By Pastor Paul Hauschild Chatfield and Root Prairie Lutheran Churches “When God measures a person, He puts the tape around the heart instead of the head,” someone once said. Very true! In Scripture we read something similar. “…they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7b). I believe unity is a desire the Lord puts in our … [Read more...]
Soil Testing for Lawns and Gardens
By Katie Drewitz As you look at your spring to-do list one of the first things should be getting a soil test done, if you have not done one in the past three years. Under-standing your soil is important for a successful lawn or garden. Soil analysis can help to determine the current state of the soil. You will also receive recommendations for best performance. This time … [Read more...]
Ask a Trooper
Question: I purchased an old trailer to haul my riding lawn mower around, are brakes required on it? Answer: Brakes are required on all trailers with a gross weight of 3,000 pounds or more. Trailers manufactured after June 30, 1988, with a gross weight of 3,000 pounds or more require brakes installed on all wheels. Every trailer with a gross weight of more than 3,000 … [Read more...]
Properly Planting Trees
By Katie Drewitz 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 upcoming Arbor Day or anytime this year, … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past – Pleased with Water Power, Thompson Founds Hokah
First of a series “My brother Edward and myself were probably the first white men, after the government surveyor, that looked upon the townsite on Hokah,” wrote John Thompson. The pioneer settlement of Hokah in eastern Houston County was also the site of an Indian village, whose chief was Wecheschatope Hokah, translated into English as “garfish.” It is the only town in the … [Read more...]
Pastor Devotions: Walking in the Woods
By Pastor Mark Woodward Maple Leaf Parish Churches: Spring Valley: Faith, Cherry Grove, Fountain, Preston (and Lenora) In the spring before grass and plants begin to grow and before the trees leaf out, I love to walk in the woods. I feel renewed walking in remote areas during that time when winter ends and before spring unfolds. I walk on a carpet of brown leaves and … [Read more...]
Hickory Dickory Doc, Impetigo Ran up the Block (head)
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...]