The lady next to me at the Keillor show had to be one of those church basement women. There with her husband, they didn’t laugh that much or talk to each other. I’m guessing they did enjoy it. Early and before the storyteller came out, I asked her if she’s ever seen him in […]
Beauty
The Comfort of a Dog: Updated
The Comfort of a Dog: Updated
Our collie Chance became part of my healing after going through heart surgery, and calm and patient fellow ended up giving back to me the comfort and peace I needed while going through my healing days.
A Most Unforgettable Student: Carrie
A Most Unforgettable Student: Carrie
A most wonderful student named Carrie lives forever in my memory, a gracious and thoughtful student who turned out to be an outstanding adult.
Wooden Chain to Grand Nephew Parker: Final
Wooden Chain to Grand Nephew Parker: Final
Gave a wooden chain to a little fellow, our grand nephew Parker. Cut the chain with him in mind, and when I gave it to him he was surprised and a little entralled. My great uncle carved a wooden chain that I spotted at a 6-year-old in the 50s, and I always wondered how that […]
Catalpa Wood: Beautifully Grained
Catalpa Wood: Beautifully Grained
The catalpa tree growing on the lot line with our neighbor blossomed beautifully in June, a late bloomer, but the vanilla type pods it deposited in fall were a mess. When neighbor Ken helped me cut the trees to make hobby wood to create, little did I know what the results would be. The grain […]
Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury: Summer, New
Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury: Summer, New
The book Dandelion Wine caught my attention because of the descriptions of growing up in a small community, seen through the eyes of a 12-year-old boy. The variety of opportunities and choices mirrored my life in the area east and west of Amery, Wisconsin. I’ll present parts of the first chapter in which Douglas woke […]
Summer Memories and Anticipation: Finalized
Summer Memories and Anticipation: Finalized
Summertime. June, the perfect month for anyone who enjoys summer and has an advantage of a time without responsibilities. As a student for 17 years and a teacher for 35, summer was a smorgasbord of possibilities. As a youth growing up around Amery, WI, the choices were nearly endless. It’s been common to lay out […]
Variations on a Hug
Variations on a Hug
Hugs vary depending on the setting. In wishing well to a waitress who just survived a bout with cancer, a full hug meant so much to each of us. Then I realized that hugging can take many forms. Growing up in the Norwegian area of Amery in western Wisconsin, hugs were rare. Maybe at funerals, […]
Remember When You Had This Kind of Energy?
Remember When You Had This Kind of Energy?
Energy. When we were kids it was endless. My memory of running full speed in the pasture over the well shorn field and pasture that the heifers chomped down. About sundown when it started to cool off. The tall weeds, rods to avoid and the strange looking divots that looked like someone buried a body; […]
Desserts Always Topped Off Our Meals
Desserts Always Topped Off Our Meals
Desserts? Always. Growing up in a not so wealthy home and family, Mom made sure we had dessert to look forward to at the end of supper. For lunch and supper, we could count on a dessert. The ritual, if it can be called that, might mean eating a small sweet item or sometimes larger […]
Dear Morgan, It’s Grandma Bonnie
Dear Morgan, It’s Grandma Bonnie
From Grandma Haller. Oh, Morgan, I just love it when you send an email and tell me what’s going on in your classes. I remember those days when I was in school, believe it or not, and in those days girls were only expected to become nurses, teachers, or mothers. Now you have so much […]
Brenda, the Good Shepherd in Western Wisconsin
Brenda, the Good Shepherd in Western Wisconsin
From a modern sheep herder: “People think I’m crazy, but I don’t care.” April can be a busy month for raising sheep because of the birthing and follow-up care needed. Brenda from western Wisconsin says, however, “I love it.” Her worst experience? She sold a lamb to a person who let it starve. Since then […]
Gladys and Henry Prepare and Perform on Easter Sunday
Gladys and Henry Prepare and Perform on Easter Sunday
Singing at Easter. Above, Henry and Gladys Armitage prepare for the service tomorrow at Our Savior’s Lutheran in Amery. For the last 15 years Henry has sung the Old Rugged Cross on Easter Sunday. (At Christmas, his special song is “O, Holy Night”). They’re cramming on this evening, not having worked on the song as […]
Oatmeal and Ella for Breakfast: Complete
Oatmeal and Ella for Breakfast: Complete
Oatmeal and Ella Fitzgerald for breakfast Started the day on a perfect note and taste Next to the toilet tank, keeps running; fixed Ella still singing through all of this, a little cleaning up Call from a friend, no reason; just wanted to check Letter in the mail, insurance paid the entire doctor visit Call […]
When Peace Like a River . . . . (Hymn)
When Peace Like a River . . . . (Hymn)
The hymn: actual name is “It Is Well with My Soul,” above is the first line of the song. Written in the mid-1870s, it’s a song of comfort and reassurance but came from an unimaginable family tragedy. Horatio Spafford lost much in the 1871 Chicago Fire, and about that time also endured the loss of […]