Shawn Hoff bought his first guitar at the age of 16, but it wasn’t until he came to Harmony many years later that he actually started playing it. About 10 years ago, he moved from Hastings to Harmony, but Becky, his wife, wasn’t able to move with him for about six months and so he spent his first winter in the area living alone and so bored that he finally picked up his guitar … [Read more...]

I thought it was just a cramp This article is way overdue as it seems that many of my friends have had a few medical issues lately and it makes me wonder at what point does it become more than a cramp?  The growing old starts gradually but then it can hit you like a cement truck!  For instance, how old were you when you ran or walked your first mile since fifth grade and were … [Read more...]

First of a series The first telephones in Caledonia were probably the legal “string phones,” but could they have been prohibited versions of the patented “electric speaking telephone?” In the spring of 1883, an article in a Caledonia newspaper sought subscribers for a telephone exchange with an investment of $25 plus $10 dollars for an instrument (telephone) and the necessary … [Read more...]

By Al Batt Spring rode in on the south wind. It was a soaring turkey vulture wearing a stocking cap on its bald head. Its head still looked much smaller than a bald eagle’s. Not everyone finds winter a blessing. I try to enjoy every winter day, but by the middle of March, I find slacking in my resolve. Spring is the Big Mac and fries of seasons to many. It’s an extension of … [Read more...]

When most people think of relaxing after a long day at work, they might think of sitting down on the couch and catching up on a TV show or going for a walk. Not Andy Walsh. His relaxing hobby is woodworking, which incidentally is also his day job. The two are not the same though. “All day, I work on big stuff,” Walsh said about his job as a union carpenter in the Mayo Clinic … [Read more...]

I headed to the grocery store to stock up on Easter supplies.  Maybe your Easter menu is like mine?  Ham, baked potatoes, asparagus, fresh fruit salad and cake make up my Easter dinner.  The most important items on my list included malted milk Easter eggs and Brach’s maple cream eggs.   I buy at least five bags of the malted milk eggs because this  is the only time they are … [Read more...]

Second of a two-part series The founder of Caledonia, Capt. Samuel McPhail, credited with naming both that village and Houston County during the early 1850s, was a most prominent early settler in both Southeast and southwest Minnesota. Arriving in Brownsville with his wife in 1850, he founded Caledonia in 1853 and was greatly responsible for it becoming the county seat. If not … [Read more...]

I built a bridge once. I’ve been to Jerusalem. I picked up newspapers from a smiling vendor without a stand. Stacks of papers rested upon the ground. Large rocks held them in place. He had 14 children at last count and was 81. Each morning, he’d hoist me high to prove he was strong enough to sell me newspapers. He claimed his longevity, strength and happiness came from four … [Read more...]

By Pastor Jeff Jacobs Unity Lutheran Parish - St. Paul, Saetersdal and St. Matthew’s, Granger Holy Week last year was not what we expected.  Joyous processions on Palm Sunday, foot washing or Communion on Maundy Thursday, Good Friday Tenebrae and reflections on Jesus’ last Seven Words, Easter Vigil and bonfires and trumpets and glorious Alleluias at dawn – for many of … [Read more...]

By Pastor Stuart Weist First Baptist Church of Preston Often, I will hear people try to encourage one another by saying, “Remember that God will not give you more than you can handle.”  This is supposed to encourage someone but, it often makes them feel worse because they now feel inadequate for not being able to handle more. Consider for a moment this phrase said to someone … [Read more...]