Brenda Winter
By Brenda Winter, columnistDecember 22, 2019From now on, if anyone asks me for the definition of a good sport, I’m going to answer “Betty Mann.” Betty was willing to portray herself in the “Marlene and Darlene Present the Nutcracker” show at the Palace Theatre on Dec. 22 even though the storyline poked fun at nutcrackers and people like Betty who collect them. Betty brought down the house with her line, “It’s beautiful,” while admiring the…
By Brenda Winter, columnistNovember 25, 2019The comedy duo of Marlene and Darlene (Green Earth Players starlette DJ Luethje and I) will take the stage at the Palace Theater at 2 and 7 p.m. Sun, Dec. 22, and we’d like you to come. Every penny raised from the freewill admission goes toward the Generations, formerly the Luverne Senior Citizens, building fund. We already have a $5,000 matching grant, so give generously and you will help turn $…
By Brenda Winter, columnistSeptember 24, 2019Unlike some, my husband and I heard the tornado sirens loudly and clearly when they blasted a severe weather alarm around midnight on Sept. 11. We were asleep. Deeply, blissfully, soundly asleep. When suddenly, a low whining, blaring, horn-like sound filled our bedroom. It was the sound of someone playing a poorly tuned saxophone, or perhaps it was a beagle in pursuit of a rabbit. Perhaps a…
By Brenda Winter, columnistAugust 27, 2019It was 1971. Or maybe it wasn’t. I don’t know. I was a kid and there were three of us in the back seat of a Ford Mustang with Mom and Dad in the front. I sat in the middle. I always sat in the middle. I was the middle child and that’s where I sat with my older brother on one side and my younger sister on the other. The middle back seat of a Ford Mustang is actually a hump. I sat on a hump with no…
By Brenda Winter, columnistJuly 30, 2019“How hard can it be,” is a phrase that has allowed me to stay married, to have kids, to buy rental property, to homeschool, to direct a play, to travel in China, and last week it allowed me to serve as the camp chaplain at a camp for kids in foster care. How hard can it be? It got hard when all 52 of them stepped off the bus. They were not the mini-thugs I was expecting. Some of them were little…
By Brenda Winter, columnistJuly 01, 2019July 4, 2019 As a teenager growing up in Luverne I noticed The Fourth of July divided people into two groups: those who had “a lake place” and those who did not. I was among those who did not. As a small child growing up on a farm southwest of Luverne, a Fourth of July highlight might be my going outside to pet one of five or ten kittens. As an older child, the day might be spent waiting for the…
By Brenda Winter, columnistMay 07, 2019When consulted about removing bats from one of our rental properties in Luverne, the exterminator from Sioux Falls said, “Yeah. Wow. Luverne is freaking filled with bats.” I already knew that. My husband serves on the Blue Mound Area Theatre Board. The Board spent five figures to remove bats from the historic Palace Theatre. We rent a building on Main Street for our photography business. Once, my…
By Brenda Winter, columnistApril 16, 2019I’m sure I’m not the only one wondering, “Who, exactly, are Darlene and Marlene Brauer and why do they keep turning up in Luverne?” Twice in a year’s time this pair of middle-aged sisters has claimed to be a “comedy” act entertaining at a local fundraiser. They first insulted their way through the ATLAS banquet in April of 2018, then, on April 1 made mince meat of George Bonnema at the…
By Brenda Winter, columnistMarch 26, 2019Bonnie and I leaned intently over the puzzle at the Luverne Senior Citizens Center. We were waiting for our church’s monthly food giveaway to begin and we had time to kill. And there, on a small round table, was a puzzle. It had lots of flowers — pink ones and orange ones. We found ourselves leaning in closer to get a better look. Darned pieces were kind of small. I slid my bifocals lower on my…
By Brenda Winter, columnistMarch 05, 2019We’re nearing the end of a weeklong visit to Indiana to see our granddaughter Peppercorn and her kid sister Soggy Bottoms. Peppercorn is a thinker and has been a student of life for 3 1/2 years now. Little escapes her. She speaks truth. For example, “It’s mean to cook unicorns.” Well, yes, Sweetheart, it is. That’s why we cook cows and pigs and we decorate our bedrooms with unicorns. “It’s hard…
By Brenda Winter, ColumnistJuly 17, 2018Standing in my son’s back yard pushing my granddaughter on her swing, she instructs me, “Higher Grammy! Higher!” I’m facing north, staring at the former Sunrise Motel at the west end of Main Street between RCO and the old Ripley gas station. The motel is being remodeled by John and Vinnie. It’s one of those “top-secret, right out in the open” sorts of operations. They are doing something, but no…
By Brenda Winter, columnistOctober 03, 2017It’s time for my annual CT scan to confirm that the anal cancer I was treated for a year ago is still gone. I had a simple question. “How much is this scan going to cost?” My annual deductible has kicked in again, which means the first $10,000 of this year’s post-cancer surveillance spending is on my dime. You read that right. $10K. That number is why small business owners, farmers and other…
By Brenda Winter, columnistSeptember 12, 2017My husband, youngest daughter and I arose early that morning. Our mission for the day was to drive to Beatrice, Nebraska, to view the total eclipse of the sun scheduled to happen there around noon. NASA promoted the event like this: “On Monday, Aug. 21, 2017, all of North America will be treated to an eclipse of the sun. Anyone within the path of totality can see one of nature’s most awe-…
By Brenda Winter, columnistAugust 15, 2017And now they are 2. The baby girls who became our granddaughters two years ago have had their birthdays — one in June and one in July. So the family is blessed with not one, but two, completely illogical people. Webster defines logic as “a proper or reasonable way of thinking about something.” A 2-year-old is not a logical creature, especially regarding property rights. We were about to cross the…
By Brenda Winter, columnistNovember 07, 2016It’s Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2016, and the sun is rising over the bike path in my back yard. I’ve had my first cup of coffee and fed the stray calico kitty who now lives on our deck. (Because we are clever we have named her “Deck Kitty.”) I haven’t yet cast my ballot for oatmeal or scrambled eggs, but there will be a winner. Oatmeal is pulling ahead in the polls because it comes with the…
By Brenda Winter, columnistOctober 11, 2016My granddaughters have reached the toddler stage so “going for a walk” has taken on a whole new meaning. Traditionally, “going for a walk” means moving quickly with the goal of increasing one’s heart rate. Toddler walks are different. Toddler walks are more focused on sticks, rocks, leaves and worms and less focused on physical fitness. Or getting anywhere. Or actually walking. Toddlers live in…
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