If the intent was to encourage rural settlement by newcomers, the name “Spring Grove” was inviting as it was accurate. The availability of land was widely understood, but the name promises the other two agricultural essentials – water and wood. Emphasizing the importance of all three, Jane Briggs Palen entitled her history book “Soil, Timber & A Spring; The Story of Spring … [Read more...]
A Goodly Heritage – Do Not Forget
I had a pile of old calendars in my office. They stretched over several decades. I just could not destroy them since they documented so many little details I preferred to not forget. Some have great photos from which I might get some use. But the dates and the events we have participated in bring back special memories. So in an effort to “spring clean” the office, I decided … [Read more...]
Not Seeing a Violet-Green Isn’t Easy to Swallow
I needed to be getting ready when I heard the bubbly, gurgling sounds made by a purple martin in our home. It wasn’t an actual bird, but the authentic recorded sound of a purple martin coming from a bird clock. My father-in-law gave me one that lasted over 30 years. My wife gave me a replacement clock last year. The purple martin sounds off at 8. I was off to see the … [Read more...]
Pastor Devotions – Wesley’s Great Hymn “And Can It Be That I Should Gain”
By Pastor Mark Woodward Maple Leaf Parish of the UMC Cherry Grove, Fountain, Preston, and Spring Valley: Faith Churches (and Lenora) I believe many of my readers know that I appreciate the depth, integrity and theology of traditional Christian hymns. I often use my hymnbook as a devotional resource in my life. As we approach Easter and come down the homestretch of the … [Read more...]
Fresh Off the Farm – Are You Stuck in a Hamster Ball?
I have an inquisitive 6-year-old who thinks the best way to get my attention is to repeatedly ask me the exact same question without even pausing for a breath. Even if I heard him the first time, there is literally not a moment of silence to respond to his question before he’s asking it again, and again, and again, and again. It’s frustratingly ridiculous in the moment when … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past – Grandma Vogel Disappeared Without a Trace
A 7-year-old boy stood in Hokah Hardware where the owner handed him flowers to take to his grandma. On December 11, 1928, Anna Vogel was 68 when she headed off on foot with those flowers to a nearby cemetery. “I’m going to talk to Pa,” she reportedly said. John Vogel had died 11 months before (January 15, 1928). Before placing flowers on her husband’s grave, the mother of 10 … [Read more...]
I’m the Unexpected Item in the Bagging Area
Oh, I zigs and I zags, I to’s and I fro’s. That’s what I was doing. I recall Brer Rabbit saying that’s what he was doing with all his time in the controversial film, “Song of the South.” I usually help my wife while she shops by staying close to the shopping cart. I excel at that essential task, but I was granted an exemption because of all the zigging and zagging to … [Read more...]
Pastor Devotions – We are Jacob
Rev. Peter J. Haugen St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church Genesis 27:6-40 tells us about Jacob, one of the Patriarchs of Israel, one of the great Fathers of the Old Testament Church. And he is despicable. And yet God blesses him, honoring the blessing pronounced upon him by his father Isaac, making him a part of the lineage of our Lord Jesus, part of the Promise … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past – Goose Grease and Onions, Keeping Kids Healthy
In bygone days, OTC medication was not “over the counter,” but “over the cookstove.” Goose grease, onions, sulphur (sulfur) and lard were ingredients for keeping kids healthy in southeastern Minnesota during the late 1800s and early 1900s. When doctors were few or often far away, mothers were ready with “folk medicine” – home remedies or “cures,” handed down through … [Read more...]
Thyme & Again – Spring Chicken and an Easter Egg
By Angela Denstad Time and again I notice in so many aspects of life that there are those who jump headfirst into the deep end, and those who cautiously tiptoe in from the shore. So, too, are differences of temperament on display as winter comes to a close. There’s no denying, of course, that the days have grown longer, the birds have returned, and school children have long … [Read more...]