In the Victorian Era, only the wealthy had time for gardening. Gardening was viewed as an escape from the filthy city air, especially healthy for women and growing children. Secret love messages (and messages of bitterness and hatred) were communicated by delivery of cut flowers, each flower having its own unique meaning. Mansions and villas had stunning conservatories off the … [Read more...]
Pastor Devotion – Batter My Heart, O God!
By Pastor Jeff Jacobs Unity Lutheran Parish - St. Paul, Saetersdal and St. Matthew’s, Granger As we come to Holy Week, I share a poem by one of the great English poets, John Donne, who is commemorated in the Lutheran and Anglican churches on March 31, the day of his death in 1631. Born in London, January 22, 1572, Donne grew up Roman Catholic, but converted to the Church … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past Horses traveled on trains, Knute’s big dream of a big barn
Part four of a series and the second concerning Knute Lee Mustangs moving from Montana to southeast Minnesota? Some took the train. Two Spring Grove men traveled by train to the “wild west” state of Montana where it was still possible to catch wild horses. Knute Lee and John Kjome purchased recently-domesticated (broken) mares and broncos and brought them back by rail to … [Read more...]
Pastor Devotion – Old radio once told the news of WWII
By Pastor Mark Woodward Maple Leaf Parish Spring Valley: Faith, Cherry Grove, Fountain, Preston (and Lenora) United Methodist Churches My mother was a young woman during the era of World War II. Pictured here is her old AM radio that she listened to during the 1940s. On this radio she heard the news of the events of that war torn era. I believe she listened to the news of … [Read more...]
Do Camel cigarettes have one hump or two?
“What will it be?” “It will be OK,” I assured the server. It turned out she wasn’t inquiring about my nasty hangnail. She wanted me to order. I thought about saying, “I want a rubber band sandwich and make it snappy,” but she had a stern look, which indicated I should forgo any further attempts at jocularity. I’d just talked to a fellow who was about to turn 93. People had … [Read more...]
Journal Writing Project My truth
By Diann Smith I have been wrestling for a very long time now and it was just this year that I got to wrestle in the first ever MN Girls Section Tournament and with hard work, I secured a spot at state. I went on to wrestle at the first ever MN Girls Sanctioned State Tournament where I made it to the finals. It didn’t end quite the way I wanted but it was such a cool … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past If you had horses and a wagon and were willing to work…
Part 3 of a series Everyone owned them; many bought and sold them. Some bred them, but few caught and “broke” them. But Knute Lee did it all and even sang to horses. He was an extraordinary horseman of Houston County during the first two decades of the 1900s. Previous generations of the Lee family had immigrated from Norway to Black Hammer Township, where the family name … [Read more...]
Fresh Off The Farm – I stopped running around the yard with my tongue out… When did that become weird?
Does anything make you giddy from your toes? Or maybe a better question is - do you get excited over things as an adult? I’m not talking average, ho-hum “excitement.” I’m talking real, live, DELIGHT. As a kid, it’s ok to jump, squeal and holler from the bottom of your toes to the top of your head. Not so as an adult. That’s just weird – if anyone is watching. But should … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past Everybody, every business needed a horse
Part two of a series on horses By the mid-1900s, owning a horse had become a diversion or hobby. But in the early decades of that century, owning horses was a necessity. Horses and horse-drawn vehicles were the mainstays of not only farm work but also travel and transportation. After pioneering with oxen in the 1850s - 70s, there was a half-century of horsepower. Horses were … [Read more...]
Haute cuisine on a horse opera
I gave a collection of Gunsmoke TV show DVDs to a friend going through a rough patch. A rough patch is how I describe things I don’t want to describe. It’s the opposite of a bonanza, so it doesn’t have any of the Cartwright family in it. I’m not sure how I came to possess those Gunsmoke videos. Probably at a friends of the public library book sale. Gunsmoke was a weekly … [Read more...]