May 13th, 2016 by Gary Osberg
Al Newman spoke at our Sertoma Club on Tuesday. Al is joining the St. Cloud Rox as a coach this summer. He was a member of both the 1987 and 1991 Twins World Series Champion teams. Al was a valuable utility player and he was a part of setting a major league record as the Twins turned 2 triple plays in one game against the Boston Red Sox in 1990. In both cases Al made the final throw.
For many of us the 1987 World Series was a highlight of our sports loving lives. “The 1987 World Series was the first with games played in an indoor stadium, the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome. It also was the first World Series in which all games were won by the home team. The bottom half of the ninth inning was never played in any game of this series and this was the first and only time this has ever happened.” Source Wikipedia
Al talked about the reception that was held in the dome after the team returned from Detroit having won the ALCS Championship. There were 50,000 fans that cheered for the team as they walked around the field. It was awesome. A couple of the Sertoma members were there cheering. A relief pitcher, Juan Beuringer, walked with the team carrying a brief case. I have always wanted to know what was in the briefcase. After the meeting I asked Al, “What was in the briefcase?” “Booze” is what was in the briefcase. A six pack and some small Vodka bottles from the airplane. Mystery solved.
The APHC show this week is live from the INB Performing Arts Center in Spokane, Washington. Special guests include Elvin Bishop and his Big Fun Trio with Bob Welsh on guitar and Willy Jordan Jr. on percussion. Friend Aoife O’Donovan is back to deliver songs with a voice as clear and bright as the air of the Columbia Plateau. Kate Beahen joins Tim Russell and Fred Newman in the Royal Academy of Radio Actors. Garrison will bring us up to date with the News from Lake Wobegon. Enjoy the show.
“Thing turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out.” John Wooden
April 29th, 2016 by Gary Osberg
Today is the birthday of a couple of very important men in the music world. Willie Nelson was born in Abbott, Texas in 1933. There is no doubt about his genius and his contribution to the music industry. He is still going strong.
The other genius born on this day in 1942 was Bill Kling. He started what was to become Minnesota Public Radio, here on the third floor of Wimmer Hall on the campus of St. John’s University in January of 1967. Yet another genius, Garrison Keillor, spent a week in Nashville writing a piece about the Grand Ole Opry for The New Yorker in March of 1974. He was sitting in a hotel room listening to the show on the radio when the idea came to him to do a radio show back in Minnesota. When he got home he went to Bill Kling with the idea and in Garrison’s words, “He took it hook, line and sinker – no committee meetings, no exchange of memos, no long discussions, just a plain yes – and A Prairie Home Companion went on the air July 6, 1974.” It is very impressive when one genius recognizes the genius of others. Happy birthday Bill.
The APHC show this week is the second of two live broadcasts from Texas, this time form the magnificent Grand 1894 Opera House in Galveston. Singer and songwriter Stephanie Davis joins Garrison to sing a few duets. She is a fourth generation Montanan now making her home in the Lone Star State. Literary mezzo-soprano Jennifer Rivera will be on hand with a few songs, right at home in the Romanesque Revival Hall. The Royal Academy of Radio Actors and the band, directed by Rich Dworsky, will fill the bill. The latest News from Lake Wobegon will focus on spring and gardening. Enjoy the show.
“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to get through this thing called life” Prince – from the 1984 song “Let’s Go Crazy”
April 22nd, 2016 by Gary Osberg
The Quadrangle houses The Great Hall, the original church on campus. Construction was started in 1868 and the date on the outside of the building is 1879. The new Abbey Church was consecrated in 1961. The famous Bauhaus architect Marcel Breuer designed a building that still is considered too modern for some tastes.
Today The Great Hall serves as a greeting and gathering place. Many concerts are performed every year. Student concerts, choral groups from all over the world and many local musical organizations use The Great Hall to entertain and inspire. Early this morning the stained glass windows were vibrating from music recorded by Prince. The same music that my 16 year old daughter played on her small record player in her bedroom. At the time I regretted not have ceilings in the kids bedrooms in our modern lake home. They could lie in their beds at night and look at the stars through the clerestory windows.
