May 14th, 2010 by Gary Osberg
Good morning from Collegeville,
A friend of my son’s decided to attend the Kentucky Derby and he was willing to place a bet for both of us. Erik is the President of the Chamber in Wadena and they had a “Super Saver” promotion going and “Paddy O’Prado” had a Minnesota connection. I decided to bet on “win, place or show” because Paddy had done just that in all but one of his races. Erik bet on Super Saver “to win”. We watched the race on TV of course and it was obvious that Erik had won his bet but I had to wait a while to find out that my horse had come in third. Erik has a Derby mug with my winnings inside.
My trip to Bozeman was uneventful. Aunt Maggie is doing well. She invited me to attend her “Writer’s Group” at the Senior Center on Tuesday and the “Middle Creek Women’s Club” meeting on Wednesday. The cheesecake with boysenberry was awesome. I left on Thursday and had to drive thru snow all the way to Dickenson. Even though the Bonneville has 212,000 miles on it, there was not a hick-up. What is the record for miles on an alternator anyway?
The show this week is a special springtime compilation program in an effort to revive warm weather on the tundra. Special guests include Stephanie Davis singing “Springtime Feeling in My Heart”, poet Donald Hall reading a Jane Kenyon poem about warm weather and springtime is bath time for Dusty and Lefty. VocalEssence sings “Welcome Spring” and Rob Fisher plays Spring Fever. Are we sensing a theme here? Enjoy the show.
“Enthusiasm is the key not only to the achievement of great things but to the accomplishment of anything worthwhile.” Samuel Goldwyn
April 30th, 2010 by Gary Osberg
Good rainy morning from Collegeville,
We do need the rain. The tulips are beautiful. I picked a few from the yard in Upsala and brought them indoors. I am not sure how they migrated to the yard, but they come up every year. With the help of Kerry and the girls, I did get the yukon golds in the ground. Now both tillers need repair and if I can get that done, we may have a garden after all. There is no one in Upsala that works on small engines anymore.
Tonight is opening night at Fisher’s Club in Avon. This is their 78th season. George “Showboat” Fisher retired from major league baseball in 1932. He had played for the Washington Senators and the St. Louis Cardinals. He had no desire to get tied down with a year-round job so he opened Fisher’s Club on the northeast shore of Middle Spunk Lake. A savvy nightclub owner from St. Cloud suggested that George try selling walleye and so he created a secret breading recipe and the legendary Fisher’s Famous Walleye was born.
After a couple of years of being closed at the end of World War 11, Fisher’s reopened in the summer of 1946. They decided to make it a “bottle club”. It remains a bottle club, so if you want a hard drink, you will have to bring your own bottle. The liquor inspectors made the new ownership stop the practice of allowing patrons to store their bottles in the lockers built into the wall. The lockers are still there with the names on the doors. They do serve wine and beer.
In 2005 Garrison Keillor and some of his local friends purchased Fisher’s Club and it re-opened in the summer of 2006. “Spending hot summer nights on the lake with fine friends, good food and a cool beverage is what Fisher’s has always been about.” Check them out at www.fishersclub.com or call for reservations 320-356-7372. Be sure to try the Bee Bop A Ree Bop Rhubard Pie for dessert.
The show this week is another live broadcast from New York City. Special guests include singer-songwriter Justin Townes Earle, vocalist Heather Masse and stage actress Kate Beahen along with the Royal Academy of Radio Actors. Enjoy the show.
“It’s a matter of putting one foot in front of the other, or just doing the next right thing, so to speak” Michael J. Fox
April 23rd, 2010 by Gary Osberg
Good morning from Collegeville,
This may very well be one of the nicest weeks for weather that we have ever had in central Minnesota. Pleasant sunny days and cool nights plus no bugs as of yet. If you can, please treat yourself to the great outdoors.
This morning I saw a “gathering” of wild turkeys on the side of the road as I traveled from St. Joe to Chamber Connection in St. Cloud. The “tom” had his feathers spread out. I suppose it is mating season for wild turkeys and other species as well.
Chamber Connection was at Granite City Food & Brewery. I had no idea they were a white linen napkin kind of place. The breakfast was awesome. They don’t open for breakfast except on weekends. Saturday brunch starts at 9 AM. I may have to give that a try. They also sell a “Growler” to go. A “Growler” is a 25 oz jug of beer with a special cork. You purchase the “Growler” and then bring it back for refills. The story is that in the old days folks would carry beer home from the local tavern in a galvanized pail. Rumor has it that when the beer sloshed around the pail, it created a rumbling sound as the CO2 escaped through the lid, thus the term “growler” was coined.
