Norwegian immigrants in southeastern Minnesota lived in mostly one-room dwellings “so tight that air is almost excluded.” Light came only through one window. Wrapped in woolen blankets, they kept as warm as possible around a large wood-burning stove. That was the observation of a doctor that made house calls during the 1860s while visiting the Gunderson family in Crystal Valley … [Read more...]
Your Flying Farmer – Race to the End
There’s glitter and sparkles everywhere. Power tools and saws are running, and paint and decals are being applied liberally. What is going on? My kids are making pinewood derby cars. This is one of the things they look forward to all year. This is the weekend they race their five-ounce cars down a wooden track and see where they place against their AWANA friends. If your … [Read more...]
My Wife Thinks a Car for Her Husband is a Good Trade
“How many miles do you have on your car?” I told him. It was a substantial number. “It’s almost broken in,” I added in a feeble attempt at cleverness. The man chewed on that for a moment before saying, “It’s almost broken.” That was unfair. It’s a dependable car. The good kind of dependable. I’ve had a dependably bad car. Each time I shoved a key into the ignition, … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past – A Wind-Up Frog, Laughing Gas and Homemade Insulation
Final part six of a series It’s said that Isadora Duncan, the world-famous dancer, wrote a letter to Bernard Shaw saying, “You and I should have a child who would inherit my beauty and your brains.” The whiskered playwright is reported to have replied. “Miss Duncan, I am flattered, but just suppose the child should inherit your brains and my beauty.” Sister Agnes Hafner … [Read more...]
Pastor Devotions – The Fasts We Keep
By Rev. Anders Nelson Mabel-Henrytown Tri-Point Parish - Mabel First Lutheran Church, Scheie Lutheran Church and Henrytown Lutheran Church This last Sunday, the scripture texts from the Revised Common Lectionary included a passage from the prophet Isaiah as the prophet was calling God’s people in the midst of exile into a better understanding of what it means to take up a … [Read more...]
Eat Well, Be Well, Have Fun – “Wine is the intellectual part of a meal while meat is the material.” -Food Reference
Speaking of meat! We had a boys weekend last week that included my pal Mike, his brother, and another best pal John. This is a trio of meat lovers! Don’t get me wrong, I can carve up the protein with the best of em; but this group, left to their own devices without spouses in the great Wisconsin Northwoods is bound to consume some protein. We had not really coordinated a … [Read more...]
It Was Einar’s and It Was a Hardware Store
Farms were evacuated. A national emergency was declared. You are about to enter another dimension, a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind. A journey into a wondrous land of imagination. Your next stop wasn’t the Twilight Zone. Everyone and their yellow dogs were going to Allis-Chalmers (AC) Day. It was even better than getting the Christmas wish book, a 600-page … [Read more...]
Pastor Devotions – Hey Mortal One, Listen Up!
By Rev. Debra Jene Collum Chatfield United Methodist Hey mortal one, listen up! That is one way to translate the familiar passage in Micah 6:8. Hey, human being, you who breath, open your ears and listen! In the 8th century before Jesus, when Micah and other prophets were writing, the problems in society looked very similar to any human century. Reading carefully, the … [Read more...]
A Goodly Heritage – A Love Story
Some days stand out above others. For me, January 31 holds precious memories. It was on that day, 50 years ago that my husband asked me to be his wife. As I look back on the past 50 years, we have had good times and some difficult times. But with the perspective of time, it is easy to spot one characteristic that is noticeable. It is faithfulness. The World Book Dictionary … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past – Don’t Peek at Cake in the Oven
Part five of a series Three boys were arguing whose dad was the best. “My dad can take a scrap of paper, jot down a few notes, call it a poem and get $50.” Second boy: “My dad can jot down a few notes, call it a song and gets $100.” Third boy: “My dad jots down a few words, calls it a sermon, and it takes EIGHT people to collect all the money!” Sister Agnes Hafner … [Read more...]