By Sally Ryman Rushford Historical Society Ever wonder how your hometown came to be? What caused it to grow and thrive? This is the story of Rushford’s early years. Native Americans had lived in the area for thousands of years, but we will begin in 1854 when white settlers arrived. Rushford started as a shanty town of about 20 log houses. Area farmers were beginning … [Read more...]
Take Another Little Piece of My Heart Now, Baby
I wasn’t convulsed with spasms of delight. I’d been bitten by something that wasn’t there. I wondered if something that didn’t exist could be arrested for aggravated assault. They are minute pirate bugs, more often called no-see-ums and many other words I can’t repeat here. Other insects can be called no-see-ums, correctly or incorrectly. I’ve heard harassed people … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past – False Sense of Gaiety, Followed by Complete Silence
Part two of a series It was the same in southeastern Minnesota as it was everywhere in the nation that day. The President of the United States, Woodrow Wilson, proclaimed a Registration Day for a military census. On Tuesday, June 5, 1917, all men between the ages 21 and 30 inclusive were to register. World War I had begun in 1914, three years before the United States … [Read more...]
Your Flying Farmer – What Have I Done?
There was a 10-foot wall in front of my house that completely blocked my view. Who put that there? It wasn’t there earlier this summer, and I certainly didn’t build it! It was thick, it was tall, and if I got too close it would slice my arms. It’s a cornfield. For the past few years, this field was alfalfa. We enjoyed a fully open view of the bluff country right from the … [Read more...]
It’s Impossible to Hide in the ICU
Everything wasn’t copacetic. “It’s probably nothing” no longer applied to me. I’d moved past that point. I couldn’t leave well enough alone when I’m not well enough. How did this happen? It’s like a birthday that makes me an entire year older in just one day. That’s unfair. Life can be a bearcat that takes us to places we’d never hoped to go. When that happens, I see a … [Read more...]
Pastor Devotions – Toil and Trouble
By Pastor Jeff Jacobs Unity Lutheran Parish - St. Paul, Saetersdal and St. Matthew’s, Granger “Vanity of vanities! (Eccles 1:2b) The Hebrew literally means vapor of vapors, but it’s translated many ways: “utterly meaningless,” “all useless,” “nothing but smoke.” That’s Ecclesiastes’ conclusion about much of life – its toils and gains are vapor. Authorship … [Read more...]
Pastor Devotions – Oh, Those Assumptions!
By Pastor Paul Hauschild Chatfield and Root Prairie Lutheran Churches There was once an elderly woman who went to the grocery store in California to do some shopping. When she returned to her car, she noticed four men getting into her car in a big hurry! They were trying to steal the car! The woman dropped her shopping bags, reached into her purse, and pulled out a … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past – Anger, Patriotism as Never Known Before
Five Caledonia High School students were celebrated with a dance in their honor, and the next day as they headed to the train station, they were accompanied by a throng of citizens with music provided by the community band. Why? Just five days earlier, on April 7, 1917, President Woodrow Wilson had signed a resolution of Congress, declaring war between the United States and … [Read more...]
Eat Well, Be Well, Have Fun
“Real soup is to the body, what Peace is to the soul” – Isabel Allende Some days around here it seems like Ground Hog Day. Tomatoes and peppers continue to pour out of the garden. So, sticking with my latest F=fall harvest theme I want to share a couple of the things I’ve been doing and making in our kitchen. First and foremost, I have been canning up a storm. You … [Read more...]
Where Did You Get Your Driver’s License – in a Box of Cracker Jack?
“Where did you get your driver’s license - in a box of Cracker Jack?” When I first got my driver’s license, I noticed that not all the other drivers were the perfect driver I was. When I saw a case of numbskullery behind a steering wheel, here’s what I’d say: “Where did you get your driver’s license - in a box of Cracker Jack?” One of my prized possessions in my junk … [Read more...]