By Tim King We generally have a small Christmas tree with modest ornamentation. The few ornaments that we do display have sentimental value. Among them are tiny colored bird ornaments with actual feathers. The colors range from scarlet to turquoise to yellow to improbable. Often their wing colors will contrast with a birds body feathers, adding to the little ornaments colorful brilliance. Our mothers purchased these birds 70 or so years ago. Their feet are made from strong wi

By Rachel Barduson of Alexandria One of my son’s favorite cereals when he was growing up was Honey Bunches of Oats. Mine was an occasional bowl of Corn Flakes; Frosted Flakes with Tony the Tiger was a luxury. I only had Wheaties on top of oatmeal. Rice Krispies was definitely a crispy treat of snap, crackle and pop. If I remember right, Corn Flakes, Rice Krispies and Wheaties were the only thing in our kitchen cupboard. We ate at the kitchen table and I actually don’t remembe

by Jan Stadtherr For many seniors, the memories of using a dial phone evoke a sense of nostalgia. These sturdy devices had a rotary dial where you would spin the dial to connect your call. Phone numbers were often a combination of numbers and letters, like “OR4-5678,” where “OR” represented “678” on the telephone keypads. For urgent connections, you’d go through a local operator, who’d seamlessly connect calls and help with directory inquiries. The party line system was also

By Jim Palmer Around Mother’s Day, the Social Security Administration (SSA) announces the most popular baby names of the previous year. For the SSA, which I can only guess is a fairly serious/low-frill place to work, this announcement has to be one of the more fun and exciting things that happens all year long. But since it is the end of one year and the start of a new one,  other organizations always jump in every December to release predictions on the top names from the yea

by Nancy Leasman of Long Prairie It was a slippery slope. No, not the ice out on the road nor in the woods. It was inside... me. The slippery slope of pain killer dependence. Everyone who has joint replacement surgery is familiar with the need for pain control. Research has shown that healing occurs more quickly when pain is managed properly. To that end, there are dosage limitations, spacing of doses, and term limits. Fearing any potential dependence on my prescribed medicat

By Rita Kostreba of Holmes City, Minn. Towering above his head, Sam said goodbye to his tree and leaves it in his grandmother’s care. Contributed photo When our grandson Sam came to  stay with us during his two-year course at Alexandria Technical College, he didn’t come alone. He brought a spindly plant that he said was “ sort of a science experiment of moms. I know you will love it Gram.” It turned out to be an avocado plant that his mother had started from some seeds that s

Today’s Wisdom: If you claim something, you can own it.  – Carrie Fisher By Bill D. Ward In researching some old history stories, I have found several references to the practice of literally driving stakes into the ground to claim land. Often these were wood or metal, but at times, even a pile of rocks was deemed adequate for a legal claim. The point was to do something asserting your right to the land. We no longer actually drive stakes into the ground, but in modern times w

By Robert Erickson of Sartell I was born in Willmar in 1933, but my life did not begin until a cold wintery February morning in 1939 at about 2 a.m. My sister Phyllis, age nine, and I were asleep in our home in Willmar when we were awakened by people talking downstairs. Curious, we were walking down the stairs when mother met us and told us to go back to bed and she would soon be up. About 3 a.m. she came upstairs, set us on the bed, and said, “Daddy’s not coming home.” We di

By Carrie Classon I knew it was going to rain. I looked up the weather before I headed out, and there was a 94 percent chance of rain at 7:00. That was precisely the hour I planned to walk home. “It’s going to rain,” I told my husband, Peter. “Not till later,” he said. “Google says it’s not going to rain until 9:00.” “Hmmm.” I wondered if I should bring an umbrella. The sun was shining. It was hot. I had a mile and a half to walk, and I was not really looking forward to carry

By Jan Stadtherr The juicy tomato was the subject of a column that I wrote 10 years ago. Many friends and family members have commented that it’s their favorite column. A decade later, the garden favorite is haunting me. To update you, the column is as follows: “One of my most recent blonde moments was this fall as my husband, Ron, and I were driving to Brainerd. As the car meandered around the curves of State Highway 84, a red and white sign at the end of a driveway caught m

