My Dear on a Deere!

One of the nicest things about this internship is that they provide pretty much everything for the house we live in, including the lawnmower. This is a John Deere LT155, and it has two blades to make quick work of our lawn. I guess I made it look like fun, because Anna said she wanted to try it, so here is a picture of my Dear, riding a Deere. If you visit during lawn mowing season I'll let you try it out, too! How's that for a Huck Finn impersonation? Just be sure not to leave any long grass! I want my lawn to look nice for the neighbors. Blogged by Don

Exploring the Prairie

Anna and I have been touring Dundee on our bicycles, and one day decided to be a little adventurous by riding out of town about a mile and a half. We rode up to the intersection where Highway 62 meets Cottonwood County Road 19, which turns into Nobles County Road 1 when it gets to Dundee. You see, we're near the edge of three counties; Cottonwood, Murray and Nobles. Dundee is in Nobles County, but just barely. Anyway, we took some time to say hello to the horses on the nearby farm and to notice the wildflowers growing by the road, and we took in the prairie sunset before we headed for home. We didn't take pictures of the horses, but the rest is here for you to enjoy with us. Blogged by Don

Dateline; Dundee, MN

As moves go, this one was one of the easiest I think I've done. We owe a debt of gratitude to Kathy and John and their daughter Bridgette for helping us load the truck, and another debt of gratitude to all of the people from First Lutheran in Dundee for helping us unload the truck. The only thing that could have made this move simpler would be if someone else had done the driving, that's how easy this move was. Sure, the truck was full, and their were times we were not sure all of our stuff was going to fit into it, but thanks to Kathy's expert box arranging, all of the stuff made it into the truck, and people in Dundee were wondering if we had hired professional movers to load the truck, because everything was so well packed. Way to go, Kathy!

We're settling into life in a small town, and so far we like it pretty well. There is a really nice restaurant down the street called the Dundee Steakhouse where the proprietors are a husband and wife who keep the place really clean, and well decorated. We were treated to supper there by Diane, a woman from the church who lives across the street.

The gas station in town is also run by a member of the church, and along with gas, Brenda's Gas and Grocery also sells fishing licenses and fishing gear, which comes in handy if you want to fish in nearby Lake Talcott. There is also a bar and a mechanic's garage in town, so all of the basic needs of the people who live here are met. In the picture you can see that the dominant business in the town is the grain elevator, and that also makes a handy landmark as you travel down the road on the way to town. This picture is from our driveway looking toward downtown Dundee. You can see Brenda's gas station sign and if you look closely you can see a Grain Belt Beer sign that hangs above the door of the tavern. Down the street is the restaurant and the mechanic, along with the senior center.

This is the church in Dundee; First Lutheran, a partner in Prairie Star Ministries. I will preach here sometimes, along with the other four churches in the parish. It is a beautiful church, with plenty of room, so feel free to come and visit on a Sunday. Worship is at 8:30am, so you'll have plenty of Sunday left to enjoy after worship.



This is our house. It is a lovely little ranch style home with a huge kitchen and expansive living room and dining room. Needless to say I like it. It is the largest space by far that Anna and I have lived in. Funny though, we have enough stuff that it doesn't really feel empty now that we have everything out. It makes me wonder how we were comfortable in the seminary apartment that was about 67% smaller. We are not taking up every square inch of the place and don't intend to, but it really is nice to be able to spread out for a while. There are features that Anna really likes, such as a washer and dryer that we don't have to feed quarters into, and a dishwasher that isn't a human. She really likes that big kitchen.

The cats are slowly settling in, and I'm surprised that they seem skittish in this larger space. I thought they'd really love it, but they act like they have no idea what happened to them. They are coming around, and Rosie seems better adjusted than Jasper, but I think both of them will be loving the place in a few days. We have quite a large number of birds in the area, and both cats enjoy watching them fly around.

