By Lee Epps It was not airmail, but the incoming mailbag was certainly airborne for a few seconds as it was tossed off a moving train to an awaiting Isaac Holmes. The mail moved by rail, but this train did not stop at San Jacinto, Minnesota, where the post office hired Holmes to meet the train where he could. Holmes, who resided near the present-day Valley High Golf Course, … [Read more...]
A Clothesline is a Deluxe Tanning Bed for the Laundry
By Al Batt In a strange and distant land, in the long-ago year of 1962, a man asked Bob Dylan how he should dry his laundry. Dylan answered famously, "The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind. The answer is blowin' in the wind." Dylan turned that answer into famous song that posed a series of rhetorical questions about peace, war, freedom and laundry. There you have … [Read more...]
A Goodly Heritage – Team of Four
By Wenda Grabau “Timber!” was the shout that never came that night. Yet down came a 60-foot tall poplar tree that had stood strong and tall for about 60 years. The crash as the tree hit the ground woke the folks in their cozy little cabin up north. Yes, you may guess that it is our family cabin. My sister and brother-in-law witnessed the damage done. Hence, we were urged to … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past – Being Wary of Wolves in the 1850s
By Lee Epps Part three of a series In his second day in Minnesota Territory in 1852, teenager Sam McIntire was teased, that unless his hunting marksmanship improved, the wolves in the valley might catch him off guard and make a meal of him. That may have been said in jest, but under certain circumstances, wolves were feared as evidenced by one recollection McIntire described … [Read more...]
From Baby Chicks to Farm-Fresh Eggs
By Sara Mensink This spring, my family and I started an exciting new adventure … we became chicken farmers! We now have 21 chickens. Yes, TWENTY-ONE! I know what you’re thinking … that’s a lot of chickens! We originally planned to get twelve, but shipping was free if we ordered sixteen, so we went with the larger order. Little did we know, the hatchery also sends “a few” … [Read more...]
If You Want to Find Something, Look for Something Else
By Al Batt I had decided what I was going to wear for Halloween. My costume will be a gas pump. That will throw a scare into anybody who provides profits for the petroleum industry. The truth is that I haven't gone as anything other than myself at Halloween in eons. I figure I'm frightening enough. Not having to decide on a costume left me with time to do something I'd … [Read more...]
What an Extraordinary Journey a Mustard Packet Provides
I had fixed a leaking sink. I had retrieved items from tall grocery shelves at the request of two shoppers. I had easily opened plastic produce bags to put my apples in one and tomatoes in another. How did I do those incredible things? The sink repair was due to experience and luck. Success requires good luck. I grabbed the items from the tallest shelf because of genetics. … [Read more...]
Pastor Devotions – Talitha Koum!
Pastor Mark Geselle Valley Christian Center In my Bible reading, I came across a word we don’t use much these days. Matthew, Mark and Luke record the story of Jairus’ daughter who was at the point of death. Jairus sent for Jesus because he had faith to believe Jesus could heal her. In the meantime, the girl died. Everyone knew she was dead. Her parents knew. Those paid to … [Read more...]
Memories of the School Cafeteria: When Pizzaburgers were a Favorite
By Rose Korabek Fall is here and the leaves are starting to change. The sounds of a nearby preschool and elementary school ring through our neighborhood. The high school marching band will resume practices and high school football games will be heard on Friday nights. School is back in session and that means school cafeterias are bustling on weekdays to feed hungry students … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past – A Great Meal and a Muzzleloader
By Lee Epps Part two of a series Captain Samuel Bates McIntire (Cap’n Mac), who came to what would become Houston County in 1852 at the age of 14, prefaced each published portion of his 1901 historical memoir with a poem. As toward our future home we glide, Wild bluffs frown down on either side, And tell of countless ages gone, Since when they first beheld the … [Read more...]