May 27th, 2011 by admin
Good morning from Collegeville,
Monday we will celebrate Memorial Day. This national holiday commemorates the men and women who have died in military service to their country. The first “Decoration Day” was celebrated in 1865 by liberated slaves at the historic race track in Charleston, West Virginia. The official birthplace of Decoration Day is Waterloo, New York where they honored those who had died in the Civil War on May 5, 1866. The alternative name of “Memorial Day” was first used in 1882, but did not become common until after WW II. (source: Wikipedia”)
When I was a youngun in Upsala, we always had a Memorial Day service at the school and a parade down Main Street. Sometime after I left town in 1961, the practice died out. Then in the eighties, Lorna Koehn, a member of the American Legion Auxiliary, brought back the Memorial Day celebration in Upsala. I can still picture her marching in front of a group of children holding bunches of lilacs. One of the local civic clubs added the offering of a picnic lunch at City Park where they serve grilled hamburgers and rhubarb pie with ice cream. The children still wait in eager anticipation for the chance to collect the spent brass shells after the 21 gun salute. They make good whistles.
One of the more stressful ceremonies at the school took place the year that they invited Father Tony Kroll to be the speaker. Sometime years before, Father Tony had been jailed for climbing over the fence at Honeywell in Minneapolis to protest their involvement in making war instruments. Tony is still doing his thing. A few Saturdays back he was on the side of Division Street next to Barnes and Nobel with anti-war signs. Memorial Day is not anti or pro war. It is about the men and women who served their country.
Be sure to take the time to honor those in your life who have passed on. If you happen to meet a service member, simply say “Thank you for serving”. They deserve our respect no matter what your position is on war.
The show this week is a live performance from the Filene Center at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts in Vienna, Virginia. Special guests include the American roots trio The Wailin Jennys, humorist Roy Blount Jr, tenor Paul Appleby and vocalist Andra Suchy. Here in central Minnesota you can enjoy the show on Saturday from 5 PM to 7 PM on both the classical and the news networks. The show will be rebroadcast on Sunday at 11 AM on the news network including KNSR 88.9 from Collegeville.
“ It’s all right to tell a man to lift himself by his own bootstraps, but it is a cruel jest to say to a bootless man that he ought to lift himself by his own bootstraps.” Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968)
May 20th, 2011 by admin
Good morning from Collegeville,
Five days in a row with sunshine. What a great week for weather in central Minnesota. I took some half-days off and got all of the garden tilled and planted some more Yukon Golds. The antique tiller is running pretty good. I received some advise on how to adjust the drag, so that it can walk along without breaking my back. Now, with some rain in the forecast, we should be on our way. I had the first of the asparagus and it was fantastic. Don’t try almond butter on vegetables, that does not work. I traded some asparagus for a half stick of real butter and the second batch was the one that was fantastic.
Next week is huge for celebrations. Tuesday is Bob Dylan’s 70th birthday. If you are a fan, MPR will be doing a special show on the news network following the APHC show on Saturday starting at 7 PM. It includes a documentary, “Boy From The North Country: Bob Dylan in Minnesota”. On Sunday, The Current will be playing 70 of Bob’s songs back-to-back. The “BobFest” kicks off at 8 AM.at 89.3 The Current on your FM dial or you can listen live stream at
www.thecurrent.org The documentary will be broadcast on The Current at 8 PM on Sunday.
Fifty years ago on Thursday, Jim Soltis and I marched down the aisle side by side in the gym at Upsala High. There were 33 of us that graduated that Friday evening and we are planning a reunion for sometime this summer. If there are any of you out there that are of the “Class of 61″ and you want in on the event, contact me and I will put you in touch with the planner, Betz.
The show this week is a special Springtime Compilation broadcast with Stephanie Davis singing “Springtime Feeling in My Heart.” and poet Donald Hall reading Jane Kenyon’s poem, “Philosophy in Warm Weather.” Other guests include Philip Brunelle and VocalEssence. Enjoy the show. Tickets to the State Fair show go on sale tomorrow. Ticketmaster or
www.prairiehome.org
“What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun, or does it explode?” Langston Hughes
May 13th, 2011 by admin
Good morning from Collegeville,
Friday the 13th. This is the only month that there will be a Friday the 13th this year. Next year we will have three Friday the 13ths. According to the Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute in Asheville, NC, an estimated 17 to 21 million people in the United States are affected by a fear of this day. Some people are so paralyzed by fear that they avoid their normal routines in doing business on this day. “It’s been estimated that $800 to $900 million is lost in business on this day..” source John Roach.
