A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away... That line is from Star Wars, which never goes away. Some jaded souls say that’s true of winter, too. Winter can be a hard hill to get over, but the seasons creep up on us like cheap underwear. Spring drives in on snow tires. The seasons don’t unfold along a line. They unfold like a crumpled road map. I believe March 1 is the first … [Read more...]
Do not operate heavy machinery while reading this
I hurt my ankle while I was sleeping. I’d fallen asleep while reading a book titled, How to Get by on Less Sleep and dreamed about finding a cure for hiccups. Don’t hold your breath — I didn’t find one. I was staying in a hotel room all by my lonesome. The hotel, failing to check my references, had allowed me on the bed. As I stumbled out of that bed, intending to yell, “I … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past Gold, murder, a water spout and a new Lutheran edifice
Part six of a series. Residents of Houston County were among those seeking wealth during the Black Hills Gold Rush of 1874-1877. Gold had been discovered in Dakota Territory by an 1874 United States Army expedition of 1,000 men, led by George Armstrong Custer. In 1877, according to a published history of Houston County, “A lot of Blackhillers, as they were called, left … [Read more...]
Fresh Off the Farm – You want me to drink fermented, what??
Sniff, sniff… GAG …what just happened? The first time I made kefir, I gagged and threw it away. I was given some weird looking cauliflower jellish balls known as “kefir grains” and was told they were AAAAAMAZING. “Just pour milk over them and let it sit for 24 hours.” Easy enough! I proceeded as instructed. Twenty-four hours later, I Martha Stewart-ed my way to the … [Read more...]
Journal Writing Project If you try it, you just might like it
By Delaney Alden When I was in elementary school, my parents made me do many sports. They would try to coax me into doing a certain sport, or sign me up for a sport without my knowledge. Of course this angered me every time because back then I was scared to try new things or scared I would be bad at the sport. They would even bribe me with a puppy or a gift if I went out and … [Read more...]
Journal Writing Project Empathy and sympathy, both needed in this world
By Trevor Garner Sympathy and empathy are two different emotions with two different ways of expressing them. Sympathy is judging how a person feels, meanwhile empathy is when you can imagine yourself in this person’s shoes. Now I ask you to imagine what this world would feel like without these two things, looks pretty bleak doesn’t it? No light, just a cold empty place. … [Read more...]
Don’t forget to remember and don’t remember to forget
If a tree falls in the forest and no one hears it, what app do I use? I remember a day before apps when a kid named Harold got on the school bus and announced that from that point on, his name was Eugene. That wasn’t his middle name, but he preferred it to Harold. I could never remember not to call him Harold, but thanks to that memory, I remembered other things. I taught … [Read more...]
Pastor Devotions – Lamenting with God
By Pastor Nissa Peterson Chatfield and Root Prairie Lutheran Churches February is always a tough month. We get through the anticipated cold and ice of January and we are emotionally ready for spring. Enter February. Although it’s short in days, February is often cold, dreary, and drags on for approximately a million years. This year we don’t even have Lenten Wednesdays at … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past Bells rang for classes, curfew and calamities
Before people had clocks and wristwatches, bells rang out the time of day. Centuries later, but still before electricity provided conveniences such as fire sirens, bells were a source of community communication - sometimes summoning people out of their homes, sometimes sending children back home. In the early 1900s, there were bells all around Houston, Minn. – according to town … [Read more...]
A Little of This a Little of That
“LOVEUARY” is what the Hallmark Channel has named the entire month of February. Does that make you deliriously happy or incredibly sad? I guess it depends if you are in a romantic relationship or not. A bakery in Los Angeles bakes 1/2 heart cookies for the broken hearted, and they are big sellers! Of course any business that depends on romance to sell their products will … [Read more...]