Sr. Perspective

Couple dedicated 54 years to park

Steve Palmer — Wed, 01 May 2013 08:58:15 +0000

The years have gone fast.
The accomplishments many.
The stories and memories, priceless.
For long-time Fort Ridgely State Park Ranger Mark Tjosaas, 30 years on the job in one place wasn’t something he anticipated.
“I thought it was only going to be a stopover on my way to other positions but years later I realized that sometimes you don’t find a job, it finds you,” he said.
But now his public service career has ended. He retired in February and together with his wife Brenda, combined 54 years of dedication to Fort Ridgely, located six miles south of Fairfax.
It’s a special place where they experienced many events, challenges and changes at one of the more interesting historic pieces of real estate in the Minnesota state parks system.
Tjosaas started his 44-year career in 1969 as a 17-year-old teenager working three summers for his dad who was the manager at Upper Sioux State Park located near Granite Falls.
After two years of college at the university in Morris and basic training with a National Guard unit, Tjosaas continued working in state parks until he came to scenic Fort Ridgely as a park technician in 1982. He continued in that role until 1997 when he was promoted to the park manager position. Brenda joined the staff at Fort Ridgely in 1989 and worked up to becoming an office administrative specialist for the next 24 years before recently accepting a promotion at neighboring Flandrau State Park in New Ulm.
Established in 1911, Fort Ridgely has the only park-operated golf course in Minnesota and as the years went on under Tjosass’ leadership, it became his passion.
The golf course was built in 1927 and featured sand greens until an artificial turf named Mod Sod was installed in 1988. Although an improvement, the carpet-like greens eventually deteriorated by 2005 when construction began on a $2.1 million golf course renovation. The newly redesigned course now has real grass greens and an irrigation system was installed.
Tjosaas downplays his efforts with the golf course improvements and credits the grassroots citizens support of the Friends of Fort Ridgely organization that assisted with the project as it moved through the state legislature.
“I think my work with the golf course kept me here all these years but the new layout might not have happened without the Friends testifying at the capitol before committee hearings about its importance to the park,” said Tjossas. “I believe they helped make a change in state parks direction for the project and Senator Dennis Frederickson’s initial legislation for funding was important.”
While all Minnesota state parks have their own identity, Fort Ridgely is unique with many options for varied interests including the historical aspect of its involvement during the battles associated with the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862.
During his tenure at Fort Ridgely, Tjosaas recalls the numerous events and work that transpired and he says he’s proud to have been “at least a part of the most positive ones.”
He recalls one of the largest events ever held at Fort Ridgely occurred in 1987. That year the Fort Ridgely Historical Festival observed the 125th of the U.S-Dakota War. The gathering attracted 15,000 visitors including over 100 Rendevous encampment participants.
“That event was held for several years but ‘87 was the apex. It was hard to top that year again and then we ran into a two or three year stretch of bad weather that took a lot of tents down,” said Tjosaas. “We were fortunate nobody got hurt.”
For years Summer at the Fort Theater performances were held in the park’s amphitheater until the series ended in 1984. But Tjosaas says some Bluegrass Music Festivals along with the long-running Prairie Fire Children’s Theater continues to be held each August and brings young people to the park.
Camping has always been a popular activity near Fort Ridgely Creek and Tjosaas recalls the big flood of 1993 that caused considerable damage to campsites and the lower campground road.
Then there was the time when another heavy rainstorm upstream forced a 2 a.m. Memorial Day weekend evacuation of campers. “We watched the water rise to the top of the creek banks before we started knocking on doors telling people it would be in their best interest to leave until it got light again…fortunately the water didn’t overflow that night,” he said.
Mark and Brenda have many stories to tell of the people they’ve met over the years at the park. The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) of the 1930s played an instrumental role in building many of the park shelters and other infrastructure. “One year I had a man stop at our office who told me he laid the cornerstone for the park staff residence that the CCC built which still stands today,” said Brenda. “It was interesting for me to talk with him about that since Mark and I lived in that same building from 1983-92.”
Mark also recalls the day he got a report from someone who complained three golfers were out on the course hitting golf balls at the pop machines by the old No. 4 hole.
“I went out there and found them all dressed rather odd,” Mark said. “One man was wearing a housecoat and another guy had a furry winter hat on his head. I asked them what was going on and wanted to see their green fee receipts but they didn’t have them. I said, ‘how do you think you could play golf without paying’ and they told me they thought it was like going bowling when you paid after you were done playing,” he laughed.
Due to the historical nature of the battles fought at Fort Ridgely and the remaining foundation ruins, many artifacts have been found over time. Some have been turned into the office while Mark knows many others have been removed.
“But one of the nicest things happened one day when a horse rider was on a trail ride and while crossing a bridge over the creek noticed something unusual down in the water,” Mark noted. “He waded in and found an old buffalo skull which he brought to us to put on display in our park office…that showed he appreciated the sense of value artifacts have in belonging to this site.”
As much labor intensive work is involved with maintaining a golf course Tjosass says the effort was worth it in other areas. “An outgrowth of the golf course was the formation of a new recreation resource in the park as the irrigation pond has been stocked with fish and visitors can do some panfishing other than trying to catch trout in the creek,” he said.
Tjosass also mentioned that without the archaeological studies conducted for the new golf course construction, an ancient fire ring believed to be as old as 8,000 years would not have been discovered. “That otherwise wouldn’t have been found so another benefit that probably will be added to the park is an educational self-guided interpretive walking trail to the site,” Tjosaas explained.
According to Tjosaas, the need for additional interaction with the public is one major change park staff has had to include in their daily work. “When we were given more latitude to be proactive in area communities and contacting people on behalf of the park it meant juggling time spent being administrators and caretakers. Because of that drain on time it seemed like we were always struggling to get the day-to-day basics done,” he commented.
Tjosaas said parks finally recognized that more clerical help was needed to handle the office workload. “Brenda took a lot of the recording, reporting and computer time responsibilities so I could concentrate more on outside activities,” he said.
“We’ve probably had 100 people come and go on our staff over the past 30 years,” said Mark. “We did the best we could during that time and all of them made the experience for what it was, I was blessed to have really good people who worked with me at Fort Ridgely using their talents to the best of their abilities.”
While the responsibilities and annual budget frustrations are behind him now, Mark says he has many mixed feelings about calling it a career. “But I will always look back on my time as being well-spent and mostly enjoyable,” he said.
“I think there are a lot of good memories,” added Brenda. “Mark wanted to be a good steward here and I think he was…we were little specks in Fort Ridgely history and we had an interesting time taking care of it,” she said.

