A high school classmate discovered he had brain cancer and at the same time his son was battling a type of blood cancer. The family was in an emotional and financial crisis. Since both my classmate and his wife worked at the local elementary school in a small town it was natural that a benefit be planned for the struggling family. The elementary school staff took on the challenge. Kathie and I attended as did hundreds of other concerned and…..
Have you ever heard of the magazine “Farm and Ranch Living”? Articles of mine appeared in the magazine in 2005 and most recently the October/November issue in 2019. Both came as a complete shock to me. Let me explain. As a writer you never know when an idea for a story will present itself. Often times the author is not even looking for a writing project when suddenly out of the blue the perfect story appears that needs to be…..
It all started in the 1850’s as western Minnesota was being settled. The first pioneers were able to get two quarters of land if they started a tree claim on one quarter(160 acres) and built a sod shanty on the second quarter. Then they had to reside on their new prairie ground for five years and if they did the land was theirs free and clear. And now you are beginning to wonder what does all that history have to…..
It seems like I have known Marilyn all my life. We first met when I was seven years old and she was Ms. Allen. You see she was my second grade teacher and then lucky for me she became my third grade teacher also. The moment I met her I knew she was special. I was sure I was ‘teacher’s pet’ until years later when visiting with former classmates I discovered they too thought they were ‘teacher’s pet’. She had…..
I think I was a ninth grader when I took typing class. I can still remember the clicking of keys as a roomful of students typed specially prepared typing assignments. The room was filled with the sound of dinging bells a reminder from the student’s typewriter that it was time to return the carriage and start another line of typing. Stress filled the typing room when the dreaded ‘timed typing’ test was administered. Stress was ever present because the number…..
Our county has experienced much excitement this past few months as the estate of a bachelor farmer has been prepared for auction. The actual auction concluded last weekend. You see it was a very unusual auction to say the least! The estate consisted of hundreds of antique cars of all models and years. Also old tractors were included along with hundreds of collector plates. That’s all that the coffee drinking crowd has been talking about for the last six months……
I was scheduled to do an Arts in the Park in Detroit Lakes this last Sunday so I suggested to my wife Kathie, “Let’s go a day early, get a motel and see the sights in that beautiful lake country. It’ll be a mini-vacation!” Kathie readily agreed so I went on line to find us the perfect motel. We didn’t need a big fancy one with all the amenities because we would only be staying for one night and we…..
I had forgotten about this incident that happened fifty-five years ago but a post on Facebook brought the memories rushing back. My criminal past that had long been buried in the recesses of my brain have returned! For the past few days since I watched that post guilt and shame have weighed heavily on my mind. You see the post was a YouTube video from the early 1960’s and featured the men’s chorus of the newly established University of Minnesota,…..
When I was a ten year old farm kid I loved to go fishing. Now that didn’t happen very often in those years for a variety of reasons. The dozen cows had to be milked twice daily seven days a week. The chickens had to be fed and watered. Several times a day the laying hens’ eggs had to be gathered and brought into the house where they were washed and prepared for delivery to the creamery each week. The…..
I didn’t realize it was an intervention at the time but as I look back on the event it is obvious that it was just that. Several years ago I purchased an iPad. My children jumped into action immediately and helped me set it up so that I could become a member of the Facebook crowd. I was excited! I have shared in previous blogs that I am an ‘entertainer’. I was born that way and it’s in my DNA……
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