By Al Batt “I want to sit up front with the adults!” I said that aloud while pushing a lawn mower this week. It didn’t matter. Nobody could hear what I said over the sound of the grass cutter or a mawn lower as Reverend Spooner, the unintentional creator of spoonerisms, might have called it. The importance of a well-manicured lawn is as small as the little end of nothing … [Read more...]
One Moment, Please… Wedding anniversary season
‘Tis the season for weddings, which means many couples are celebrating anniversaries this time of year. This year, my wife and I will be celebrating 20 years of marriage on July 8. That may seem like a long time, but we are just getting started by some measurable comparisons. A friend and neighbor, Eric Hammell, was recently passing by our house in Fountain. He slowed … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past From hymns to math lessons to museum — three centuries, three sites
Early schools and churches often began meeting in the homes of pioneer settlers. Simple one-room schoolhouses would often host church worship services before formal church buildings were constructed. It was different for Daley School, east of Caledonia, where a church building became a schoolhouse. Education began in the home of Timothy Hackett in January of 1856 before a … [Read more...]
The Working Mom
Remember when Remember when we carried on with our lives without a care in the world about catching a virus? I remember being on a plane traveling for a work trip when a mother with three young children boarded and clogged the main aisle as she spent a good 10 minutes using Lysol wipes to clean the seats, arm rests, and flip down tables before she allowed her children to sit … [Read more...]
One Moment, Please… The things people say to each other on social media
While I believe there are some positive initiatives that have been launched from platforms like Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and the like, we cannot deny the negatives. A young man around 26 years old recently got into an argument with someone on Twitter. The person on the other end responded by tracking this young man down and shooting him in front of his family. The story … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past: Independence Day celebrated in Eitzen during three different centuries
As in many communities all over the United States, in the bicentennial year of 1976, there was a Fourth of July celebration in Eitzen, Minn. Most likely unbeknown to those gathering along the state line that day, it was more than a century after the first Independence Day celebration in the Eitzen area, and the 1976 commemoration would soon inspire a popular, annual, bistate … [Read more...]
Historic Memories of Fillmore County “A Trip to Forestville, October 26, 1895”
This week will see a change in our planned journey into exploring the history of Drury’s Furniture Store in Fountain, Minn. Don’t worry though, that story will be just around the corner! In light of the current world situation and the ongoing pandemic, many folks are planning to stay closer to home this summer, perhaps taking short day trips. We have an awesome, spectacular … [Read more...]
A Goodly Heritage
By Wenda Garbau From one generation to another This year has been eventful and, as I write, it is only May. My dear mother passed away. My husband and daughter traveled out of the country for a mission trip. Briefly after their return, we all came down with COVID-19. We spent 35 days in quarantine. Now that our health has been restored, it is time for farm work. My … [Read more...]
The Plant Lady
By Jessi Jablonski How much should I water? One of the most asked questions to gardeners is “How much water does the garden need?” The simple answer is about one inch of water per week. How you water is just as important as how much you water. There are many variables that go into determining each garden’s needs. Let us review some of the factors that can influence your … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past: Trespassing spelling pranks, late-night hijinks high above Houston
There was a morning when residents of Houston, Minn., looked up to see the word “HOKAH” in huge white letters on the hillside above town. Another morning, the letters spelled “TOOLBOX,” the nickname of a Houston schoolteacher. The lettering originally spelled “HOUSTON,” and most mornings it did. The 24-foot-high, 14-foot-wide letters were originally arranged with local surface … [Read more...]