“Perhaps the World Ends Here” by Joy Harjo The world begins at a kitchen table. No matter what, we must eat to live. The gifts of earth are brought and prepared, set on a table. So it has been since creation, and it will go on... Alas, because of COVID many families will not all be able to gather around the Thanksgiving table. The year 2020 has been a difficult year … [Read more...]
Hobby? No – obsession!
Anne Spartz was given a simple assignment by her Slayton High School psychology teacher when she was a teen — find out where you got your hair and eye color. Anne found that information nowhere near as interesting as the people she learned about. Her future husband’s sister was in the class and had the same assignment. At family reunions, her dad’s side had a self-proclaimed … [Read more...]
Get your antivirus protection installed in the drive-through lane
By Al Batt “Yeah, well, you know, that’s just like, your opinion, man.” The Dude said that in The Big Lebowski. I enjoy movies that make me laugh. I was almost in a movie when I appeared with the famous producer, director and Opie, Ron Howard — or a guy who looked like him — in the same airport. And I sat next to a massive St. Bernard in a movie theater. What was the dog … [Read more...]
The Dybings’ “Weekend Musical Messages” filling “virtual” pews
Do you remember the word puzzle about the tree in the forest? If it falls and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? Here’s a local twist: If a gifted pianist is playing in a church but there are no people in the pews, is there still music? That dilemma faced Heidi Dybing, that gifted pianist, last March at the beginning of Holy Week. Heidi had prepared … [Read more...]
Historic memories of Fillmore County The Lazy Dazy Spinrite Spinner
By Dianne Ruud As promised, today we are enjoying the third and final advertisement for the wonderful fishing lures once manufactured in Preston by the iconic, “Lazy Dazy Bait Company!” Large, bold letters spelling out the “DAZY SPINRITE SPINNER,” cover a big fish at the top of the advertisement! Beneath that phrase it says: “use for spinning, casting, fly rod, trolling.” … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past Two days, two searches in two states, eventually two deaths
Second of a two-part series on the Village of Bee. There were two searches within two days in 1921. The first search came right after the December 12 death of the victim, the ensuing two-state search before the apprehension of the perpetrator. Inga Magnusson, 1918 graduate of Spring Grove High School, taught 21 students at one-room Bergen School, located one mile south … [Read more...]
Make saying “thank you” great again
By Al Batt “Much obliged.” I said that as I paid a big bill that caused me to clench my teeth. I said that because the person grabbing my hard-earned money hadn’t mumbled a “thank you.” My mother told me I could never thank anyone too much. Such an appreciation conveys gratitude. It lets someone know that I’m not taking them for granted. A lady who was vertically … [Read more...]
The Burr Oak The Burr Oak This day began like most other days. But the planned events made this particular day one that proved to be out-of-the-ordinary. This morning, a woodcutter would come and remove a landmark that had towered over our farm for as long as any of us could remember. For an unknown number of years the monster Burr Oak tree sheltered our family from … [Read more...]
Terrific trains, a model for the times
Steve Jobs was known to say, “Innovation is the ability to see change as an opportunity – not a threat.” For one man, the lockdown in March and the following months of isolation during COVID-19 was his opportunity for ingenuity and innovation. Meet Jim Meyer of Spring Valley, Minn., who has a passion for model railroading. He started model railroading 23 years ago, and would … [Read more...]
Historic memories of Fillmore County Here is another historic advertisement for The Lazy Dazy Bait Company in Preston
By Dianne Ruud Today we are looking at the second advertisement for The Lazy Dazy Bait Company that was once a thriving business in Preston. This cool ad is done in green and white and makes use of every inch of the sheet to put the word out for the merits of the Lazy Dazy Lures. Bold, black letters state: “LAZY DAZY” is the “SUCCESSOR TO NATURE’S MINNOW” and that it, … [Read more...]