According to Wikipedia, the actual origin of the superstition appears to be a tale in Norse mythology. Friday is named for Frigga, the free-spirited goddess of love and fertility. When Norse and Germanic tribes converted to Christianity, Frigga was banished in shame to a mountaintop and labeled a witch. It was believed that every Friday, the spiteful goddess convened a meeting with eleven other witches, plus the devil – a gathering of thirteen – and plotted ill turns of fate for the coming week. For many centuries in Scandinavia, Friday was known as “Witches’ Sabbath.” source: Charles Panati, Panati’s Extraordinary Origins of Everyday Things.
The show this week is a live performance from the State Theater in downtown Minneapolis. Special guests include Tulsa bluesman extraordinaire, Elvin Bishop, the magical Concordia University Hand Bell Ensemble and Women’s Vocal Ensemble of the St. Olaf Choir. Gospel vocalist supreme Jearlyn Steele will be there to help Garrison to carry a tune. Enjoy the show.
“Read, every day, something no one else is reading. Think, every day, something no one else is thinking. Do, every day, something no one else would be silly enough to do.
It is bad for the mind to continually be part of unanimity” Christopher Morley, writer (1890-1957)
May 13th, 2011 by admin
Good morning from Collegeville,
On Saturday, 2,000 trees were planted in Wadena. A lot of folks, including a bunch of Boy Scouts, showed up on a rainy cool day to ensure that someday there will be shade trees on the streets of Wadena once again. This event was made possible by the many donations made to
www.treesforwadena.com My son Erik came up with the idea after the tornado struck his neighborhood last June. Needless to say the buttons on my vest were busting out that day. You still can help by making a donation via the website.
I have been suffering from the flu this week and I hope you do not catch the bug. Today may be a sunny day, so get out and enjoy.
The show this week is a live broadcast from the palatial 1928 Fox Theater in Detroit, Michigan. Special guests include fiery old time string band, Old Crow Medicine Show, fourth generation farmhouse fiddler Joel Mabus and singer Andra Suchy. Enjoy the show.
“Dreaming about a thing in order to do it properly is right; but dreaming about it when we should be doing it is wrong.” Oswald Chambers
April 29th, 2011 by admin
Good morning from Collegeville,
Today spring has arrived. It may retreat tomorrow, but live for the day. Get out and enjoy the sun. Take a walk in the woods. Look for the wild flowers that only last for a week at the most. Listen for the sounds of nature. Be thankful for all of the good in your life. Take time to meditate. Eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow it may snow.
The marriage of the century filled the air waves this morning. I wish the royal couple well. Relationships are not easy, but they are worth the effort.
Duke Ellington was born on this day in 1899. He was christened Edward Kennedy and I have no idea how he came to call himself Duke Ellington. He composed more than 3,000 songs and he led his band from 1923 until his death in 1974. I remember when George Maurer and his jazz group did a 100 year celebration of his birth at The Paramount Theater in St. Cloud. It was a great show. George and his friends will be featured on a TV2 special on June 25th. I will keep you up to date.
Visual artist Yvonne Sexton will be having a reception tonight from 6 to 8 at the Paramount Gallery in Downtown Saint Cloud. Guitarist Leo Kottke will be performing his magic at The Paramount Theater at 7:30 this evening. 259-LINE.
The APHC show this week is a live performance from the beautiful Fox Theater in St. Louis, Missouri. Special guests include the perfect pitch, purity and phrasing of vocalist Erin Bode and The Erin Bode Trio. In addition a jazz duo of acclaimed young singer Tony DeSare and living jazz guitar legend Bucky Pizzarelli will perform along with singer Andra Suchy. The usual gang of characters will fill out the bill. Enjoy the show.
“Jazz has always been like the kind of a man you wouldn’t want your daughter to associate with.” Duke Ellington (1899-1974)
April 22nd, 2011 by admin
Good morning from Collegeville,
Spring is having a hard time getting out of the gate. I am supposed to have the Yukon Gold potatoes planted by today, Good Friday. Not going to happen. I thought about going up this afternoon, but the forecast is not that great. I am a fair weather fisherman and a fair weather gardener.
I decided to go to Chamber Connection today because it was held at the new ReStore which is a retail home improvement outlet that sells donated new and used building and home improvement materials. The ReStore is located at 2801 West Saint Germain Street. The Grand Opening is May 25th, but it is open now for donations on Wednesday and Thursday from 10 AM – 6 PM. ReStore is operated by Central Minnesota Habitat for Humanity. Check it out.
