January 28th, 2011 by admin
Good morning from Collegeville,
This is the last Friday of January and February is the shortest month of the year. I have received the first seed catalog in the mail and it makes me feel better just to think about the garden. The old timers have always said that it is good idea to have the potatoes planted by Good Friday and this year that will be April 22nd. My favorite potato variety is the Yukon Gold.
The oldest seed company in New England is Comstock, Ferre & Company in Wethersfield, Connecticut. William Comstock and his father Judge Franklin Comstock purchased Wethersfield Seed Gardens in 1838. Judge Comstock crafted a light pine box with hinges and hooks and placed the seed boxes in stores throughout New England and as far west as the Mississippi River. Many a young man got his start in sales by traveling from state to state delivering and collecting seed boxes.
The new owners are Jere and Emilee Gettle and they are working to return Comstock, Ferre & Company to it’s glorious beginnings as an heirloom seed company. They are planning a huge celebration with the Greenhorn’s Seed Circus on June 5th. You can follow their progress online at
www.comstockferre.com
The show this week is live from The Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul. Special guests include Texas born mandolinist/violinist Richard Kriehn, saw player Andy McCormick and the finest alto who ever dwelt in a Yurt, Heather Masse. Enjoy the show. Garrison is bringing the show to Bemidji on February 12 and Morris on February 19th. Ticket info for Morris is online at
www.morris.umn.edu Click on the “Prairie Home Companion” box. I apologize for not warning you that the show last week was the annual Joke Show.
“Leadership is achieved by ability, alertness, experience; by a willingness to accept responsibility; by a knack for getting along with people; by an open mind and a head that stays clear under stress.” E.F. Girard
January 21st, 2011 by admin
Good chilly morning from Collegeville,
The car thermometer read 22 degrees below zero this morning. That is cold. They say that this will not last and that we may hit 30 degrees above next week. We have already picked up 32 minutes of daylight since the Winter Solstice, so there is light at the end of the tunnel.
Fifty years ago yesterday, John F. Kennedy spoke the words, “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.” Although that is the most often repeated portion of his inaugural speech, there were many other very memorable portions. I Googled “John F Kennedy inaugural” and I was able to listen to the first few minutes online. Finally, I went to Amazon and ordered a DVD that promised to contain the entire speech. The saddest thing is that only 1,035 days later he was shot and killed in Dallas.
Last night HBO broadcast a new film tracing JFK’s life with a lot of home movies and thankfully they left out those awful images that were shown on TV over and over in November of 1963. They did show 2 year old John John saluting his father’s casket. And now we have Tucson. All we can do is to try and help these folks before they set up for the assassination attempt.
On a lighter note, the wonderful teenage fiddler Catie Jo has been invited to join the cast of A Prairie Home Companion in Morris on the U of M campus on February 19th. You can still get tickets by going
online. Northrop Ticket Office is handling the ticket sales. There is a “Pretty Good” reception in the campus Student Center from 2 PM until 4 PM. The show starts at 4:45 sharp. “No Late Seating”
This week the show is back at The Fitzgerald Theater and Garrison is back at the helm. I thought that Sara Watkins did a pretty good job hosting last week, but it was not the same without Garrison as the host. Guests on this weeks show include Vocal Essence under director Phillip Brunelle along with Andra Suchy. Enjoy the show and I hope to see you at Morris.
“Let us never negotiate out of fear, but let us never fear to negotiate.” John F. Kennedy 1/20/1961
January 14th, 2011 by admin
Good cloudy morning from Collegeville,
According to the weather guy on MPR this morning, we have had some snow flakes every day in January except this last Wednesday. There is a gloom over all of the land anyway due to the senseless violence in Tucson last Saturday. The forecast looks like more of the same with some below zero weather. What can we do to bring some cheer and sunshine into our lives? Well one of the many emails that came my way this week offers some good advice.
High Impact Training is a local company with national reach. They are a new sponsor of the Marketplace Morning Report on 88.9 KNSR in central Minnesota. They offer the following suggestion.
www.highimpacttraining.netBe it resolved that I, ______________ (state your name), will; upon the occasion of the New Year, embrace the following:
1. I will be nicer to myself less critical and judgmental. More like my own best friend.
2. I will move my body a bit more and bring more oxygen into my heart and brain.
3. I will ask for help when I need it.
4. I will accept help when it is offered.
5. I will walk into and out of work grateful for the opportunity.
6. I will find humor in something every day and give it a good hearty laugh.
7. I will count my blessings more often than my slights.
8. I will compliment someone every day, sharing my positivity with them.
9. I will think, “Do I really need/want this?” before I just buy something.
10. I will find a way to give something to someone less fortunate than I.
Let it be further resolved to make 2011 a wonderful year! Tracy Knofla, Featured Consultant, High Impact Training
The show this week is a very special live show from The Fitzgerald Theater. Garrison will be turning over the hosting duties to Sara Watkins. Other guests include claw hammer-banjo jammer Abigail Washburn and American musical storyteller Tom Brosseau. The usual cast of characters and The Guy’s All-Star Shoe Band will fill the bill. Enjoy the show.
