Bluff Country Reader

Dr. Jan Meyer: There are lots of reasons to bedazzle

Published by tlittle@bluffco... on Mon, 06/10/2019 - 10:03am

A lot of funny and maybe out-of-the-ordinary things happen when you’re around people, but I have learned that maybe that is more so when the people you’re around are old.

Lisa Brainard: Make friends with a star this summer: Look to the skies

Published by tlittle@bluffco... on Mon, 06/10/2019 - 10:01am

Summer is a great time to check out the nighttime skies. Grab a blanket for the ground or sit in a reclining lawn chair, another light blanket or jacket to chase away any chills, and bug spray. Another good idea – this time to protect your nighttime vision from bright, white lights – is to have a headlamp or flashlight with the option of a red light. Your eyes will be saved from the time needed to adapt again to a low-light environment.

Bill Bentson: As state tournaments continue, another road trip awaits

Published by tlittle@bluffco... on Mon, 06/10/2019 - 9:52am

It’s 4:22 a.m. Thursday morning. As soon as I get this WEB done, I’ll be heading off to the state softball tournament in North Mankato. Should have gotten my article done last night, but didn’t have my writers “feel” last night.

Harmony couple excited to give restaurant new life

Published by tlittle@bluffco... on Mon, 06/03/2019 - 10:54am

For the past six weeks Shannon and Emily Onsager and their sons, Stefan and Lucas, have been working seven days a week remodeling the former Village Square Restaurant in downtown Harmony. The Harmony residents closed on the purchase of the popular eating venue on April 10 and went right to work.

“It was a lot of work,” Shannon said with the big smile as he looked around the new Falcon’s Nest. “But we are very pleased with the way it turned out. And we’re so excited about opening for business this Friday,” he added during an interview last week.

Al Batt: Family events create many wistful moments

Published by tlittle@bluffco... on Mon, 06/03/2019 - 10:50am

I have a wonderful neighbor named Bruce. Whenever I pass his driveway, thoughts occur to me, such as: A school board member in small-town Nebraska told me it had three graduates this year — the valedictorian, the salutatorian and the other one. The struggles of small schools to maintain sufficient enrollments makes me wistful.

I attended a granddaughter's New Ulm High School graduation. She was one of two of the class of 158 (including nine sets of twins) to speak. It seemed only yesterday that I held her as a newborn.

Dr. Jan Meyer: Jewelry has a real function in life

Published by tlittle@bluffco... on Mon, 06/03/2019 - 10:45am

There is a small framed saying on my dresser that clearly states my sentiments. It says “Jewelry marks moments: one piece for every place I’ve been.” I originally found that in a magazine ad, and saved it because that’s how I feel. Almost every piece I own has some meaning for me, not just for the places I’ve been, but also for various stages of my life over the years.

Lisa Brainard: Check out Fort Union Trading Post during June rendezvous

Published by tlittle@bluffco... on Mon, 06/03/2019 - 10:39am

The Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site – located on the North Dakota-Montana state line in the Williston, N.D., vicinity – is a place I’d like to visit for sure. I got as close to this remote location as the North Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park in 2017. But, alas, the weeks were adding up during the great total solar eclipse road trip that August. It was time to head home, not farther west. Sigh.

Bill Bentson: Spring sports teams deep into tournament action

Published by tlittle@bluffco... on Mon, 06/03/2019 - 10:26am

I’ve probably told this story before, but when we wintered in Texas (three years), the natives down there would ask us, “What do you do in the summertime in Minnesota?” My answer was always the same, “If it falls on a Sunday, we go on a picnic.”

Believe it or not, summer is here. Not officially, but temperature-wise. Today we were in the low 80s. Hallelujah!

In the past week I’ve had two road trips, one was 756 miles and the other is 422 miles.

Al Batt: Bird watching can result in finding uncommon wonders

Published by tlittle@bluffco... on Tue, 05/28/2019 - 11:22am

I watched warblers. There are collective nouns for warblers: bouquet, confusion, fall and wrench. The most abundant warbler I saw was the yellow-rumped warbler, nicknamed the butterbutt for obvious reasons. It winters farther north than most warblers because it can digest the wax in berry coatings. It gleans insects from vegetation and from the ground, catches flying insects and will eat suet and peanut butter. This warbler will even snatch insects from spiderwebs.

Dr. Jan Meyer: Who is the keeper of proverbs?

Published by tlittle@bluffco... on Tue, 05/28/2019 - 11:20am

Sitting in a room at the doctor’s office, the staff of two nurses, and I, were waiting for the results of a blood draw I’d had less than an hour before this appointment. The procedure I was there to have couldn’t be started without those results. They were both hovering over the computer screen, and I commented, “You know, a watched pot never boils!”

They both turned to me with puzzled looks on their faces. I realized I needed to explain about that wise old saying, then we laughed together and I added that we were experiencing about a four-generation gap.