By Nancy Leasman of Long Prairie Our bird residents are back. They’re not just back, in a general way, but have taken up their usual residences. Now that I think about it, are they the same birds, descendants of previous tenants, or members of the same species choosing the existing territories? The eastern phoebe family nests under the exterior stairs leading to the loft above Ron’s woodshop. They frequently perch on the sections of birch logs, a former mushroom growing proje

By Sharon Craig of Granite Falls A long time ago, my husband and I enjoyed the words to a song that we had heard. Tex Ritter, Western/Country music star, sang the song Just Beyond the Moon. Through the years, we’d hear the song and we’d say to each other that just beyond the moon is where we’d meet when one of us passed away. A short while ago, I wrote a story for the Sr. Perspective newspaper, (60 Years and Counting). Little did I know that it would be our last anniversary

By Sherry Nicholson of Elk River John 16:33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. As Don and I approached retirement, we talked about what we wanted to do in our retirement years. Fishing, traveling, and spending more time with our kids and grandkids made the list. Exactly one week after Don retired, I was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive breast cancer.

By Rachel Barduson of Alexandria Music has a remarkable influence on emotions – at least on mine. There are songs for seasons and holidays, songs that bring us back to high school, songs that show our faith, and songs that bring us peace. Songs celebrate life, or at the very least, allow us to take pause in parts of our emotions of where we might be “at” on any given day. TAPS is perhaps not a song we think of as part of a Fourth of July celebration, but for some reason, it’s

By Michelle Tweed of Dalton I tip the box and the pieces pour out. Colors and patterns emerge as I flip each one face up and lay it back on the table. The maker of the puzzle hasn’t included a picture of what the end result will look like. All I can do is start. Attempting to make sense of a thousand pieces, I begin to match all the straight edges until a frame is assembled. A glimmer of possibilities lies before me and gives me something to build upon. Now, what next? I pick

Today's Wisdom: When children reach the age of sixteen, they discover the meaning of life: car keys. - Erma Bombeck By Bill D. Ward One of my cars is an older model that was once driven by an elderly relative. There are seven dings on the car, somewhat evenly dispersed around the perimeter. I know the history of most of those dings, and I know there are matching scrapes on garage door frames, carport posts, and various other items around town. Each of those was self-inflicted

By Larry Kiewel of St. Peter The Buffalo Round Up in Custer State Park in the Black Hills of South Dakota has been on my list of things to see ever since a saddle club friend came back with stories of riding his own horse at the event. Sometimes it seemed like I was the last person in the county to make the trip, as everyone seemed to have a story and advice. The buffalo Photo by Larry Kiewel Get there early. Bring your own chairs. Wear a big hat. Be ready to wait. We got in

By Elaine Haala of New Ulm Can you remember, as little girls we wore undershirts and slips? We had rubber overshoes with a zipper and fake fur cuffs. We got home perms – with really curly hair. The only people with a tattoo was a sailor – not everybody and their grandmother. We had the Watkins, Fuller Brush, Jewel T, and Stanley Brush salesmen calling door-to-door to sell their wares to our mothers. Grandpa hung his arm out the car window to signal a turn or stop. Then came b

By Carl Gadow of Eagan My grandchildren call me Chupa. It wasn’t the name I had planned. In fact, I had something much more distinguished in mind. “Why am I looking at a turtle?” I asked when my wife showed me the sonogram. “It’s not a turtle! It’s your grandbaby.” “Are they supposed to look like turtles?” It was clearly a turtle, but I wasn’t going to disillusion her. She was excited about her first grandchild, and she needed me to be at least as excited as she was. “I’m too

WWII Navy veteran turns 100 By Jillian Kellerman World War II Navy Veteran Bert Rudie, currently of Albertville, turned 100 years old on April 18, 2026. On his birthday, a party was held in Rudie’s honor at the Albertville City Hall in Albertville. Approximately 55 guests attended, including five members of the St. Michael American Legion Post. World War II Navy Veteran Bert Rudie at his 100th birthday party at the Albertville City Hall in Albertville. Contributed photo Rudi

