I grew up happily roaming gravel meant for travel, because I knew that one day, I’d be flying my own car like George Jetson. I dragged my dented fenders through an airport. It’s a battered backpack in slightly better condition than I was. I felt like I’d been built from recycled parts, Play-Doh, silly string, silly putty and duct tape. There was a time when my mother … [Read more...]
Pastor Devotions – In the Bulb There is a Flower …
By Pastor Mark Woodward Maple Leaf Parish of the UMC Cherry Grove, Fountain, Preston, and Spring Valley: Faith Churches (and Lenora) I had the privilege and blessing to attend Garrett-Evangelical Seminary on the campus of Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois on the shore of Lake Michigan. Those were indeed holy days. My life was enriched by an inspiring … [Read more...]
Around the Moon – But What About the Sun?!
Guess what?! We’re a quarter finished with this trip around the sun! How’d it go? Usually I’d hate this question, and feel guilt from anyone who asks it, but I’d like to think I’m growing up, so I can ask myself the question without breaking out in hives. Craig Groschel said that you cannot change what you have not defined, which is just a fancy way of saying you’ll be … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past – “Mebbe Bedbugs Et Him!”
By Lee Epps “They were warm and comfortable as fine a house as anyone needed. Just a dandy place to live,” replied a Houston County man (born in 1855) when asked, “What was it like to live in a log house?” Then his wife chimed in, “They were just wonderful, weren’t they? Small, dark, cramped and crowded with rough walls and floors. And let me tell you, they were especially … [Read more...]
Fillmore County Flashback – Held Captive – Part I
By Bretta Grabau Fillmore County Historical Society Occasionally someone walks into museums with a treasure trove of stories. This happened not long ago when a local resident told me a fascinating story of how a woman from Fillmore County unintentionally found her family in the middle of an international spotlight. It was a thoroughly intriguing story, compelling me to … [Read more...]
Pastor Devotions – Living the Resurrection Now
By Pastor Kris Hertsgaard Kincaid Christ Lutheran Church Preston When the earth shakes and the tomb stands empty, God reveals that resurrection is not only something we witness but something we live – here and now – as a community raised with Christ, learning to walk through a fearful world with great joy. Easter begins with a tremor. In Matthew’s telling of the … [Read more...]
Listen When We Can – We Have a Lot to Learn
When I was a little boy a couple of years ago, I wore clip-on ties to church. I wore a bow tie or a necktie. A clip-on tie is a bow tie or necktie that is permanently tied and worn by attaching it to the front of the shirt collar with a clip or a band around the neck, fastened with a hook and eye. I preferred a bow tie if there was a chance of eating soup, plus it looked … [Read more...]
Fillmore County Flashback – The Peterson Trout Farms
By Cheryl Boyum Eaton Peterson Museum Board Member When I think of the Peterson Trout Farm, I think of the facility located south of Peterson on County Road 25, past the East Grace Cemetery. It was managed by Bill Atkinson in the 1950s. However, this was not the first trout farm at Peterson. In 1874 Peter Peterson Haslerud, the founder of Peterson, owned a farm at the … [Read more...]
Thyme & Again – On Eggshells and What’s Fulfilling
By Angela Denstad Time and again spring teases us along. It tempts tender green shoots out of the earth, brings back songbirds and waterfowl, coaxes us to forego our winter coats, if only for the day. But just as you soften into the fragile newness of rebirth, winter blankets us again. Such a fickle season! A far cry from winter’s predictable celebrations, the Easter … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past – English Spoken with a Heavy Norwegian Accent
Part two of a two-part series There was a Norwegian immigrant girl who pretended she could not speak Norwegian and a United States Civil War soldier who could only speak and understand Norwegian. One immigrant learned to speak Norwegian again before moving to Wilmington Township. These unusual, 19th century language revelations were preserved through the research and writing … [Read more...]