A couple days ago, I failed to notice something. It was a beautiful morning. The cows were milked and fed, calves were curled contentedly in their straw, and the wind was moving the trees just a little too much to be a good flying day. Before heading in for breakfast, I thought I would haul one quick load of manure. That’s where my trouble began. I hopped in the tractor, … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past A dyed-in-the-wool voter wavered in 1956
Some families have had long-standing church and political affiliations, and local historian David Beckman realized it was so for his father’s family in Mound Prairie Township of Houston County in the 1950s. While the Bible Belt across the South was staunchly religious and Democrat, the members of the Evangelical Church on South Ridge in Houston County associated being a good … [Read more...]
Pastor Devotion – Spending some time out in the woods reading Psalm 23
By Pastor Mark Woodward Maple Leaf Parish Churches: Spring Valley: Faith, Cherry Grove, Fountain, Preston (and Lenora) Have you ever had one of those days when you find yourself running here and running there and and just having too many commitments and things that require your attention, along with other things that cause stress, pressure and anxiety? I had one of those … [Read more...]
This is not a bunch of dried Bullwinkle
A cow chip is no chocolate chip. I don’t see many cow chip cookies where I hang out. Once upon a time in a land far, far away, I was floating happily on the raft of life when I was voluntold to take part in a cow chip throwing contest—a crazy sport that has gone platinum. Voluntold is when someone volunteers you to do something. In a weak moment, I agreed to do it. I … [Read more...]
Pastor Devotion – Lord, to whom shall we go?
Rev. Peter J. Haugen St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church Whenever death openly invades our lives, it is a violently painful experience. Death is always present for us in this vale of tears, though we typically blind ourselves to his presence. Life here moves inevitably towards death, whether it is sudden and catastrophic or lingering and agonizing, and we are all of us … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past Something sinister? The four legends of Ghost Hollow
Was it just the wind or something more sinister? “Never would I venture alone into the dreaded Ghost Hollow,” wrote David Beckman about his 1940s boyhood on a farm between Houston and La Crescent. His father told him the story of a hanging in Ghost Hollow, where the man’s ghost still roamed throughout that coulee, “spooking all who dared intrude into his domain.” David’s uncle … [Read more...]
Feel free to sing along even if you’re not in the shower
“You can’t always get what you want. But if you try sometime you’ll find. You get what you need.” Those words were written by the noted philosophers Mick Jagger and Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones. One year, I wanted a Rolling Stones record album. I liked the Stones. Still do. I believed in the triumph of hope over experience, but no one must have heard my constant … [Read more...]
A Goodly Heritage – A wonderful October
Again we have come through a time of year that when it is passed, brings a sense of relief and rest. The deadlines of processing foods from the garden before spoilage sets in have been reached. The fresh garden vegetables are settled on the cellar shelves, or they are at rest in the deep freeze. Now I can look forward to equally-pressing work that has been set aside while … [Read more...]
Trying to survive mom-life on empty? This recipe changed everything for me!
Mom-life is no joke; but we often don’t take it seriously. Sure, keeping little people alive is serious, but the person who holds the “mom” title is often an afterthought. For many years, I ignored my mom-nutrition, and my whole family suffered for it. I’ve learned the hard way, that there is a better way. Recovering from my first daughter’s birth nine years ago was … [Read more...]
Pastor Devotions – Many-colored grace
By Rev. Deanna Woodward Maple Leaf Parish United Methodist Churches of Cherry Grove, Fountain, Preston and Spring Valley Fall is a favorite time of year for me and for many. There is nothing that surpasses a cool fall evening followed by a warm fall day, low humidity, and the sight of brilliant multi-colored leaves against a bright blue sky. I look forward to going on … [Read more...]