After-beaver clean-up I once wrote you a story called “A Beaver Tale.” Unfortunately, to my point of view, the story was not over. Mr. Landowner returned to his little cabin on a small lake in the north woods of Wisconsin. His aim was to improve the cabin itself by cementing in several stunning split rocks from the fireplace and chimney. The past 50 years had taken a toll … [Read more...]
Pastor Devotion – “The Freedom of a Christian”
By Pastor Jeff Jacobs Unity Lutheran Parish - St. Paul, Saetersdal and St. Matthew’s, Granger In this month of Martin Luther’s birth (November 10, 1483), I share from one of his important early works, “The Freedom of a Christian.” While his other writings in 1520 were quite polemical, this aimed to be more conciliatory amid growing tensions between Catholic hierarchy and … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past Wild animals gave way to an iron Lion, wings of steam power
The following history of Spring Grove was written in 1880 by Sven H. Ellestad in the Spring Grove Posten, the town’s first newspaper, published weekly in Norwegian for approximately a year. An annual subscription cost 50 cents. There has been no change in the punctuation from a 1947 reprint in English as translated by his niece, Clara Johnosrud Torvik: Spring Grove, … [Read more...]
The Plant Lady
Tips for a successful garden Winter is coming, but now is a great time to plan for a new garden! The most important step to any successful garden is planning. Often times, novice gardeners will wander around a greenhouse, filling their cart with items that look pretty. This technique might work, but sometimes the garden fails. A few things to keep in mind when purchasing … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past Commemorating those who could not come home
“What a pleasant experience to be halfway around the world and see someone I knew. It made Houston County seem a little closer,” recalled Ron Strub about one treasured memory from his mid-1960s service as an Army medic in Vietnam. “There were a lot of times I knew someone was looking over my shoulder and taking care of me and keeping me safe.” During a Sunday church service in … [Read more...]
Pastor Devotion – Finding hope!
By Pastor Stuart Weist First Baptist Church of Preston In America today, hope seems to be in short supply; everywhere you turn there are stories of political upheaval, governmental mistrust, and disease. Talking to neighbors you hear of those that are suffering from terminal illnesses, failing marriages, or someone suffering from depression. Compound this with our current … [Read more...]
I was on a hero’s journey
Was it Colonel Mustard in the conservatory with the candlestick? I was on my version of a hero’s journey, making a trip to town to do some light grocery shopping. A hero’s journey involves a hero (in this case, me) who goes on a great adventure, encounters roadblocks, is victorious in a battle against formidable forces and comes home transformed because Cap’n Crunch breakfast … [Read more...]
The TV ran all over us and left laugh tracks
Watching Ben Cartwright made me feel for Lorne. The TV looked down haughtily at me from its lofty perch as I sat in a waiting room, lingering in an uncomfortable chair. Service was running behind. Staff issues. It was a new TV presenting an old TV show. Do TV shows ever become antiques? “We get 793 channels and there’s not one thing worth watching,” grumbled a man working … [Read more...]
To pumpkin spice, or not to pumpkin spice, THAT is the question
Don’t shoot me – I just have a question. There are two camps.Two sides. A vast chasm between. The fall lovers and the fall haters. Which are you? For the lovers, this article is for you. For the haters – I still have a question for you. No matter your camp, we will all be faced with an important decision: To pumpkin spice or not to pumpkin spice – that is the question. … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past When the blackbirds flew, we did, too
When she was nine or 10 years old, her parents thought she was old enough to handle the rifle that she and her siblings would use to scare the blackbirds out of the family cornfields in the Root River valley near Hokah. The late Josephine “Josie” (Lorenz) Gavin reminisced about her childhood in the 1940s. The children took turns with farm chores – one of which in the late … [Read more...]