“We had one tin wash dish and one clean towel each week,” recalled 87-year-old Bridgette M. (O’Brien) Hennessy while reflecting on more than four decades of teaching (about 1908 to 1956) at Vinegar Hill School between Money Creek and Rushford before retiring at age 70. “The water was carried from a neighbor’s house, and we all drank from the same dipper. There was never an … [Read more...]

By Charlene Corson Selbee The interview started on an upbeat note when rural Harmony resident Lindsay Barnes emphatically stated that she loves to work out. Ten years ago, when 34 years old, Barnes started running. It was not long before she realized that living in Southeast Minnesota meant that she needed to find an activity that would give her a good workout in the … [Read more...]

By Rev. Deanna Woodward Maple Leaf Parish Fountain, Cherry Grove and Spring Valley Faith United Methodist Churches One of the things we ministers do is to provide spiritual support for people at crisis times in their lives.  And so we witness human pain and problems, but we also have the privilege of witnessing incredible examples of faith, love, patience and … [Read more...]

Sometimes I get so hungry I could almost eat my cooking. I make excellent toast, but I can’t explain my technique well enough to teach a class on toast making. I reckon it’s a gift. I’m a wizard at reheating food in a microwave. I’m lucky to have lived under the spell of two talented cooks (wife and mother). They make cooking as easy as shooting fish in a barrel, but I’ve … [Read more...]

A century, a decade, a year and almost a month ago, the big news in Houston County was a train wreck between Spring Grove and Caledonia. One newspaper noted how Spring Grove station agent Mr. Beerman was “somewhat surprised” to see only the engine of No. 425 arrive on Tuesday evening, January 11, 1910. Conductor Merwin explained that he had left both cars and the passengers in … [Read more...]

The wind gained speed as it blew through the cracks of the old house. My upstairs bedroom was called the freezer. I was the only one who called it that, but that means it was called that. My science teacher told me that hot air rises. I was convinced cold air did, too. Our house had a furnace in the basement which provided rumors of heat. The furnace could have been in … [Read more...]

Rich Sather has always enjoyed getting out in the woods and cutting wood. Since farming practices changed on his farm, the side hills in back of his house have been overgrown with thousands of trees that are considered “weed” trees, including box elder, buckthorn, and aromatic cedar. Originally, his plan was to merely cut down and burn all those trees; however, after seeing and … [Read more...]