Photo Gallery: May Photo Album

srperspective — Wed, 01 May 2013 08:53:00 +0000

Brainerd woman teaches as she trains

Sheila Helmberg — Wed, 01 May 2013 08:45:56 +0000

It’s hard to find Helga Fleischhacker sitting still.
She is an avid bike rider. She rides from Brainerd to Merrifield and back every day in the summer months (the round trip is about 14 miles on the nearby Paul Bunyan trail). A couple of times a week she rides even further, all the way to Nisswa (a 32 mile round trip). The change in seasons and the arrival of winter doesn’t mean Helga stops exercising either.
“In the winter I like to snowshoe and cross country ski, and of course I always do my walking,” she says. Helga is 71.
She is also the teacher on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings for the Bone Builders class at the Brainerd Lakes Area Senior Center. Helga has been heading up the Bone Builders group for the past six years. She first attended as a participant.
“We started out with just two or three people in class,” she said. “One day the instructor told me she was going to stop teaching and asked me if I’d like to take over. I didn’t know if I wanted all that responsibility but I thought about it and I said I would do it.”
Three people grew to a group of six, then ten and after a while Bone Builders outgrew its previous class space and was moved to a larger area. She has only missed class three times and today over 30 people are registered.
Each person is greeted with a friendly hug as they enter Bone Builders by Helga and her helper, Sandy. “It’s just the way we start our day,” she says smiling. “It’s almost like a family. You get to know each other so well.” Participants have to be given the go ahead by a doctor and then Helga eases them in to the routines. Class members have varied in age, up to 91.
These days when Bone Builders meets and most of the class, men and women, show up they count out the holds and repetitions with Helga as she leads the group. They do a variety of leg lifts and arm lifts, stretches and other moves like bending their knees and walking in between the exercises, that help them limber up and build strength during the half hour class. Soothing music plays in the background on a CD player as Helga moves from one exercise to the next stopping periodically for a brief break so the group can get a drink. These workouts will help them get rid of a few kinks and ward off osteoporosis, which causes bones to be brittle and weak, and other ailments. “You can use weights for some of the exercises. Weight exercise is better yet. A lot of people cannot do the weights, though and that’s okay. I tell them do whatever you can. They start out with half a pound or a pound weights.” Because she exercises regularly, she uses three pound weights at class. “At home I use my five pound weights,” she says.
Helga and her husband, LeRoy, have lived in the Brainerd area for over 20 years. LeRoy worked for Potlatch and Helga drove school bus for a few years. They have a daughter that lives in Colorado. Helga has always been a fan of exercise and has made it is still a big part of her daily life.
She likes it that she is an example to other seniors about how good keeping in shape can be for you as you get older if your doctor approves. “The only thing I’ve ever had done medically,” says Helga, “is I had my appendix out when I was a child.” She believes it is also part of the reason that she has been fortunate and is not on any medication.
Some of the members of the Bone Builder’s class have come to class after recommendations from their doctors. Others say after they’ve been in the class a while and go in for check-ups their physicians have noticed an improvement in their muscle mass and strength. “A lot of the girls say when they go to the doctor and talk about osteoporosis and osteopenia, the early onset of osteoporosis, their doctors have said say if you are able to do a little exercise it might not progress any further,” said Helga. “People have come to class and said the doctors have told them they should go to that exercise class at the center,” she says proudly.
“I get up early every morning while my husband is still sleeping. I go downstairs in our apartment where there is a workout room and I work out.” She said she spends about a half an hour on the Bow flex. “I’m very blessed. I feel pretty good. I do believe in exercise and I believe exercise and eating right are the big keys to staying healthy,” she says and she invites company to tag along. “I will take other people out snow shoeing with me if they want to go.”
Helga and LeRoy go to the senior center every day for lunch. And even though she was hesitant at first she’s happy she decided to teach Bone Builders three days a week, “I do enjoy that,” she says. “I’m a people person and there is a lot of nice people there,” she says.

