By Lee Epps If a Minnesota law officer entered on official business, the suspect or lawbreaker could quickly walk across the room and be safe from arrest. With the state line running through the saloon, the other side of the room was in Iowa. It worked in reverse if one wanted to avoid an Iowa lawman. For many years, the state line was marked by a hitching post (iron rings … [Read more...]
Journal Writing Project – Freshman year with COVID-19
By Abby Zutz Never would I ever have thought that I would be wearing a mask while at school. I recall being in about second grade standing in the lunch line and imagining what it would be like when I was finally in high school. Here I am, a freshman, and things are tremendously different than I would have ever imagined. Ninth grade, the year where you get into new clubs, … [Read more...]
I don’t know beans about coffee
It’s not rated “E” for everyone. I’ve been told the world runs on coffee and bad decisions. Sip, sip, hooray! People drink coffee with such gusto and delight, I have an urge to drink it. Then I remember the taste. How do I like my coffee? I don’t. It won’t dent the coffee table economy, but I don’t drink coffee. All my taste buds, except Maynard, find coffee … [Read more...]
Real Bites – Estelle’s Eatery & Bar in Harmony
There are many days in which I get so busy at work that I forget to each lunch. And, I know I’m not the only one. This past weekend, my wife and I decided to go out to eat at Estelle’s Eatery & Bar in Harmony, Minn. Our family always enjoys visiting Estelle’s. The ambiance. The food. The entertainment. Outdoor dining. They have a great thing going. And, they are … [Read more...]
To clean or not to clean
To clean or not to clean Fall comes quickly in Bluff Country, and this year is no exception. The summer vegetable gardens are done, but a few leafy greens, carrots and leeks still remain here and there. Asters and Chrysanthemum may still have a few lingering flowers, but most of the perennials have stopped blooming. Ornamental grasses blow and rustle in the breeze, their … [Read more...]
Journal Writing Project: The fall skies
By Bethany Schneekloth The colors are brighter, the rain is colder, and the days are steadily getting shorter. These events happen every year in our little neck of the woods right here in the midwest. The fall skies are among my favorite parts of the season, with sunrises being a bright combination of pinks, blues, and yellows, the geese and other birds flying south, and the … [Read more...]
Historic memories of Fillmore County: The Lazy Dazy Bait Company in Preston
The Lazy Dazy Bait Company was a thriving Preston, Minnesota business in the 1950s and ‘60s! The fishing lure entrepreneurship was located upstairs over the businesses on Fillmore Street on Preston’s downtown square. The late Richard Hovelson who was a virtual “walking history book” for most of the small towns in Fillmore County, told me that the founders of the business … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past Many bricks, a buffalo, a campground and currency in the creek
The question frequently arises as to how the village of Money Creek got its name. One tale of floating bills persists, but I have not yet seen an explanation for the previous names of Clinton and Hamilton. The curious name of the creek finally became the name of the village when the first post office could not use Hamilton, the name of an already established post office. The … [Read more...]
The Working Mom 2.0
The Newlywed Game Do any of you remember the Newlywed Game? If not, get on YouTube before reading this article to watch some of the original episodes and get ready for some big laughs. We were going to be spending time with our “COVID-safe” friends (the same friends you hang around with since the pandemic started) and wanted to have a different game that even the husbands … [Read more...]
An eerie yearie is 2020
I looked for toad feathers. The unexpected is expected in 2020, so this might be the year to find toad feathers. The year has provided a bag of mental pretzels. Some folks wish 2020 would hurry to an end. I’m not one who wants to grease the skids for its getaway as I don’t want to wish away a minute of my life. As a boy, I wished for Saturdays. My mother warned me not to … [Read more...]