My dad served in the Pacific theater during World War 2, so I had to sign up for HBO so that I could watch the 10 part series, “Pacific”. Dad was posted in the radar room in the bowels of a destroyer escort. One of the first campaigns of the war in the Pacific was Guadalcanal. Shortly after the Marines landed, the Japanese navy arrived and sank every one of the destroyer escorts. Dad’s ship was stationed off of Okinawa for two months. It was a matter of timing. He never talked about it very much, but some day I plan to read the trunk full of journals that he left in the attic.
The show this week is “live from New York, its Saturday night” at The Town Hall. Special guests include singer-songwriter Sara Watkins, acclaimed actress Debra Monk and pianist extraordinaire Rob Fisher. The Royal Academy of Radio Actors will fill out the bill. Enjoy the show and the weather.
“Be not angry that you cannot make others as you wish them to be, since you cannot make yourself as you wish to be.” Thomas a Kempis
April 17th, 2010 by Gary Osberg
Good morning from Collegeville,
It is a “10” on the weather chart today in central Minnesota. I love this early spring. The pink tulips that I planted on Barby’s patio are starting to bloom. The ones in Upsala are getting too much shade, but they try anyway. I hope to get at the garden on Sunday.
I have a signed purchase agreement on the little yellow house in Upsala and all we need now is for the financing to go through. That will be a relief.
Yesterday I attended the funeral of Jim Gilbertson, a friend who I usually saw only twice a year. Nine couples would set up camp every year on Cedar Lake west of Upsala to celebrate the 4th of July. We did this from 1974 until 1988. In 1976 there were 13 rigs, from a two man pup tent to a 35 foot motor home with a color TV. The pup tent belonged to my brother Geoff. Jim and his wife Delores brought the motor home with the color TV.
The group was a blend of city folks and Upsala folks. Jim was a friend of a fellow that lived in Mpls but had grandparents that lived in Upsala. Larry and Jim both married girls from Upsala and broke the hearts of a lot of Upsala boys. Later on we also started to go to the Holiday Inn in St. Cloud on the second weekend in February. When we started this tradition we had to sneak the food and beverages into the hotel, since the policy of the hotel was no food in the rooms. They wanted you to eat at their restaurant and use their vending machines. Now if you go to the Holiday Inn on any weekend in the winter time, the halls around the pools are laid out like a smorgasbord. Jim was a good old boy who ended up running JR’s with his wife Dee in Ramsey. He served as the Mayor of Ramsey and loved life. He will be greatly missed. I am sure that the “celebration of life” in the dining hall behind JR’s went on for a long time yesterday.
The show this week is a live performance from the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark, New Jersey. It is the 10th annual Talent Tee-Off. Five lucky bands will get their shot at national bragging rights and the coveted Silver Water Tower trophy, based purely on the listener response both inside the venue and live on the internet. Special guests include Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks plus the usual gang. Enjoy the show and enjoy the weather.
“I have never seen a man or a woman who could do real work except under the stimulus of encouragement and enthusiasm and the approval of the people for whom he or she is working.” Charles M. Schwab
April 9th, 2010 by Gary Osberg
Good morning from Collegeville,
It is a beautiful sunny day in central Minnesota. Our trip to Phoenix and Sedona was awesome. We flew US Air for the first time. It was a smooth flight, but two small children had to use barf bags as we landed. That is the first time that I have had that experience.
My sister and her husband have a home in Sun City West, a Del Webb project that is special in many ways. The city has five rec buildings available to owners and guests. Owners are required to pay an annual fee for access. There are volunteer posse members that drive the same kind of cars as the official police. A group of volunteer men clean the steets on Saturday mornings. The rec buildings have indoor pools, outdoor pools, pool tables, lawn bowling and stained glass classes. There is no excuse for boredom in Sun City West. In the morning you go out in the backyard to pick an orange for your breakfast. What a life.
We spent two nights at The Lodge At Sedona, an award winning bed and breakfast inn. Not only do you get a gourmet breakfast, but they serve a 2 PM snack and a 5 PM appetizer. Next time we do plan to ask for a room that does not have anyone staying in a room above. You can get info at www.lodgeatsedona.com or 800-619-4467. We visited Jerome on the way back to Phoenix and our first stop was the lobby of the Connor Hotel of Jerome. We picked out a turquoise ring which made the desk clerk very happy since it was her son Robby who had created it. Their rooms are spectacular also. We plan to go back to Arizona many times.
