Education is an elastic concept. We were old enough to be in school, but not much older than that. One of us contracted impetigo. It spread like wildfire through our small class. It was a bonding experience, not unlike shared tattoos today. Impetigo (im-puh-TIE-go) is a common and highly contagious skin infection that mainly affects infants and young children. We were … [Read more...]
Journal Writing Project: Be Still
By Maggie Dempewolf Be still like the calm before the storm. Be still like the world after it rains. Be still like the bird chirping on a warm summer’s day. Be still like fresh fallen snow. Be still and don’t let people get you down. Be still even when others hurt you, When it feels like the whole world is against you. Be still when the weight of the world feels … [Read more...]
I Love Cashiers and Those Little Checkout Dividers
My right sock was on its last leg. One of my big toes, even with a tamed nail, has a violent streak and insists on boring holes into my poor socks. I thought of that because I hadn’t had my second cup of coffee of the morning. I hadn’t even had my first. I don’t drink coffee. Being distracted by a holey sock might be why I’d charged what, until that moment, had been … [Read more...]
Your Flying Farmer: A Tale of Two Seasons
It was the best of times; it was the worst of times. It was the spring of snow; it was the winter of mud. It is life in the temporary, it is life for the eternal. When the dark days of winter start to give way to the new days of spring, and the peepers are loud enough to sing me to sleep over the sound of my fan, “men with cadaverous faces emerge into the winter light from … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past British Royalty Acknowledged Sacrifice of Eitzen Hero
It was likely the only mail received in Eitzen, Minn., from the King and Queen of England. Surely, it was appreciated by Edmund Freiberg (pronounced with a long “I” sound, fry -berg), however it was a condolence card that came with the death certificate for his son. It arrived in 1943, the year following Ralph Freiberg being declared missing after his combat plane did not … [Read more...]
Journal Writing Project: Preserving Youth Trapshooting in Minnesota: The Implications of Banning Lead Shot
By Isaac Vick Minnesota has a rich history of hunting, fishing and lots of other outdoor activities, allowing its residents to enjoy the beauty of the Minnesota wilderness. In the past decade a new outdoor sport has sprung up: youth trapshooting. For thousands of middle and high school students, participating in the Minnesota State High School Clay Target League is not just … [Read more...]
Pastor Devotions: I Will Sing to the Lord
Rev. Peter J. Haugen St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church When our Lord God instituted the Passover, He said, “I will go through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments—I am the LORD” (Exodus 12:12). The Exodus is not simply a temporal, … [Read more...]
Pastor Devotions: Come, You Who Are Thirsty
By Rev. Deanna Woodward Maple Leaf Parish - United Methodist Churches of Cherry Grove, Fountain, Preston and Spring Valley In a book entitled “Becoming a Whole Person in a Broken World,” author Ron Davis tells a story about a mother and daughter who, long ago, were caught in an earthquake in their native Armenia. The 36 story apartment building in which they … [Read more...]
A Goodly Heritage
The following is taken from “Tales from Heritage Farm” written by Wenda and Randall Grabau. The Dawn of a New Day Part 1 “Cock-a-doodle-doo———God-is-good-to-you——!” This abrupt, piercing chorus trailed off, not without ruffling more than a few feathers. Brilliant pink and subdued rose washed the eastern sky as the twitter of the first morning bird began her melody. … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past Daytime Mail Miles, Nighttime Music Miles
Second of a two-part series Roy Hanke was said to have traveled the equivalent of 19 trips around the world, about 450,000 miles, but all not far from home. He delivered rural mail two months short of 44 years from the Brownsville Post Office before retiring in 1963. He began September 10, 1918, as substitute for Matt Roster and took over a permanent appointment when Roster … [Read more...]