By Katie Drewitz University of Minnesota Extension Trees provide many things for our communities: beauty, energy conservation, reduction of soil erosion, filtering air pollutants, raising property values, a home for wildlife and so much more. Trees are an integral part of our home landscapes, neighborhoods and countryside. If you are looking to plant a tree for the … [Read more...]
If You’re Ever In a Pillow Fight, Let the Pillow Win
Sleep well. Those aren’t words inked on many forearms. Sleep well I was told, “Sleep tight, don’t let the bedbugs bite.” Bedbugs? Are there monsters both under and on the bed? I didn’t need to hear that. I was born with a rare condition that caused me to never want to go to bed. This just worsened my problem. A neighbor had something called insomnia, which caused … [Read more...]
Pastor Devotions – The Lost Table Is Found
By Pastor Mark Woodward Maple Leaf Parish of the UMC Cherry Grove, Fountain, Preston, and Spring Valley: Faith Churches (and Lenora) Some time ago, the Preston Historical Society was busy getting ready for the construction of their new Depot Museum Building and in the process were doing a lot of cleaning, sorting and moving things around in preparation for the … [Read more...]
Plan Your Perfect Dog-Friendly Getaway
The year’s Visit Bluff Country magazine honors our furry, four-legged friends. We encourage you to go out and experience the vibrant rural communities of historic Bluff Country with your dog. Whether you are planning a day trip, an overnight stay, a weekend adventure or a weeklong trip, the Visit Bluff Country magazine is your must-have resource for all things interesting, … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past – Boy Versus Bird: Patient Pursuit of Stealthy Hens
Part two of a two-part series It was not necessarily how well you could hide but more how motionless you could be. That was the operating conclusion of an accomplished turkey tracker, Sumner Sheldon (born 1910), who even as a Houston County schoolboy possessed the patience to pursue turkey hens to their hidden nests. During egg-laying season, his after-school quest was to … [Read more...]
Your Flying Farmer – My Teenager Weekend
Spring showed up the way it always does out here – quiet at first, then all at once. One day the yard is still wearing winter like an old chore coat, and the next, we’re sending cows out to pasture and the machinery is coming out of the shed to stretch its legs. The alfalfa is in, the fields are flirting with dry enough to plant corn, and the cow’s wind-break barn curtains are … [Read more...]
Pastor Devotions – God’s Love Ensures that the Battle is Done
By Rev. Timothy Sandeno St. Johns Lutheran Church and School The past couple of decades have brought forth a number of television singing competitions. One such show is The Voice. It is not limited to our country or even just English viewing. It is has spread to more than 70 countries and regions with some 150 global commissions and spinoffs. Music can be powerful. Often … [Read more...]
Buy Acme Windows – Get a Free Bucket of Invisible Paint
Home Sweat Home. That's what the wall hanging said. It was obviously crocheted by someone living in a home without air conditioning or by a fabric artist who eschewed spellcheck. Coming home is the best part of most vacations. Home is that place where you keep all the junk you might use one day, but probably not. Home is where you can eat over a sink, yell for … [Read more...]
Goodly Heritage – He is Super
He is Super Everywhere we look we can find evidence of a Super-Scientist, a Super-Planner, and a Super-Artist. Although the word “super” means superior and extraordinary, it does not relate how really great God is. But for the sake of this article, it will suffice. He knows what our lives need to survive and provides them. He makes the heavens work like clockwork. He … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past – Gander Versus Gobbler in Barnyard Brawl
Part one of a two-part series Wild turkeys fly better than domestic ones, but his mother’s farm-bred Bourbon Red turkeys could fly well, too, maintained Sumner Sheldon when writing about his early-1900s boyhood in Houston County. His mother Ada Sheldon, who raised turkeys during most of her lifetime, often used broody hens (chickens) as incubators, for her turkey eggs, … [Read more...]