lori sorenson
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…
By Lori Sorenson, editorNovember 19, 2019I was an honored guest for Luverne’s ninth-grade Career Day on Nov. 13 when invited local professionals shared insights into their jobs. In the days leading up to Career Day, I pondered the message I’d share with these young minds. What could I tell 14-year-olds about what I do that would matter to them? Their teacher, Jason Berghorst, encouraged me to talk about careers in journalism. I did. And…
By Lori Sorenson, editorOctober 22, 2019My husband’s parents lost their home in the Sept. 11 flood that sent Split Rock Creek outside its banks, over roads and bridges and straight through their farmyard in northwestern Rock County. My Sept. 19 column spoke of a DNR water rescue and told the story of generosity and gratitude in the face of tragedy. Today there’s an update to the saga of the flood-displaced couple whose 65-year marriage…
By Lori SorensonSeptember 17, 2019My husband’s parents, Arden and Mary Ellen, said good-bye this week to their little house on the banks of Split Rock Creek. The rolling green pastures, lush farm ground and thick grove of trees are deceptively tranquil considering the destructive force of the river in high-water years. For decades, a closely monitored sump pump kept flood damage at bay — until last week when an 8-inch deluge 30…
By Lori Sorenson, editorAugust 20, 2019I got a new keyboard for my Mac at the Star Herald last week, and in addition to being shiny and new (and clean), it has a new sound. A satisfying sound. … Almost like a typewriter, minus the ding of the return cartridge. Clickety clackety clickety clackety … “It sounds very productive,” a fellow news writer observed. My previous keyboard arrived quietly. With little ado. Its plastic casing with…
By Lori SorensonJuly 23, 2019Pain is part of being human, and the hard lessons we learn from pain often help shape us into better people. There are entire Pinterest pages of inspiring quotes about living and growing through pain, and most of them — most of the time — make sense. “At the end of every dark storm there is a bright rainbow,” for example. But what does this mean for those who live with chronic physical pain?…
By Lori Sorenson, editorJune 25, 2019From my seat in the machine shop, I observed the turkey fryer a safe distance away with one recurring thought: There’s got to be a column in here somewhere. It started five days earlier when I found a Butterball turkey in the bottom of the chest freezer. It was a holiday gift from a farm supplier just last year, so the bird was still fresh and, better yet, free. Several days later, the husband…- By Lori Sorenson, editorMay 21, 2019Against my better judgment we purchased a vacuum robot this spring. It’s not a Roomba, but it’s better, according to my sister who enthusiastically recommended it. We have a light-colored dog and dark-colored flooring so pet hair dust bunnies make daily appearances. When the robot came on sale for half price, I clicked “add to cart,” “proceed to checkout” and “buy.” A week later a big box showed…
By Lori Sorenson, editorApril 30, 2019Another high school prom is in the books, and son No. 2 came through with flying colors, or at least with high shine, given his date’s glittery dress and his matching gold vest and tie. A lot of planning and effort goes into a high school prom, and we’re grateful to the volunteers and local sponsors who help with the festivities. And, while it’s fun to see the students in all their prom finery, I…
By Lori Sorenson, editorApril 09, 2019“Sweet dreams,” “Living the dream, “Man of my dreams,” “In your dreams” … all imply that dreaming is a good thing. But my dreams are mostly weird. Like the ones that find me in my childhood home in the kitchen with yellow linoleum, rooster-patterned wallpaper and a black-and-white television on the counter. There’s no real significance to the stories that play out in those dreams. They’re mostly…
By Lori Sorenson, editorMarch 19, 2019The expression on his face said it all. The high school junior was forced to try on a suit coat and matching slacks over the weekend as a step toward finding prom attire. In casual conversation with a friend last week, I mentioned prom, and she speculated that her son had a prom suit he’d be willing to sell. So, she brought it to me, and I brought it home, and the kid was required to try it on.…
By Lori Sorenson, editorJanuary 15, 2019My 22-year-old son spent last weekend ice fishing with buddies on some frozen lake in central Minnesota. He’s an experienced angler and has driven on many frozen Minnesota lakes to auger countless holes in ice to retrieve untold numbers and species of fish. Therefore, I told myself (again) I should not worry that my firstborn will fall through the ice surface and plunge to a frigid death. But I’m…
By Lori Sorenson, editorSeptember 26, 2017Siri is slowly doing away with recipe books, how-to manuals and other tried and true handy references. Our old backyard apple tree has been busy bearing fruit, and we’ve been busy harvesting. Since our McIntosh apples are somewhat “vintage” I consulted my 1950s-era community cookbooks for old-fashioned recipes. Apple dumplings, applesauce, baked whole apples, apple cobbler and others were printed…
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