The show this week is a live performance from the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee. Special guests include Chet Atkins protégé’, singer, songwriter and guitarist Steve Wariner, legendary record producer and songwriter Cowboy Jack Clement and The Dave Rawlings Machine. Andra Suchy has become a regular guest and her duets with Garrison are a joy to listen to. Enjoy the show.
“To simplify your life and spend your energy and time on things that are meaningful to you, you must acquire a knack for saying no.”
Robyn Paper
March 26th, 2010 by Gary Osberg
Good sunny morning from Collegeville,
I attended Chamber Connection this morning so this is a little late. Greg and Tama Theis hosted 180 of us at Mi Famiglia in downtown St. Cloud. The breakfast was first class, with silverware and linens, everything that you would expect from a first class couple and a first class restaurant. Greg E. Theis Remodeling is celebrating 25 years of serving the central Minnesota area. Check them out at www.getremodeling.net
Well, now I have another “itis” to add to my collection. I was diagnosed with “Burs” itis in my left hip to go along with my “Tendon” itis in my right wrist. Bursitis of the hip is the most common cause of hip pain. It is good to find out that it is not serious. The recommended treatment is rest, ice and special exercises’. Not serious enough to keep me from going to Arizona with Barby for a week of warmer weather.
We leave tomorrow and plan to spend some time with my sister and her husband in Sun City West and a couple of days in Sedona. If you have not been to Sedona, you should plan to visit before you are unable to travel. The scenery is very special and there are vortexes along the trails that help to quiet the spirit. The show this week is live broadcast from the Paramount Theater in Seattle, Washington. Special guests include eclectic singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile and Juno Award winning Canadian folk trio The Wailin’ Jennys. The usual cast of characters will present a variety show to please most.
I still am looking for a renter for the little yellow house in Upsala. It is a small three bedroom on a large corner lot. Contact Amy Holmen at 320-291-0882. If you purchased the house, the total payment for principal, interest, taxes and insurance would be less than $600 per month. A heck of a deal.
“It is often said that life is but a day. But let us reverse this statement and say with greater awareness that each day is a life. Each day is a new opportunity for service” Sir John Templeton
March 19th, 2010 by Gary Osberg
Good morning from Collegeville,
Old man winter is making a comeback today. Wednesday and Thursday were very nice, some sun and temps in the fifties. Rich and his student grounds crew are getting an early start on cleaning up the campus. I took an afternoon off on Wednesday to work on the little yellow house in Upsala. The renters moved out at the end of February and I am looking for new tenants. The folks that moved out had signed a purchase agreement, but then they backed out of the deal. It made no sense to me, since the total of principal, interest, taxes and insurance was going to be less than the $600 rent that they were paying. If you know anyone that would like to live near a school in a small town on a large lot, let me know. They can rent it for $600 a month plus utilities or buy it for $79,900. I will even do a contract for deed.
I am feeling a little bit like an old man myself. I have had a kink in my hip since last Sunday. Barby and I joined Russ and Carol along with some others at Orchestra Hall last Sunday evening. Wynton Marsalis and his jazz band where great entertainment. They performed a set of new music composed by members of the band. Some of it was a bit weird, but the crowd loved it. Somewhere along the walk to the car afterwards, I started to limp. I have a doctor appointment next week.
The Cowboy Junkies are performing Saturday night at The Paramount Theater in downtown St. Cloud. We hope to make it there. To check the events, go to www.paramountarts,org
The show this week is a special compilation of live events that were performed this week on the “MS Ryndam” sailing around the Western Caribbean with Garrison and the gang from A Prairie Home Companion. Special guests include songstress, Connie Evingson, the ambassadors of Cajun culture, BeauSoleil, Heather Masse, Andra Suchy, Jearlyn Steele plus Robin and Linda Williams. Enjoy the show. “The young do not know enough to be prudent, and therefore they attempt the impossible, and achieve it, generation after generation.” Pearl S. Buck
March 12th, 2010 by Gary Osberg
March 12, 2010
Good rainy morning from Collegeville, I heard thunder for the first time this year yesterday. According to the weather man, we have not had thunder since last October. Spring cannot be too far away. The forecast calls for temperatures in the 50’s for next week. I love it.