“Dost thou love life? Then do not squander Time; for that is the stuff Life is made of.” Benjamin Franklin
January 7th, 2011 by admin
Good morning from Collegeville,
Well, I didn’t get a call from Mark Dayton to head up any of the agencies. His loss. Just joking, wild horses could not drag me down to the Metro area to work for a living. I love that the commute to work is 6.2 miles. Barby got me a new Garmin 1300 GPS for Christmas and come to find out that the shortest route from Wimmer Hall to St. Joe is out the back way using County Road 159. I am having some trouble figuring out how to “save to favorites”, but other than that I love it.
As you may have heard, Garrison is coming to western Minnesota in February. The APHC show will be broadcast live from the campus of the U of M Morris on Saturday, February 19th. This morning he announced that on the January 15th show, Sara Watkins will be the host and he will be a guest. Strange. If you are a fan, I suggest that you get tickets to the show as soon as possible. Go to
www.morris.umn.edu and click on the “Prairie Home Companion” link.
By the way, I still have a couple of “on-air message packages” available that include tickets to the February 19 show in Morris. “You too can reach our unique audience with your unique message”
The show this week is the first of a run at The Fitzgerald Theater in downtown Saint Paul. Special guests include the incomparable Nellie McKay plus a tune for 4 (count ’em 4) fiddles for the New Year with Deena and Sedra Bistodeau, Catie Jo Pidel and Richard Kriehn. Catie Jo was at the State Fair show a few years ago. She appeared to be about 12 years old. I still remember the green framed glasses. I wish that I had tickets to the show. The usual cast of characters will be there to entertain as well. Enjoy the show.
“All good writing is swimming under water and holding your breath.” F. Scott Fitzgerald
December 30th, 2010 by admin
Good morning from Collegeville,
It has been a very quiet week in Collegeville. I have often said that the week between Christmas and New Years is a good time to get out of town, however, now I dread flying and driving is dicey. Maybe next year I will book the cabin and simply catch up on novel reading.
Christmas was a delight. Barby ventured out on Christmas Eve to Santa’s workshop, otherwise known as Doodle Town Toys in Big Lake. She took her eldest grandson, Elijah, age 5, with her and they had quite the adventure. They got lost and stuck in the snow a couple of times. They had a great time selecting from the collection of hand made wooden toys. Elijah made sure that a couple of pull toys were included and a tractor with wagon filled with blocks made a wonderful gift for Charlie. You can check them out at
www.doodletowntoys.com
My family gathered at a party room in an apartment complex on Christmas Eve day which worked out quite well. My new plan is to send money to my children and they select the gifts for the grandchildren. That way, I am surprised at the same time. The adults draw names, which simplifies the process.
Last year Barby and I went to see Louie Anderson at The Paramount Theater in downtown St. Cloud on New Years Eve, but this year we are staying in close to the fire to watch Northern Exposure and eat Chinese take out. Louis will be at The Paramount on New Years Day at 7:30 PM. Tickets are available at 259 – LINE or
www.paramountarts.org
2010 has come and gone, and hopefully, 2011 will bring a few more jobs for many. I will forward Minnesota Public Radio job postings once in a while to help to spread the word.
The show this week is a broadcast of the Christmas show from last Saturday that did not go out as planned. Special guests will include poet Sharon Olds, authors Ian Frazier and Mary Gordon plus playwright and author Paul Rudnick. Musical guests will be Rob Fisher Broadway stars Kristin Chenoweth and Christine DiGiallonardo. Enjoy the show.
“What every child wants to know is: ‘Do your eyes light up when I enter the room? Did you hear me and did what I say mean anything to you?’ That’s what they’re looking for. That’s what everybody is looking for.” Toni Morrison
December 20th, 2010 by admin
Good morning from Collegeville,
Seven days until Christmas Eve. I am almost done with my shopping and I plan to wrap gifts this weekend. There is no doubt that we will have a white Christmas this year. On Monday night the Monticello gang and I attended the George Maurer Jazz Group concert at The Paramount Theater. George always delivers a fresh package. You can purchase his CD’s at the St. John’s Bookstore in Sexton Commons. They make good stocking stuffers. If you have never taken in one of their concerts, you may want to plan on next year.