By Jim Palmer On July 4, our country will celebrate its 250th anniversary. And what a 250 years it has been! If you took a time machine back 250 years to 1776 and spend a few weeks living in just about any community in the new United States, your impression might be, “It’s an interesting place to visit, but I wouldn’t want to live there.” 1776 - Life in 1776 was slower, harder, and centered mainly on survival. A typical day for nearly all of the population was to rise with th

By Faith Anderson In years past, messages traveled only as fast as a horse could run. Communications were hand-written, folded into envelopes, perhaps sealed with wax, and entrusted to riders who crossed miles of prairie and forest. News took days, sometimes weeks to get to the intended recipient. Words were precious and people chose them carefully, knowing there could be no quick correction. By the time a message arrived, life had already moved on. The Pony Express reduced t

By Vivian (Makela) Sazama What is the meaning of life? Why do I exist? What is my purpose in life? What is life all about anyway? These are questions that many of us may have asked, or maybe are still asking. They are questions that Bob Cummings of Frazee faced as a young man. He is quick to say that he sought the answers through means that many young men and women would use. He sought answers through drink, parties, money, nice cars, nice clothes, and the company of young la

Kensington native, 90, continues to investigate the legendary Runestone By Julie Parent When asked what the secret is to a long life, Ralph Gunderson, replied, “I don’t really know.” However, it is clear being an active senior citizen with a passion for obtaining information about The Kensington Runestone is key to his longevity. Ralph Gunderson holding his witching rod. Contributed photo Ralph was born in the small town of Kensington, Minn. The 90-year-old described his chi

LeSueur woman has helped hundreds of people with their family history By Patricia Buschette Sally Olson of LeSueur became interested in genealogy at a very young age, and she remains passionate about it to this day. But she hasn’t just climbed up her own family tree... Sally has also helped hundreds of people in their own geneaology journies. “My mother dragged us to cemeteries to water and trim the grass all summer long,” she explained. “As she watered plants on family grave

By Dawn Timbs, Staples World reporter This article is reprinted with permission by Staples World. For the past 100 years, the Poplar Ladies Birthday Club has served not only as a social outlet for women in Poplar Township (in Cass County), but as a service organization whose motto is to “Help One Another.” Pictured above, in a photo from 1942, are early members of the Poplar Birthday Club. Many familiar names were written below the photo, including Chapin, Granby, Johnson

St. Cloud man was a baby, living at Pearl Harbor, the day of the attack By Nikki Rajala Editors Note: There are words in this article that are deemed offensive today but were kept in the article as they are historical, direct quotes from 1945 “Sunday, Dec. 7, 1941, 9:45 am, near Hickam Field “I was just fixing coffee at 8 a.m. when the first bomb dropped in the Navy Yard a half mile away. I rushed out thinking a plane had crashed and saw about 20 Japanese planes in the air, f

Battle Lake man, originally reluctant, has called square dances for nearly 50 years By Carol Stender Larry Johansen of Battle Lake loves dancing, but he wasn’t keen on the square dance lessons his wife, Pat, scheduled for them. Larry and Pat Johansen. Larry began dating Pat when he was 15. They were regulars at the “Dane Hall” and have been dancing ever since. Contributed photo In fact, he thought it was dumb. “But I went anyways,” Larry said. “And I did have fun.” Eventually

Athletes and coaches from the former 212 Conference come together for reminisce about the old days By Scott Thoma Over a 47-year span, the 212 Conference produced some outstanding professional and collegiate athletes, as well as highly-successful coaches. Several former 212 Conference athletes and coaches met at Cactus Jack’s in Stewart last year. The group has been meeting four times a year, giving them a chance to reminisce about the old days and form friendships with forme

By Nikki Rajala “Mom told me, ‘Your dog Spot saved my life!’” Dorothy Bernardy said. Dorothy Bernardy of Little Falls has worked with therapy dogs since 2007. Her dog Spot was rated as a complex dog, the highest level of pet therapy training, by the Central Minnesota Therapy Animal Association (CMTAA). Dorothy Bernardy holds Spot, a Chihuahua, her first therapy dog. Photo courtesy of Dorothy Bernardy “One night I came from work late and Mom had waited to join me for supper