July 12th, 2022 by Gary Osberg
In the summer of 1955 I was 11 years old and we were living in St. Louis Park. My mother signed me up for bible camp. I have no recollection of where it was other than “up north”. I got so home sick, that an older couple was enlisted to drive me to Upsala and my Godfather, Ralph Johnson, drove me the rest of the way back home to 1620 Colorado Avenue in his brand new Chevy. I turned 12 at the end of August.
The next summer Ma sent me packing once again and this time I remember packing a carton of Pall Malls so that I could make money selling packs to other campers. This is was the beginning of my “delinquent years”.
I left this off my resume when I applied for this job at MPR in 1999.
“You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment. Fools stand on their island of opportunities and look toward another land. There is no other land; there is no other life but this.” Henry David Thoreau
July 1st, 2022 by Gary Osberg
The 38th annual Hagstrom/Osberg Golf Open, H2O, will be held tomorrow at the Little Falls Country Club.
My mother’s sister, Leone, Auntie to me, married Duane Hagstrom, co-owner of Hagstrom Chevrolet in Upsala, Minnesota. Between the two families there were 10 cousins. Auntie’s youngest, Kevin, is a very good golfer and for many years he and I won this best ball event every year. For that reason, we named our team ‘Ming’. After all, we were a dynasty.
Because of my back surgery, all I can do is putt. When I was 12 years old we lived at 1620 Colorado Avenue in St. Louis Park. There was a Putt-Putt close by and I spent a lot of time there.
In 2020 I was able to sink a birdie putt on hole number 1 and another on hole number 3 so we were 2 under par after three holes. The rest of the team included Cousin Kevin, my brother Brian and his wife Jean Marie, plus brother Craig and his son Grayson. Craig’s daughter McKenzie drove the cart. We finished 6 under, which means that the trophy was back is in my living room for the first time since 2009.
After golf we gather at brother Bill’s house near the golf course for a picnic and the award ceremony. We are fortunate to have a number of traditions in our family. I trust that your Fourth of July Celebration will be a safe one.
“Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate on the present moment.” Buddha
June 24th, 2022 by Gary Osberg
My son Erik is the “Rural Rebound Initiative Coordinator” for Otter Tail County. According to an article in last Sunday’s Star Tribune Variety section, “presumably the only person in the United States with that title”.
I know that Erik has traveled to Maine and North Dakota accompanying Ben Winchester, a sociologist with the University of Minnesota Extension, giving presentations titled “Rewriting the Rural Narrative: Speak Softly and Carry Statistics”. Erik has also gone on the road with his “Inner Otter” hand puppet to promote the county with 1,048 lakes. More lakes than any other county in the country. Once he even made a trip to Omaha and Des Moines. A big huge thank you to Star Tribune reporter Rachel Hutton for writing a full two page spread worthy of being laminated for the Osberg family archive.
Then, on Tuesday, I picked up the latest Minnesota Monthly magazine and read another story about Otter Tail County written by Ashlea Halpern and Andrew Parks. Their mission is to promote the great State of Minnesota. In that article I read about Erik’s son Willie, aka “Walleye Willie”, age 12, hosting Ashlea and Andrew during the 2021 Governor’s Fishing Opener which Erik and his staff produced last May in Otter Tail County. Willie and his grandparents Kathy and Lee took the reporters out on a pontoon. You can read the entire story by simply going to your favorite news stand. You may also find it at www.minnevangelist.com
“If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with success unexpected in common hours.” Henry David Thoreau
June 17th, 2022 by Gary Osberg
Randin Olson was raised in Otter Tail County. When he was a child, he used to catch frogs and bring them to the local bait shop. They would pay him a nickel each for the frogs. Twelve years ago Randin purchased a beat up boat for $800 and he spent weeks refurbishing the boat. He decided to try his hand at being a fishing guide. His first client was a woman and her young son. Randin took them to one of the 1,048 lakes in Otter Tail County and they had a great afternoon. When it came time to settle up, she asked “How much do I owe you?” Randin said “I don’t know, whatever you think is fair.” She handed him $200.
Three years ago Randin quit his job with a HVAC company and launched “Lock Jaw Guide Service”. For the last three years he has been part of the annual “Osberg Men Fishing” trip. There are 8 Osberg men and a couple of cousins that go to Holly’s Resort on the second Saturday in June. Due to a serious back injury, I have not been able to venture out in a boat since 2019. I stayed back in the cabin and read a book. This year my son arranged for Randin to take Erik and I out on Monday afternoon. It was an amazing fishing experience. I caught a 28 inch Walleye and now finally, after 20 years of trying, my name goes on the trophy. As an added bonus, 28 inches is the biggest fish on the “Big Fish Award”. The previous biggest was a 27 ½ inch Walleye.
