morris (mn) mojo: Recent Episodes
Brian Williams
I'm putting toe in water about podcasting. I can see the system has changed a little. This post is to try to get comfortable again.
A feeling of exasperation grows as the quadruple murders in Moscow, Idaho, continue to be unsolved. Precious few leads for the public to grasp now. But it's important that we persist and communicate openly on what we see as leads. Heaven help us if the public, or the amateur sleuths, were to withdaw. In this episode I shed light on Jack Showalter who is worthy of further examination, I feel.
Here is my Christmas song for 2022. It's based on the story of St. Lucia or "St. Lucy."
A reminder that government can indeed come to the rescue. We're hearing all about college loan forgiveness. There could be a downside. But right now we're hearing more about the other side of the coin. Of course, nothing in life is free.
I sing my original song "January 6 Lament" here. It reviews the very unsettling events of that day, Jan. 6, 2021, when unruly behavior broke out at the nation's capitol.
So we're into a new July 4 weekend. Sun is out, weather quite pleasant. We have been warned that inflation is rearing its head for the July 4 three-day weekend. I'm not doing anything special. Take care and be safe. I'm keeping an eye on political doings on this holiday weekend. Will we hear Lee Greenwood's music as background for a Trump rally again? He may announce for 2024.
Imagine going to church during the WWII years. Someone reminded me recently that the First Lutheran Church pastor in those stressful times was Rev. Emil Ede. I wonder how he helped everyone cope.
He's a coach with the Washington D.C. "Commanders." He has been associated with our Minnesota Vikings. At present he's in some controversy over comments that do not draw on his football expertise. Shall we say he's in a "dust-up?" Rimshot.
A mess in South Dakota: impeachment and upcoming trial in the state senate, of Jason Ravnsborg. He's the embattled attorney general. The matter has lingered for too long. The bar needs to be set high in assessing the behavior of the person in this position.
To Frank in Nashville: Here is my "rough" singing of song "Why Can't We All Get Along?"
My generation once harbored some resentment against the ultra-rich. Our attitudes began shifting with the election of Ronald Reagan. Is it now time for a re-set? Can we look objectively at ultra-rich T. Denny Sanford of South Dakota, weigh the child porn allegations against him? Is money really everything?
This September weekend has fine weather, albeit windy, but we're all getting more concerned again with the virus. My church strongly suggests masks for Sunday, seems like a requirement. Well, there goes coffee hour!
Today, Sept. 17, has importance for Civil War remembrance in Minnesota. I reflect on two post-war events. Remember we have the Sam Smith statue at Summit Cemetery in Morris, to mark the remembrance in a dramatic way. Look for the "running rifleman."
On this perfect mid-September day we must count our blessings. This is especially so, when one considers that we are always on the nuclear precipice. Precipice with possible disaster, as the new book co-written by Bob Woodward reminds us. Why can't Americans be more careful electing our president?
The Tigers improved to 2-0 in their very well-attended home opener. This podcast episode is being made on the anniversary of 9/11. I am plugging for the vaccination effort!
The new TV movie "Impeachment" recalls Bill Clinton and his dalliance with the intern. I guess many years have passed, but in my mind it really seems not so long ago. Just like the 9/11 attack and Y2K.
Ah, the joy of ABBA music. I express the hope here that our high school band director Ms. Dagen might still locate an ABBA medley for her top band. Her last check did not turn up the ideal arrangement for that level. If not this, how about "Yellow Submarine?"
What news: new musical releases from the '70s supergroup ABBA, from Sweden. So this inspires today's offering on the "Morris Mojo" podcast, from Morris MN!
Did we really need this? Texas' decision to move ahead with a drastic abortion law? Is this even in the interests of conservative Republicans who normally champion such things?
We haven't forgotten our former librarian, from pre-pandemic times: Melissa Yauk. This episode is shared on Melissa's birthday, April 12, a time of year when the weather is budging toward spring but it's a halting process, isn't it. Well, happy birthday to Melissa, native of Wadsworth, Illinois.
