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...]
Obsessively grateful
“Begin each day with a grateful heart.” This has been my theme for the past several months. You don’t need me to outline the challenges our world faces – in 2020 and every other year. As a world, we may all be in the same storm, but everyone is in a different boat. It’s certainly not my place to say how easy or difficult these challenges are to overcome. However, no matter … [Read more...]
Historic memories of Fillmore County: Harvest for Fillmore County farmers is easier these days than 120 years ago
The picture this week is a good one. Found in Aaron L. Sleyster’s book of poetry, it accompanies a poem that simply “sings” with the excitement of harvest time long, long ago. And if you are wondering just where the picture was snapped, look at the tree covered hill in the top left corner of the photo. As you leave Preston on Highway 52 and look to your right, beyond “Corn … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past: County high schools were private, parochial before public
The first high school education in Houston County was offered in Caledonia, as late as 1868, by Yale University graduate, the esteemed Julius Emmons. The next year, the first edifice, constructed exclusively for high school students, opened under the direction of Caledonia’s Trinity Episcopal Church, its rector Rev. William R. Powell and Bishop Whipple. The Minnesota state … [Read more...]
A little of this, A little of that
An apple a day keeps the doctor away is an old saying. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if that were really true! Sadly during this virus before a vaccine is discovered, all we can do is: wear a mask, social distance and wash our hands often. I used to love going places. Now I only go to the grocery store and the pharmacy. Staying home was NEVER my idea of a good time. Now at … [Read more...]
Sisters, and love, and sharing music… it’s “Sister Luv”
It was a gift, a wish, a promise and a prayer (maybe a bunch of those), that created “Sister Luv.” Add to all that a dose of colorful creativity, dogged determination and some pretty big dreams, and you have a four-sister vocal quartet from Spring Valley that’s entertaining people and touching hearts across southeast Minnesota. The name captures it. Four sisters — Xena (21), … [Read more...]
Making good time going home from a good time
We took no vacations. We had to make good time going home from a family gathering because we didn’t have a good time taking vacations. My father drove. My mother rode shotgun. I sat in the backseat, as a free-range child not constrained by a seatbelt because there was no seatbelt there. I counted things I saw out the window — cows, dogs, tractors and pheasants. I tried to see … [Read more...]
Junco is an acronym for Just Until Nicer Conditions Occur
The temperature dropped as if it had spotted a State Patrol squad car. Then something landed in my yard. It was no mere bird. October 1 was the day I saw the first dark-eyed junco of the fall migrated into in my yard. I like juncos. I practice an appreciation for birds, but I was reminded of something Dr. Seuss wrote, “How did it get so late so soon? It’s night before it’s … [Read more...]