A Canada goose sounded like a car horn in need of tinkering. It was an avian tickle as I knuckled the sleep from my eyes. I was teaching writing classes and took some college kids on a nature walk at daybreak in a lovely park, which was one of my happy places. We met in a parking lot. I was easy to find. I’m a miler. You could tell a mile away that I was a birder. Binoculars, … [Read more...]
A little of this, A little of that
Growing up, I lived several feet from the Root River and the Preston Soybean Mill. Soybeans and water attract rats. To combat the rats we always had pet cats. They were all free, named Tabby, and died young from eating poisoned rats. After moving away from the soybean mill we didn’t need the cats anymore. When I was a junior in high school, I had boyfriend who had … [Read more...]
Pastor Devotion Clothes do make a man, woman and child
By Rev. Debra Jene Collum Chatfield United Methodist In my part of the world, summer began this year when I opened the doors to the costume room at Potter Auditorium in Chatfield. I have been given the privilege and respons-ibility to create the costumes for the summer musical put on by WITs’ End Theatre. A lot of work goes into changing each person that stands on stage … [Read more...]
Pastor Devotion – Finding love
By Pastor Bridget Sheely Racine/Sumner Center UMC, Stewartville UMC Children’s Ministry Coordinator Genesis 1:1,31 (New International Version) “1 In the beginning God created… 31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.” Is that not just an amazingly inspirational statement! It is the scripture that comes to my mind every spring as our wonderful world wakes … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past Spring Grove engineer was television pioneer
Surely, no town so small was provided with such a competent glimpse into the future of technology as was Spring Grove in 1928. Traveling all the way from his home in New York City, a research engineer was invited to deliver a lecture at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. But Alfred L. Johnsrud stopped on the way to lecture first in the school auditorium at Spring … [Read more...]
Would you rather be rich or have $49 million?
Rolling on a stinky, dead carp. That wasn’t my idea of winning the lottery. But it was my dog’s idea of hitting the jackpot. A sweet voice on the phone said, “You’ve won the lottery.” That didn’t happen, although an occasional crooked caller has all but guaranteed that. I dreamed I’d become a billionaire by starting a company that made “Now hiring” signs. And I … [Read more...]
A Goodly Heritage – History of a hobby
It can be interesting to learn the history of a lifetime habit or a hobby. Recently, I have been caning an antique rocking chair. Its back and seat need to be caned. I enjoy the weaving and the beauty I see when the project is done. I learned caning when we still had babies growing up in our house. From my husband’s parents, we inherited a high chair that my husband’s … [Read more...]
Each day is a gift you can’t return
I didn’t have to herd cats. My shirt had as many buttons as buttonholes and there were more hills than pills in my life. Those three things are wins in my book. Life is made up of small victories. Here are more. My pillow hadn’t had a restless night and my socks matched. No one had unleashed the flying monkeys. I dropped something on the kitchen floor and it didn’t … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past Summer kitchen provided dishwater dining for swine
“We didn’t have air-conditioning, electric fans or even ice cubes to cool a glass of water, but we survived,” wrote Houston town history writer, Ingrid Julsrud, about growing up in the early 1900s. An evening dip or swim in a river was one relief for those living close enough to a waterway. Sitting on a porch might provide more moving air than was possible inside the house. … [Read more...]
Pastor Devotion – “Faith’s Check Book” inspiring and uplifting
By Pastor Mark Woodward Maple Leaf Parish Spring Valley: Faith, Cherry Grove, Fountain, Preston (and Lenora) Uanited Methodist Churches During a particular rough time in my life, I very much appreciated the inspiring, uplifting, encouraging words of a wonderful pastor who lived in England. Charles Spurgeon lived from 1834-1892 and he was a prominent clergyman during this … [Read more...]