Hello Frank Michels in Nashville, I sing here my composition "Writing on the Stone," song about Kensington Runestone.
So it's April 10 and weather shifts in predictable fashion. I comment here on the upcoming start of fast-pitch softball and about the new facility in Morris for that purpose.
There is tumult in Christianity with the voices of "evangelicals" who seem totally attached to a political leader or leader. Let's drop names: Donald Trump. Can we progress from this and embrace the true essence of Christ? It's worthy of thought on this Sunday, March 21.
It's Saturday but some churches already have their Sunday service posted on YouTube. Earlier today I called up the very pleasant service of Triumphant Love Lutheran Church of Austin TX. The chief pastor is Danielle Casey.
This brings back memories for me: celebrating "St. Urho's Day," a faux holiday, on March 16. It's this coming Tuesday, to be followed of course by the more bona fide St. Patrick's Day. Could it be that the Finns are trying to steal some of the Irish (and Catholic) thunder? Hmmm.
On this mid-March day, with lots of "snirt" around us, we ponder our progress from the pandemic. We wonder if we might attend church tomorrow (Sunday) as if something akin to normality has returned. Most likely the answer is "no" on that, but we focus on the progress. We can appreciate the creativity of churches with their YouTube offerings.
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America - that's "in" not "of" - is beginning to recognize that "evangelical" is a problem part of the title. That's because the term has been co-opted by the far right of American politics, i.e. the Trump crowd.
Lent: Not sure I can provide a precise description, but I know we should fast some. There's something to be said for that, regardless of spirituality! Churches do special things on Wednesdays of Lent. Our recognition comes amidst a time of general decline for mainstream churches and in particular the ELCA.
The Tigers of girls hoops came out on the short end vs. Redwood Valley Friday at Tiger Center. The score was 75-46. It was a down night but we actually did OK with three-point shooting. So I report on the game and also share some unrelated thoughts, some in the spiritual realm.
It lingers: the September traffic incident in SD involving the state's attorney general. A big deal? Well, someone was killed. The investigation went on and on. Now impeachment is coming forward. Stay tuned. I speak here on the impression left by Jason Ravnsborg in his videotaped interrogation from late October.
Not an easy task these days: keeping the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America on a steady course with our vitality. The so-called "conservative" strain has siphoned off numbers. The ELCA has stayed true to its principles. With time, who knows? The numbers may swell again. Seems unlikely now, but who knows how change can come? Remember how we all liked disco music?
Time for some spiritual reflection here as we embark on the Lenten season. My church of First Lutheran in Morris will have a service tonight (Wednesday) and I'll likely be there. Opportunities are rare in these days of the pandemic to get out and at least be close to a few people. I will turn down any charcoal for the forehead! IMHO seems like a superstitious ritual. Let's contemplate what it means to be Lutheran.
Here's a toast to Vic Power, MVP of the 1962 Minnesota Twins who placed second in the American League, five games behind the New York Yankees. I share some lyrics/poetry in tribute. It's long ago but let's not let go of the memories.
Calvin Griffith was almost saintly when he brought his Senators to Minnesota, here to become our Minnesota Twins. Today his statue has been removed. Odd, the vicissitudes of life. I reflect on the background of the historic move by Griffith to bring his Senators here. I was six years old when the Twins began play.
February is when we can sort of "think spring." Ah, wishful thinking. How we pine for that now, in this year of distress with the pandemic. In this post I share about the weather, plus some more thoughts on keeping churchgoing vibrant. Oh, and a bonus! I share some lyrics/poetry on the subject of Trump as he fades. At least we think he's fading.
Wow what an interesting new frontier: churches existing online. So they seek to progress with this, sometimes in a halting way. The main thing is having a good effort. My church of First Lutheran in Morris could get better. We'll see. Of course it's the pandemic that has forced this move online. What will the future hold? If we only knew.
