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The following appeared in the Rock County Herald on December 28, 1923:   SHORTAGE OF GOOD HOME GROWN SEED IS INDICATED   County Agent Roske Seeks to Locate Good Local Grown Seed for Distribution In County   In consideration of the great shortage this year of good, clean, home-grown seed of many varieties of farm grains, County Agent M. P. Roske is endeavoring to locate and get a distribution, in…

Newspaper offices were at one time fascinating places to visit — with noisy presses, oversized rolls of paper and ink by the barrel. In my time at the Star Herald, we’ve never printed on our own presses, but there were lots of other interesting things to see and do. Tourists were photographed at the door and then led to the darkroom to learn how film (remember film?) is developed and prints are…

My last consumption of a can of pop was 687 days ago. That’s one year, 10 months, 16 days — or since March 5, 2014. A month prior to that day I had my first (and hopefully last) experience with a kidney stone. Doctors cited pop as the culprit for the mineral buildup and gave me the advice to give up drinking the super sugary stuff or possibly suffer through another round of excruciating pain. (…

Did you notice the funds in your checking account seem to be coming up short this month? Sure, the depleted checking account might be the result of overzealous Christmas shopping, but in my case, and for many of you that I talked to, shortages of $250 to $500 seem to be the norm due to the new premiums of the unaffordable health care act. I know ISIS and immigration are the hot topics of the…

The following appeared in the Rock County Herald on August 24, 1923:   FLAMING K.K.K. CROSSES MAKE WEIRD SCENES   Tourist Organizer of Ku Klux Klan or Local Wags Burn Two Emblems of the Order   Luverne’s first introduction to what might be termed a ceremonial of the Ku Klux Klan was given Friday night at the public park, when what is considered the organization’s official cross was burned shortly…

The following appeared in the Rock County Herald on December 21, 1923:   U. S. AND GERMANY RENEW MONEY ORDER EXCHANGE   Under arrangements completed by the two governments, beginning November 1st, there again will be an exchange of money orders by the postal systems of the United States and Germany, according to announcement received this week by Postmaster Geo. W. Fried. It has been impossible…

Heartbreak is not new to Vikings fans. Heartbreak is what we expect. So when the Vikings led for most of last Sunday’s playoff game only to lose by missing a field goal in the last few seconds — Vikings fans were not surprised. We are the kind of people who maintain low expectations so as to avoid disappointment. This character trait — of expecting life to be disappointing and to probably get…

I suppose seeing how this is my first column of 2015 — whoops, I mean 2016 ... (It usually takes a week or so for me to get the year right.) By far the best thing to happen in 2015 was that we were blessed with the birth of our first granddaughter, Brooke, which of course is really special, and it gave me column fodder throughout the year. Believe it or not, Mary and I were invited back for our…

I love snow. There I said it. (Pause here for boos and hisses from snow haters). Sure — it results in shoveling work, driving hazards and public expense for road clearing. But there’s a lot to love about snow. In a Minnesota winter, the landscape is pretty drab after grass goes dormant and trees are leafless, and snow brightens up the place. It’s clean, white and — when it’s not coming down…

“This Old House,” “Fixer Upper” and “Property Brothers” are among my favorite home improvement shows. It’s exciting to watch the resurrection of a once-loved home into a structure that is cared for again. Recently I have become a big fan of cooking shows and one in particular — so much so that I am contemplating a road trip. Chef & The Farmer is the name of a restaurant located in Kinston,…

The following appeared in the Rock County Herald on September 28, 1923:   CHILD HEALTH CLINICS TO BE HELD OCT. 6-11   Specialist to Hold Clinics at Luverne, Ashcreek, Kenneth, Kanaranzi and Hardwick   Infant and children’s clinics, under the direction of the Rock County Public Health association, will be held at five different points in the county from October 6th to 11th. The first clinic will…

Christmas 2015 is tomorrow, and while everything around us seems to be changing, at least the Christmas story remains the same. I noticed at least one other thing that hasn’t changed. It seems the Christmas shopping list has stood the test of time and modern technology. With the advent of the cellphone and all things computer, I was happy to notice shoppers pulling out their paper Christmas list…

Dear Friends, It’s been a busy and blessed year at the Juhl-Winter household.  In January our sweet Kate left for an 11-month stint on the mission fields of Thailand. In February Brenda traveled to the Twin Cities with college friends to attend a John Cougar Mellencamp concert. For three hours the four women were 19 again (even though their combined age is 208.) In March we traveled to California…

A tourist and a pilgrim are two distinctly different mind-sets. We have all been tourists. We have identified certain places to visit, consulted guide books and purchased maps. We have packed our suitcases, making certain to include our cameras and video recorders. By car or bus or train or plane or ship, we have traveled with the objective of seeing “the sites.” Castles, waterfalls, museums,…

Among the joys of the holiday season are Christmas greeting cards in the mailbox (at the end of the driveway — not an email inbox), on hard copy paper that can be posted on the refrigerator (not a fleeting Facebook post). Social media have somewhat diminished the anticipation of holiday snail mail since we now bump into each other online for brief updates on the goings-on in each other’s lives.…

Sunday was the Feast of St. Nicholas — and my youngest son’s 18th birthday. In his sermon at St. Catherine Catholic Church, Father Tom told of the story of Nicholas, about his immense sorrow at the deaths of his parents and the relief he felt giving away his inheritance through small gifts. His main focus was giving gifts to children. The kindness brought happiness to his broken heart. Nicholas…