The wrist is still not good so the doctor ordered an MRI. Now I know what torture is like. The angle was bad and the pressure point on my arm seemed to cut off the circulation. They give you a panic button, but you know that if you push it you have to start all over again. They provide you with headphones so that you can listen to music and the operator can give you words of encouragement. It seems to me that she said “only a few more minutes” quite a few times. I was in there for almost 30 minutes. I made it through it and I hope that I don’t have to do it again.
This week is pledge week on public television and on Monday night they showed a documentary about a group named Young@Heart, a choral group of older folks that perform contemporary music. It was very inspirational. Music is perhaps one of the greatest gifts that we have been given. If you want to see for yourself, simply go to www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4kqfYsOe4M
The show this week is another sampler show featuring bits and pieces from two shows performed at the Fitzgerald Theater last fall. Special guests include singer-songwriter Neko Cade, Jeff Tweedy of Wilco, Patty Loveless plus Jearlyn and Jevetta Steele singing “Baby I Love You”. Enjoy the show.
“March is God’s way of showing those folks who do not drink what a hangover is like”. Garrison Keillor
March 5th, 2010 by Gary Osberg
Good sunny morning from Collegeville,
I attended Chamber Connection at the St. Cloud Civic Center this morning. Over 170 folks got together for coffee, fruit and rolls for only $1 plus their business card. The draw was the Central Minnesota Builders Association Home Show which opens at noon today and runs through Sunday at 4 pm. Chamber Connection is an awesome way to end the work week and I highly recommend that you try it out. Everyone gets to introduce themselves and state a tag line if they choose. Mine is “Good morning, my name is Gary Osberg and I represent Minnesota Public Radio where you too can reach a unique audience with your unique message”. It works. The best tagline in my opinion is from Tom Albers of Borgert Products, “stones with style”. It says it all in three words.
This week we launched a new radio service in the Saint Cloud area on HD Radio. The Current has been serving the Twin Cities and Rochester for over 5 years and in essence: “The Current brings listeners the best authentic new music alongside music that explores the roots and influences of music.” Since 2005 it has been available in central Minnesota, and the world on the web at www.thecurrent.org and now, if you choose to invest somewhere between $70 and $400 in a new HD radio you will be able to tune it to 88.9-2 and hear great music with only a few minutes of “marketing and branding messages” each hour. You also can purchase a HD radio for your car at Best Buy in on Division in St. Cloud.
The show this week is a mix of Joke Shows from the past. If you love good jokes and bad jokes be sure to tune in.
“Every organization needs pitchers. These are the people who come up with new ideas. Every organization needs catchers, too. These are the people who champion the charge to implement the great idea.” John Holmes, Jr.
February 26th, 2010 by Gary Osberg
Good frosty morning from Collegeville,
Between the Winter Olympics games and the tribute to Oscar on Turner Classic Movie Channel, I have not kept up with my Netflix diet. I really think it is time to get out my 35 year old Norwegian cross country skis and wax them up. The only way to beat these winter blues is to (a) get out of town or (b) take part in the “games”. One of my underwriters is involved in the Dark House Society. You sit in a small shack on the ice that has no windows and stare into a 3 foot by 5 foot hole cut in the ice dangling a “decoy”, a chunk of basswood carved to resemble a large minnow, painted in bright colors and weighted with lead to ensure it sinks instead of floats. The idea is to throw a spear at a large “game fish”. Of course there has to be a rope tied to the end of the spear. I am quite sure that I have such a spear in the rafters of the garage at The Parsonage in Upsala. It seems to me that I bought it at Pastor Ray Johnson’s auction in Upsala years ago. What the heck, it may be the best way to spend the month of March until Barby and I fly to Phoenix the last Saturday of the month for spring break.
The show this week is live from the Fox Theater in Detroit, Michigan. It is going to be a soulful live broadcast with special guests soul music writer and performer legend “Sir” Mack Rice, the Great Lady of Soul, Bettye Lavette, soul sisters Jearlyn and Jevetta Steele and the Guy’s All Star Shoe Band. Enjoy the show.
“Love is the magician, the enchanter, that changes worthless things to joy, and makes right royal kings and queens of common clay. Love is the perfume of that wondrous flower, the heart; and without that sacred passion, that divine swoon, we are less than beasts; but with love, earth is heaven, and we are gods.” Robert Green Ingersoll.
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