By Mike Buringha St. Charles, MN Where is Whalan, Minn., you might ask? If you travel south from Utica, and take a gravel road called Everyday Road you will run into a little village sporting a population of 63 people. Nestled into the bluff country between Peterson and Lanesboro, this little village offers the best pie money can buy, a bike trail and on the 4th of July, … [Read more...]
A Goodly Heritage
The beauty of it all Since I have lived on a farm that has been in our family since 1856, two years before Minnesota became a state, I have a wealth of history to search out and consider. History is told in the photos we store in the house. We have old photos of the farm buildings and fields. Some pictures introduce us to people who either lived on this farm or who were … [Read more...]
The Art of Saying Hello
The introduction of face masks seems to have made the art of sharing a heartfelt and friendly “hello” to our friends and neighbors even more difficult. Although many people have decided to forego a mask now that they have been vaccinated, there are still many out there using masks on a daily basis and you can’t see a smile and can barely hear what they are saying through the … [Read more...]
In the service
Colonel Karice (Bezdicek) Stern By the order of the Secretary of the Air Force and Direction of the President, Karice (Bezdicek) Stern, daughter of Joseph and Rita Bezdicek, was promoted to the rank of COLONEL effective date 25 March 2021. Col Stern serves as Chief of Aerospace Medicine (SGP) for the 128th Air Refueling Wing, General Mitchell Field, Milwaukee, Wis. As … [Read more...]
Bloodmobile coming to Harmony on July 6
Harmony will be hosting a bloodmobile at the Harmony Community Center, 225 Third Avenue S.W., from 1-7 p.m. on Tuesday, July 6, 2021. Walk-ins will once again be accepted, but donors are encouraged to make an appointment. Masks will not be required for those who have been vaccinated, but it’s possible non-vaccinated donors will still need to wear one. If you don’t have one of … [Read more...]
A stampeding swarm of Yosemite Sams
Awwww. I heard it while I was working in the basement. My wife was upstairs, seated at the kitchen table, drinking a cup of coffee and reading the newspaper. I knew that sound. I’ve heard it often during our married life. It wasn’t an “aww” that expressed delight as in, “Aww. What a cute baby.” It wasn’t the “aww” that expressed mild disappointment as when a pitcher … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past Some lives ended, some began, all changed with emigration voyages
Norwegian emigration, part 3 Ole Olsen Sandness assumed responsibility for his five-year-old niece during a cholera-stricken voyage from Norway to America in 1854. His father, brother and sister-in-law were buried at sea. Ole, a single man at age 37, and young Alava would complete the ocean crossing and eventually settle in Wilmington Township, Houston County. What was … [Read more...]
Pastor Devotions – Bought with a price
There once was a 15-year-old boy who was trapped all night on a ledge 500 feet down the side of a mountain in Arizona. The next day a deputy sheriff of the county rescued the boy. In climbing back up the rope toward safety, the deputy’s safety equipment somehow failed and he fell to his death 1,000 feet below. After reading about the rescue and the tragic death, I wondered … [Read more...]
Springtime inspiration
The coming of spring greatly influences each of us in many ways. On the farm we have planned for it, but some things still happen with elements of surprise. Just take today, for instance. Today started with an unexpected early morning phone call. “Hi, I am calling from the post office. I have some chirping chicks here for you,” the caller informed me. I had ordered … [Read more...]
I felt as if I were wearing burlap underwear
It was hot enough to complain about everything. I’d completed compulsory mechanical work. I’d put a rear end in a recliner. The heat had stalled the clock at noon. The hands had become motionless. Hot weather is more of a stick than a carrot. Hot weather bangs us about. People wilted in the sun. Swimming pools boiled. Ice cream trucks and plastic flamingos melted. It was … [Read more...]