“Tell me about yourself.” That’s what the fellow seated next to me on the airplane said. When someone says, “Tell me about yourself,” where do you begin? I replied, “I’m a father and a grandfather. I was born in Naeve Hospital in Albert Lea. I have a supercalifragilisticexpialidocious family.” I thought that ought to hold him, but he asked what I did for a … [Read more...]

Third of a series Eating venison was a new and enjoyable experience for 11-year-old lad T. R. Stewart, whose pioneer family was one of the first to settle in southeast Minnesota, coming west from Massachusetts in 1853, five years before Minnesota statehood. The last leg of the journey was by steamboat from Galena, Illinois up the Mississippi River to Brownsville. Their … [Read more...]

Part two of a series Samuel McPhail, the founder of Caledonia, and a couple of other early 1850s pioneers, while heading to Crooked Creek for water, noticed a large, yellow dog perched near a clump of trees on a hillside of a rocky ridge. They recognized the canine as belonging to a man who had been searching the area for land a few days previous. His owner was likely … [Read more...]

A friend stopped by to tell me there was a turkey on the roof of my house. I told him it was Tula. My wife named her, but the yard turkey (a wild turkey hen) didn’t care. She was busy chasing rooster pheasants, squirrels, rabbits and crows. Tula flew high into a maple tree to harass the crows that appeared to take it as a game of tag in which they would never be it. They … [Read more...]

By Katie Drewitz University of Minnesota Extension Has the end of January fog and the rollercoaster temperatures we’ve been having have you dreaming of spring? While it is still too early to start seeds indoors, there are a few things you can do to stretch your green thumb. Several people recently have made inquiries about winter sowing, which can be a great way to start … [Read more...]

Thomas Rice Stewart came west as an 11-year-old boy with his parents and siblings from Massachusetts to the wilderness of Minnesota in 1853, five years before statehood. The family was one of only a half-dozen to spend the winter of 1853-54 in the new settlement that would become Caledonia. A half-century later, he wrote about those early years. Shortly after their arrival … [Read more...]

My wife, The Queen B, was searching for chocolate-covered radishes or radish-covered chocolates. I forget which. My bride was in hunting for the perfect Valentine’s Day gift. She must have been unable to find appropriate motivational socks. We were in a big box store, but it had many other things than big boxes. She had determined many years ago that I’m of little help … [Read more...]

Guess what?! I’ve been working on something for the last year and it changes everything in my kitchen. I wrote about it in 2022 and I’m here to ask: Have you tried it yet? If not, you need to! If you’re like me, you love learning from someone else’s experience, especially if they learned it the hard way! So here I am, telling you that this hack works. Back to our hack: … [Read more...]