By Lacey Vilhauer

Ingredients: Graham Cracker Crust •   1 cup pulverized graham crackers (about 6 graham crackers, blended or food processed) •          1/3 cup butter (melted) •            1/4 cup brown sugar Brownies •             12 Tbs butter • 1 cup brown sugar (lightly packed) •  3/4 cup white sugar •   4 eggs •               1 1/2 tsp vanilla •           1/4 cup flour •  1 cup cocoa powder •               1 cup milk chocolate chips Toppings • 4 Hershey’s Bars •         10-ounce bag of mini-marshmallows

Instructions: • Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit • Grease an 8×8 baking pan • Graham Cracker Crust • Pulverize graham crackers and stir in melted butter. Stir in brown sugar. Press into bottom of baking sheet and set aside.

Brownies In a heavy sauce pan melt butter and stir in white and brown sugars, stir over medium heat for about 1-2 minutes until sugar starts to dissolve. Remove from heat, add vanilla. Add eggs in one at a time and whisk them into the sugar butter mixture. Add flour and cocoa powder and stir together. Fold in chocolate chips. Pour brownie mixture over the top of graham cracker crust. Bake for 40 minutes. Remove from oven and turn oven to broil. Immediately put chocolate bars over the top and top them with mini-marshmallows (or cut up large marshmallows). Broil for one to two minutes (keep an eye on them so they don’t burn), remove once brown. Let cool.

By Beth Watkins

It’s that time of year again. The school supply aisles look like a cross between Black Friday and a cage fight. Parents are searching for the exact type

of blue folder required by Mrs. Johnson’s third-grade class while children toss random items into the cart like contestants on a game show.

Some moms are weeping because their baby is starting kindergarten.

Other moms are squealing tires out of the school parking

lot, headed to the nearest coffee shop on the first day, whispering, “Thank You, Jesus,” as they turn the radio up.

And truth be told, I’ve been

both.

My children have reminded me that school mornings irritated them. Their clothes were laid out the night before, either by them or by me. They weren’t fond of the routine: get up, get dressed, make the bed, brush your teeth, come in for breakfast, grab the pre-packed backpack and lunch box, and head out the door.

Once they left, I got myself ready for the day. My week of chores was always on the same schedule: laundry, shopping, Bible study, housecleaning, hobby time, and lunches with friends.

When they got home on the bus, the routine started again: • Wash your hands,

• Have a snack, • Go play, • Eat dinner, • Do homework, • Take baths, and go to bed. Unless there were dance lessons, ball practice, or church. Then those took the place of playtime.

Now, before I get myself in trouble, let me say this: I realize

motherhood looks different today than it did when I was raising my kids. Many families need two incomes. Life is expensive. Groceries cost about what a used pickup used to cost.

I understand there are moms out there juggling careers, carpools, ball games, dance lessons, church activities, homework, and trying to figure out what on earth they’re making for supper.

Y’all are carrying a load. But I do wonder sometimes if we’ve climbed aboard a merry-go- round that nobody knows how to stop.

It’s really hard to comprehend how fast time flies. We usually get eighteen years with our children. That’s 936 weeks. By the time they turn nine, half of those weeks are already gone. By the time they’re 13, there are only about 260 weeks left before adulthood. Suddenly, 18 years doesn’t seem nearly as long.

Somewhere along the way, we started believing that a good life requires more stuff, more activities, more travel, more commit

ments, more everything.

The problem is that “more” usually costs us the one thing we can never get back.

Time. Back when my kids were little, it wasn’t uncommon for most moms to be stay-at-home moms.

I realize what a gift that was. Not because I was Mother of the Year—I certainly wasn’t—but because I was there.

I was there for the skinned knees, the science projects started at 9 p.m., the teenage heartbreaks, and the endless interruptions that somehow always happened when I was trying to cook dinner.

Was every moment magical? Absolutely not. Some days I would’ve gladly traded a child or two for a nap.

But those years passed quicker than a summer thunderstorm.

Today, it’s the norm for both

parents to work. Many families feel pressure to keep running. Bigger houses. Newer cars. More vacations. More lessons. More sports. More commitments.

And maybe all those things are wonderful.

But every now and then, I want to grab the emergency brake on life and ask:

• What if we don’t need all of it?

• What if the greatest gift we could give our children isn’t another activity, another gadget, or another destination?

• What if it’s simply our presence?

• What if supper around the table is enough?

• What if playing in the backyard is enough?

• What if a Saturday with nowhere to be is enough?

The world is moving faster than a cat with its tail on fire. It

tells us we need more, do more, buy more, become more.

Maybe the secret is learning that less can sometimes be more.

More peace. More laughter. More connection. More memories. One day those little backpacks will be packed for the last time. The school pickup and drop-off line will be a memory. The house will get quiet.

Far quieter than you ever imagined.

And when that day comes, I don’t think you’ll wish you’d spent more time on the merry- go-round.

I think you’ll wish you’d spent more time watching fireflies, eating supper together, and simply enjoying the people God entrusted to you.

As for me, I wish I could go

back in time and do another round with my babies. I think I would let things go a little more. Maybe I’d let the laundry pile a little higher and the dust settle a little thicker so I could soak up more of our time together.

Don’t get me wrong. I enjoy the people my babies have grown into. I love that they have given us grandbabies—little versions of the babies I once rocked.

But in this season, my house is too quiet, and nobody needs me.

I know there are circumstances where single parents don’t have a choice but to work. I know these days many families are doing everything they can just to stay afloat. My heart isn’t to make anyone feel guilty. It’s simply to remind those of us who are blessed to have children that the ordinary moments are often the ones we’ll miss the most.

If you’re fortunate enough to have children, make time to savor every season of their lives and be fully present.

