About this time, five years ago, I left my Moorhead apartment at 9:30 a.m. I drove south on Highway 75 four hours until I reached Luverne for a job interview at the Rock County Star Herald. I came here on a whim that I’d never regret for what was my second "real" job interview. In honor of that fateful journey, I’m recognizing my fifth anniversary here.I knew a little about the paper before I came here: I knew it had a decent Web site (which was a pretty new thing then); I knew it had solid writers and photographers on staff; I knew the paper took home a few state newspaper association awards almost every year; I knew the computer at my work station was a teal Macintosh and looked really high tech. I didn’t know anything about Rock County and hadn’t even heard of Luverne until I came here for the interview. But I moved into an apartment on East Dodge Street with a view of the Rock River, and named my column "room with a view."Now, I’m a homeowner and have gotten pretty familiar with the town and its people whose stories I’ve been able to tell for five years. Some of my favorite stories, columns and photos might not be that memorable to everyone, but they were each important to me.My very first story was a teacher retirement piece. The next week, I was proud of a big spread on mosquitoes: what cities do to control them, how the mosquitoes reproduce, how to repel them. I’ve filled in the years since those first stories with lots of time sitting through meetings and chatting with local residents. I decided that it’s just plain fun to talk to people and write their stories. It’s also satisfying in a sick, boring way to write about budgets or sewer plant upgrades.I bet if I’m here in five more years, I’ll write another column about how I still don’t regret my rash decision to set up house in Rock County. I don’t even mind that I’ve been yelled at a few times by people unhappy about what I’ve written; that I’ve received about a dozen nasty letters, or that I’ve been a sounding board for bitter taxpayers. Don’t feel too sorry for me, though, because I’ve also received thank-you notes and kind e-mails.Maybe I should end by giving my appreciation back to you for watching me learn and write and mess up — all in permanent ink. So, thanks for reading what I’ve seen from my "room with a view."