Sauk Rapids rock hound

Cathy Nelson — Wed, 01 May 2013 08:33:23 +0000

Man has been collecting agates for 20 years

Lyndon Johnson’s love of rock-hunting began early in life when he learned about agates from his grandparents and parents. Johnson, who lives in Sauk Rapids, said collecting agates didn’t become a passion of his until his own two daughters got old enough to go on walks with him. Then it became a family hobby. He has been collecting them for nearly 20 years now and he has one of the world’s largest personal collections of Lake Superior agates. That translates to about 900 pounds of agates. He has found most of them in Central Minnesota and he’s proud of the fact that he’s never bought one. In response to the question about how his collection got that large, Johnson said, “Once you find one, you want to find more. You’re hooked.”
Lake Superior agates are the oldest agates in the world and are sought after by rock enthusiasts. In 1969, the Lake Superior agate was chosen as Minnesota’s official gemstone.
Johnson recently spoke to the Breakfast Club at Stearns History Center Museum and Research Center. He has written a book about Lake Superior agates and he gives presentations to groups at schools, libraries and city halls. His collection was recently on display at Benton County Historical Society.
Lake Superior agates were formed over a billion years ago, following a period of lava eruptions in the area of Lake Superior. Iron, quartz and other minerals were deposited into the lava in concentric layers creating agates. The layers give the agate the circles which look like rings on a tree. Ten thousand years ago, erosion and glacier movement caused the volcanic rock to break down and be carried away from the Lake Superior region to areas throughout Minnesota and into Iowa. “The reason why Lake Superior agates are so sought after by people all over the world is because they are so diverse. There are no two alike,” Johnson said. He explained it’s because Minnesota has such a variety of minerals like gold, copper, iron and diamonds.
Johnson is frequently asked: What is an agate and how does it differ from another field rock? “An agate is a gemstone,” he said, “ and to be considered a gemstone, it will be translucent. When you look into it with a magnifying glass or jeweler’s loupe, you can see into it. If you can’t see into it, it’s not an agate.” Agates don’t always have lines. They can be a solid color. Agates are also dense, whereas a more common rock such as chert, is more porous. He calls chert an “agate wannabe.” When in doubt about whether or not a rock is an agate, Johnson’s advice is to pick it up and bring it home. He washes each rock with soap and water and then inspects it using a 10-powered jeweler’s loupe under natural light. Artificial light does not work as well. A jeweler’s loupe is good for seeing small details more closely and you can get them for under $10. “If you are a rock hound, get a jeweler’s loupe,” advised Johnson.
He uses Original Armor All on cleaned-up rocks to bring out the color and to make them look natural. “It beats other oils and doesn’t make them slimy.”
Johnson said that wherever there may be rock can be a good place to hunt. He has found agates on roads, in fields, by lakes and river’s edges, in gravel pits, at construction sites, in the backyard… “You never know where you will find one,” he said. “I’ve walked a field for 3 ½ hours and gone back the next day for another 2 ½ hours and not found anything. On another field, where I wondered if it was really worth it, I took two steps and found one.” He likes to hit the fields before spring planting begins and he said last spring, with its warmer-than-usual temperatures, was his best spring ever. He added that he respects farmers by always asking for their permission before entering a field.
It takes some practice to become successful at agate hunting. You have to train your eyes on what to look for and when to look. Johnson, a marathon runner, has discovered agates while running. “When a rock is dusty and dirty, you can’t always tell if it’s an agate. So, when in doubt, dig it out,” he said. “I have plenty of junk rocks under my deck.”
The largest Lake Superior agate ever found weighs 34 pounds. Johnson’s largest agate is a ten pound Crazy Lace Moss agate which he found after a storm in July, 2003. He wasn’t certain it even was an agate until he dug it out and washed off the mud. He was overwhelmed with excitement when he realized what he had found. His “treasure” sat on the kitchen table for the next couple of months. In 2010, Johnson found a 2 ¼ lb. eye agate, the largest eye agate ever found. Eye agates, which are extremely rare, have perfectly round bands which look like eyes on their surface. They typically weigh only a few ounces. In his 20 years of collecting, Johnson has collected about five pounds of them.
When asked if he is like a fisherman who won’t disclose exactly where he caught a fish, Johnson said he does give up some details about where and when he found an agate. This information and photographs of his collection are included in his book, Lake Superior Agates, What to Look For, Lyndon’s Story. “There will come a day when I won’t remember the details myself,” he joked, “ so I keep records of them. My collection will go to my daughters some day.” As far as having a favorite agate, he said, “I can’t just pick one.” There are stories associated with many in his collection. His cousin gave him the nickname “agate magnet” after he picked up a rock while tubing on the Platte River near Royalton in 2004. He was dragging his hand on the river bottom, looking for agates when he grabbed onto and pulled up a 1¼ pound beauty.
Johnson does not buy or sell agates. People ask him all the time what an agate is worth. “I’ll give them my opinion,” he said. “ If you want to sell, you can look on-line or go to a rock shop or check the newspaper. But to get top dollar, go to the rock and mineral shows. At the biggest shows, people come from all over the world looking to buy Lake Superior agates. Then they’ll go back home and sell them for more money.” He recommended a show in Moose Lake and a larger show held in Hopkins.
Some hobbyists cut and polish the agates and some make jewelry. “That’s fine if you want to do that. It’s your choice,” Johnson said. “I can’t slice them personally. It’s rare to find them whole.” He recommended face polishing if you want to take one edge off and get an idea of what is inside. The rest of the stone is left in its natural state.
Johnson’s agate collection is displayed at the Benton County Historical Society each year during January and February and he gives group presentations throughout the year. He welcomes questions from other collectors. Any one interested in contacting him or ordering his book can email him at lyndondj1255@aol.com.

Let’s Go Fishing returns this month

Karen Flaten — Wed, 01 May 2013 08:25:04 +0000

Roger Benson has already had one distinguished career. A social studies teacher as well as the baseball and basketball coach in the Atwater school district (later Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City) for 36 years, Roger retired in 2005. Soon afterwards, he began volunteering for Let’s Go Fishing in Willmar, Minnesota. He may have been looking for something to do with his free time after retirement, but Roger got much more than that. After a busy summer taking seniors out on the lake, Roger was asked by the president of Let’s Go Fishing to take over the Willmar chapter. That was 7 years ago. Since his is a year-round position, Roger spends much of his time fundraising, marketing, writing grants, coordinating volunteers. In the summer months, Roger drives the pontoon, assists with guests, and does whatever is needed to keep the Willmar chapter going so they can keep taking seniors out on the lakes.

