ruminations
By Mavis Fodness, reporterNovember 15, 2022Are we ever satisfied with the lives we’re living? Does there ever come a time when we don’t strive to earn more money, search for that perfect job, that perfect house and family and the perfect relationship? This striving often shows up in the social media posts we share with one another. Lately I find myself sharing less of myself on social media. Does this mean my striving in life has waned…
By Mavis Fodness, reporterOctober 04, 2022Debuting this week is the inaugural “Seen Through Horses,” a national awareness and fundraising campaign sponsored through Horses for Mental Health coalition. Fifty charity partners throughout the U.S. are the recipients of funds raised this week. Rock Ranch near Hills is one of them. Rock Ranch operates an equine-assisted counseling program along with its beginner horsemanship classes. It’s not…
By Mavis Fodness, reporterSeptember 13, 2022Sunday marked six weeks since Millie and I competed in a horse show. Rain postponed one show, and the other was canceled for lack of entries. The cancelations broke a pattern of preparation I followed every two to three weeks all summer. The pattern created my relaxed frame of mind by balancing practice with working a full-time job. A six-week layoff is a long time to practice, and negative…
By Mavis Fodness, reporterAugust 23, 2022Riding a donkey was not on my “bucket list.” But my recent experience of doing just that was a topic of conversation days after the Celebrity Donkey Races during Rock County Fair last month. I hope fair organizers bring the event back for 2023, for I have some unfinished business with a donkey named Amos. You see, the little gray-and-white donkey developed a special bond with me. Prior to the…
By Mavis Fodness, reporterJuly 26, 2022When I was growing up and doing chores around the family farm, a radio would often be heard in the dairy barn. WNAX out of Yankton, South Dakota, frequently broadcast the play-by-play of the Minnesota Twins games. Through the mid- to late 1970s I heard the names of future Hall of Famers Tony Oliva, Rod Carew and Bert Blyleven as they came to the plate or played a great defense. Hearing those…
By Mavis Fodness, reporterMay 24, 2022Keeping a car clean is an exhausting chore. I like to have the vehicle shine and its tire rims sparkling as I drive around. I also like the inside to be clean. Unfortunately, not everyone in my household thinks that vehicles you use and get dirty should be cleaned right after use. Over the weekend I received an email from StressFreeCarRental.com titled “Ten Ways to Keep Your Car Clean.” Here are…
By Mavis Fodness, reporterMay 03, 2022Last year I set a goal to compete in the WSCA Champ Show on the Minnesota State Fairgrounds. One part to achieving that goal was to be a more physically fit rider. For nine months I pushed myself to ride daily, and as a result, I achieved that goal and brought one of those big prize ribbons home. Goal accomplished. Now as the weather warms up, I’m finding I’m fitting a little tighter in the…
By Mavis Fodness, reporterApril 12, 2022Tiger Woods’ return to competitive golf at last weekend’s Masters tournament is both awe-inspiring and motivating. Tiger could have easily retired from golf after each of his injuries, but he’s returned after each one, more determined and more fit to possibly win yet another major tournament. I watched him walk the Augusta, Georgia, course and listened to him talk with his caddy about club choice…
By Mavis Fodness, reporterMarch 01, 2022I’ve had a comfortable seat for this winter sports season thanks to modern technology. Last week my stint as the sports reporter for the Luverne High School gymnastics team came to an end. Thanks to live broadcastings and online scoring, I was able to cover the team’s away meets with ease — much easier than my predecessor did. Coach Phoebe Flom introduced me to the world of live, online scoring.…
By Mavis Fodness, reporterFebruary 08, 2022Trips to the grocery store were frequent during my days as a mother of four growing children. Now, as an empty nester, weeks go by before I need to refill the cupboards and freezer. I’ve noticed, however, the previous several-times-a-week stops at the grocery store are now replaced with several-times-a-week stops to the farm supply store. It turns out my other “kids,” the ones of the four-legged…
By Mavis Fodness, reporterJanuary 18, 2022Monday marked Betty White’s 100th birthday and the world waited to celebrate. Unfortunately, Betty had other ideas. The actress, comedian and animal lover died Dec. 31 at the age of 99, 17 days short of the century mark. My sister, Avis, would have been 64 on Monday. I wish she could have made that century mark. Instead, Dec. 24, 2021, marked a decade since her early and unexpected death. I…
By Mavis Fodness, reporterDecember 21, 2021My mom used to hide Christmas gifts in the closet under the stairs. I passed by that door every day as I went up to my bedroom. I never gave a thought to what was inside until one Christmas decades ago I just had to see if I was getting the gift I hoped for. As it turns out, I was. The gift was a Breyer horse. Two, actually, because the Clydesdale mare and her foal were a set. They each came with…
By Mavis Fodness, reporterNovember 30, 2021After nearly a month of roaming Rock County, a wayward moose may be gone. I write “may be” because I don’t want the last social media post about a young male moose lying in a ditch near Tea, South Dakota, to be the same young male moose that’s been roaming Rock County. Sightings of the Rock County moose began around Halloween when the first pictures of the young moose surfaced. The most startling…
By Mavis Fodness, reporterNovember 09, 2021I’ve come to be something of a numbers watcher. Each weekday the State Department of Health releases coronavirus data, and I’ve been watching those numbers for more than a year. My daily watch mostly keeps tabs on the number of deaths in Rock County associated with COVID-19. As of Monday, we have had up to 24 deaths. Statewide, 8,862 Covid deaths have been recorded since March 2020. One number…
By Mavis Fodness, reporterSeptember 28, 2021Friday night I pinned a large, light blue-colored ribbon on my home office bulletin board. I had won the ribbon hours earlier at the WSCA Championship Show at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds for horsemanship, placing 10th. Receiving the ribbon marked the end to what I dubbed the “Big Adventure” I embarked in earnest back in January. The ribbon brings forth a lot of emotions and a lot of people I…
By Mavis Fodness, reporterSeptember 07, 2021Poultry roaming around our farm is a common sight. Over the years there have been ducks, geese, chickens and guineas. Of all the poultry, guineas by far exhibit the strangest behavior. They scamper silently from location to location. Frequently they come up behind you in the yard or in the barn and utter a noise that I can only describe as a well pump in need of oil. If you’re not prepared, the…
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