We dare not let them go outside however, especially since we saw a large prairie hawk in the field next to town on the way home today. Rosie and Jasper will just have to content themselves with the view out the windows and doors. We wouldn't want them to become someone's lunch!

Anna has been having fun arranging the furniture, or at least directing me where she wants it. We have found a nice place for the old radio in the living room, and the other night I was able to pick up stations from as far away as Cleveland, Ohio! We listened to the Indians game for a while, but it was more fun to listen to the station from Chicago that was broadcasting the White Sox game, because the White Sox were playing the Mariners that night, and it was fun to listen to the old team live.

We have taken time this week to explore the area, and have found a lovely little coffee shop in Windom. We also went to Walnut Grove to visit the Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum. It was fun to learn about the settler's life on the prairie, but I think it was more fun to visit the antique store downtown and to have lunch at the bar and grill. People around here seem to really know how to cook! We have had wonderful meals wherever we have eaten. Yes, we have cooked at home as well. After all, we have this big kitchen to play in. All in all we're having fun, so feel free to come around anytime and say hello. We'll have fun showing you around. Blogged by Don

Are we there yet?

Before I get into the subject of the title of this post I wanted to fill you in on how things went in Beldenville, Wisconsin. The church is beautiful. It is obvious the members of the church take great pride in their house of worship. Some of the striking features are the needlepoint cushions for the communion rail and the pastor's chair, as well as the beautiful east-wall altar with an elaborate raredos. It was a beautiful day as well, and a nice drive through the Wisconsin countryside where we saw wild turkeys, geese and ducks enjoying the farm fields.

Lots of people complemented me on my sermon, but the parking lot cleared out very quickly after worship! I think, since it was the last day of the Pierce County Fair, lots of folks wanted to get home and change so they could enjoy that atmosphere on that beautiful day. The only other explanation I can think of is that since the text was about Jesus walking on the water and Peter getting out of the boat to walk out to him, maybe a bunch of folks felt a sudden urge to get to the nearest lake. At any rate, worship went well, and I am thankful that I had this experience to help me prepare for my internship. That, of course, brings up the subject matter of the title of this post.

When we were kids we were pretty typical kids. Often when dad wanted to take us on a nice, long Sunday drive, inevitably two things happened; One, Bob would get car sick; and two, one of the other of us would ask, "Are we there yet?" It was a sign of impatience because the trip was taking, in the mind of a child, an excruciatingly long time to get over with! That's pretty much how I feel about this move to Dundee. We move Monday. Today is Saturday. Tomorrow is Sunday for the rest of the world, but for Anna and me it is Cleaning Day. Monday we load the big truck and head down the road, but today is mostly just waiting to get going. I don't really like waiting. I tend to get impatient, and so in my mind I am reminded of those long car rides and the inevitable question; "Are we there yet?" "No, we're not there yet!" I can hear dad's impatient response, the exasperated response of someone who thought this would be fun, but is having second thoughts about the car ride, or maybe about having had so many children, and does God laugh out loud when Bob gets car sick?

Eventually we would get to whatever place dad wanted us to see. A mountaintop vista, a farm with animals and perhaps a tractor, I think we even met some dairy cows at least once. Sometimes an excursion just for the sake of the excursion. Anyway, the trip always had a point, and at some level was always worth it, so we did them again and again. No, we're not in Dundee yet, all of our stuff is in boxes, ready to go, the fridge is nearly empty, but has just enough stuff in it to get to Monday, except for salsa, for some reason we have lots of that. Monday we will move, salsa and all, to Dundee. I know the trip will be worth it, but in the meantime, we wait. No, we're not there yet! Blogged by Don

Go East, Young Man!

Well, I suppose I'm not exactly young, but I am heading East to preach tomorrow. I'll be preaching at Our Saviour's Lutheran Church in Beldenville, Wisconsin. It will be my easternmost preaching point yet.