One day the backpacks will be

put away for good, the house will grow quiet, and you’ll discover what every parent eventually does—that time was the greatest gift you ever had.

When most people think about wildlife on a ranch, they probably picture deer slipping through the trees, turkeys moving across a pasture or quail flushing from cover. Those species matter, and many landowners manage with them in mind. But some of the most important wildlife on a farm or ranch is much smaller. Bees, butterflies, moths, beetles, flies, wasps, hummingbirds and even bats all play a part in keeping native plants and food systems working.

Pollinators move pollen from one flower to another, which allows many plants to produce seed, fruit and the next generation of growth. That matters in gardens and orchards, but it also matters in pastures, prairies and native rangeland. According to the article provided, the United States Department of Agriculture reports that 75 percent of the world’s flowering plants and about 35 percent of the world’s food crops depend on animal pollinators to reproduce.

For Oklahoma ranchers, pollinators are more than something nice to see on a warm afternoon. They are tied to plant diversity, soil cover, wildlife habitat and the overall health of the land.

A pasture with flowers, seed-producing plants and a mix of grasses and forbs usually supports more life than a pasture with only one or two plant types. That does not mean every acre has to look wild or unmanaged. It means diversity has value. A ranch that supports many kinds of plants can also support many kinds of insects. Those insects feed birds, turkey poults, quail chicks, bats and other wildlife. Some predatory insects also help keep pest insects in check.

Pollinators are a sign that something is working. If butterflies, bees and other beneficial insects are present, the land is likely offering food, cover and seasonal blooms. If they are absent, it may be worth asking why. There may not be enough flowering plants. Grazing pressure may be too heavy at the wrong time. Herbicide use may be reducing the plants pollinators need. The issue may be drought, timing or a lack of plant variety.

The monarch butterfly is one of the best-known examples. Monarchs need milkweed because it is the only food source for their caterpillars. Adult monarchs also need nectar plants, especially during migration. Oklahoma sits in an important part of that migration route. In spring, monarchs moving north need milkweed for reproduction. In fall, monarchs moving south need blooming plants for energy before continuing toward Mexico.

That fall food source can be easy to overlook. A pasture may have plenty of grass and still offer little for a migrating butterfly if there are no flowers in bloom. Late-season plants such as Maximilian sunflower, blazing star, goldenrod, asters and cowpen daisy can make a difference. In the Noble Research Institute article, Will Moseley said their monarch monitoring showed a simple result: butterflies were found where flowering plants were present, and they were not found where flowers were absent.

That is a useful lesson for any landowner. Pollinator habitat does not have to be complicated. It starts with plants.

For ranchers, the goal is not to turn working land into a flower bed. The goal is to manage in a way that leaves room for useful plants to grow, bloom and set seed. Grazing management can help. If the same pasture is grazed hard at the same time every year, the same plants may get set back again and again. Changing grazing timing, leaving rest periods and avoiding overuse can give more plants a chance to bloom. Rotational grazing, when planned well, can benefit both livestock and pollinators.

Prescribed fire can also be useful when used carefully and legally. Fire timing matters. Burning every acre the same way at the same time can favor some plants and reduce others. Varying burn timing across years and pastures can create a more mixed plant community. That variety can help pollinators, ground-nesting birds and grazing animals.

Herbicide use is another consideration. There are times when herbicides are needed, especially for invasive or problem plants. But broad use can also remove the forbs that bees and butterflies depend on. Spot spraying, proper timing and targeted control can help landowners manage weeds while keeping beneficial plants in the pasture. Every place is different, so the best plan depends on the ranch’s goals, plant community and problem species.

Pollinators also need nesting sites. Not all bees live in hives. In fact, many native bees nest in the ground, hollow stems or cavities in wood. Leaving some undisturbed areas, standing stems, brushy edges or bare patches of well-drained soil can support native bees. A perfectly clean landscape is often less useful to wildlife than one with some structure and variety.

Water can help as well. Shallow water sources, damp soil or safe access around ponds and tanks can be useful, especially during dry weather. The key is to avoid drowning hazards. Small stones, floating wood or shallow edges can give insects a place to land.

For landowners interested in beekeeping, honey bees can become another small enterprise. A few hives may provide honey for family, gifts or local sales. Local honey often has a strong market, and bees can fit well on small acreages or larger ranches. Still, honey bees are livestock and need management. New beekeepers should start small, learn from an experienced mentor and understand seasonal care before investing heavily. The Noble article shared advice from Josh and Brook Gaskamp, who recommended getting a mentor, starting small and experimenting until finding what works.

Beekeeping is not the only way to support pollinators, though. A person can help pollinators without owning a single hive. Planting native flowers, protecting milkweed, reducing unnecessary pesticide use and allowing some areas to bloom can all help. Even fence rows, field corners, creek banks and lightly used areas can become valuable habitat when managed with pollinators in mind.

Pollinators also add enjoyment to the land. There is something rewarding about seeing monarchs on fall flowers, bumble bees working a patch of blooms or hummingbirds visiting trumpet-shaped flowers near the house. Those moments remind landowners that a ranch is more than livestock, fences and forage. It is a living system.

For many producers, the practical reason to care about pollinators is simple. What helps pollinators often helps the whole ranch. More plant diversity can mean better soil cover, more wildlife habitat, more insects for birds, more seasonal forage options and a landscape that can better handle stress. Pollinators are part of that bigger picture.

A ranch does not have to be managed only for bees or butterflies to benefit them. In many cases, good land stewardship already points in the right direction. Avoid overgrazing. Encourage plant diversity. Leave some blooms. Be careful with chemicals. Think about timing. Watch what shows up.

The smallest wildlife on the ranch can tell a big story about the health of the land. When the flowers are blooming and the pollinators are working, it is a good sign the pasture is doing more than growing grass. It is supporting life from the ground up.