If you want to experience some of the best fishing in Minnesota, go to www.lockjawfishing.com
“I love it when a plan comes together”. Gary Osberg
June 10th, 2022 by Gary Osberg
This weekend I am going fishing with my four brothers, my son Erik and my grandson “Walleye Willie” plus brother Craig’s son Grayson. A total of 8 Osberg men ages 13 to 78. Cousin John will also join us.
Sometime in the nineties, my youngest brother Craig was invited by his father-in-law, Jim Keeler, to go along on a fly-in fishing trip to Trout Lake in Canada. Over time, my other brothers, who were into fishing, were invited to go along. In 2003 brother Bill offered to pay the way for my son Erik, so I decided to go along.
I am the oldest of five Osberg brothers and it was a wonderful bonding time. I told the camp host, Murdoch, that I would be back every year for the next 20 years. The next year we went to brother Brian’s cabin near Aitkin instead. The year after that we went to Rainy Lake. Erik was working as a weekend sportscaster on WDIO Channel 10/13 in Duluth and he did a story on fishing with the guide and resort owner Woody for his TV show. Erik suggested that we try Woody’s instead of the fly-in in 2005. We had a great time and the greatest part was that Woody had a wonderful pub filled with memorabilia from his hockey days. For many years we went back to Woody’s. We never did do the fly-in again. You can check out Woody’s at www.fairlyreliable.com It is worth the drive just to meet Woody. In 2011 we switched to Brindley’s Resort on Leach Lake. A large home across the road from the marina worked well for the whole gang, but fishing was tough.
In 2017 we decided to try Holly’s Resort on Otter Tail Lake. Erik is an ambassador for Otter Tail County and we reasoned that we would have a better chance to find the elusive walleye. We had a great time. One of the cabins is right on the lake. Brother Bill is the chief cook and bottle washer, so we put him in that cabin along with brother Geoff from Chicago. Next Friday I will give you a complete report. There is a traveling trophy and guess who’s name has never appeared on it. Maybe this year.
“Dost thou love Life? Then do not squander Time; for that’s the stuff Life is made of.” Benjamin Franklin
June 3rd, 2022 by Gary Osberg
Monday is the 78th anniversary of “D Day”. If you have seen the movie “Saving Private Ryan”, you have some idea of how bad it was. It is hard to imagine that anyone who lived through that experience would ever be the same. The many years of living with those memories are hard to imagine.
Aymer Nelson, a farm boy from Upsala, was there. Aymer was also at The Battle of the Bulge, one of the bloodiest of the war. I asked him if he had been wounded and he told me that a 88 mil shell landed next to him, but it was a dud. He lived to the ripe old age of 104. He was truly one of “The Greatest Generation”.
It is also the 33rd anniversary of the day that my son packed all of his worldly goods into his rust free 1972 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme and headed back to Minnesota from Charlotte, North Carolina. In 1988 I had taken a position as General Manager of an office furniture dealership in Charlotte and it turned out to be a not so fun experience for my family. Erik had worked many late evenings with an office cleaning service to save the $1,000 needed to purchase the vintage Olds. School was out at 2:30 in the afternoon and he headed north at 5 PM. The battery was weak so I told him to not shut the engine off if he expected to start it up soon after the stop.
Early the next morning he ran over a dead deer and when he was pulling the carcass out from under the car he heard a knock in the engine. He made it to the Big Foot Gas Station in Shelbyville, Indiana and called me at 6 AM. He ended up finding a backyard mechanic who changed the timing gear for $400. It was the one and only time I have had to use Western Union to wire money. The mechanic fed him supper and allowed him to sleep on the couch. If I remember correctly he went fishing with the mechanic’s son. They fed him breakfast the next morning and sent him on his way to Chicago to have lunch at Denny’s with my brother Geoff and his wife Susan. Quite the experience.
“Poetry is the one place where people can speak their original human mind. It is the outlet for people to say in public what is known is private.” Allen Ginsberg born on this date in 1947
May 27th, 2022 by Gary Osberg
When I was a youngster in Upsala, we always had a Memorial Day service in the school gym, followed by a parade down Main Street. Sometime after I graduated Upsala High School in 1961, the practice died out.
Then in the 80’s, 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, each holding a bunch of lilac flowers.
This year the Memorial Day celebration in Upsala will start with a program at 10am in the school gym. Following the indoor ceremony the celebration will proceed to the Veterans Memorial Park directly across the street for ceremony. There the children will wait in anticipation for the chance to collect the spent brass shells after the 21 gun salute. They make good whistles.
After that, there will be a parade through Upsala, to the City Recreation Building where the `Upsala First Responders’ will serve a picnic lunch. Hopefully there will be some “Bee Bop A Ree Bop Rhubarb Pie”.
Whenever you meet a veteran or a service member, simply say “Thank you for serving”. They all deserve our respect.
