By Wenda Grabau The warm, pleasant days of this October – as a Minnesotan would consider them – have allowed us to work outdoors in relative comfort.  It is a great time to work and actually witness the work God has been doing all spring and summer! Many neighbors are harvesting corn and beans.  We pick corn on the ear.  There are several corn cribs to fill up on our farm.   … [Read more...]

Ahh, the infamous question of the day … What’s for dinner? It’s something I use to dread each and every week. I was rotating between the same meals time and time again, and needed a little refresh. I’ve recently started a weekly ritual called Sunday meal prep. I take a few minutes and look at our pantry to take a quick inventory of what we all have on hand. From there, I plan … [Read more...]

Last week, I took a spontaneous road trip up north. My husband and I had planned to finally attend the Ely Blueberry Festival with our longtime friends, but the wildfires in the BWCA area canceled that. Then we planned to go to the Ely Harvest Moon Festival in September. We had just moved my mother into assisted living, so our plan was to head up north to relax with our … [Read more...]

By Angela Denstad Time and again over the past 20 odd years, the infamous Pumpkin Spice Latte (PSL) has been met with both delight and disgust. Only some of this polarizing effect is due to its notably pumpkin-less spice and more to do with the associated lifestyle of those who are most able to indulge in it. To be sure, it does take a certain amount of nonchalance concerning … [Read more...]

By Wenda Grabau “Timber!” was the shout that never came that night. Yet down came a 60-foot tall poplar tree that had stood strong and tall for about 60 years. The crash as the tree hit the ground woke the folks in their cozy little cabin up north. Yes, you may guess that it is our family cabin. My sister and brother-in-law witnessed the damage done. Hence, we were urged to … [Read more...]

By Sara Mensink This spring, my family and I started an exciting new adventure … we became chicken farmers! We now have 21 chickens. Yes, TWENTY-ONE! I know what you’re thinking … that’s a lot of chickens! We originally planned to get twelve, but shipping was free if we ordered sixteen, so we went with the larger order. Little did we know, the hatchery also sends “a few” … [Read more...]

By Rose Korabek Fall is here and the leaves are starting to change. The sounds of a nearby preschool and elementary school ring through our neighborhood. The high school marching band will resume practices and high school football games will be heard on Friday nights. School is back in session and that means school cafeterias are bustling on weekdays to feed hungry students … [Read more...]

By Angela Denstad Time and again we’re rushed along through shopping seasons from one marketing milestone to the next in a seemingly endless state of anticipation – or is it agitation? – or is that just me? While I tend to be generally content, goal-oriented, and excited to have something to look forward to, as each year passes, it seem that so much of the seasonal hype is … [Read more...]