I met a new fan of Minnesota Public Radio this morning. Diane Larson owns the Copper Corte next to Angushire Golf Course and she is the owner of Saint Cloud Camera and Photo located in Copper Corte. The staff is very knowledgeable about high quality digital photography. My son has taken up both still photo shooting and video production with an emphasis on the world of sports. It is a very fascinating hobby and with the software that is available the output is spectacular.
Laura Hansen, poet and owner of Bookin’ It Bookstore in Little Falls will be a guest on ”The Story” with Dick Gordon this evening. The show airs from 9:00-10:00 PM on KNSR 88.9. Listen for Laura’s NPR Driveway Moment story near the end of the show. She and Dick discuss the poem by Sam Walter Foss, which is included below. I usually do not include a lengthy poem, but I must.
The show this week is live from the Town Hall in New York City. Special guests include innovative and magical guitar duo, Brazilian born brothers Sergio and Odair Assad and old friends Robin and Linda Williams, up from the Smokey Mountains of Virginia. Enjoy the show which will include a New York celebration of William Shakespeare’s birthday. He would have been 447 years old.
The House by the Side of the Road
New England poet Sam Walter Foss (1858-1911) evokes the age old image of
a humble house where the weary traveler finds a welcome – a house such as
Baucis and Philemon’s – to remind us that we are here to help one another
along life’s journey. Friends are “help-mates” to each other.
There are hermit souls that live withdrawn
In the peace of their self-content;
There are souls, like stars, that swell apart,
In a fellowless firmament;
There are pioneer souls that blaze their paths
Where highways never ran;
But let me live by the side of the road
And be a friend to man.
Let me live in a house by the side of the road,
Where the race of men go by;
The men who are good and the men who are bad,
As good and as bad as I.
I would not sit in the scorner’s seat,
Or hurl the cynic’s ban;
Let me live in a house by the side of the road
And be a friend to man.
I see from my house by the side of the road,
By the side of the highway of life,
The men who press with the ardor of hope,
The men who are faint with the strife.
But I turn not away from their smiles nor their tears
Both parts of an infinite plan;
Let me live in my house by the side of the road
And be a friend to man.
Let me live in my house by the side of the road
Where the race of men go by;
They are good, they are bad, they are weak,
They are strong,
Wise, foolish – so am I.
Then why should I sit in the scorner’s seat
Or hurl the cynic’s ban? -
Let me live in my house by the side of the road
And be a friend to man.
Sam Walter Foss
April 15th, 2011 by admin
Good morning from Collegeville,
The trip to Arizona was wonderful. Sun City West is a very special place. To be able to walk out in the backyard and pick an orange off of a tree, peel it and eat it on the patio with the juice dripping down your chin, ahh! , it doesn’t get any better than that.
A fellow that helped me to win my one and only run for public office called me on my cell and the four of us met for breakfast at a golf course cafe. When I started going door to door in the 3rd ward of Coon Rapids, I met a fellow working in his yard. I knew that my opponent lived in the neighborhood and the stern look on Loren’s face led me to believe that he was going to give me a tough time for trying to defeat his current councilman. On the contrary, Loren was more than willing to help me to win the election. He and his wife Mary became good friends. The last time I saw them was at my son’s wedding in 2001. The internet is a wonderful tool.
On the way to Sedona we stopped in Anthem to have lunch with Mary and Roger. Mary had my job in Rochester and like my sister, they also have a child who moved to Arizona hence they bought a retirement home. They really stole it, but the price of homes in that area are a good deal for now. Roger says that there are more good deals to be made in Anthem.
Sedona was beautiful and you really should put “Visit Sedona, Arizona” on your bucket list. The stay at The Lodge At Sedona was special as usual. We left Sedona on Thursday morning and on Saturday, Highway 179 from the freeway in to Sedona was closed due to snow.
The show this week is a live broadcast from the historic Town Hall in New York City. Special guests include the Portsmouth progenitor of Blues, Folk and Country Music, Tom Rush and the usual cast of characters. Enjoy the show.
In case you missed the broadcast of Midday when Garrison interviewed John Thorn about baseball, you can listen on the APHC website,
www.prairiehome.org Of course you also can pick up last weeks show in case you missed that.