Let’s Go Fishing was established in 2002 by Joe Holm in Willmar, Minnesota. Joe had worked in the financial services industry for many years, but, according to the July 2012 issue of Senior Spirit Newsletter, decided to reassess his life priorities and do something to “give back.” Now in its 11^th year, Let’s Go Fishing of Minnesota has grown to 30 chapters in Minnesota as well as one chapter in Wisconsin.

The name focuses on fishing, but, as Roger explains, this is a people program. For many reasons, fishing and boating are often activities that seniors lose access to in their later years. Let’s Go Fishing strives to get seniors involved in an activity that they will enjoy and which brings them pleasure and creates positive memories. The mission statement says it all: “enriching the lives of individuals 55 years and greater through fishing and boating excursions that build relationships and create memories.”

The organization works with nursing homes, assisted living facilities and adult day centers, as well as senior clubs and organizations as it puts together its scheduled outings. Often, activity directors plan the trips and sign up those who want to attend. Let’s Go Fishing is also open to working with individuals and small groups. They have extended their outings to include school groups and people with disabilities, as well. This year, they will be taking 200 or more Willmar 4^th graders out during the last week of school to learn about water safety.

In order to meet safety requirements, Let’s Go Fishing requires chapters to purchase their own pontoons. Manufacturers have agreed to build pontoons to certain specifications for Let’s Go Fishing. A Let’s Go Fishing pontoon is made just a bit more sturdily than most pontoon boats, with three pontoons, rather than just two. The extra one is under the decking to provide additional stability on the water. Other specifications include individual seating with captain’s chairs, canopies for sun protection, and reinforced rails for the protection of seniors and other groups. These specifications are reviewed and upgraded on a yearly basis. With the pontoon purchase program, Let’s Go Fishing has a program that maintains consistency across the state.

Some of the smaller chapters share pontoons between them. In the northern part of Kandiyohi County, the Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa chapter shares a pontoon with the Paynesville chapter. The chapters decide which dates the pontoon will be available to each chapter. This year, Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa will have the pontoon and can schedule excursions on May 12-25, June 13-26, July 10-27, August 11-24, and September 8-21. Senior groups in the Belgrade, Brooten, or Elrosa areas may reserve the pontoon by calling Betty Braegelman at (320) 254-8215.

The Paynesville Area Chapter of Let’s Go Fishing is planning to have the pontoon on the Chain of Lakes, Rice Lake, Koronis and Long Lake this year. They will have it alternating weeks with the Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa chapter. They have just learned that they have an opportunity to partner with the Women Anglers of Minnesota and use their volunteers for fishing guides on May 28 and 29th. Planning is still being done for special events on those dates. Some highlights from the Paynesville chapter of Let’s Go Fishing in 2012 included an outing with three “100 year old” clients, a family that came all the way from Germany to enjoy Minnesota lakes, and an outing for a nursing home that brought home 74 huge sunfish. They are always looking for volunteers and people who want to go on excursions.

The Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa chapter of Let’s Go Fishing plans to hold their annual “Fish Fry & Silent Auction” fundraiser on Friday, May 3, 2013 from 5-8:30 PM at Brother’s Bar in Belgrade.

The Willmar chapter expects to be finished with its fundraising efforts by the end of April. They are having a Volunteer and Training meeting on May 1st at 6:30 pm in the Dethlef’s Senior Center in Spicer.

Dave Csanda, of the Brainerd Lakes chapter of Let’s Go Fishing, says his chapter has been around for 3 years. This year they will take out about 1200 seniors. They cater heavily to the senior facilities in the area, but also take out some individuals or younger folks. They usually go out on Gull Lake, Rice Lake (actually the Mississippi River above the dam) and Bay Lake, which is located between Brainerd and Lake Mille Lacs. They focus on these moderate sized lakes since it is easier to get out of the wind and bad weather on a smaller lake. To his knowledge, none of the chapters takes seniors out on Lake Mille Lacs. Due to its size, Lake Mille Lacs is less predictable and more prone to bad weather and high winds.

You don’t have to love fishing to go on a Let’s Go Fishing trip or to volunteer. Many of the outings are pleasure cruising rather than fishing. In fact, the Willmar chapter books about fifty percent of their excursions as cruises rather than fishing trips. On a cruising trip, the pontoons are filled. When the trip involves fishing, there are more volunteers and fewer guests – usually at least 2 volunteers in addition to the driver. That way everyone gets help if they need it. Let’s Go Fishing focuses on still fishing, not trolling. The pontoon driver takes the pontoon to a good fishing spot and volunteers assist guests with getting their lines in the water, and with any other help they need. On a Let’s Go Fishing trip, everything is provided for the guests except the fishing license. (Senior residents of certified assisted living facilities and/or nursing homes are not required to have a MN fishing license, nor do Minnesota residents over the age of 90 or youth ages 15 and under need a license.) Included are life vests, rods, reels, bait, snacks and bottled water. Volunteers escort you to the pontoon and get you settled. Let’s Go Fishing also asks that you bring a sense of humor and abide by their no smoking rule. Smokers can light up before they get on or after they get off.

The Willmar chapter plans most trips for Green Lake in Spicer, which is known for its good bass fishing. If they judge the day to be too windy, however, they go to Long Lake near Hawick. Excursions are scheduled Monday through Thursday during the summer months. The Willmar chapter is currently scheduling trips for the 2013 season.

Roger has found a rewarding second career as Director of the Willmar chapter of Let’s Go Fishing. Although he enjoys the many challenges of his position, it is the people that keep him coming back. He has met many people from different walks of life who have become volunteers for Let’s Go Fishing. Roger has found that many of these wonderful volunteers have become friends. Of course, the guests are the main reason to be part of this organization. And bringing smiles to the faces of seniors and their families is what makes it all worthwhile. Roger tells of an older gentleman who thanked him with tears in his eyes, saying he didn’t think he’d ever go fishing again. Some guests have anticipated the trip to such a degree that they woke up early on the day of the trip. Roger has received many letters from families thanking him for the pleasure brought to their loved ones. Being part of this organization, Roger says, makes him feel proud and humbled at the same time.

