Skip to main content

ruminations

  • By Mavis Fodness, reporter
    September 26, 2016
    As a child growing up in the 1970s and ‘80s, I couldn’t wait to see the latest horror flick. Movies like “The Shining,” “Christine,” “Nightmare on Elm Street,” and “Friday the 13th” would garner excitement. These movies featured a creepy bad guy who was out to hurt teenagers or their family members. Now as an adult, however, I purposely steer clear of horror movies. They have become too real due…
  • By Mavis Fodness, reporter
    September 05, 2016
    Warning: Words printed in italics convey true feelings. Come mid-October residents with Minnesota driver’s licenses may have trouble boarding an airplane or entering military bases or federal buildings. This could include my family as we travel to San Antonio, Texas, for Adam’s graduation from basic training at Lackland Air Force Base. The baby of the family left Wednesday. Taking a deep breath.…
  • By Mavis Fodness, reporter
    August 08, 2016
    In my completion of daily horse chores, I often hear the familiar honks of Canada geese as they pass overhead. This spring, however, there was one honk that sounded a little different from the others. I am fairly certain it was Gary greeting me. Two summers ago my family unknowingly fostered a Canada goose into adulthood. What was then a gray and yellow fuzzy ball grew up to be a beautiful black…
  • By Mavis Fodness, reporter
    July 11, 2016
    “Back to the Future” is one of those movies I have watched again, again and again. Despite its futuristic title, it’s a movie that brings me back to the past. I was a college sophomore when the film debuted in theaters July 1985. I didn’t see the movie during its first release. I purchased the VHS years later for my first viewing. At the time of the movie’s release, my fellow college students…
  • By Mavis Fodness, reporter
    May 16, 2016
    May 23 will be a joyous day even though it lands on a Monday this year. It will be the day after my youngest child graduates from high school. It will also be the day after my youngest daughter is married. How these two events came to be scheduled on the same day can be blamed (in part) on the story my husband, Bryan, and I have told our children countless times. We selected our own marriage date…
  • By Mavis Fodness, reporter
    April 25, 2016
    Story development takes on different forms in the world of journalism. There are timeless stories — those that can be published anytime and entertain readers about a subject. Then there are the fast-breaking stories. These are full of facts about an event or incident. These run in the upcoming publication and inform readers of the latest news. And then there are the stories completed as a record…
  • By Mavis Fodness, reporter
    March 21, 2016
    There’s one sure sign that spring has arrived at my house. A bucket may not be as exciting as watching geese fly north or the winter wind having a little less bite. In my house the large container on the kitchen counter signifies spring is here. Along with the bucket, a rubber nipple and a two-quart plastic bottle often join the clutter. Their appearance means a newborn farm animal needs human…
  • By Mavis Fodness, reporter
    January 18, 2016
    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. (…
  • By Mavis Fodness
    December 28, 2015
    “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,…
  • By Mavis Fodness
    December 07, 2015
    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…
  • By mavis fodness, reporter
    October 26, 2015
      Freshly painted barn brings dreams of very own quilt design Sac County, Iowa, has more barn quilts than any other place in the country ­ or so its website indicates. Visitors can even run a self-guided tour to all 58 sites by printing the simple map off the Internet. For the past couple of years, my self-guided tour of the large, hand-painted designs on the front or sides of barns has consisted…
  • By mavis fodness, reporter
    September 28, 2015
      The saying, “A picture is worth a thousand words,” was never more poignant in describing my experience at this year’s state 4-H horse show. Unbeknownst to me, a Clay County mother and daughter were dealing with a nightmare the day after the Rock County delegation pulled onto the state fairgrounds Sept. 17. The Brown family’s horse named Brick was having trouble moving. No amount of coaxing from…
  • By Mavis Fodness, reporter
    September 14, 2015
      The decision on what to wear each day should be an easy task. But for me the routine likens itself to deciding what to eat for supper each night by looking in the fridge. So each morning I continually look in the closet for what looks good to wear. Having too many choices is playing a huge part in the daily get-dressed-and-go-to-work dilemma. Maybe getting rid of some of the clutter will do the…
  • By Mavis Fodness, reporter
    August 24, 2015
      Laura Richters of Luverne is a scrapbooking marvel. Last month at the Rock County Fair, Laura was sitting comfortably in a folding chair with a computer set up in her lap. She was archiving yet another family event. “This is my passion,” she told me several months ago. It’s a passion she started two decades ago when her oldest child, Brittney, was 2. “Back then, I did what everyone else did — I…
  • By Mavis Fodness, reporter
    July 20, 2015
          By Mavis Fodness Someone likens the feeling of turning 50 to that of a youth mastering riding a bike without training wheels. Remember the feeling of freedom and independence? That feeling has been building inside me for the past half century. It becomes official on Saturday. I will be 50. But what does that mean exactly? Turning 50 is not a new phenomenon. People have turned 50 before and…
  • By Mavis Fodness, reporter
    June 29, 2015
      One benefit of being a reporter is the role of quiet observer in a community — following events but not interfering with the news as it unfolds. A story assignment in Jasper two years ago is one such event. The experiences of one family have left a lasting impression, and I continue to follow their story. Tayden Grohs was 4 years old when we first met. He was throwing a football around with his…
Subscribe to ruminations

You must log in to continue reading. Log in or subscribe today.