ruminations
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…- By Mavis Fodness, reporterAugust 10, 2021Perched atop the old hog house roof on our farm east of Hardwick, I called my husband, Bryan, on my cell phone. As the phone rang through, I pondered my predicament — I had climbed on the roof to fetch the dog’s frisbee and now I was stuck. My errant throw landed Lucy’s favorite toy out of reach, and her eyes darted eagerly between me and the direction the toy was thrown. I knew she’d pester me…
By Mavis Fodness, reporterJuly 13, 2021For decades this weekly space has featured personal reflections from our editorial staff. The authors have shared various topics and experiences, and some have talked about cancer — either their own personal battles or those of family members. I’ve read their words, sometimes through tears of joy for the author’s triumph, and sometimes with deepest empathy at the loss of life. My logical self…
By Mavis Fodness, reporterJune 15, 2021Monday night, a dedicated group of 4-H horse project leaders assembled new portable bleachers for the horse arena at the Rock County Fairgrounds. It’s no small undertaking. The bleachers arrived last week in a tidy box filled with hundreds of bolts, rivets and aluminum pieces. When assembled, they become a safe and secure public seating area. The old wood and steel bleachers can hopefully benefit…
By Mavis FodnessMay 11, 2021In the past year I’ve struggled with feelings of uncertainty, unanswered questions and an overwhelming cascade of local, state and federal happenings that have left my brain — well — foggy. Last week, Minnesota Public Radio aired a segment about exactly what I’ve been feeling. Apparently, mental health professionals have a name for this unsettling feeling that isn’t quite burnout or hopelessness…
By Mavis Fodness, reporterApril 27, 2021A forgotten influence recently came to mind with the news of Walter Mondale’s death. The memory took me back to Augustana College as an 18-year-old freshman. The 1984 presidential campaign featured Democratic presidential candidate Mondale, and I was one of a small group of Young Democrats on campus. Like me, he was a Minnesota native, and my political leanings were beginning to take root in his…
By Mavis Fodness, reporterApril 06, 2021The weekend provided a wonderful time for renewal, and the warm weather gives a glimpse into a bright and wonderful summer — so much different from last year. At this time 365 days ago, the coronavirus pandemic made me stop and evaluate how to safely interact with my grandchildren. It often meant I didn’t make car trips to Iowa and opted instead for FaceTime, packages in the mail and promises to…
By Mavis Fodness, reporterMarch 09, 2021Author Theodor Seuss Geisel has taken readers on whimsical journeys through Whoville, Kaverns of Krock and the Jungle of Nool, and many other fictional places since the publishing of his first book in 1937. We know Mr. Geisel better by his pen name Dr. Seuss. March 2 is “I Love to Read Day” and is celebrated locally as well as nationally with Dr. Seuss books taking center stage during the day. Dr…
By Mavis Fodness, reporterFebruary 09, 2021How well do you remember those U.S. history lessons? If you’re like me, I don’t remember those intricate details necessary to receive my U.S. citizenship. Luckily I don’t have to pass the test now in effect for those who are seeking citizenship. Out of curiosity I tried to answer the questions the New York Times used in its recent story about the new citizenry test questions. Below are 10…
By Mavis Fodness, reporterDecember 21, 2020Instead of making a New Year’s resolution for 2020, I assembled a “vision” board instead. It proved to be a much better way to affect positive change than resolutions, which never lasted a month, much less an entire year. Ideally, pictures from magazines are used to “visually” represent an activity or feeling one wants to focus on, but I made a list. Among the items I wrote on my board was to…
By Mavis Fodness, reporterNovember 23, 2020This summer I celebrated my 55th birthday. That’s right the 5-5 —the posted speed limit on most county highways. It is also the minimum age for participating in the eight-hour defensive driving class through the Minnesota Safety Council and Luverne Community Education. Any driver 55 and older can take the initial class that allows certificate holders to receive an auto insurance discount. I…
By Mavis Fodness, reporterNovember 03, 2020Circumstances are murky as to how Orville Iveland’s military dog tag ended up in the farm grove of Russell and Doris Wenzel in Springwater Township. What’s clear is that the dog tag is now safely in the Iveland family’s procession. An Oct. 22 Star Herald story with the Wenzels about an unusual rock unearthed during a farm tile project led Russell to showing me a dull-colored metal dog tag he…
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