There is no denying that he was a genius and he will be greatly missed. Tune in to thecurrent.org for music by Prince or if you have a HD radio you can find The Current at 88.9-2 in St. Cloud.
The APHC show this week is live from deep in the heart of Texas. The first of two broadcasts from the Lone Star State. Tomorrow’s show is at the Bass Concert Hall at the University of Texas campus in Austin. Troubadour and rambler Joe Ely, Max Baca and Los Texmaniacs, join Garrison to add conjunto fireworks courtesy of the bajo sexton and accordion. Heather Masse is back once more to sing a few duets with the host. The Royal Academy of Radio Actors will entertain us with a variety of skits. Politics may even be one of the topics. Enjoy the show.
“Life is one grand, sweet song, so start the music.” Ronald Reagan
April 14th, 2016 by Gary Osberg
It hit 78 degrees on my on-board temperature display. Wow! Spring and summer all in one day. I am going to the cabin tomorrow to meet with a landscape professional, so this is going out early. In case you had not heard, Ira Glass is coming to the College of St. Benedict on Saturday April 23rd. “This American Life” is one of the most popular radio shows on the air. The event is called “Reinventing Radio: An Evening with Ira Glass”. I will be in the lobby working a table, so please consider getting some tickets and coming to the campus in St. Joseph. Go to www.csbsju/edu/WOW The show starts at 7:30 so you will have time to eat at either The Local Blend or Bello Cucina. You can make reservations at Bello Cucina by calling 363-4534. I am sure that their patio is open tonight and it may be open that evening unless it snows.
The APHC show this week is back at The Town Hall in New York City. Chris Thile is co-hosting and demonstrating some superhuman mandolin licks. He plays an instrument built in 1924. John Fullbright will join the gang all the way from Oklahoma with a cache of well-honed melodies and heart wrenching songs. Aoife O’Donovan will stop by to sing a few songs that will make you sit up and listen hard. And Christine DiGiallonardo returns this week to bring a little Bensonhurst to Broadway. The band and the Royal Academy of Radio Actors fill out the bill. Enjoy the show and enjoy the evening.
“Our main business is not to see what lies dimly at a distance, but to do what lies clearly at hand.” Thomas Carlyle
April 8th, 2016 by Gary Osberg
It feels more like February out there. I feel sorry for the tulips and the robins. I just heard that maybe next weekend we might see the temperature hit 60. It will be nice to open the windows.
On Tuesday I will get my right eye cataract removed. Then I have to wait for 6 weeks before Dr. Dubow can prescribe new glasses. I lost most of one of my eyebrows in a bike accident, so I feel weird about going without glasses. It is truly a miracle of science. Even with the relaxing drugs, I could hear everything. They used what sounded like Duct tape to strap my head down to the table. That brought a smile to my lips. When you get old, you too will need to deal with this. Do not be afraid. The world of color is worth it.
The APHC show this week is another live broadcast from The Town Hall in Midtown Manhattan. Rob Fisher will return, along with a 16-member Broadway Choir featuring the best singers The Great White Way has to offer. Garrison will also welcome Carter Brey, the principal cellist of the New York Philharmonic and a globetrotting musician who has played with everyone you can think of. The Royal Academy of Radio Actors will perform with scripts that will amaze, astound, and astonish. Garrison will bring us up to date with the News from Lake Wobegon. Enjoy the show.
“The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing. One cannot help but be in awe when he contemplates the mysteries of life, the marvelous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend a little of this mystery every day. Never lose a holy curiosity.” Albert Einstein
April 1st, 2016 by Gary Osberg
I took a vacation day on Monday and it was spring like out there. I managed to get some yard work done and best of all I did not have a back ache Tuesday morning. It was even warmer on Tuesday and when I got home from work I plugged in the bubbling boulder and it worked. Hopefully soon it will be warm enough to have my first cup of coffee on the porch with the boulder bubbling. Very relaxing.