Many of us would be fixated on the Super Bowl if we were in normal times. Alas our routines have been upended, and it seems to me the Super Bowl has far less reach than it normally would. Let's focus on how we can continue dealing with pandemic as best we can.
East 7th in Morris was once the main entry to town from the east, plus the old school was there. So it could be a "people magnet" to be sure. Some charming businesses existed along there like the "Pylin" drive-in restaurant. It was like stepping into the movie "American Grafitti."
A community's Sesquicentennial is cause for reflection on the past. Morris sprouted in 1871 thanks to the railroad. By the end of the century we saw some grand Victorian homes like the Stanton House, west Morris. In 1910 we got the West Central School of Agriculture, on the campus known today as UMM. To what extent can we celebrate the Sesquicentennial? Hard to know at present.
A sense of history, truly, on this January 20: Trump exits, a voice for hope and optimism comes in. It happens as we experience the dead of winter here in Minnesota. Let's get over this pandemic.
It ought to be a big deal for our Morris MN: our 150th anniversary as a community. We began in 1871 as a "tent town" out here on the prairie. The railroad set the stage for it all. We had a super Centennial celebration in 1971. I was part of that. But what of the Sesquicentennial? Frankly, it sounds like nothing is going to be happening. Well, we've slowed down because of the pandemic anyway. Is it too late now?
You should know that the Killoran stage is the second such facility at East Side Park in Morris. The previous facility appears pretty much forgotten, and it's unfortunate because it was special. My podcast of today gets into that history along with a general history of East Side Park. Let us have music back there again. The Killoran stage gets almost zero use now - unbelievable.
We need greater use of the outdoor stage at East Side Park in Morris. Nice to see that Skip Killoran has gotten active with this. I'll add what I can. In this podcast episode I reflect on summer marching band in Morris in the '70s, as an example of how kids can really get on board with summer music. I guess we need some leadership and example-setting by adults. Alas, these can be scarce commodities in our Morris, Minnesota.
Today I can report on a letter written by Skip Killoran to our Chamber of Commerce. I sympathize fully: the Killoran stage at East Side Park has fallen into almost total disuse. The big blow was Prairie Pioneer Days leaving East Side Park. What can be done? Constructive minds could solve this. We need more basic enthusiasm in the community. Good luck on that. I'd like to see some young musicians roll up their sleeves.
I don't blame the Killoran family for now expressing concern about the non-use of the terrific outdoor stage at East Side Park. It is time someone made this an issue for public discussion. An element of the community once pushed for this. Fine, but it has fallen into dis-use, I suppose because of apathy or because young people have become too consumed by sports.
I got a belated Christmas message from a friend in Cedar Rapids - belated but appreciated! Bruce brought me up to date on what it was like to experience the severe August storm there. It's called a "derecho." I quote from his email here, scary details about what a storm like this can do, the size of the insurance payments etc. And you think you have problems? Bruce came out of it fine, thank goodness. We are old musical friends.
My what harsh weather we had leading into our Christmas Eve of 2020. This podcast episode is recorded on our precious Christmas Eve Day. We cherish it as we try to overlook the circumstances hovering over the 2020 holiday. No need to remind you all. Take care and Merry Christmas. The weather is pretty calm as of Thursday afternoon. The sun is out!
This is the week of memories, Christmas week, in which we recall past times and imagine we could go back. We can't, of course. We can conjure it up in our dreams, as a wonderful old Christmas song proclaims. Merry Christmas to all in 2020. Fight past the circumstances.
The pandemic restrictions are depressing for many of us. Remember, government pushes this primarily to try to keep us at home. And certainly you do not wish any undue risk for yourself or those you love. Hang in there For Christmas 2020, please! An angel might watch over you.
