Question: In last week’s article you wrote about e-bikes. Can you also just provide a reminder on all around bicycle safety? Thank you. Answer: If you’re riding a bicycle, you must: •Obey all traffic control signs and signals, just as you would when driving. •The only exception is that bicyclists may treat stop signs as yield signs when the intersection is clear. •Use … [Read more...]
I Was Born in a Small Town But Not This Small
The population of the town was somewhere in the 30s, and even a kid could tell it wasn't growing. It had a church and a bar, which met the minimum requirements for being a town in those days. My parents were visiting friends there. When that happens, there is grown-up talk and a kid typically gets put out of the house with little concern about where I went or who I was … [Read more...]
Twisted or Straight?
It all happened one evening in April when my husband was at his men’s Bible Study. Shadows lengthened as the springtime sun descended. Winds whistled past our windows. Trees branches bounced briskly in the strong breezes. But inside our over 100-year-old dwelling, it was calm and comfortable. This old farmhouse has stood strong against many harsh storms over its six … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past They Thought They Were as Good-Looking as Those Other Fellows
According to fifth-century Irish folklore, women were allowed to propose marriage to men every four years on Leap Day (February 29). Some 14 centuries later, leap year frivolity, socializing and romantic role reversal was alive in the United States, including Houston County, Minnesota. The leap year of 1888 was only days away when the last issue in 1887 of the Caledonia Journal … [Read more...]
Ask a Trooper
Question: I am interested in getting an e-bike, but I do not know what the laws are. Can you get me some more information? Answer: Under Minnesota law, a legal electric-assisted bicycle must meet all of the following requirements: •The motor must not exceed 750 watts of power. •The maximum assisted speed must not exceed 28 miles per hour. •The bicycle must have fully … [Read more...]
To TV, or to Not TV, That is the Question
To TV, or not to TV, that was the question: Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, or to buy a TV. Mom wanted a TV more than Dad wanted one. Dad thought television was a fad that would never catch on. Besides, he had a radio. Who could ask for anything more? Marriage is the art of compromise. My parents bought a used TV. We … [Read more...]
Of Princesses and Peas
By Angela Denstad Time and again, life offers us opportunities to question what we thought we had already learned. We take as universal truth the stories we were told in childhood, or facts we were taught at school, and we fail to question them further. They remain fixed in our minds as the bricks out of which we construct reality. While it’s certainly helpful to have some … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past – The Evening “Big Irv” Saved the Basket Social
Part two, Basket Socials During the previous column, Houston County historian Sumner Sheldon described early 1900s basket socials - opportunities (or socially-accepted excuses) for rural folks to socialize as well as raise funds for the host school or church. But one such event was likely the longest lasting and surely the most memorable because it so drastically differed from … [Read more...]
There is a Word or Phrase for Nearly Everything
After the hello. That was when we talked about where we hailed from. We were states apart. The idle chatter that followed led to the discovery that we had a friend in common. It was one of those odd coincidences that connect the dots of the universe. "Oh, my word," she said, at that revelation. "Oh, my word" is a mild exclamation of surprise, shock or dismay. It's a polite … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past – A-Tisket A-Tasket, Bidding on a Basket
In what he termed those “dreary days before automobiles,” Houston County historian Sumner Sheldon noted that residents, who even though were “starved for entertainment, amusement and companionship,” desired a reason to party. It was not thought proper to “hold a jollification just for the fun of it.” One excuse for organizing a social gathering was the long-popular, … [Read more...]