On Wednesday I had a cataract removed from my left eye. It is a miracle. The colors are so bright. I tested at almost 20/20 yesterday when Dr. Mitchell did the post-op exam. The only problem is that I had no idea my hair was so gray and my teeth were so yellow. Now I have to spend $30,000 on caps. There is a reason that nature does the things that it does. We are happier when see our reflection in the mirror with cloudy lenses. I suppose it would be simpler to remove or cover the mirrors.
From Writer’s Almanac: “Today is April Fools’ Day, a day of hoaxes and practical jokes the world over. Newspapers and other media often get in on the act, with phony news stories, and people always fall for them. In 1957, the BBC reported on a bumper spaghetti harvest in Switzerland, accompanied by images of farmers pulling down great strands of pasta from the “spaghetti trees.” In the April issue of Sports Illustrated in 1985, George Plimpton reported that the New York Mets had recruited a phenomenal young pitcher who had learned his craft in a Tibetan monastery. The pitcher’s name was Sidd Finch, and he could throw a 168-mile-per-hour fastball. Plimpton buried a clue in the article’s subtitle: “He’s a pitcher, part yogi and part recluse. Impressively liberated from our opulent life-style, Sidd’s deciding about yoga – and his future in baseball.” The first letter of each word spelled out “Happy April Fools’ Day – ah fib.”
The APHC show this week is a live broadcast from The Town Hall on West 43rd Street in New York City. `Vasen’ is tuning up their many strings for a blast of mind-bending music from the North Sea. Heather Masse is making the trip down form her upstate farm to join the aging host on a few duets. Rob Fisher returns with the Coffee Club Orchestra and a roster of tunes. The usual cast of characters will entertain us all with a variety of skits. In the News from Lake Wobegon, the arrival of spring will lead the way. Enjoy the show.
“No man ever sank under the burden of the day. It is when tomorrow’s burden is added to the burden of today that the weight is more than man can bear.” George MacDonald
March 25th, 2016 by Gary Osberg
There is no activity on campus today. The students are on spring break and the staff has the day off for Good Friday. The postmaster was surprised to see me.
A local story about two dogs attacking a woman in St. Joseph reminded me of my experience in Vienna, Austria. I was an Army brat and we lived on the second floor of an apartment building at 41 Gregor Mendel Strassa. I was nine years old and I was the leader of a small street gang of dependent and Austrian children. Our apartment was across the street from a huge house with a fenced yard occupied by a Colonel in the Fifth Army. There were two boxers in the yard and one of the kids stuck his hand through the linked fence and a dog took his mitten. The kid starting crying and I offered to go in and get his mitten. By then the dogs had moved to the opposite corner of the yard and when I starting walking towards them they rushed at me and knocked me down. I covered my face with my arms and they chewed on my arms and legs. After what seemed like a long time, a neighbor we called “The Fire Man”, because he stoked the large furnace in our apartment building, came to my rescue.
I remember walking home crying and when my mother opened the door she fainted. I spent many weeks in the Army hospital. For some reason they did not stich the wounds, so Ma spent a lot of time rubbing olive oil on the scars to lessen the redness. I was afraid of dogs for a long time, but I did get over it. Time heals most wounds, some just take a while longer. The Colonel bought me a new winter coat.
The APHC show this week is a rebroadcast of a show which aired March 29, 2014. Willie Watson performs “Mexican Cowboy”. Jearlyn and Jevetta Steele sing “You Make Me Feel like a Natural Woman” and Hilary Thavis and Butch Thompson play “Mamie’s Blues”. In the News from Lake Wobegon, the Lutheran Church holds its Lenten soup suppers. Enjoy the show.
“No man is worth his salt who is not ready at all times to risk his well-being, to risk his body, to risk his life, in a great cause.” Teddy Roosevelt
March 18th, 2016 by Gary Osberg
Signs of spring checklist:
1) Earth worm on sidewalk sighting. 2) Birds chirping in the morning.
3) Wooden protective sleeves removed from Abbey Church Banner. 4) Ice out on Lake Sagatagan
5) State basketball tournaments. 6) Students wearing shorts and flip-flops.
