The AC guy was out to make sure our air was conditioned. It reminded me that I should write something about air conditioning. I do so every couple of years to remind myself of how terrible I had it while growing up and how wonderful I had it while growing up. I didn’t grow up in the Dark Ages, but it was close. I grew up in the Dim Ages. Things weren’t as bright as they are … [Read more...]
Your Flying Farmer – Fifteen-year-old Cheese
In case you haven’t noticed, it’s June! Time flies by so quickly that it circles the earth and laps me in my floating, flying machine. June has got to be one of my favorite months of the year. First of all, it’s Dairy Month! There’s no better time to come visit the farm and get some milk than June dairy month! Driving through winding valleys, to the top of towering bluffs, is … [Read more...]
Pastor Devotions – Praise, Wonder, Mystery
By Rev. Debra Jene Collum Chatfield United Methodist A young person recently asked me, “Why do we sing hymns in church?” This is a brave question. Considering how precious hymns are to people. I had to take a huge pause when I was asked this question because I didn’t have a ready answer. Think about this, why do we sing hymns in church? Strange songs that have strange words … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past – Ola and Per Appear in Print, Film and Bronze
Part two of a series Since 2002, a pair of life-sized, bronze sculptures appear unperturbed by the Highway 44/Main Street traffic passing just a few feet from their prominent position in Viking Memorial Park in Spring Grove. From 1918 to 1942, these two Norwegian-speaking cartoon characters Ola and Per (pronounced “pair”) appeared in the Norwegian-language Decorah-Posten … [Read more...]
A Goodly Heritage – Dent de Lion
Over the years, I have developed an interest in several different languages. I have also enjoyed studying botany, the science of plants. So when I learned from a naturalist at Forestville State Park that a particular, seemingly ordinary plant had its origin in France, I listened attentively. Immigrants inadvertently introduced this plant onto the American landscape many … [Read more...]
Minnesota Man, Iowa Man and Florida Man Walk Into a Column
Did you hear about the Iowa man who moved to Minnesota? Some of his siblings thought he was being downwardly mobile, but my father wasn’t about to be deterred from entering the world of infinite improbabilities that awaited him in the Gopher State. Dad could be as stubborn as a mule’s grandpa. According to a poll by a company that does polls, all 50 states tied for the … [Read more...]
Pastor Devotions – Will Someone Please Turn Down the Noise!
By Pastor Bridget Sheely Racine/Wykoff/Sumner Center UMC Peace and Grace to you in the name of our risen savior Jesus Christ! We have just celebrated Pentecost in our Christian calendar year, and what a God-inspired event this day is in the life of Christ followers everywhere. God brought down the Holy Spirit to fill the disciples with the power of His grace and the image … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past – The Endearing “Laugh out Loud” Art of Peter Rosendahl
First of a series There is no better portrayal of the assimilation of early Houston County Norwegian emigrants into American culture and society than the brilliant, whimsical newspaper cartoon series of Peter Rosendahl of Spring Grove. The cartoon series was called “Han Ola og han Per,” which translates into English as “Him Ola and him Per,” or “He Ola and he Per” and … [Read more...]
Fresh Off the Farm – Do You Have Closet Jerks?
“I guess I’ll have to start a nudist colony,” I told my husband. He didn’t seem to take my declaration seriously, so I figured I’d better amp it up. “I’ve been learning from Dawn at The Minimal Mom on YouTube and she said that if something isn’t an eight or higher out of 10, it isn’t worth owning.” Dawn explains how everything we own is talking (and sometimes screaming) at … [Read more...]
There are Eight Million Stories in the Naked City
Life is changed faster than underwear. My Grandpa Cook and my Grandpa Batt both lived their entire lives without seeing a single amusing cat video online. I knew men who traveled so seldom, they couldn’t find their way out of the county with a map that was paid for. A guy told me his false teeth didn’t fit. Every time he sneezed, his wife ducked. Another said he didn’t know … [Read more...]