“We boys pretty much ignored the girls, unless they were needed for a ball game,” wrote now octogenarian David Beckman about attending country grade schools in Houston County, Minn., in the 1940s and 1950s. “Even so, I did realize that girls were much more aware of subtle things that were going on around us than we boys ever were. We either didn’t notice or didn’t much … [Read more...]
Come fly with me!
Farm work was done, the milk hauler had recently picked up the milk and was headed to the cheese plant, we had just finished eating dinner, and my daughter was getting out the ice cream. Ice cream is not only a perfect followup to any meal but this is ice cream month! Not only did President Reagan see fit to make this month the best month, he made this weekend, the 17th, … [Read more...]
A Goodly Heritage
The following story is true. Due to its length I have split it into two sections. I hope you enjoy reading next month on how this tale ends. This story has been taken from the book Tales from Heritage Farm by Randall and Wenda Grabau. Sam and the sparrow It was a sunlit morning. The sky was blue. I was energized by the freshness of this vibrant, new, spring day. It would … [Read more...]
I’m thankful dodgeball didn’t involve a Challenger, Charger, Diplomat or Dart
I woke up with a start in the middle of the night. It wasn’t the cat coughing up a hairball the size of Idaho. What terrors interrupted my sleep? As a farm boy, it was usually the thought I’d forgotten to turn the water off in the barn or to close a gate and the cattle had either drowned or traveled to Abilene. This torment was the memories of dodgeball from back when the Dead … [Read more...]
What’s that about??
By Pastor Pam Seebach Harmony, Mabel, and Newburg United Methodist Churches I remember as a child being intrigued by the many ‘‘other’’ churches in our town. I was raised in the United Methodist Church and am still a United Methodist today. But I wondered why there were so many different churches – what’s that about? What goes on in a Catholic Church, I wondered? How is a … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past Piggy banks, hitchhiking, whatever got them to the rink
Part two of a two-part series An 1884 newspaper credited S. D. Torrey of Lansing, Iowa, for introducing the roller-skating rage to Caledonia. “We had the pleasure of witnessing the first experiment of some of our denizens on rollers at the courthouse Monday evening, and we enjoyed it hugely. We did not venture to try on a pair of skates, however, fearing that a certain part of … [Read more...]
Weather happens whether or not we want it to
We’d be stuck for words if it weren’t for the weather. We have an eternal preoccupation with the weather. Our memories of the weather are both a distant memory and a minute ago. No matter how good we feel, we’re under the weather. We say the weather doesn’t always agree with us. That’s true, but here’s a news flash: no one always agrees with us. I met a tractor-trailer rig … [Read more...]
Fresh Off The Farm – Shut down the Sherry!!
I’m going to let you in on a little secret. It’s actually a fight that my Flying Farmer husband and I have been having. It happens every day and we have a really hard time NOT having this fight. It’s almost like it’s part of who we are. No - I’m not talking about a fight we have with each other… I’m talking about the fight we have with the voices in our heads. Know what I … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past Rules of the rink: no profanity, no spitting on the floor
About three decades after settlers of European heritage first made their way west to southeastern Minnesota, townsfolk were able to put wheels on their feet. Evidently, some instruction on proper decorum was called for. “Gentlemen will not, and others must not spit on the floor,” was one published rule by the Rushford Roller Rink in the 1880s. “Skaters are prohibited from … [Read more...]
Blooming where you are planted
By Pastor Kevin Barnhart Spring Grove Evangelical Free How can I bloom where there is no water? If you are like me, you may have been praying for rain with more fervency these days. The farmers and those who make a living from the soil have been praying hard for rain. How can things grow without water? When we think of this call to bloom where you are planted, we think I … [Read more...]