By Daniel Hayes of Fergus Falls The cliché “life happens after you have made other plans” rings very true sometimes. Happenings, surprise happenings, are common in both the city or country. I came to Otter Tail County in 2017 from the Metropolis, specifically St. Paul. Perhaps you the reader have spent your entire life in northwestern Minnesota or another rural area, but retiring brings the same hopes no matter if you are from New York City, St. Paul, or Dalton, Minn. There a

By Carrie Classon I spent last week “up north” with my parents. While my husband, Peter, and my cat, Felix, stayed at home and played cat games, I drove up to my parents’ cabin four hours north. The city was hot, but right now, even up north is hot. So I decided to go swimming. I hadn’t been swimming in a long time. I walk in the woods every chance I get, but I don’t go in the water as often as I could. Sometimes it feels like a nuisance to get wet. Sometimes I get self-consc

The best thing you can grow might not be a vegetable By Bre Harris, Ottertail Co. Master Gardener Children don’t see gardens the way adults do—and I think that’s exactly why they’re such wonderful gardeners. We see weeds that need pulling, tomatoes that need staking, and pests that need to be managed. Kids see strange insects, colorful flowers, funny-shaped vegetables, and dirt that begs to be dug in. They aren’t worried about having the perfect garden—they’re simply excited

By Duane Heitz of Hutchinson I was walking to check to see if the mailman had come yet when Merlene, the manager of the senior apartment where I was living, called me into her office to tell me something interesting. That’s when I had to tell her a little story myself. I was in a seminary in Illinois in the early 1950s at the time when the Catholic church still had minor seminaries, a high school, and a junior college. One of the priests was visiting with several of us high s

By Carrie Classon Since my niece, Isabelle, was little, she was always a planner. She was the only kindergartner I knew who laid out her outfit for the following day on her bed the night before. “Which tights do you think I should wear?” she would ask me, very seriously. She would have her outfit laid out on the bed with two competing pairs of tights, and I would be tasked with determining which color would best complete the ensemble. I usually thought that either would work

By Nancy Leasman of Long Prairie I judged the open class art and photography at a county fair this summer. I have to say, making roughly 400 decisions in three hours was exhausting! Decisions are not made easily. They require careful analysis and consideration. So much so, that some people let others make decisions for them, as if that’s a viable and preferred option. I’m not saying that it’s just letting someone else in the family or friend group make the decision. According

By Jan Stadtherr Over 15 years ago, we moved to our cabin on a lake 40 miles northwest of Brainerd. Our plan was to live in our new “home” for the remainder of our golden years and to encounter many new adventures during our final chapter. But due to the aging process of going up and down stairs many times a day, doing the year-around chores both inside and outside, driving many miles for medical attention, to attend church, or buy groceries and other necessities, we sadly re

Arabella Manor is a locally-owned, independent living, senior community for 55+ in Alexandria By Rachel Barduson With so many options in senior living the choices can seem overwhelming. There are apartments, senior communities, assisted living and many levels of care. Finding the right fit often comes down to one simple question: Where will I feel most at home? Left to right: Tenants Arlene Besserud, Carolyn Carlstrom and Joyce Odegaard enjoy each other’s company as they put

'I don't know what I would do if this place didn't exist' By Nikki Rajala “Camaraderie” is one of the many things members of The Center share that they value. The Center, located at 803 Kingwood Street, Brainerd, is a community gathering place for adults aged 45 and older. Since 1979, The Center has served the Brainerd Lakes Area by creating opportunities for healthy living, lifelong learning, socialization, creativity, and community involvement. For Kathy Tusa, that sense of

By Joyce Kuhlemeyer Wagner of Fargo Looking back. No, I’m not contemplating those bumped-into trash cans at the end of the driveway. I’m thinking precisely about the “rearview mirror of life.” In reality, there are times when a rearview mirror can instead offer us a better perspective for going forward. Growing up in a rural community, where hand-me-down clothes were more the “norm” than not, we didn’t often see the economic differences that existed between families. However,