Is there any doubt about this, that Joe and Jill Biden (Dr. Jill Biden) will elevate our public discussion to a classy level? We are approaching Christmas of 2020 having to deal with quite a few remaining days of the bitter Trump administration and the guy's "tweets." Over time, the Bidens I predict will make us embarrassed we allowed our public discourse to focus so much on Trump and to reflect his hard cruel edge. Let's embrace joy and universal love again!
In our time of duress, December of 2020, let us feel some nostalgia: let's think about Minnesota Twins of 1965, the year we won the pennant. Let us also remember the accomplishments of our World Series opponent, the Los Angeles Dodgers, who upended us in seven games behind Sandy Koufax. Oh, to step into a time machine.
We are blessed having Willie's Super Valu available as a place not only to get essential food, but to have something resembling normal human interaction again. Please mix with your friends safely. These are concerning times. We have the pandemic and we have Trump still in the White House.
Yes, I wasn't going to do a whole lot for Christmas this year, but our neighborhood sets pretty good standards with lights. I have been influenced! And I'm glad to join in the spirit, here on Northridge Drive, Morris MN. Our joy might be dampaned by the pandemic. But we strive to be resilient.
Advent is the run-up to Christmas and wouldn't we normally be of joyous spirit? The year of 2020 is quite the anomoly. We have the pandemic and we have the spector of a Trump administration that is creating a storm of discomfort. Sometimes it seems we're in a Grimm fairy tale. There is an eerie quality to it all, just like in a Grimm fairy tale.
So unusual, this December of 2020. We'd like to think the Christmas spirit overcomes everything, but it's just not that easy this year. Yet we try, and it's tougher than it ought to be with Donald Trump continuing as president. He and his followers have attempted to co-op so much of the Christian faith, a tragedy.
I realize generations differ, but how can we all not embrace "sunshine pop?" The music gave a background to life in the late 1960s, when frankly the macro news wasn't very good. Not with war, racial strife and other problems, but young people are uniquely resilient. So they found joy in the "sunshine pop" genre of music. I love it greatly.
Yesterday (Friday) you would never have guessed we were on the threshold of another shutdown in Minnesota. DeToy's Restaurant was hopping over noontime. The Tigers played that night. You wouldn't have thought anything was up. But today (Saturday) we are into another shutdown period, due to the pandemic in Minnesota. It's necessary, yes, but depressing also.
We should not be surprised. We in Minnesota are on the verge of shutting down pretty ambitiously again. It'll probably be harder this time, as we're heading into winter. Good luck. Looks like our abbreviated high school sports season will grind to a halt. It's discouraging, but let's all strive to stay healthy.
There is a reason why Ralph Nader continues as a big name in commentary. His voice seems so genuine. So I give a "plug" to the Ralph Nader Radio Hour. His comments promote further reflection on the election. We might wonder: why were Trump and Biden so close?
How else to describe the times we're in now? "Bizarro" is from the world of Superman comics. "Bizarro world" is a world of contradictions, where up is down etc. It seems apt for this period of time in America between the election and the inauguration. It is hard to understand the behavior of Trump supporters.
Attention Frank Michels of Nashville TN: here is my Christmas song for 2020, my rough singing. It's "A Social Distance Christmas."
We need to pay attention to what is happening with political power in Trump's lame duck period. Make that "supposed " lame duck period. What will this vain man do with his incredible political power, while he still has the title of president? He breaks all the norms, obviously. Will he break America?
It's Saturday, Nov. 7, when word is out that Biden is officially president, though he won't assume office for a while. If only the transition could be right now, eh? And why was the election so close, or as Ralph Nader put it: "Why was the election so effing close?" Will our nation stabilize? Let's always strive to be upbeat.
Can it be? Friday and no declared winner of the presidential race? It is around noon as I share this podcast episode. Will we have a declared winner by this evening? Even so, won't there be continuing legal challenges? Isn't this Trump's speciality? Raise enough hell legally and maybe you can win, just by wearing people out? At what cost for our nation?
We're much like the Dakotas in terms of culture/values, aren't we? Especially South Dakota. Here I comment on South Dakota's governor, widely considered an "attractive" woman, and ponder what that means in these days when we discourage "objectification."
