It’s the heated car seat season. That’s another reason there is no need to spend a winter in the south. Unless it’s Algona, Iowa. That’s my idea of the tropics. “How are you doing?” was how I greeted an audience member after I’d given a long-winded talk. I asked that in the hopes of making a connection, but knowing it’s not always the best question because people … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past Then and Now, A Huge Sentry Overlooks the Valley Below
In May and June 1854, a caravan of 13, mostly oxen-drawn covered wagons, was heading west from Dodge County, Wis., to settle in the Root River Valley. On June 9, they stopped for a meal near Cushon Peak, a familiar landmark in the valley, two miles west of Houston. While there, some of the party came upon a small, cage-like structure on the side of a bluff, in which sat, in an … [Read more...]
Pastor Devotions – God’s Ordered Abundance
By Rev. Tim Sandeno St. Johns Lutheran Church and School, Wykoff I have heard many say that autumn is their favorite among the seasons. While maybe not yet peak for our area, the trees are changing and the reds, yellows, and oranges of fall are making their appearance. I pray that God provides abundantly for those who love this season. I have seen during my walks that … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past – Barefooted Boys Rode Bareback on Portland Prairie
Portland Prairie is a region in southeastern Minnesota in Wilmington Township, Houston County near Eitzen, which was not leveled by glaciers and therefore is somewhat hilly. It attracted farmers because there were few trees to cut down. The area was settled in the early- to mid-1850s by families from New England, most notably Rhode Island. C. L. McNelly, born in 1883, was in … [Read more...]
Never Shake Hands with a Great Horned Owl
We all know things. Some of us suspect more than we know. The latter group consists mainly of brothers-in-law. During my school years – grade school, junior high and high school – I spent a lot of time seated in a school bus. The ride to school took about three minutes. The ride home from school took three hours on a good day. On those trips home, the bus pulled up at the … [Read more...]
A Goodly Heritage – A Family Affair
Family brings us many characteristics, interests and activities as our inheritance. From my side of the family, we gained a longing for the north woods and life at the cabin. I still speak with a Wisconsin accent. My husband’s family has given us the appreciation for county living on the farm with all the work it entails. One activity my husband’s dad enjoyed was the … [Read more...]
Pastor Devotions – God of Grace and God of Glory – Harry Emerson Fosdick
By Pastor Mark Woodward Maple Leaf Parish of the UMC Cherry Grove, Fountain, Preston, and Spring Valley: Faith Churches (and Lenora) As many of you know, I have great respect for the theology expressed in traditional Christian hymns. Recently while reading some devotional material, Harry Emerson Fosdick’s great hymn from 1930 really spoke to me in light of all the … [Read more...]
Fresh Off the Farm – Wild West?
“Mooommm! There are men outside with funny looking skid loaders that AREN’T ours!” my six-year-old exploded. If we lived in the city, I’d think we were having road construction. On the farm, mystery skid steers in the front yard are a different story. “What are they doing?” I questioned from the other side of the house where I was working. “They’re driving into the … [Read more...]
One Glad Morning with a Brobdingnagian Breakfast Special
Breakfast isn’t skipped; it’s merely delayed. Nicolas Chamfort said, “Swallow a toad in the morning if you want to encounter nothing more disgusting the rest of the day.” Although it wasn’t Mark Twain, Abe Lincoln or Yogi Berra who said that, unless you’re a snake, a raccoon or a heron, it’s difficult to challenge the efficacy of Chamfort’s words. But you won’t find toad … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past – Women in Trousers, a Tobacco Fund and Armistice Day
Part four of a four-part series World War I certainly altered the lives of those men enlisting or drafted into military service, but circumstances changed for many back at home as well. Two young women left the University of Minnesota, including Dyllone Hempstead of Houston, to volunteer for farm work. Specifically, Miss Hempstead was raising chickens for Dean A. F. Woods. … [Read more...]