7) Return of snow birds from Arizona. 8) Tulips sticking out from flower beds
9) Wooley bear caterpillars on ground. 10) Scent of skunk in the air on the ride in to campus.
All of the above have been checked off, so life is good. If you need a bucket list/check list format for yourself, just ask and I will send you one.
The APHC show this week is a rebroadcast of a show which aired on March 22, 2014. Special guests include Celtic masters “Battlefield Band” performing “Eight Men of Moidart”. Butch Thompson plays “Late Winter Night’s Dream” and Hilary Thavis joins Garrison on “Nobody Knows You”. In Lake Wobegon, Carl Krebsbach considers robbing a bank and receives a mysterious phone call. Enjoy the show.
“Ring of Kerry” performs at 1:30 today and 7:30 this evening at the Paramount Theater in Downtown St. Cloud and the first Downtown Art Crawl of 2016 is tonight from 5pm until 9pm.
“Three-fourths of the people you will meet tomorrow are hungering and thirsting for sympathy. Give it to them, and they will love you.” Dale Carnegie
March 11th, 2016 by Gary Osberg
The forecast is for highs in the 60s. You have to love that. I was going to wait until May first to plug in my bubbling boulder, but at this rate I may try sooner. Last fall I placed two contractor bags filled with insulation and a tarp over the boulder. I am hoping that the pump did not freeze. If you want a bubbling boulder in your yard, simply google Spinner Landscape. They are located on highway 25 north of Buffalo.
Frank Underwood is evil. Last night I watched the final episode of season 4 of “House of Cards”. Frank and his wife Claire are still fighting to stay out of jail. Kevin Spacy and Robin Wright star as the President and the First Lady in this great Netflix show. For over two years I had no TV except Netflix and in my opinion it is well worth the investment. I now have cable since my son is launching “The Outdoor Report” on Fox Sports North and Fox Sports Wisconsin in July. Also, I am a PBS Newshour fan.
The final episode of Downton Abbey aired last Sunday. I was expecting to find out that Match.com was the new corporate sponsor because everybody ended up with a love partner except Barrows. I was hoping that the father of Edith’s little girl was going to show up at the wedding, but the writers chickened out. They even had the minister do the “Speak now or forever hold your peace” bit, and he paused for a while after saying it. They never did tell us what happened to Michael in Germany, he just disappeared.
The APHC show this week is a rebroadcast of a show that aired in March of 2011 from the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. Special guests include Emmylou Harris and Sara Watkins. The Civil Wars sing “From This Valley”. Music City all-stars Sam Bush and Stuart Duncan team up on “Diamond Joe”. The usual cast of characters will entertain and Garrison will announce the arrival of spring in Lake Wobegon. Enjoy the show.
“What is a weekend?” Maggie Smith as the Dowager in Downton Abbey.
March 4th, 2016 by Gary Osberg
Good morning from Collegeville,
Goal setting is necessary for success in all walks of life. Goal setting is vital in the world of business to business sales. A prevalent process for setting goals uses the acronym, S.M.A.R.T.
S = Specific M = Measurable A = Attainable R = Realistic T = Time bound.
Yesterday was my grandson’s seventh birthday and already he has learned the value of setting goals. Last year he told his dad that he wanted to catch 10 different fish. One by one, he placed a check box on the poster board in his bedroom. It was early November when he and his dad landed a 46” muskie, the last one on the list.
This morning Erik sent me the new list along with a photo of Walleye Willie and the walleye that he caught thru the ice. I have attached the 2016 Bucket List. The first three have already been caught.
The APHC show this week is a live broadcast from the Milwaukee Theatre in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Special guests include guitarist Willy Porter and singer Carmen Nickerson performing finely crafted songs and intricate melodies. Christine DiGiallonardo will sing some duets with the host and show off her Broadway-honed acting skills. Howard Levy will bring his harmonica to play along with the house band.
The usual cast from the Royal Academy of Radio Actors will entertain us with skits and Garrison will bring us up to date on the News from Lake Wobegon.
“Clear definition of goals is the keynote of success.” Edison Montgomery
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