We're 4-0 now! Again our offense was robust as the MACA football Tigers defeated the Paynesville Bulldogs Friday at Paynesville.
Fireworks bursting over Morris MN on an October Friday? Holy cow, what's up? Not everyone is "in the loop." My morning waitress at DeToy's explained: it was for a car dealer. Maybe an anniversary celebration? So it wasn't in recognition of Halloween. I question the necessity of this kind of display. Did the City of Morris approve this? Well, the city has questionable leadership.
We knew it was coming: the death of sports scribe Sid Hartman. What a symbol of the old primacy of the metro press. His passing reminds us so much of the pre-digital times and how newspapers came at us then. Let us reflect. Hartman was age 100.
How will today's recorded message be viewed post-election? Like "The Talking Rings" of the 1960 movie "The Time Machine?" Well we hope not, because the rings foretold of quite bad things. If our 2020 election is not orderly, all heck could break loose. Trump is commander in chief of the military. I have referenced "The Talking Rings" once previously and it sticks in my mind. So this is part II.
We increasingly realize what the U.S. should have done in response to the pandemic. Unfortunately, the Christian faith has done so much to prop up the president and his halting steps, his political steps, like to assail the "blue states." How did we get to this point?
Headlines about the pandemic are not encouraging. Not only that, winter has arrived early in Minnesota. And Trump is very much in the running for re-election. What hath God wrought?
The airport in Orange County CA was in the news recently with the president's arrival there. The airport is named for John Wayne. There's a big statue of "The Duke" there. The news item reminded me there has been a push to get the airport re-named, as Wayne made bigoted comments in his life. Is there any cause to celebrate him now?
Is it 2016 redux? The "mainstream media" of that year appeared to get more serious covering Donald Trump as the election approached, but it was too late. The signs in my eyes appear much the same this time around. The standards are so different for the two candidates. So much of what Trump does and says is pure travesty, B.S. and lies, yet the media strives to show a certain courtesy. What will happen now?
On this mid-fall day, I note a red fox "visitor" at our place and then I go on to discuss landmarks around town. Landmarks named for people. At my age, I'm in a shrinking group that remembers these people. Let's remember them.
It has been said that day teaches us what we should be, and night teaches us what we are.
I only know it's Columbus Day because I just glanced at the calendar to verify the date for this podcast episode. Better that we call it "Indigenous People Appreciationf Day."
We can watch MACA sports on YouTube in a system that now seems very user-friendly. Fascinating! Delightful! But does this mean the school should take total ownership of its media outreach? And what would this mean for the legacy systems of radio and newspaper? Important questions.
Yes it's an unusual Homecoming. We wonder if unreasonable risk might be presented. But the school is trying to ensure safeguards. We're still in the pandemic of 2020. We couldn't have foreseen this a year ago.
I was 16 years old in '71. Pirates were boffo with Clemente, Stargell et. al. They won the MLB title. I'm delighted to help bring back memories.
On this Indian summer day, second one in a row, I'm wondering about how much longer our outdoor services can continue. Longer-term, might some mainstream churches of Stevens County consolidate anyway? A First Lutheran council member acknowledges the possibility.
Shall we feel obligated to pray for Trump? I shall pass on that. His failure to lead properly in the face of the virus has caused so much tragedy.
News bombshell to greet us this morning: Donald Trump has the virus. Makes us wonder about so many elderly people being in power in the nation's capital. I have a hard time coming up with any empathy for Trump.
Shall we all just stay indoors after dark? Might be the most practical thing, but the urge sometimes arises to experience the peace of nighttime. Maybe especially in these times. Being out after dark does arouse more suspicion today than in my young adult years.
In our world of so much media, radio still commands attention. There's less sports now due to pandemic. For me that's sort of nice. Politics has a pretty right wing edge, just the way it is. This podcast episode looks at state of radio today and also reminisces.