Volunteers, says Roger, are always needed. In fact, in order to keep the organization operating at the level it has achieved so far, they continue to need additional volunteers. Volunteers can drive pontoons, assist with fishing, or help in other ways. If you have a little free time during the week, Let’s Go Fishing would love whatever help you can give.

Contact information for each local chapter of Let’s Go Fishing in Minnesota, is in the attached PDF.

Click here to view the PDF

Care for Some Kohlrabi?

Christie Schlueter — Wed, 01 May 2013 08:22:00 +0000

Kohlrabi is often an overlooked vegetable to plant in your garden. Mildly sweet, succulent kohlrabi is notably rich in vitamins and dietary fiber; however, it has only 27 calories per 100 g, a negligible amount of fat, and zero cholesterol.

Kohlrabi is a hardy member of the cabbage family. The name is a German word meaning cabbage, describing the turnip-like enlargement of the stem above the soil. Kohlrabi is not a root vegetable.

The leaves stand out like spokes from the part you eat, the rounded stem section, which is commonly referred to a bulb. Although it is quite exotic looking, it is really just a different horticultural form of the species to which cabbage, kale, broccoli and cauliflower belong. It has a nice mild sweet cabbage flavor.

There are a number of both white and really light green and also purple cultivars.

Here are a few varieties to think about:

Early White Vienna is a standard white variety with few leaves, 55 days maturity.

Early White Purple is a standard purple variety with flatter purplish leaves, 60 days maturity

Grand Duck produces vigorous small plants that are tolerant of black rot, matures in 45 days.

Granlibakken offers excellent texture and has a sweet and mild flavor, 45 days maturity.

Superschmelz is a giant type that grows uniformly large and remains very sweet and tender to the biggest sizes. You will get the best results with this cultivar when is sown in the summer for fall harvest, 60 days maturity. These seeds are available at www.territorialseed.com or www.rareseeds.com (Baker Creek Heirloom seeds)

Kohlrabi is easy to grow in full sun with a moist, well-drained soil rich in organic matter. Like other Cole crops, they do best in cool weather, but tolerate heat better than most members of the cabbage family. Sow seeds directly into the ground as soon as the soil is workable. For an earlier harvest, seeds can be started indoors 4-6 weeks before transplanting outdoors when the ground is ready. For a continuous supply through late spring and early summer, make small plantings every 2-3 weeks. Fall plantings should be sown in mid-summer. Plants are cold-tolerant and will survive in the garden long after the frost. Plan the planting so harvest will be a week or two after the first fall frost is expected.

Place the seeds 1/4-1/2 inch deep and thin seedlings to 2-5 inches apart, more if you are growing a larger variety. Keep the plants well watered as too much moisture will prevent the stems from becoming tough and woody. Cultivate carefully to avoid damaging the shallow roots. Fertilize before planting and again at mid-season.

Kohlrabi generally has few insect and disease problems. Plant disease resistant varieties when available and maintain vigorous plants. Avoid handling the plants when they are wet and remove any infected plants or plant parts.

Kohlrabi has the mildest and best flavor when small. Older kohlrabi tends to be tough and woody and it may have an off-flavor, except in some newer varieties, such as Gigante and Kossak that do not develop woody fibers in the enlarged stem. You can begin harvest when the bulbs are about one inch in diameter and continue harvesting until the bulbs reach the mature size for that variety. Pull the entire plant out of the ground, or cut it off at the ground level. The plant is excellent to eat raw or in stir fries and the leaves when small, then fried or steamed make a nice side dish with some butter and fresh herbs or salt and pepper.

Kohlrabi is an easy and carefree vegetable to grow, even if you just eat it raw you are adding vital nutrients to your body by eating the fresh vegetable in season.

Give it a try this year and you will become hooked to make it a regular in your garden every year. For some kohlrabi recipes go to my recipe blog cjinspirations.wordpress.com

In Your Garden: A unique raised bed

Bev Johnson, Otter Tail County Master Gardener — Wed, 01 May 2013 08:12:03 +0000

If you have wanted a raised bed but didn’t want to buy the cement blocks, or treated lumber or railroad ties, (both of the latter two need liners) or just don’t have the energy to build one, this may be a solution for you.

An Austrian farmer, Sepp Holzer made a name for himself by taking very poor land, in an area called the “Siberia” of Europe and turning it into one of the most productive farms in his country, and he did it the easy way.

It’s called Hugelkultur.

Simply take a pile of logs, stumps and brush and cover it with good soil. You now have a raised bed loaded with organic material, nutrients, and air pockets. As the years pass, the soil becomes extremely rich. The wood shrinks as it ages making smaller air pockets and becomes almost self tilling.

The first few years, the pile will heat as it composts. Use this to your advantage by planting a bit earlier than you normally would.

What a neat way to get rid of unwanted, dead trees. If you put live branches in the pile, it should heat more quickly. Add some grass clippings or green weeds, almost instant hot compost. The pile has natural air pockets encouraging composting and you have no after care.

If you don’t have trees and branches to start this type of plantable compost pile, or don’t have room for a pile like this, start small. A whisky barrel is an excellent planter. Because it is quite deep, most people fill it at least half full with empty pop cans, Styrofoam or even old planting containers.