By Tim King In June of 1970, you could still catch an east-bound Great Northern passenger train in Sauk Centre, Alexandria, and other towns up the line to Fargo, and ride in comfort to the Twin Cities. At that time, Interstate Highway 94 had just been completed and Central Minnesotans simply weren’t used to the notion that they could jump in the car to see the grandkids in the Cities in a couple of hours. Anybody can cultivate. I was 21 and working for a young farmer named Jo

By Nancy Leasman I did it. I had knee replacement surgery and am on the mend. And, I am grateful to all those who daily help people with dysfunctional joints regain their mobility. I’m grateful to the surgical team, the nurses and staff in the hospital, and my spouse for offering help with all those things one cannot manage alone after joint replacement. The physical therapy team which provides consistent assessment and encouragement cannot be thanked enough. My gratitude goe

By Marlys (Blake) Hagstrom of Hutchinson “Memories, pressed between the pages of my mind” is one of the lines in a song made popular by Elvis in 1968. When I begin to reflect on growing up in Hector, the pages of memories in my mind slowly turn and come to life… I can’t forget the five-cent ice cream cones at Evie Ahl’s Café or penny candy at the variety store. They had everything from handkerchiefs to toys.  The long trek home from school always included a stop at the Berry

By Sharon Craig of Granite Falls Recently, I was in the hospital and a wonderful nurse asked me how my husband and I had achieved such a long-lasting marriage (60 years and counting). The quick response was not to end your day in anger. Don’t be afraid to say you’re sorry. My wise daughter says sometimes it’s better to be kind rather than right. Don’t let false pride keep you from apologizing when it’s needed. Our wedding day, 60 years ago. Contributed photo When I think back

By Cheryl (Rostad) Barry of Underwood My brother and sister-in-law, Brad and Karen Rostad, have been missionaries in Jamaica since the late 1980’s. They’ve witnessed tropical depressions and hurricanes, Gilbert in 1988 and Ivan in 2004. Although these storms were devastating, they pale in comparison to the monster Hurricane Melissa, which destroyed 1/3 of the island on Oct. 27-28, 2025. It was labeled a Category 5, but was more like a Category 6 because of the widespread dest

By Jim Palmer When I was young, now was the time of the year when I would start making up Christmas lists for Santa, parents, grandparents, and any other relative who was willing to send little Jimmy some Christmas joy. This year, I have made up a wish list for Senior Perspective. Now and then we have people ask us what they can do to support us... so why not make up a list. There are some specific asks in here and some more general ones, but they are all things we would love

By Darwin Anthony of Trimont I am THE FIREPLACE that is within the wall at the end of the Anthony living room. It is now late fall and I know what must happen. I must be made ready as I am something of winter. I wait to be cleaned so that I can offer cozy pleasure to those who care for me. Such pleasure comes from seeing the varied color of my fire and hearing the crackling sound as the wood within me burns. It is a sound that only an actual wood-burning fireplace can produce

By Rachel Barduson of Alexandria It seems like everything was such a big deal when I was a kid. Maybe it’s because everything was  such a big deal when I was a kid. Little things. As we approach another Christmas, I guess it’s a mixture of often-forgotten little things that, strangely, I am thinking about this year. Little things, like... sitting on the floor of the car while dad was driving and mom was sitting in the passenger seat, right there on the floor between my parent

By Bill D. Ward Today’s Wisdom: “Every life holds an epic tale, even if no one alive remembers it.” Greg Melville A good friend of mine is the caretaker at our town’s cemetery. He tells me that he occasionally runs into people who are touring cemeteries collecting gravestone encounters of famous people. Do we all need to up our game a bit on our monument design? We have two famous people in our cemetery, but most tourists are there for one special one. Hildred Olson was a lit

By Carrie Classon (Written in late September) It is the time of year for vegetable gluttony. The truth is, I am a vegetable glutton all year round. I blame my mother. My mom grew up on a farm, and when my sister and I were growing up, my mother was one of the first moms in our suburb to plant a big vegetable garden. We had beans and tomatoes and zucchini, and I don’t remember what else. I loved vegetables from a very early age. My mother would serve whatever we were eating in