So wonderful always to reflect on the big band era. Let's remember the cutting edge drummer of the '30s and beyond, Gene Krupa. Yes, he looked a little wild-eyed. That made him that much more entrancing.
"I think the engineers sold the city a bill of goods. . ." - from an email from a close acquaintance of mine.
The water treatment plant in Morris started off seeming like a good idea. It has now been revised in a discouraging way.
Walking through an unfamiliar cemetery reminds us that, even though we didn't know the deceased, we share a commonality of experiences. So in a sense there is a bond.
Seems mysterious: the highway crash of last Saturday involving the South Dakota attorney general, Jason Ravnsborg. Here I talk about the common story of "hitting a deer" in rural America, and how such a story or theory might be abused. Ravnsborg's vehicle struck and killed Joseph Boever.
The Morris Floral building here in Motown is approaching its day of reckoning, sadly. In this episode I'm reminded of the Morris Main Street program which had a high opinion of the building. It was the early 1980s.
It's a pleasant time of year, yes, but the national news applies a damper. True "crazies" appear to be getting power under Donald Trump. Newest example is this Caputo fellow.
Skunks and raccoons: why did God create both? Skunks seem to be fairly numerous these days.
Yes it's September 9. The pandemic probably means we won't focus so much on the September 11 attack anniversary. Life goes on, challenges come and go. Humanity prevails I guess.
We ponder how church will proceed once the weather starts turning cold, as it almost did this morning! Oh, it will get colder. This episode also includes Minnesota Twins memories from 50 years ago. We won the division but lost the playoff series.
We are into September and facing the same issues as in the last few weeks. Where are we all headed? With the pandemic? With school starting or not starting? Certain routines continue like the big grain trucks rumbling out and around. Yes, it is fall.
How will the UMM school year go? Today I report on the activity of UMM choir at East Side Park. A few choir members gather from time to time at the Killoran stage. The activity is limited of course but the program plows ahead. Brad Miller directs. Congrats on the enthusiasm.
The pandemic has created a void that is challenging for community newspapers. Our editor Katie Erman in her current column laments the shortage of news. A friend emailed me a link to her column this morning. We all wish the Anfinsons well with the Morris paper.
Who are these "evangelicals" that the media so often cite in connection to politics? And why the inexorable political connections? Good questions, so this is the background for today's podcast, August 28, 2020.
Hard to imagine life in Morris without Dennis Johnson around. He has left us for the next life. He was part of the history of the West Central School of Agriculture and West Central Experiment Station. He was quite the dairy man. Dennis Johnson RIP.
The Los Angeles Angles had their first year in 1961. So did our Twins of Minnesota. The Angels were an expansion team. Their most memorable player of that season was Albie Pearson. He was actually a little guy but he hit effectively. Let's review his life and career.
People gathered on the grass east of Faith Lutheran in west Morris Sunday. Pastor Dell Sanderson put on a wonderful service as we could continue celebrating summer. How much longer will it last?
Vanity may be hard to resist. The impulse to judge others, for us to rank each other, is felt often. "Meritocracy" can serve only a limited purpose.
We can assume there's no Donnelly Threshing Bee for 2020. The pandemic hovers. But we can cling to memories of this fine Donnelly celebration through the years. It has always signaled the phasing-out of summer.
Churches adjust with the demographics in outstate Minnesota. Here I remember the Good Shepherd church of Morris when it was in its previous location south of Alberta. My late parents and I visited the old location for lutefisk suppers.
It was the finest season for the Brooklyn Dodgers of the National League: 1955 when they not only won the pennant, they took the World Series over the Yankees. It was also the year I was born. Please listen.
We don't have real baseball for the summer of 2020. We can reflect with movies of the past about the great game. I share about two of these in this podcast episode from Morris MN. Baseball movies are a fine escape.
We'd normally celebrate UMM getting going for fall semester. Today, sorry to say, a contrary attitude might be suggested. College towns across the country are grappling with a sober reality in connection to the pandemic.
