Rev. Peter J. Haugen St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church “I thank my God always concerning you,” St. Paul says to the Corinthian Christians. Why? Because of “the Grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus” (1 Corinthians 1:4). The Grace of God has come to them through the Word of God, which did not return void, but which accomplished His Purpose. It created for God … [Read more...]

Part two of a series They were all “so hard up,” the young folks in the Eitzen area had to manufacture their own fun, recalled life-long Portland Prairie resident Elmer Thies about the Great Depression era of the late 1920s and 1930s. Entertainment involved roller skating parties, shadow pie sales, county fair booths, parade units and shivarees (a noisy, post-wedding serenade … [Read more...]

If you were a woman alive and active on Facebook in 2020, odds are that you were probably invited to an online party.  Now, I am writing about this because I think it is a “bad” thing since I love to shop, but do wonder how all of you readers are managing the new pattern of online parties due to social distancing and has your pocketbook taken a hit?  Mine did but it was great … [Read more...]

She was the last to know it was raining. I headed home from somewhere. Somewhere else someone had said, “Rain, rain go away, come again another day.” This was another day. The windshield wiper activity made me think of my mother. She was the shortest one in my extended family. I teased she was the last to know when it was raining. I was a foot taller than my mother when she … [Read more...]

“In those days, the kids went barefoot, so occasionally, we’d step on a nail,” recalled Ray Fruechte about his early 1900s boyhood in rural Portland Prairie, northwest of Eitzen. “... we would take a foot pan, put a little water in it with carbolic acid in the water, mix it up and then soak our foot in that. Later on, we used iodine and mercuricomb (mercurochrome), followed by … [Read more...]

By Pastor Nissa Peterson Chatfield and Root Prairie Lutheran Churches There has been a lot of conversation in our country lately around Justice. It’s a word that has gathered a lot of political baggage- from “Social Justice Warrior” being used derogatorily, to accusations of politicians trying to control the courts, to high profile court cases calling for justice. Amid … [Read more...]

The sparkle in the eyes of Melody Raveill – Spring Valley is a reflection of the joy she has when working on, then completing one of her diamond paintings.  A couple years ago,   a family member had gifted her a small kit and she knew this hobby was a keeper.  “I liked working with the small diamonds right away, finding it both challenging and relaxing.  I’ve finished many … [Read more...]

I met the day with the wonder of a Labrador puppy. I walked down the trail at Brookside Park. I was a happy camper after seeing a couple of yellow-crowned night herons, hearing barred owls calling and finding a debit card lost by someone named Laura. There were a couple of sheriff’s deputies pulling their boat out of the channel. I gave the lost card to them. I’d finished … [Read more...]

“I can bring home the bacon and fry it up in the pan.  I am  woman, hear me ROAR,” sings Helen Ready in a song.  Before women learned to roar, they stayed home to take care of the kids and the house.  When mothers felt the need for adult conversation, they invited the  neighbors over for coffee and dessert. The dessert had to be homemade and fabulous. This was showing off … [Read more...]

The four-generation family farm of 316 acres was “well-endowed with improvements, not the least of which was the outhouse,” wrote Marie (Middendorf) Muenkel, born in Winnebago Township, about her childhood in 1930s Houston County. Yes, at one time, the outhouse was a modern improvement, especially when considering the options before one was available. By definition, it did not … [Read more...]