After church Anna and I are heading for Ikea to buy a convertible sofa. That way if anyone wants to come visit us while we're in Dundee we'll have enough beds. We'll even be nice enough to take the convertible sofa and let you sleep on the real bed. Of course, the cats might have trouble deciding to leave you alone! Good luck with that. Blogged by Don

Bird Brains

It was their turn; Bob and Deb decided that since we drove to the Arboretum a couple of weeks ago, it was their turn to drive to a Minnesota destination for us to explore. Anna and I were invited to check out the eagles at the National Eagle Center in Wabasha. For those who are not familiar with Minnesota geography, Wabasha is a small city on the shore of the Mississippi River, about a twenty minute drive south of Red Wing. What do you mean you're not familiar with Red Wing? Do you wear shoes? The famous Red Wing shoe company is the biggest employer in town. Anyway, back to the birds. We got to Wabasha and had a lovely picnic lunch under the Wabasha bridge, and then headed for the Eagle Center. There we learned that the reason there are so many bald eagles in Minnesota is because the state is right on a major mid-west migratory route. With the large quantity of lakes there is plenty for the eagles to eat. We also learned that the best time of year to view eagles along the river is in February and March, and the least likely time to see eagles is in the middle of summer. That explains why we didn't see any eagles for quite awhile. Even so, the Eagle Center is a wonderful place to visit because they have lots of information about eagles, and they have their own resident eagles on site. There are two bald eagles named Columbia and Harriet, and they have my personal favorite, a golden eagle named Donald. All of the eagles are there as a result of their injuries that were a result of encounters with motor vehicles and cannot be released back into the wild. The eagles are well cared for and healthy, and the staff is very proud of their work with these birds.

We took quite a bit of time exploring the center and then finally made our way out onto the deck outside overlooking the river. They have installed a small telescope on the deck to assist visitors in their search for eagles and I can tell you from experience that it works. I saw a large black bulge in the upper portion of a dead tree across the river and thought it might be an eagle, so we trained the telescope on it and sure enough, there was a big, beautiful bald eagle just sitting there, enjoying the sunshine and watching the river go by. The eagle hardly moved the whole time we were watching it, only moving to scratch its beak or turn its head. It was thrilling to see the symbol of America in the wild, even though it was not the first bald eagle I have seen, or even the closest. But seeing these birds in the wild and enjoying their beauty is always a thrill.

After watching the eagle in the wild Bob and I figured we could imitate an eagle, so we tried on eagle masks in the gift shop. I think I would scare too many kids if I wore this thing on Halloween, so we left these masks behind. Besides, anything I buy now Anna and I have to move, so we consider these things very carefully.
Blogged by Don

Now THAT was FUN!

Here in St. Paul there is an independent baseball league team called the Saints. They are in the American Association, an independent league made up mostly of college-aged players. This year we had the good fortune of hosting the American Association All-Star Game. It was really a hoot! The Saints are in the North Division, so naturally we were rooting for them, and wouldn't you know it but the North gives up five runs to the South in the second inning. By the sixth, it was a ten-nothing deficit, and even the announcer was hoping the game would end quickly so we could all watch fireworks. But then the comeback started. One player on the North hit a home run in the seventh, ending the shut-out. The South scored again in the top of the eighth to keep the ten-run margin, and it stayed that way until the bottom of the ninth. In the bottom of the ninth the North squad really came to life! No, they didn't win, but they did score three runs to make the final score 11-4, South. It looks a lot more respectable than 10-0, and it gave us fans something to cheer about before the fireworks show. Anna and I decided to go home before the fireworks, however, because it was already ten-thirty and we both had to work the next day, early. Even though our team lost, it was still a really fun evening. Daryl Strawberry, a former Saint, was at the game, and Bill Murray, the actor, who is also part owner of the Saints, was at the game, and even called a mound conference in the ninth inning. That was funny because he gave out little bags of sunflower seeds to all the players who came to the mound, and even gave a bag to the umpire when he came to the mound to try to get them to move the game along! What a great gag! If you're ever in St. Paul during baseball season, it is indeed worth the effort to try to take in a Saints game.
blogged by Don