Children love Christmas, as well they should. As with most families, some years Christmas gifts were easy to come by and some years they were hard to come by. The Christmas of 1956 was a memorable one for me. My mother had to take an apartment in Little Falls, having left Dad after years of his not being very responsible. That Christmas, Santa brought us six big Tonka Toy 18 wheel trucks. There was a cattle truck, an oil tanker, a freight truck and three more. This was a perfect gift for a family with five boys. For years I had the impression that they were from a social agency that served the poor. It turned out that the gift giver was Dewey Johnson, a classmate of my mother, who was acquainted with one of the founders of Tonka Toys. Dewey had already passed on before I learned this from my mother, so I did not get a chance to thank him.
Perhaps you know of a family that has come upon hard times and they could use a Secret Santa.
The show this week is live from The Town Hall in New York City. Special guests include mini-orchestra Pink Martini and world renowned Operatic Baritone Nathan Gunn along with the Royal Academy of Radio Actors. Enjoy the show.
“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
December 10th, 2010 by admin
Good morning from Collegeville,
Christmas Eve is two weeks from today. I think that I have it covered, but I still have a couple of gifts to buy. I used to wait until Christmas Eve, but I have improved in the regard. I trust that your plans are all coming together.
This week my old friend Wes had to bury his mother Ethyl. Wes was one of the oldest members of The Black Knights Car Club in Upsala. I was the youngest member. He also was the driver of his dad’s 1950 Ford on the night that we were in a drag race with another member. I was riding shotgun. The Ford slid off of the gravel road into the left side ditch and hit a bridge. I can still remember the horn blaring, the rear tires spinning and the sound of the windshield breaking. I had put my arm up to protect my face and the force of the impact broke my wrist. I was a sophomore at Upsala High and that fall I had to stand on the sidelines instead of playing football. The sling that held my broken wrist did provide a perfect place to hide the “tools” that I shoplifted. The car club had plans to drop a V8 engine into the 1936 Chevy Coupe that the club had acquired from our leader, Duane, (AKA “Punk”). The car was stored in a garage that was behind the house that my mother rented on Borgstrom Street in Upsala. When the County Sheriff showed up at my front door with a search warrant, Ma fainted dead away. They were going to charge her with “fencing”. We had hidden some stolen goods in the barn next to the garage. The club house was an old chicken coop next to the barn that we had cleaned out. The garage is still there, surrounded by trees growing out from the foundation.
The entire gang was brought to trial in the Morrison County courts and we each received a sentence of six months probation. “Punk” was held in the county jail for almost two months without bail. Our school superintendent was named as our probation officer. Two of the gang went to the reform school in Red Wing, but they both went on to lead productive lives. One was a successful franchise salesman and the other is a lay minister in the Twin Cities area.
The show this week is a live broadcast from the Town Hall in New York City. Special guests include poet emeritus of the known universe, Billy Collins, Broadway bandleader, Rob Fisher with cornerstone of the jazz keyboard, Dick Hyman and the DiGiallonardo Sisters. The usual cast of characters will help us to get into the holiday mood. Enjoy the show.
“All that a man does outwardly is but the expression and completion of his inward thought. To work effectually, he must think clearly; to act nobly, he must think nobly.” Channing
December 3rd, 2010 by admin
Good morning from Collegeville,
Thanksgiving dinner at Erik and Jena’s was wonderful. Erik soaked the turkey in salt brine overnight and he roasted it breast down. That was a hint that he picked up by listening to Lynn Rosetta Kasper on MPR. He also made a sweet potato pie that was to die for. If you would like the recipe for the pie, let me know.
This summer Auntie and Cousin Odd from Norway came to campus for a visit. After having lunch at the “Refrectory” we toured the “new church”, (built in 1961). I showed them the chapel that was the subject of my weekly note back in November of 2007. The remodeling of the small chapel began by cutting a new door into the one foot thick concrete wall. This made me a little nervous, but it seemed to be fine. The next week a contractor was applying new plaster to the ceiling. I watched the young man and noticed that he was putting it on real thick, like about two inches thick, and they had not added anything to the old concrete ceiling, no lath or perforated metal as you would use for a stucco job. I thought to myself “this is not a good idea.” The next Friday morning I walked past the project and almost all of the new plaster was on the floor. Some of the plaster clung to the edges. On the following Monday morning there were no workers present, but it was all cleaned up. By Tuesday afternoon I noticed the contractor’s truck was back. On Wednesday morning I stopped by and there were two workers and a fellow with a clip-board. I could see that perforated metal had been attached to the ceiling. I stuck my head in and commented. “I saw what you were doing in here last week and I thought to myself “this is not a good idea”. “I am sorry to see that I was right”. The man with the clip-board replied with a smile, “and we are sorry that you didn’t stop us sooner.” Sometimes it pays to speak up. Just because the signage on the truck says that they are experts doesn’t mean that they don’t make mistakes in judgement.
