In 1944 Houston County, each crow could bring a bounty of 10 cents, which had the purchasing power that $1.70 has in 2023. In 1955, the rattlesnake bounty doubled from 50 cents to a dollar. Significant increases came in 1957 when the bounty on pocket gophers went from five cents to 10 cents, on crows from 10 cents to 25 cents and on woodchucks from 15 cents to 25 cents. Wolf … [Read more...]
God is bigger than ‘He’
By Rev. Debra Jene Collum Chatfield United Methodist and Commissioned EarthKeeper of the UMC Do you remember when the movie “The Shack” came out? What is it that you remember most? Are you like many people who can’t remember exactly what the movie was about but do remember Octavia Butler as Papa God? What did you think? Were you of the delighted or the shocked camp? … [Read more...]
A Goodly Heritage – Special days in June
The month of June can be a busy one. The new growth in the fields affects our workloads. For many farmers who raise cattle, it is time to harvest and bale food for the animals. June is also a time of paying special attention to people, occasions and occupations. In our area of the world, June is known as Dairy Month. We highlight those who make a living at producing … [Read more...]
This gift is for you, beloved
By Pastor Bridget Sheely Racine/Wykoff/Sumner Center UMC Spring has sprung and summer is right around the corner. What a wonderful time of year! I can’t help but feel a sense of renewed life this time of year and as I drive through the countryside all the wonderful sights only confirm my senses. Newborn calves dot the landscape, flowers are waking from their winter … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past Warned by chickens, resolved by pigs
Chickens, pigs, odor and on one occasion, even a blue butterfly – were known to help Houston County humans avoid danger. When Helen VonMoos was growing up in the 1930s on South Ridge (near the boundary between Mound Prairie Township and La Crescent Township in Houston County), she, as a child, would not venture out of the house into the farmyard without first looking outside to … [Read more...]
Love finds a way
By Pastor Mark Woodward Maple Leaf Parish Churches: Spring Valley: Faith, Cherry Grove, Fountain, Preston (and Lenora) When I was ordained as a pastor, some very talented artists from my home church made a beautiful and inspiring banner. The banner depicted a crown of holly and a crown of thorns which represented the birth and crucifixion of Jesus. Red letters … [Read more...]
There was a lot of name-calling during the graduation ceremonies
Welcome students, parents, teachers and staff of High Falutin High School. I know one of you has cruelly referred to this esteemed institute of learning as the Buffoon Factory. I say, shame on you, Principal Positivity. You students started school back when all things were unprecedented. It wasn’t that many years ago when you wanted to be a superhero. Now you’re wearing a … [Read more...]
Fresh off the Farm – What happens when you feed espresso to squirrels?
What if life was a raft? What if the waterline rose with every addition? Would we keep piling things on as the water rushed over the edge? Would we invite more into the raft if it was already taking on water? How foolish would we look if our raft was sitting on the bottom of the ocean but we were still accepting “passengers”? At some point, we’d have to realize there is no … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past Unless something was done, things were getting worse
Part three of a series “The dry years, nobody thinks nothing of it then,” said Wilfred Pohlman, who along with his father William and neighbor John Goetzinger, had attempted for some time to form an organization to prevent flooding in Crooked Creek Valley in southeastern Houston County. But 1946 was not one of those dry years. “Words cannot describe the havoc that resulted … [Read more...]
A little of this, a little of that
RIDDLE. What do you get when you put two scoops of vanilla ice cream in a stemmed tulip glass and add butterscotch sauce, chocolate syrup, pecans, whipped cream and a cherry on top? A TURTLE SUNDAE! A soda jerk at a Chicago Walgreens in l922 made the first modern milkshake when he mixed vanilla ice cream into a chocolate malted milk. My mother worked as a soda jerk in … [Read more...]