Part two of a two-part series Around 1903, newlywed Grace Greener and her husband moved to Reno, Minn. Word spread that she owned a modern miracle – a sewing machine, and the Winnebago Indians living in the nearby river bottoms frequently brought clothing for her to mend. They often paid her with wild game and fish. During the last half of the 1800s, the European-heritage … [Read more...]
Happy Fall, Y’all!
By Pastor Bridget Sheely Racine/Wykoff/Sumner Center UMC Peace and grace to you in the name of Jesus Christ our risen Savior! I hope you have had the oppor-tunities these last couple of months to find your way down many paths of adventures in the sun and /or days spent sitting on a porch, in a park or with a friend just enjoying all beauty that the wonderful season of summer … [Read more...]
Watching Cricket Races While Thinking About Flutophones and Twinkies
The garage door opener is a wonderful invention. I used to have to get out of my car in the pouring rain and dodge lightning bolts while I yelled, “Lower the drawbridge” or “Open sesame” before grunting the door open manually. No more. I pressed the garage door opener and the door lifted as I sat comfortably in my car and marveled that the door knew where to go and when to … [Read more...]
A Goodly Heritage – Memories Come
Memories can come at any time. But today as I have been out in the garden, memories invaded my thoughts. As I picked each buttery-colored wax bean, I thought of my mother. Even when she lived with me at the age of 94, she helped me snip beans. Along with the beans, I brought in a fine bouquet of gladiolas to please her and to perk up the scenery in the house. Though her … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past Winnebago Relocated to, Relocated Away from Southeast Minnesota
Many southeast Minnesota settlers in the late 1800s had direct contact with or at least observed local Native Americans, most notably the Winnebago tribe. Marlene Meiners wrote her grandfather would barter with skunk hides for chickens. The Indians made baskets, which they sold for $1 or $2. The great “Indian scare” did not involve those mostly-peaceful Winnebago neighbors … [Read more...]
The Simple Blessings of Summer From the Peanuts gang
By Pastor Mark Woodward Maple Leaf Parish Churches: Spring Valley: Faith, Cherry Grove, Fountain, Preston (and Lenora) Over the years I have much appreciation for Charles Schulz and his Peanuts characters. On Facebook I enjoy “Snoopy’s Everybody’s Best Friend.” Now as summer moves ever closer to autumn, I saw a Peanuts cartoon which kind of spoke to a late summer … [Read more...]
Fresh Off The Farm – Every Mom Knows….
I couldn’t believe my ears. Relief flooded over her face as she told me her story with a beaming grateful smile. As she talked, I wondered silently: Could raw milk really change someone’s life? It’s funny I could wonder, because people tell me every week how raw milk is changing their lives. People constantly tell me stories of raw milk healing eczema, clearing up breakouts, … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past A Missing Horse, Wolves, Robberies and a Big Dog
Part two of a series Had it been stolen? A live animal was of tremendous value to the early pioneers in Minnesota. Soon after building a log cabin near Eitzen in Houston County, Henry Christian Bunge, Sr. (1821-1899) was missing his valuable horse he had with him when moving into Winnebago Township from Illinois in 1862. Had it strayed or been stolen? Frontier areas had their … [Read more...]
Weeds Among the Wheat
By Pastor Jeff Jacobs Unity Lutheran Parish - St. Paul, Saetersdal and St. Matthew’s, Granger A recent Gospel recounted Jesus’ parable about the weeds among the wheat, Matthew 13. He compared the kingdom of heaven to someone sowing good seed in his field, when an enemy sowed weeds at night. As both sprouted, the servants noticed the difference and asked the householder … [Read more...]
I was Working on Degrees in Teetering and Tottering
We knew little, but we suspected a lot. Each day was a test we hadn’t studied for back in the time before Vanna White landed her demanding letter-turning gig. In a world filled with “aww” and “eww,” there were many mysteries. If medicine was good for us, why did it taste bad? Are the crusts of sandwiches good for us? Why do some people cut sandwiches diagonally? When I was … [Read more...]