lori sorenson
- By Lori Sorenson, editorJanuary 25, 2021In my early days at the paper, my friend and fellow writer, Carole Olson, wrote a Star Herald column about the NIMBY phenomenon — Not In My Back Yard. I don’t remember what the issue was — perhaps the airport runway expansion, and the nimbys had been articulate. They supported the project in general, as long as it didn’t affect them directly. The words in Carole’s column gently reminded us that a…
- By Lori Sorenson, editorJanuary 05, 2021My sisters and I met Sunday afternoon at the farm for an impromptu social gathering. There are five of us, but only four could make it on short notice, and it was just us — no husbands, no kids, no grandkids and, of course, no Mom and Dad. Mom died in September of 2019, and Dad died in August of 2020. The sisters and our families spent a lot of time at the farm last fall going through things in…
- By Lori Sorenson, editorDecember 15, 2020We have a leg lamp on display in our western Rock County neighborhood, proudly illuminated in a highway-facing window. It was a highly-anticipated mail-order gift, and the neighbors (our friends) documented its delivery in a series of group text images. First came a photo of the “major award” assembled and plugged in. Then, to prove its authenticity, came a photo of the delivery box with large…
- By Lori Sorenson, editorNovember 10, 2020A group text among my sisters typically makes the rounds during holidays: “When and where will we gather?” and "Who’s bringing what for food?” But this year we’re asking, “Should we gather?” And if so, “How can we safely gather?” There are five of us sisters, and with our growing families we’re about two dozen people. We love each other dearly, and with both of our parents recently passing,…
- By Lori Sorenson, editorOctober 20, 2020On Friday I’ll turn 52. It’s not a landmark birthday, but it feels like more of a landmark than birthdays 40 and 50 combined. My dad died in August within a year of my mom’s death last fall. It has been “quite a year,” as a friend noted in the grocery store last week. Yes, it has. In more ways than one. I contemplated my reply when she asked how I was doing. “You’ve sure had a lot,” she said…
- By Lori Sorenson, editorSeptember 22, 2020My kitchen smelled amazing Saturday. The stovetop was a happy place of simmering aromatic good stuff from the garden. Not from my garden. I don’t have a garden. But you wouldn’t know it judging by the abundance of garden produce that accumulates regularly on my countertops and in my fridge. Cucumbers and green beans in the spring. Potatoes and tomatoes midway through summer. And squash in the…
- By Lori Sorenson, editorAugust 25, 2020My grade school report cards surfaced during a recent cleaning at my childhood home. The yellowed paper told the story of a good student, with mostly As and some Bs, but she had trouble following instructions. In the section for teacher observations, the line, “Listens well to instructions,” sometimes was noted with a minus sign rather than a satisfactory plus sign. It used to annoy me, but it…
- By Lori Sorenson, editorJuly 28, 2020I returned to the Star Herald office Monday after a refreshing vacation in the crisp dry air of the South Dakota Black Hills. The 80-degree, 70-percent humidity weather that welcomed us home was hard enough, but Monday was Day 1 of Minnesota’s indoor mask mandate. I hate to complain, but it was a bit of a struggle, especially considering the outdoor breathing I’d grown fond of on the ATV trails.…
- By Lori Sorenson, editorJune 30, 2020A “novel” virus is, by definition, a new virus, not previously identified. When it emerged six months ago scientists knew nothing about it, except that it was highly contagious and could kill people. Today we know a little about it, like how it’s transmitted and what it’s capable of. But mostly, it seems, the more we learn, the less we know. Things at first believed to be true about it (like, it…
- By Lori Sorenson, editorJune 02, 2020More than once in the past several days, I’ve opened my mouth to say something profound, but stopped short, realizing that words aren’t enough. There simply are no words to describe the occurrences of the past week in Minneapolis and their ripple effect statewide and now in cities across the nation. There are no words to explain why a police officer would lean on the neck of an already handcuffed…
- By Lori SorensonMay 05, 2020Something truly remarkable happened one gray day in April. I’m still shaking my head over it. The high school senior wandered into the kitchen on a Saturday afternoon. “Mom, let’s take my graduation photo.” I just about dropped the frying pan. This is the kid who hates to have his photo taken and was dragging his feet for the graduation portrait. “Now?” “Yeah. What should I wear?” “Something with…
- By Lori Sorenson, editorApril 07, 2020My oldest son earned a law enforcement degree a couple of years ago at a time when mothers might worry about their sonsworking in law enforcement. So, when he took a job in security and surveillance at Avera McKennan, I felt comforted to know he’d be less often in harm’sway. How many armed bad guys hang out in the ER waiting room? Lately, with the coronavirus closing in from all sides,…
- By Lori Sorenson, editorMarch 10, 2020Mahatma Gandhi once said, “The greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” Paul McCartney further said, “You can judge a man's true character by the way he treats his fellow animals.” If this is true, it’s safe to say we have a great community blessed by people of solid character, given the outpouring of support for the upcoming “Paws for a Cause” event. Anyone…
- By Lori Sorenson, editorFebruary 18, 2020I enjoyed taste-testing chili last week at Schomackers Home Galleries where family members (who happen to be business partners) competed for bragging rights to the best recipe. Brothers Joe and Tony Schomacker and their dad, Randy, were chili cooks, and Sharon baked sweets to sell on the side. The whole thing raised money for local charity. To make it more interesting, the three crockpots of…
- January 21, 2020My high school senior caught me off guard last fall with the announcement, “Mom, I’m playing hockey this year.” This from the kid who’s never played hockey … Not that he hasn’t wanted to; we just aren’t hockey people. By that I mean his mother had neither the will nor the means to keep up with our hockey friends on the road and in hotel rooms. I drove my child to open skate as often as he asked,…
- By Lori Sorenson, editorDecember 17, 2019Mom wasn’t a fan of Christmas. She didn’t raise her children to believe in Santa and our tree didn’t go up until well into December. Mostly Mom despised the commercialism of the holidays, openly cringing at the first Christmas ad on TV or first decorations to show up on store shelves. Of course, it didn’t help that the ag economy crashed when she and Dad had five children looking forward to gifts…
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