Start by filling your container about half full with cardboard, newspaper, grass clippings, old blue jeans and manure keeping in mind that you want three parts brown to one part green. Now fill the top half with potting soil. You should get the same effect as the woodpile, that is the compost will heat and decompose. You will need to have a way for the bottom half to get aerated. A perforated pipe stuck in the middle of your barrel should do the trick. You can add water to the planter through the pipe, ensuring it gets all the way to the bottom of the planter. Do have good drainage in you barrel or your plants will need rubber boots in rainy weather.

It’s worth a try. Even if it takes several years to compost, you have gotten rid of a lot of paper and had fun experimenting.

Life on the farm

Jan Stadtherr — Wed, 01 May 2013 08:11:32 +0000

Writers, sisters share stories of their childhood

They remember the two-holer outhouse, milking the cows, ripe wheat chewed into gum, meat and potatoes at every meal, the one-room school house, picking rocks, dirt-creased skin, forts in the lilac trees, apple pies and cow pies.

Memories of life on the farm were churned up one evening in March as Candace Simar and Angela Foster shared their book, Farm Girls, with over 80 senior citizens at the Brainerd Senior Center.

Candace and Angela are not only writers, they are sisters. Farm Girls, a book of poetry and prose, was released in January by Riverplace Press in Brainerd and is the first book they have written together. They were inspired to do so as they were raised on a farm near Dalton in Otter Tail County in western Minnesota.

“While putting the book together, all things from our childhood came back to us,” Candace shared. “Our parents and grandparents would roll over in their graves if they knew we wrote poems about them.” The book was dedicated to the women’s siblings, Linda, Claudia, and Frank.

Like many other small Scandinavian communities in Minnesota, everyone knew everyone in the Dalton area. “And we are related to half the people in the cemetery, too,” Angela added.

The sisters are proud of their Scandinavian heritage that is reflected in their book, plus photos of their parents, grandparents and themselves on the farm where they were raised, and at times, still long for.

Candace, who lives near Pequot Lakes, has four other published historical novels – Abercrombie Trail, Pomme de Terre, Birdie, and Blooming Prairie. She loves to read historical fiction but never dreamed she would be writing about it.

“In 2000 I discovered that my great-grandfather (Evan Jacobson) had driven a stagecoach to Fort Abercrombie in the years directly after the 1862 Sioux Uprising. My son challenged me to write a book about it. I couldn’t back down,” she said.

Growing up on a dairy farm, she enjoyed listening to her grandparents who emigrated from Norway and lived upstairs of the large farm house. They told many stories including dust storms, passenger pigeons and the hardships of starting a new life in a new land.

“The names of my characters are mostly family names and lots of family stories are tucked into my characters’ lives,” Candace added.

Once her first book, Abercrombie Trail, was completed, she rewrote it twelve times and it was rejected by publishers 48 times during a nine-year period. While she waited for acceptance, she continued to write the two other novels as a continuing story with the same characters.

While working on Pomme de Terre, she took it to a Master Novel Class in New Mexico where she was told to write the book from the point of view of the Dakota Indians in addition to the immigrants. With a few other changes, Candace’s goal was reached.

“The publisher accepted all three books. Perseverance paid off,” she said proudly. Shortly after, Candace had a dream which inspired her to write Blooming Prairie, the fourth novel in the series.

She also writes poetry and has attended many workshops to improve her writing technique thanks to grants from the Five Wings Art Council.
“I always wanted to write, but I knew farmers, not writers,” Candace shared. “I never knew the process and all the work it takes to write so the workshops have been a great help to me.”

She added that her father wanted her to be a nurse. “I was a very compliant child and so I became a nurse.” She worked as a RN for 30 years including at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Brainerd, Good Samaritan and Good Neighbor Home Care.

Candace noted that nursing is a great source to help her in her writings as she writes graphically about illness and injury in her books.

She also journals every day on her computer and estimates she journals half a million words a year, which includes all her prayers.

“I journal the first thing every day, and then I can do my other writing,” she said. “I believe my best writing is yet to come.”

Candace also enjoys inspirational writing. She sends out a free weekly devotional, Sweet Honey from the Rock. Her writings can be found in the Christian Online Magazine, The Spirit-Led Writer, The Seed Sower, Living Each Day, and other sites online.

She is currently working on a book of short stories about the dairy farms in 1946 that will be fiction but actual history of dairy farms during that time. For a future book, she is researching information about logging camps in northern Minnesota and the bonanza farms that were started in the Red River Valley during the 1870s.

Candace has received various writing awards but says “her claim to fame” is having received first, second and third place in the Hackensack Art Fair poetry contest in which she was the only entrant.

She and her husband, Keith, have three grown children and five grandchildren. She speaks at many libraries, historical museums, civic organizations, schools, churches, and also many book clubs where her books have been read. She admits it’s been a lot of work but she said she has to do it to get her name out there. Keith usually accompanies his wife on her travels and helps to pack and carry the books.

“It’s been a real adventure!” Candace laughed.

Angela and her sister agree that they both have a good work ethic from being raised on a farm, having to milk cows every day and other chores. Today, Angela and her husband, Tom, live on a farm north of Pine City where they once raised beef cattle. Speaking from experience, she said, “I refused to have dairy cows as I knew how tied down we would be.”

Farm Girls is the first book that Angela, the youngest child in the family, has authored. As a poet, she has had many of her poems printed in various literary magazines. She prefers narrative poetry, one of over 50 types of poetry.

She is also a memoirist, a person who writes short stories of moments in their life but not their entire life, and she teaches classes on writing memoirs at the Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis, the largest literary center in the U.S. In September, she will teach a memoir class at the Madeline Island School of the Arts in Wisconsin.

Angela and Tom owned a sporting goods store for 20 years while they raised their four sons. They now enjoy three grandchildren
“I liked writing but I didn’t have the time while we owned the store where I did everything from cleaning the toilet to selling guns,” she remembered. After the store was sold, she finally had time to pursue her passion with encouragement from Candace.