The Dodgers felt joy upon completing their sweep of the New York Yankees in the 1963 World Series. But a month later, we were all engulfed in grief at the assassination of JFK. This podast episode pays tribute to the world champion Dodger Blue of '63. Sandy Koufax and others were boffo.
The health crisis of the present makes it seem silly, the way we fretted over some "problems" of the recent past. What we're talking about is a sense of perspective, what's really important.
Here's a reminiscence piece about the St. Louis Cardinals of 1967, led by the great Orlando Cepeda. They beat the Boston Red Sox in the Fall Classic, in seven games. I was 12 years old.
The middle of August is so pleasant but it is fleeting. It will give way to autumn. Thus is the inspiration for my August 8 podcast episode.
The summer adjusting had its challenges, but now we face a fall without local high school football and volleyball. Say it isn't so! But we must adjust once again and strive for patience. I suspect that when in doubt, stuff is just going to be canceled.
This episode is a supplement to my blog post of August 4, 2020, which deals with deferral of gratification. Our president could have applied this principle to lead us through the pandemic, had he been the heroic sort. He is not.
August means we're closer to key decisions. We can also take the pleasant weather of summer for granted. The glee we felt in late spring has given way to monotony as one beautiful day leads to the next. We must appreciate it!
Tomorrow is August so we continue to wonder how normal activities might resume. Will the MACA football team begin assembling for practice? What about the games? Was the death of Herman Cain a warning, a premonition?
1968 was "the year of the pitcher" in major league baseball. It's memorable if you appreciate pitching. It's also memorable for Detroit Tigers fans as their team took it all. Denny McLain won 31 games! I share background in this podcast episode, plus I shoehorn in some thoughts about my Minnesota Twins. I recite from the Roger Angell book "The Summer Game."
A year without a county fair? Say it isn't so, but it surely is so, for 2020. We can celebrate the perfect midsummer weather right now, but we cannot look forward to the usual August highlight on the calendar: the big fair. We needed a stronger commitment vs. the virus, greater sacrifice than Trump would allow.
Next summer will be Morris's 150th birthday. We have so many complications in our lives right now, in 2020, maybe it's hard to make any special plans for a celebration. Maybe it would be good for us, though. This podcast episode includes some reminiscing about car travel here in 1920.
This episode is a supplement to a blog post for my "Morris of Course" blog. It focuses on the great Baltimore Orioles team of 1970. They shot straight to the top. They got past my Minnesota Twins in the A.L. playoffs. Then they turned back the awesome Cincinnati Reds. Boffo!
A special day, as yours truly can announce the blooming of the zinnias my family has planted annually. Come visit Northridge Drive. We're in a semi-rural spot. So today we celebrate the flowers while lamenting some of the political stuff going on.
"The Talking Rings" recalled great war of the past in the 1960 movie "The Time Machine" starring Rod Taylor. The Taylor character was trying to understand how his new world of the future had turned so bizarre, had crumbled in many ways. Is our current pandemic in any way relevant to the earthshaking things that could happen?
Shall I check out my church's outdoor or drive-in service tomorrow (Sunday). I appreciate a friend and fellow congregation member contacting me about this. How we wish for a return to normal services. My church in Morris MN is First Lutheran. We're keeping the faith!
Thinking about nature is an appropriate escape from some of the fears that surround us these days. Life remains shuttered in some respects but this can be disregarded to an extent when appreciating nature. So, we on Northridge Drive in Morris have a big wild turkey among us! And look around for the fawns that scamper and get accustomed to the world around them. They know nothing of the pandemic.
Alas, summer is too short. Not only is the weather so pleasant, we can delay for a short time some of the difficult questions that await us for fall. School, sports and other things, in limbo now unfortunately. We can't make school come true just because Trump proclaims it, directs it. That's a dream world. So I invite you to listen as I weigh various questions and aspects. Relax, go on out to the biking/walking trail on this beautiful day.
