column

The following article is part of the Diamond Club Member group that began in the January 7, 1943, issue of the Rock County Star Herald. Members of this group consist of persons of age 75 and older. This article is continued from last week about William Everett.   Survives “La Grippe” Siege It was in about 1878 when there was a siege of “la grippe,” then a very rare disease. He recalls that he was…

The battle with the bugs continues. … I am seeing damage on the lower leaves of purple dome asters. The leaves are getting a speckled yellow color, and if you look on the underside of the leaf, you will notice very small gray-colored spots that look like little bits of ash dust. Those are the critters causing the damage. The bug is called a psyllid, and they suck the sap out of the leaf, causing…

How much are Minnesota’s natural resources worth to you? To me they are priceless, but when it comes to those who steal or abuse those resources, the laws in Minnesota must not think so. I have followed many different prosecutions regarding gross violations of Minnesota’s game and fish laws, and in every case I’ve researched, the penalties for violators are not even high enough to be a measurable…

Seven longtime teachers are retiring from the Luverne School District this year, and it brought to mind a column I wrote several years ago about school teachers. As a child, I idolized my teachers, so it’s not surprising that I spent many long afternoons playing school with my sisters in the stairwell of our home near Kenneth. My older sister, Lisa, and I would line up our younger three sisters,…

I often wonder what life would be like without a dog or dogs in it. I have written many times about my four Labradors and how much they mean to me and my outdoor way of life. Tracer is going on 11, Sarge is almost 9, Raider is pushing past 6 and my little guy, Ghost, was 2 in March. When you hunt as much as I do, it is more work than one dog can handle, especially if the temperatures are high and…

The following article is part of the Diamond Club Member group that began in the January 7, 1943, issue of the Rock County Star Herald. Members of this group consist of persons of age 75 and older. March 11, 1943 “Can’t agree with you that Luverne’s as good a place as any,” declared William Everett, when someone commented that this part of Minnesota was a pretty fine spot for a home. “I’ll take…

I need to remind you that now is the time to prune lilacs, weigela, mock orange, and snowball viburnums.  These are all spring-blooming plants, and cutting them back now gives the new growth time to mature and develop buds for next year’s flowers. I recommend pruning to eliminate the old stems to encourage new growth from the base of the shrub. When I looked at my potato crop last week, I noticed…

We finally did it. The Petersons recently said good-bye to cable TV. When we moved to Luverne nearly 18 years ago, we had two choices of cable providers, Mediacom and Knowledge. I believe those were the company names at the time. They have changed their names so many times it’s hard to remember for sure. We have actually subscribed to both cable companies over the years, going back and forth,…

The following article is part of the Diamond Club Member group that began in the January 7, 1943, issue of the Rock County Star Herald. Members of this group consist of persons of age 75 and older. March 4, 1943 To have seen a real prince and princess as a boy was one of the many interesting experiences of William C. Tomlinson, Luverne. Mr. Tomlinson was the son of Joseph and Mary Tomlinson. He…

My three besties from the LHS Class of 1981 and I celebrated turning 59 with a 24-hour “Luverne Experience” over Buffalo Days. Our adventure began at noon Friday with the renting of electric bikes from the Luverne Aquatics Center. There were a few glitches. One battery was dead. Two batteries occasionally shorted out. The highlight was the collapsing seat which left one of us “riding like a…

As I surveyed storm damage through the Star Herald camera lens Monday, I couldn’t help but notice how Mother Nature took out her wrath on two neighboring farms but skipped the one across the road. When the National Weather Service jarred us from our sleep at 2:15 a.m., we sheltered in the basement like everyone else. We emerged to find our home and property still intact. Others didn’t. It raised…

About the only summer curb appeal improvement project that I am considering is replacing my mulch with landscaping rock. Who would have thought choosing between mulch and rock would be column-worthy. I know … compared to the bigger issues of the day, this issue isn’t on most people’s radar screen. From the get-go I want to be clear I am not much of a fan when it comes to using landscaping rock.…

My mom is quiet, reserved and a bit on the shy side. Lots of folks like crowds and gatherings and spectacles. Mom doesn’t. Which is why it was a bit of a challenge to throw her a proper 80th birthday party. Her idea of a good time is reading a book in her sunroom or maybe mowing the lawn. So, we decided to have several smaller gatherings. The first was a breakfast tea party at my sister Sarah’s…

So what’s in a name? The name parents pick to bless, or in some cases curse, their new baby with can be a daunting task. As you may know, my name is Rick, but that is not my legal name. I have no problem with Rick. After 60-plus years, it kind of grows on you. My legal name is where the curse part comes into play. I have even checked into changing my legal name to Rick. After considering the…

It could actually be an unpaid Minnesota holiday if you didn’t know better. There are lots of days on the calendar that Minnesotans look forward to, but they don’t hold a candle to the Minnesota Fishing Opener. As the time wound down ahead of the big day, anglers in garages everywhere got ready to holler “Start your engines,” like a NASCAR race. I really used to be one of those die-hard anglers…

Last 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…