele
40 SEED Brown County
~ by Sheryl L. Keeme
42-43 Calendar of Events
46 Field Notes: Smell the Dirt
~ by Jim Eagleman
52 Hoosier Hysteria
~ by Jeff Tryon
54 Brothers
~ by Jeff Tryon
58“ Positive” Community Read
60-61 Services Directory
62 Youth Music Showcase
Cover:
Contents
Brown County Humane Society Sue Ahbe and Jane Weatherford
~ by Bob Gustin
* Mike Briner is a Columbus, Indiana native that became interested in photography as a high school yearbook photographer. With a love of travel and the great outdoors and inspired by the natural beauty of nature, Mike’ s photography quickly moved from the school to the out of doors. In 1998 Mike founded Mike Briner Photography and started his professional career as a travel and nature photographer. Mike now has well over 55,000 film as well as over 30,000 digital images in his library.
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A Singing Pines Projects, Inc. publication copyright 2017 Thanks, Mom, for making it happen!
Contributors
Mark Blackwell makes his home in an area of Brown County where“ the roadway is rough and the slopes are seamed with ravines and present a meatless, barren, backbone effect.” He was born in the last century and still spends considerable time there. He plays music with the“ Lost Shoe String Band” when he can get away with it, writes for Our Brown County, and only works when he has to.
Jeff Tryon is a former news editor of The Brown County Democrat, a former region reporter for The Republic, and a former bureau chief for The Huntsville Times. Born and raised in Brown County, he currently lives with his wife, Sue, in a log cabin on the edge of Brown County State Park. He is a Baptist minister.
Jim Eagleman, recently retired DNR naturalist, and his wife Kay, enjoy hiking the many natural areas, preserves, and land trust sites in Brown and neighboring counties. His FIELD NOTES have appeared in this publication for several years. Jim can be contacted for comments and inquiries at < jpeagleman @ gmail. com >.
Julia Pearson wrote for a secular Franciscan magazine for ten years and served as its human interest editor. She and her husband Bruce have made Lake Woebegone Country their new homebase for life’ s continuing adventures. Julie, Bruce, and four-footed Suki are adjusting well. Julia enjoys traveling and visiting museums of all types and sizes, with her children and grandchildren.
Joe Lee is an illustrator and writer. He is the author of The History of Clowns for Beginners and Dante for Beginners and illustrator of six other titles, including the forthcoming Dada and Surealism for Beginners in the ongoing“ for Beginners” series. He is an awardwinning editorial cartoonist for the Bloomington Herald Times, a graduate of Ringling Brothers, Barnum & Bailey Clown College, and a veteran circus performer. Joe lives with his wife Bess, son Brandon, George the cat, and his dogs, Jack and Max.
Bob Gustin worked as a reporter, photographer, managing editor, and editor for daily newspapers in Colorado, Nebraska, and Indiana before retiring in 2011. He and his wife, Chris, operate Homestead Weaving Studio in southern Brown County. She does the weaving while he gives studio tours, builds small looms, and expands his book and record collections.
Cindy Steele is the publisher and editor of this magazine. She sells and designs ads, sometimes writes, takes photos, and creates the layout. For fun, she likes to play the guitar or banjo and sing. Her new hobby is making mosaic tables.
10 Our Brown County March / April 2017