By Pastor Paul Hauschild Chatfield and Root Prairie Lutheran Churches I experienced the death of two dear pets of mine, both this past December. It was very sad for me. I love animals and I believe God put that sensitivity in me. I bet many of you can relate. A few years ago, the death of my little 16-year-old dog was a slow one at the end. I could tell she was waiting … [Read more...]
Journal Writing Project – Beyond the Bin: Repurposing Food Scraps and More for Less Waste
By Hayden St. Mary Every single day, around 330 million pounds of food are wasted across the U.S. That’s the weight of about 55,000 trucks!! Even if just the people who read this article start to use some of these easy ways to reuse or repurpose food, it can make a big difference! If you’re an adult, chances are you have to wake up early for work and need to have your … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past: Real Bread, but Only a Substitute for Coffee
Part two of a series A piece of straw was placed inside the oven to test the temperature. If it burnt to ashes immediately, the oven was too hot and would need to cool for a while. But if the straw became “nice and brown,” the oven was ready for the bread to go in. It was during the 1870s when young Augusta Burow Arnett (1865-1947) saw her grandfather test the temperature of … [Read more...]
Your Flying Farmer“And… action!” “Welcome back to… REALITY!”
By Johnathan Gerdes My daughter was in the barn with me late one evening, assisting me in a difficult birthing situation and we decided to start a little “TV” show that we would share on my family’s social media page. We called it “Reality!” My daughter would hold the camera and record things as they were happening. When she would say, “Action!” I would say, “Welcome back … [Read more...]
Journal Writing Project: How AI is Changing the Job Market
By Ben Udstuen Many people know artificial intelligence as a bad and scary thing, because of stories they hear or movies they see, portraying it as evil. I believe that someday it could get to that point, but hopefully society catches it before we get there. AI is also misconstrued as a whole, and not seen by everyone as a potential tool. The completion of tasks can be sped … [Read more...]
Blessed Memories
By Pastor Mark Woodward Maple Leaf Parish Churches: Spring Valley: Faith, Cherry Grove, Fountain, Preston (and Lenora) When I was growing up, I loved visiting the family farm in the small Iowa village of Ticonic located about 35 miles from Sioux City. On this farm lived my two favorite uncles who were indeed “characters” in their own way. Their house and the neighboring … [Read more...]
A Goodly Heritage by Wenda Grabau
Bittersweet - Part 1 Excerpt from Tales From Heritage Farm written by Wenda and Randall Grabau. There are snapshots in life when the sweet moments delight us. But oftentimes it comes mingled in the bitterest situations. The following story illustrates a day in the life on one girl and her mom who tasted the bitter with the sweet. * * * * A huge tear welled up in her … [Read more...]
It Might Have Been Better but it Could Have Been Worse
By Al Batt It was 4 a.m. on a 14-degree January day. If you’re a Minnesotan, you’re probably thinking, “It could have been worse. It could have been 14 degrees below zero.” That’s a good point, but it got worse. There was a massive fire, and every fire department in the county was called to the scene. Each department performed masterfully, as they always do. It got … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past Marriage Meant Instant Live-in In-laws
By Lee Epps Water was quite a problem for her family, according to the childhood memories of Augusta Burow in the 1870s. Her parents collected rainwater off the roof in big barrels except in winter when they melted snow or hauled water from a creek about two and half miles from their farm home on South Ridge in Houston County, Minn. Her father Friedrich Martin Burow was … [Read more...]
Fresh Off the Farm
Are You Tracking with Me? I’m embarrassed to say that I made a 2023 image board for my 2023 goals and I am STILL planning to print it... as in, I lived 12 months meaning to take action on my goals and there it sits on my computer - unprinted and unused. It’s not like I didn’t do anything last year. I did a lot, but did it align with what I wanted for my year? It could have … [Read more...]