“My fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.” John Fitzgerald Kennedy
May 20th, 2022 by Gary Osberg
Many times we end up taking a path quite by accident. My first career was drafting. I faked my way into that field, but it ended well. In fact in 1965 drafting jobs were so plentiful that Marcia and I were able to take a four week honeymoon knowing that when I got back to Minnesota, I just had to walk into Strom Engineering and they would send me out to Control Data or Univac “on contract”. In 1969 I was involved in the very first computerized drafting service bureau in the world.
Norwood Engineering was founded by a salesman with Twin Cities Blue Printing, Dick Engebretson. He hired my boss, Ron Crew, at Control Data, who in turn hired me. Our plans included franchising service bureaus, so my title was Franchise Manager. We hired General Office Products to design and furnish our offices in Roseville and the one and only franchise that we sold to Bob Johnson in Seattle, Washington.
To make a long story short, the business failed and I ended up as the last General Manager. I had to write a letter to about 14 companies explaining that Norwood Engineering had filed for bankruptcy and we could not pay their bill. I did add my home phone number at that bottom of the letter, in case they wanted to talk it over.
Because of that letter, my third career was in the office furniture industry. Jim Helstrom, sales manager for General Office Products, received one of those letters and he called me. Of course he wanted his furniture back. I had to explain that the President of Norwood, Ron Crew, had taken a loan out at the bank and pledged the furniture as collateral. The bank took the furniture. GOP did not “have a position” on the goods sold. At the end of the conversation, Jim said, “Well if you ever need a job, let me know.”
I spent 22 years in the office furniture industry and I loved every minute of it. Many years later I called Jim and thanked him for the awesome sales training that he had provided. After Jim passed, I spoke to his son and he told me that his dad talked about that telephone conversation many times. Maybe this week would be a good week to call an old friend or mentor.
“The quality of a person’s life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor.” Vince Lombardi
May 13th, 2022 by Gary Osberg
I hope to get the Yukon Golds in the ground this weekend, in between the rain. A real “truck farmer” told me to just plant them whole. No need to cut them and let them heal for a few days. It cost more, but the result is worth the added expense. I get my seed potatoes from Wood’s Farmer Seed and Nursery next to Fleet Farm in Waite Park. Tell Tom Woods that I recommended him.
The annual Osberg fishing trip is 4 weeks from tomorrow. The opener is tomorrow and I will not participate. I have never been one for getting up early and getting out there before the sun comes up. I prefer to fish in the late afternoon and early evening. I am the only “Osberg” who’s name is not on the traveling trophy.
My interest in fishing is only because of my son Erik and his son Walleye Willie. When we purchased a lake place 49 years ago I bought a fishing license for the first time in my life. Erik was not even two years old the first summer, but his Uncle Duaine made a special short fishing rod for him and soon we were casting for Bass from our sail boat.
Earl Benson, the warehouse manager at General Office Products was the one that taught me how to fish for Bass. Erik hated the process of putting a live frog on a number 2 hook with a slip sinker, but it did produce fish. Today it is almost impossible to find frogs anywhere . Minnows, leeches and night crawlers seem to work best for walleye. Erik is an “ambassador” for Otter Tail County, which has more lakes than any other county in Minnesota. One thousand forty eight at the last count.
Tuesday was a perfect 10. At 10pm I was rocking in my rocker on the back patio with no bugs. Erik and Walleye Wille were catching crappies on “Secret Lake” in Otter Tail County.
“Arrange whatever pieces come your way.” Virginia Woolf
May 6th, 2022 by Gary Osberg
My Dad served in the Pacific during the war. His brother-in-law, my Uncle El, served there also. One of the photos that I had restored is a picture of Dad and Uncle El smoking cigars on an island after V-J Day. You can tell by the look on Dad’s face that the canteens did not have water in them. What are the odds that they ended up on the same island?
After the war Dad had a hard time adjusting to civilian life. One Saturday Dad and Uncle El ended up having a few too many “beer and a bump” and they went into a recruiting station in St. Cloud. Dad enlisted in the Army and a few years later our family ended up in Vienna, Austria. For some reason Uncle El didn’t have to go back in.
One of the items that Ma brought back from Vienna in 1953 was a very old statue. A warrior with a breast plate and a sword on his hip. In 1965 she had her neighbor Harold convert it into a lamp and gave it to Marcia and myself as a wedding gift. It ended up broken and in three pieces in a box in the basement of The Parsonage in Upsala. Ickler Company in St. Cloud soldered it back together and through my connections at The Paramount Center for the Arts, I found a “bronzer” in Howard Lake, INNOCAST Execuline. They refinished it. It turned out that the tip of the shaft and the feather on the cap were gold leaf.
When I was in Germany a few years ago I purchased a BMW model car to add to the collection of Vienna items. The monkey in a top hat was a 25th anniversary gift dated 1923. The inscription, which is in German, states “What a monkey my lover is, like an illness or a fever”. Who gives such a gift?
“Don’t take anything personally. Nothing others do is because of you. What other say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinion and actions of others, you won’t be the victim of needless suffering.” This is the second agreement from “The Four Agreements” by don Miguel Ruiz
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