At the age of 52 she earned her master’s degree in creative nonfiction from Pine Manor College in Boston, Mass. Over a two-year period, she went to Boston twice a year for 10 days to take classes and completed the remainder of her studies via email with a professor.

She has received many awards for her writings including the Carol Bly Award in Creative Nonfiction from Bemidji State University in 2004 and 2006. A memoir, Brat, was performed by the Petaluma Readers Theatre in California.

She wrote a haiku that was chosen for “Poetry on the Sidewalk” at the new library in Pine City. Haiku is a form of Japanese poetry that has three lines and does not rhyme. The first and last lines have five syllables and the middle line has seven.

In 2010, Angela brought home the grand prize hand-carved oak chair and the title “Bard” from the annual Cambria Eisteddfod Poetry Festival in New Ulm. And yet another honor bestowed on her was the “Pie Poet Laureate” for Braham Pie Days and she has an “apron to prove it.”

Her current works are memoirs on her years as a teenager and also life with her mother and father. She would like to start writing fiction. Angela’s success has been achieved in part with grants from the Eastern Central Arts Council.

The two writers do not talk with each other about the current projects they are working on, but rather wait until their creations are completed. Once the writing is finished, they will read and critique each other’s work, but believe their writing style is very similar. Each writer has a website: Angela’s is www.angelaffoster.com and Candace’s is www.candacesimar.com.

While working on new books, memoirs and poetry, Angela and Candace are also out promoting and selling their new book.

“I never thought that we would be doing this,” concluded Candace, “writing a book together and speaking in public.”
The farm girls will continue on their mission and share stories from their book . . .
“Uncle Louie almost always hit the coffee can spittoon with a perfectly aimed stream”
“We don’t pop the clutch on the tractor”.
“We know the thrill of Olly Olly Oxen Free and the click of fireflies in canning jars.”

They also included in their book that maybe someday they will be sitting on Oprah’s couch, and the TV mogul will ask, “Where did you farm girls find such talent?”

Little Falls artist making colorful ripples in the art world

Nancy Leasman — Wed, 01 May 2013 08:06:15 +0000

Kathy Braud remembers her moment of inspiration as well as the artist who inspired her to also become as artist. Angie Beaumont, a Little Falls artist and one who went to Kathy’s church, encouraged Kathy when she expressed her desire to paint like Angie.

An obstetrics nurse for 23 years, Kathy has gradually shifted her days from working with new mothers and their babies to experimenting with color and a variety of materials that produce that color. She wasn’t drawn to arrange flowers, fish in sunlit waters, ride carousel animals, or snowboard off cliffs, yet she has figuratively done all those things through her art. In order to paint flowers one studies flower arranging. To understand sunfish one must dip beneath the rippled surface and swim in their waters. To reproduce a carousel on paper one distinguishes between reality and fantasy and takes a circuitous route of minute color and brush decisions. In many ways, an artist lives vicariously yet Kathy has found that her art has taken her many places she wouldn’t have otherwise gone, and brought fascinating people, by way of the miracles of the internet, to her living room.

Kathy paints on her antique round kitchen table in one of the oldest homes in Little Falls. “I’m a solitary painter,” she said.

Situated across from the Pine Grove Zoo, the house is 120 years old and unlike many of its neighbors, has only had two owners: the family that built the home and the Brauds who purchased it from the last elderly member of that family.

Though her kitchen studio is bathed in indirect light from three directions, Kathy has found that a painter never has too much light. “I turn on every light I have,” she said. When her two boys were at home and she worked shifts at the hospital, she painted more at night. Now that the house is considered an empty nest and she’s officially retired from nursing, she paints during the sunlit hours. Working there also means she can stir up a quick meal to share with her husband, Jim, on his lunch break from Larson Boats.

Kathy discovered early on in her art career that, for her, learning from books had its limitations. Angie Beaumont loaned her a Watercolor Workshop book but it wasn’t long before Kathy needed some hands-on help. “A book doesn’t show in person what happens.” And what happens, particularly when working with watercolor, Kathy’s chosen medium, often isn’t exactly what the artist planned. Colors have a way of moving, blending and bleeding. The artist, like a cowboy on a horse, controls the cattle herd of colors as they race across the paper. Techniques, picked up along the trail ride, are the tools of control.

In the summer of 1994, Rose Edin offered a week long workshop class and Kathy quickly signed up. She hasn’t stopped exploring through demos, workshops, learning about new tools, techniques and styles since then. And gradually, she has shifted from student to teacher.

“I liked Rose Edin’s bright wonderful colors,” said Kathy, and that appreciation for color is apparent in her work. “Lately, I’ve been bringing those darks back in.” She’s also explored abstraction. She often works on full-sheet (22” x 30”) paper though occasionally half-sheet or quarter sheets seem the appropriate size for particular projects. A recently completed painting of a woman is on a quarter-sheet and pinned to a black felt board in Kathy’s living room (pictured right).

Kathy uses that black background when she photographs her work. She’s meticulous in documenting her work and good quality photos are a must-have when it comes to online marketing, something Kathy is aggressively pursuing.

For four years, Kathy and Jim, explored the highways and bi-ways of Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota and Wisconsin, attending outdoor art fairs. Though the experience taught her much about the art world from the perspective of an artist, from what other artists were doing and from what art buyers were attracted to, she harbored no affection for being at the mercy of the weather. “The rain, humidity and sun damaged paintings. At one show near a lake, male mosquitoes came out and crawled into everything.”

The changing economy of the first decade of the 21st century challenged artist’s livelihoods with dipping sales at art shows and festivals. Though the concept of starving artists may be familiar and the idea that artists create for the satisfaction of self-expression is commonly held, unless supported by a generous patron, an artist must sell their work to continue.