“What do we live for, if not to make life less difficult to each other?” George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans) 1819-1880
April 1st, 2011 by admin
Good morning from Collegeville,
This is taken from today’s The Writer’s Almanac by Garrison Keillor. It says it all. To subscribe go to
www.writersalmanac.com
| |
| |
Long Winter
by Tim Nolan
So much I’ve forgotten: the grass, the birds,the close insects the shoot—the drip—the spray of the sprinkler, freckles—strawberries— the heat of the Sun, the impossible humidity
the flush of your face, so much, the high noon, the high grass
the patio ice cubes, the barbeque, the buzz of them—
the insects,the weeds—the dear weeds—that grow
like alien life forms—all Dr. Suessy and odd—
here we go again¬—we are turning around
again—this will all happen over again—and again—it will—
“Long Winter” by Timothy J. Nolan. Reprinted with permission of the author.
|
Barby and I are going to Arizona tomorrow. We will be visiting my sister and her husband in Sun City West and The Lodge At Sedona. I am so much looking forward to some warmth and sun. There will not be a note next week.
The show this week is live from the historic Broadway Town Hall in New York City. Special guests include traveling Tennessee troubadour Justin Townes Earle and gospel singer Jearlyn Steele. Enjoy the show.
“Experience is not what happens to a man; it is what a man does with what happens to him.” Aldous Huxley (1894-1963)
March 29th, 2011 by admin
Good morning from Collegeville,
Wild horses could not have kept me from the Williams Arena yesterday to cheer the Upsala Cardinals on in their first trip to The State Tournament in the schools history, but a kidney stone did. Passing a kidney stone is the closest that a man can get to feeling the pain of child birth. Dr. Matsuura says that there is no evidence of any more stones in my kidneys, but I feel like I have been in a car wreck. I am very familiar with that feeling, having been involved in a number of car wrecks in my youth, a total of 7 if you count the time that the ’54 Chevy rolled into a tree at Cedar Lake while we were necking.
The boys did not prevail over the Springfield Tigers, but we are very proud of them anyway. I wish that I could tell you when the welcome home gathering is going to be, but I was not able to get that information this morning.
The show this week is a live broadcast from The Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. Special guests include the prolific Emmylou Harris, bluegrass madman Sam Bush and master fiddler Stuart Duncan. Former host Sara Watkins and the hip Tennessee duo The Civil Wars will add to the fun. Enjoy the show.
“Think of the poorest person you have ever seen and ask if your next act will be of any use to him”. Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948)
March 18th, 2011 by admin
Good sunny morning from Collegeville,
It is still nippy, but we did hit 51 degrees this week. I am sooo happy to see spring is on its way. I feel for those who are going to have to put up with rising water. Let us hope for the best.
I celebrated my 10th birthday on a ship on the Atlantic ocean on the way home from a stint in the Army. My dad was a Sergeant in the 5th Army stationed in Vienna, Austria. I had quite the summer tan, since the trip took almost two weeks. I remember how embarrassed I was when my mother pulled my pants down to show the tan line to Auntie. My dashound Mickey came home by air, but the rest of the family had to take the ship. My first glimpse of television came when my sister and I stuck our heads in a bar in Grand Central Station in New York.
When I started fifth grade in Upsala I was getting around on crutches due to a car accident. I was able to go up the old wooden stairs at school alright, but coming down for the very first time, I swung out on my crutches and tumbled down the stairs. It is a wonder that I did not break my neck too. The basketball heros then included Dave Holmen and the Anderson boys.
Tonight the Upsala boys basketball team will play for the championship in Crosby/Ironton. If they beat McGregor they will go on to the state tournament for the first time ever. Vern Capelle has been the coach of the Cardinals for many years and I am sure that he had a hard time sleeping last night. I hope that the boys can pull if off.
The show this weekend is the last springtime compilation before the the run of live shows kicks off next Saturday in Nashville. Special guests include Raul Melo singing Puccini’s “Che Gelida Manina, Nellie McKay and Brad Paisley plus the usual cast of characters. In the News From Lake Wobegon, Darlene at the Chatter Box Cafe gets a little racy. Enjoy the show.
Next Saturday is the annual Freedom Flight and Honor Flight Fundraiser Raffle and Steak Fry at the VFW Granite Post 428 on 18th Avenue in St. Cloud. For details and to purchase raffle tickets call Luke at 654-1156.
“The feeling of being hurried is not usually the result of living a full life and having no time. It is on the contrary born of a vague fear that we are wasting our life. When we do not do the one thing we ought to do, we have no time for anything else.. we are the busiest people in the world.” Eric Hoffer (1902-1983)
Category :
General 
0 Comment » 