By Tim King The merchandise is selling like hot cakes! I know, we’re really going gang busters, we better high tail it out of here. Oh fiddle sticks, there’s nothing to worry about. Yes, we’ve been lucky so far but you better knock on wood. I’ve got my fingers crossed! Does anybody that you know talk like that or use some of those idioms? I grew up with all of them but it occurred to me the other day that I might be a little odd. The inspiration came from a chipmunk, a little

By Larry Rostad of Minneapolis Submitted by Cheryl (Rostad) Barry For over two years I had been hatching a plan to visit my twin nieces in Arkansas. Acknowledging my current status as a senior citizen, I no longer was at ease with long road trips. I was grateful when my former neighbor and friend, Sonja, agreed to be my travel companion last October for the two-day drive from Minneapolis to Little Rock, Ark. When my phone’s GPS failed, she was a great help navigating the exit

By Carrie Classon I haven’t been giving out dog treats for a while. Sometimes I am the treat lady on my walks, and sometimes I do not carry dog treats. I love dispensing treats, but I hate getting turned down by owners. Getting turned down by dogs is also disappointing, but somehow easier to take. So lately instead of bribing dogs with treats, I’ve been doing my secret whistle, a high-pitched noise that dogs always hear and their owners usually do not, that makes the dog look

By Marilyn Bacon-Underwood of North Mankato Have you ever experienced a relationship where someone has loved you no matter what you have said or done? This is called unconditional love. My unconditional love person was my Grandmother Anna, who was a Norwegian, five-feet tall, and taught country school in a one-room schoolhouse. She was married to Henry, my grandfather, a German who was six-feet tall, and milked his cows by hand. Marilyn’s Grandmother Anna Hendrickson-Schwenso

By Carrie Classon Every day, I walk by dozens of beautiful houses. I am an admirer of grand old houses. I live downtown, just blocks away from some of the oldest neighborhoods in the city, where lumber barons and early merchants built their houses when the city was young. I admire the tall and pointed windows, the large trees in front, the ornate brickwork, the pointy roofs and occasional turrets (I admire the turrets so much that I wrote a book called “The Turnip House” abou

By Jan Stadtherr I’m very thankful that I don’t have to learn English again! When my husband and I took a river cruise a few years ago, we visited the countries of the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, and Hungary. I was amazed how many of the citizens of these countries spoke English fairly well. There were many sighs of relief when we were able to converse with them as we didn’t know their languages. But they know ours, at least to a point that we could converse. There are ove

Today’s Wisdom: We are all important parts of a much larger system, pieces of the universe’s puzzle that would not be complete without us. – Russell Eric Dobda By Bill D. Ward Some time ago, I spent two years working on a book project that involved digging up old stories of people and families from the pioneer days of my town. It was an extremely interesting quest as I dug through old newspapers, books, and family histories. It was almost like finding a gold nugget each time

By Nancy Leasman of Long Prairie Alva’s cat Cheddar likes the garden, too. Contributed photo I go on about three walk-abouts every day. The first one is to check the garden. The dew may still be on the grass. Have the tomatoes grown to the height of needing some support? How’s that wheat or oats that sprouted from the bale of straw we found on the roadside and I’m using for mulch? Do the spinach and lettuce need picking? Should I do something with the sprawling chard from las

By Rachel Barduson of Alexandria In the 1970s, when I was in my early 20s, I decided to become a jogger. Yes, I would take up the new exercise rage – jogging. I remember it well. I would soon graduate from college and I was about to begin a new chapter in my life. And I could feel myself aging. Of course, I wanted to stay current on new things, so becoming a jogger seemed to be the right thing to do. It would be the answer to preserving my youth. It was a memorable week. W

By Marilyn Salzl Brinkman Gnomes, these little pointy-hatted, bearded little statues, are said to bring good luck and guard treasures. I need good luck in my little garden. My tomato plants aren’t doing well. My cucumber plants are forming tiny little “pickles.” The carrots, other vegetables, and flowers are in a riot of growth. My tomatoes, however, need some magic. One of the garden gnomes in Marilyn’s garden. Contributed photo Gnomes are believed to be guardians of the nat