After those four years of putting her work in jeopardy, Kathy opted to nurture her connections with other artists through art organizations and to display her work at the art shows sponsored by those organizations. She is currently a member of ten organizations and has friends all over northern, central and metro Minnesota. She is a signature member of the Red River Watercolor Society. This RRWS status was achieved by being accepted into three national shows within ten years. She has earned four RRWS awards. Her work has been accepted five out of eight times in the juried Minnesota State Fair Fine Art Exhibit earning her a prestigious 3rd place in the watercolor category and two merit awards.

Kathy not only has made valuable connections in the art world, she has a significant presence in the “virtual” online world. Recently, a company from United Kingdom purchased her original “Northern Lights on Superior Shores” for their new branch office in China. A Minnesota poultry company also purchased an original painting of chickens for their corporate office.

Kathy regularly uploads images to her website on Fine Art America where she also maintains a blog and schedule of upcoming shows. Seven of her paintings have been accepted for the Söntés Spring/Summer 2013 show in Rochester, a block and a half from the Mayo Clinic, continuing now through mid-September. May 17-18-19, Kathy will display her work at the Northstar Watermedia Society show “Art on a Line” at the State Fair Fine Art building in St. Paul where she is often a demo artist. If juried into RRWS, the Hjemkomst Gallery in Moorhead will feature her work from mid-June through mid-July. She is part of Ten Brushes, a group of 10 women who gather to learn, critique and display their variety of art in a common theme. They recently exhibited at the Burnsville Performing Arts Center.

Kathy’s work is on display and can be viewed easily by the public in many local establishments in Little Falls and Brainerd and her home gallery.

Business Profile: Wild Bird Warehouse

Bev Ahlquist — Wed, 01 May 2013 08:01:09 +0000

WBW is a wild bird lover’s paradise

Store has been at same location in Willmar for nearly 30 years

Craig Radel’s wild bird seed store in Willmar has a little bit of everything for the bird lover, whether it’s wild bird feed, bird feeders or bird houses.
You can find it all at his place of business, the Wild Bird Warehouse, which is located at 1101 High Avenue NE in Willmar. Their phone number is 320-235-9200.
This spring is the 30th year Craig has been in the wild bird feeding business, and the 29th year for the current location.
“We strive to be the most complete wild bird feeding store in the midwest with over 300 styles of bird feeders, houses, poles, baffles, hangers, and identification books in inventory. In fact, he said, they have over a dozen styles of feeders and houses made only for his store.
They carry all of the necessary high quality ingredients for wild bird feeding along with their own long-time private label ‘Cardinal & Chickadee and Premium Wild Bird’ mixes only found at his store. “Our specialty mixes, including Walters Mix, Cardinal Candy, Smorgasbird, and Finch Mix, are mixed on site to insure consistent, high quality products.”
The bird seed is their main business, he said. “We buy in large quantities and we sell a lot of bird feed. We have different suet feeders, different platform feeders, and items we have found work very well for feeding with the types of seed products that we handle.”
They also have commercial suet products along with their own super-high quality suet products that have their customers saying ‘Wow, the birds really like those.’ The suet is available in one and 4-1/2 pound blocks, and 6 pound cans with no filler.
They have a ‘cold storage room’ which they built about 10 years ago. Craig said this room keeps the products cool and fresh in even the warmest summer days. “The shelf life on fresh products is somewhat limited, so for us to keep it cool, keeps it fresher for our customers.”
With bulk seed available, Craig said, no quantity is too large or small. “This quality and pricing advantage over competitors has led to some of our customers traveling long distances to stock up on our products.
Different things sell at different times, he said, noting they sell a lot of sunflower products that are hull-less. “We sell a lot of sunflower hearts, sunflower chips, a lot of our mixes too. Some people want something that doesn’t germinate, and hulled products don’t germinate.”
Also, he said, their many years in this business give them access to some of the most knowledgeable folks in the industry. “Our broad customer base gives us a wide range of practical backyard feeding information.” Their e-mail newsletter keeps customers informed as to recent bird sightings, interesting and timely articles, new products, upcoming events and sales. You can send your e-mail address to them at wildbirdwarehouse@yahoo.com to be included.
Wild Bird Warehouse is also the only wholesale outlet for Sawyer Art, which is chain saw carvings with custom carvings available that range from eagles, bears, sailors, gnomes to more. Craig does all the chain saw carvings and paints them as well. Craig was the one that came up with the name Sawyer Art (Saw-your-art).
Wild Bird Warehouse is having a spring open house on Saturday, May 4 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and some very special guests will be on hand. WCCO’s Jim Gilbert will be at the store from 9 a.m. to 12 noon for a book signing. He will have copies of his recent issue ‘Minnesota’s Outdoor Wonders and Minnesota Nature Notes’ available on site. “That’s the perfect Mother’s Day gift,” said Craig.
Also on hand will be Keith Radel, state director of the Bluebird Recovery Program. He will be there from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. “Keith has vast knowledge of Bluebirds, establishing Bluebird trails and other nesting birds such as Wood Ducks and Purple Martins.”
Randy Frederickson, local bird identification expert, will also be available for anyone with bird identification and backyard birding questions.
Wild Bird Warehouse really is a labor of love, said Craig. “It’s kind of like everybody’s hobby and that’s how it started out with us too and it’s grown from there. He has a shop near New London where he does the chain saw carving and builds some of the bird feeders. Of course he has bird feeders at his shop and his house in addition to the warehouse. “I’m probably my best customer,” he said with a smile.
The staff of three…Craig, Sandy Williams and Jo Groen…have over 50 years of combined bird feeding experience. “Without our long time customers we wouldn’t be in business,” said Craig. “We really appreciate them.”