Prairie Pioneer Days was held in Morris every July over a great many years. It has been taken from summer and scaled back, and would not be held this summer anyway because of the health circumstances. So we reflect, remember. We can remember Luther's Eatery at East Side Park in Morris. And, that name prompts some contemplation about the Martin Luther name itself. The figure from history does not have a positive profile. He was intensely anti-Semitic, so I share on that here.
The headline above well describes our current circumstances in July 2020, but as an aside I share that it was a book title from Doris Kearns-Goodwin, an author with some notoriety due to plagiarism problems. She survived that with a still-good reputation, which is probably all for the better. She is just fundamentally likeable. IP issues are sticky these days. Look at the Katy Perry lawsuit, which I also discuss.
The question hovers: just what form will school take for the fall of 2020 and beyond? It's midsummer now, still quiet, but the questions cannot be pushed aside. It looks as though the Trump administration is summoning full pressure for in-person classes. But is this just so the president can "sell" how the country has returned to "normal," to in effect make him look good? Should we be that dependent on the traditional educational model anyway? Thus I ponder on this July 8 of 2020.
July 5 falls on a Sunday and normally I'd be in church, but in-person worship has not resumed, and our drive-in arrangement for today, well, I find unsatisfying. We hope for the best down the road but cannot assume anything. First Lutheran of Morris is a nice refuge no matter how it operates. May God bless it.
Our celebration is quite trimmed down for the Independence Day of 2020. Here are some thoughts as we deal with the health menace and seek optimism for what lies ahead, not easy. We'll need some answers on school and sports soon. People higher up than superintendents will be making key decisions. Superintendents dispense "happy talk" now.
As Twins fans we didn't love them at the time, but the Baltimore Orioles of '66 were a team worthy of great praise. I can put aside my Twins-centered emotions now. Let's remember the World Champion 1966 Baltimore Orioles with the likes of Frank Robinson, a boffo team. I recite a passage from Roger Angell's book "The Summer Game."
It is the heart of summer, July 1, and our routine has been rather shattered by the pandemic circumstances. With this as the atypical backdrop, yours truly recites the July 1 entry from my ELCA Lutheran devotional booklet. The headline is "Broken and restored."
This episode supplements a blog post that focuses on the Detroit Tigers' championship of 1968. Your podcast host was 13 years old. Lots of dramatics. It was "the year the pitcher" which might suggest boredom, but my memories are quite in the opposite direction.
We're at the apex of summer, a slow time of year anyway, so maybe it's easier now to deal with our current circumstances of the pandemic. With time that will change, especially as the school year approaches. We hope for the best. We must prepare for something less than that.
Greetings on this late June day! Here's a podcast message from Northridge Drive in Morris during these lazy hazy days. The focus here is on the uncertainties presented as we look to fall. Will we have a regular MACA football season? Yes or no, we should strive to be optimistic about life here on the prairie.
Who doesn't like reminiscing about TV of a bygone time? In this case we're talking mainly the 1950s. Memories are prompted by the Loretta Young "anthology" TV show.
Here I recite some paragraphs from the autobiobraphy by Hector Lopez's teammate with the New York Yankees, Bobby Richardson. The focus is on the 1961 season, the Yanks' best in that period.
Lake recreation in Stevens County? It was once enjoyed in abundance on the Pomme de Terre Lake chain, most notably at Perkins Resort. The water isn't as clean today, unfortunately. In this podcast episode I recite a portion of a chapter from the Stevens County Historical Society book "An Honest Day's Work." Close your eyes and imagine lively summer rec in our Stevens County! - BW
Welcome to this "Morris MoJo" podcast, just getting established, and here you can listen to some material recited from the book "An Honest Day's Work." It was published by the Stevens County Historical Society. You can probably still obtain a copy there. The Pomme de Terre Lake chain was once quite abuzz with recreation enjoyed by people from all over the Morris area.