The show this week is live from the Town Hall in New York City. Special guests include, but are not limited to, The Imposter, Elvis Costello and Sola’s great dubliner John Doyle. The usual cast of characters will help to kick off the holiday season. Enjoy the show. Enjoy the snow.
“Once you replace negative thoughts with positive ones, you’ll start having positive results.” Willie Nelson
November 19th, 2010 by admin
Good morning from Collegeville,
Indian Summer is over. The forecast is for lows in the teens tonight. It is hard to believe that next week is Thanksgiving already. “Over the river and through the woods, to Grandmother’s house we go…” Now, grandmother has a townhouse in the city and there is hardly room for all of the family. My grandmother on my mother’s side owned a grocery store in Upsala, Minnesota, so Thanksgiving Day was a big deal. She would fix not one, not two but three entrees, turkey, roast beef and a small pork roast. My job was to fill the crystal glasses with ice and water from the cistern pump. “Gram” would always start out with a prayer and then an apology for the quality of the meal, “I don’t know why I keep doing this, I simply can’t seem to cook like I used to.” The food was delicious. I think that is where we got the Lutheran guilt from.
I will be going to my son Erik’s home in Wadena for Thanksgiving Dinner. Erik loves to cook and I am looking forward to seeing the grandchildren. I plan to stay away from the stores on the “busiest shopping day of the year”. I don’t shop, I buy. Waiting in line is one of the hardest things for a “recovering jerk” to do. Thank goodness for prepay gas pumps so that I don’t have to stand in line while someone chooses from the hundreds of lottery tickets that are available.
The show this week is live from the Brown Theater at the Wortham Theater Center in Houston, Texas. Special guests include , western swing and hot jazz ladies of Fort Worth, The Quebe Sisters Band, Texas-born mandolinist/violinist Richard Kriehn and the Cherubin of Midland, beloved mezzo-soprano Susan Graham. Enjoy the show.
There will not be a note next Friday, the day after Thanksgiving.
For those of you who are real public radio fans, check out this rap song. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxRgNnue-zk
“The real messages of hope in our generation are not those to be bounced from the moon, but those to be reflected from one human heart to another.” Kenneth S. Wills
November 12th, 2010 by admin
Good morning from Collegeville,
Yesterday was Veterans Day, which started as Armistice Day which commemorated the cessation of hostilities on the Western Front in Europe, at eleven o’clock am on the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1918. In many parts of the world, people take a two minute moment of silence at 11 am as a sign of respect for the roughly 20 million people who died in the “war to end all wars”.
I visited the grave site of my father and my uncle at the Gethsemane Church Cemetery in Upsala and then I stopped to see Bob Holmen Sr. and Aymer Nelson who live in an assisted living facility in Albany. I found them in the dining hall sitting down to lunch. The staff offered me a plate and I joined a woman and two men at a table. The food was great. Pork chop, squash and potatoes. The dinner rolls were very tasty. I visited with a Mr.. Wolf who used to own the John Deere dealership in Albany. He had once attended A Prairie Home Companion at the Fitzgerald and he was bold enough to go up on the stage and visit with Garrison afterwards. His daughter and Garrison had a lengthy conversation.
Before I left I went back to Bob and Aymer and thanked them both. Bob was on a destroyer in the Pacific and Aymer went on the beach at Normandy on D Day. My dad served on a destroyer escort in Pacific. He was a radar man, spending hour after hour in the bowels of a “tin can” while the fighting raged around him. In one of his journals he wrote: “The two months at Okinawa were hell.” We owe a great deal of thanks to all of those men and women who have fought to protect this country. War is hell, but the warriors are not to blame. When you meet a man or women in uniform, simply offer them your hand and say, “Thank you for serving”.
The show this week is live from The Saint Augustine Amphitheater in Saint Augustine, Florida. Special guests include The Nashville Bluegrass Band and Floridian vocalist, guitarist and harmonica heavy JJ Grey shares his own brand of southern rock and soul. The usual cast of characters will entertain you. Enjoy the show.
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement; and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly; so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.” Theodore Roosevelt
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