Minnesota Country Mouse Folk Blog

New MIDWEST MIX Magazine, Dedicated to Culture and the Arts in Southern Minnesota

Minnesota Countrymouse — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 12:00:18 -0500

I am humbled by an article fellow folk blogger, Audrey Kletscher Helbling, has written about adventures with my traveling buddy, Melanie, for a brand new publication, called Midwest Mix magazine, published in Springfield, MN. And what an honor to be included in their flagship edition! As far as the photographs of Melanie and me, well, I think we look thinner and younger in real life.

Audrey also includes some of the places and people I've written about, so take a look and see if you're mentioned. Fun, right?

Midwest Mix is available online and on newstands around Southern Minnesota.

Angie and I Catch a Ride with Ol' Rock and Rollers to Fort Snelling in Saint Paul, Minnesota / A Landmark With a Dubious Past

Minnesota Countrymouse — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 18:32:25 -0500

My friend, Angie, and I allowed ourselves to be picked up by some forty-ish rockers to ride along out to Fort Snelling in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It was quite a ride. We sat in back and got a chance to see a whole lot of air-guitar and head-banging.

It was actually kind of fun and reminded me of back in the days when being spontaneous was second nature and we understood how to be in the moment.

The point of our trip was to attend an open house and step behind the veil at the Upper Post and tour the grounds which are in desperate need of preservation. Wee doggies, it was hot! Hello summer. I'll be whining about the heat until it's time to complain about the cold again. But, I digress.

I was surprised to see how run down these historic buildings are. It was kind of sad. Still, I have mixed feelings about anything related to war, and this fort is not without its dubious past. I can't reconcile my feelings about the treatment of Minnesota's indigenous people which took place here. There are those who would argue the land should be returned to Native Americans. The truth is, I never looked at the other side before.

I guess history is history. The important thing is to remember all of it, and not pick and choose only the parts we care to remember. These buildings are some of the oldest in the state, from the earliest part of the 1800's.

While touring, we were circled by a number of buzzards. I don't think they were interested in us, necessarily, but something in this overgrown and wooded area had captured their attention.

We heard about the African-American buffalo soldiers who were stationed at the post 1882 and 1888 and about the many other soldiers.

The open house was sponsored by the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area, in partnership with Fort Snelling State Park, the Minnesota Historical Society, Hennepin County, the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the Mississippi River Fund.

As for those rebel rock and rollers Angie and I were riding with, well, I know it may give the wrong impression but I'm going to tell you the truth. They ended the trip with an ice cream cone. How cute is that?

Fort Snelling Visitor's Center in Saint Paul, Minnesota

Minnesota Countrymouse — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 18:44:12 -0500

I posted a new photo to SaintPaulPhotos.

A Trip to Nirvana and Lunch at Java River in Montevideo, Minnesota

Minnesota Countrymouse — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 06:05:43 -0500

My friend, Cindy, and I drove to Montevideo for my annual pedicure at the Nirvana Salon. This was only my second one, and I resisted the first. You know how you get an idea in your head about who you are? I have always considered myself a no-nonsense kind of person when it comes to pampering myself. Cindy, on the other hand, has always been a girly girl.

I was able to reconcile my ambivalence, however, when I considered that my self-indulgence was actually good for the local economy. And besides, I loved all that personal attention. Some of us don't get nearly enough physical contact, so I guess maybe I can scratch if off my "want" list and pencil it onto my "needs" list. And, I have pretty toes now. I let Cindy choose my nail color, a rich red like ripe cherries.

Exhausted and starved from all that pampering, we walked across the street to Java River Coffee House for lunch. Java River is a local mecca for creative, organic, socially conscious earth mother types. It's the kind of place not typically found in the far reaches of Minnesota - although their popularity seems to be growing.

I ordered my favorite item on the menu, a chicken gyro made with happy, locally raised chicken. Java River supports regional agriculture, serving local products when possible. Java River is the only food establishment I have known with a mission statement.

Although under new management, Java River continues to support the local arts. I think it would be wonderful to head back across the state to Chippewa County to take part in the Meander Upper Minnesota River Art Crawl October 2nd, 3rd & 4th. You can find information about this and other creative endeavors at Java River, where a display rack is jammed full of fliers about local artists and events.

Autumn would be the perfect time to enjoy a treat in Java River's cozy courtyard. Well, perfect for me, anyway. I noticed there were others who didn't mind the heat and enjoyed sipping cool drinks in the shade. I'm afraid if I had tried that, I would have have sweated the polish right off my pretty little toenails.

MN Country Mouse Radio Episode 8 - Minnesota Writers, Garrison Keillor's Book Store and a Poem by Joe Paddock

Minnesota Countrymouse — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 19:47:21 -0500

Click here to listen to Episode 8

Join Minnesota County Mouse Radio for a stop at Garrison Keillor's St. Paul Bookstore, Common Good Books. We also remember writers Laura Ingalls Wilder, Sinclair Lewis, and F. Scott Fitzgerald.

I read a poem by award-winning author, Joe Paddock of Litchfield, Minnesota, and you get to join me for a moment of reality radio with my good friend Melanie.

A Couple of Odd Images from the Historic Swensson Farm in Chippewa County, Minnesota

Minnesota Countrymouse — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 11:15:27 -0500

Life imitating art at the Historic Swensson Farm in Chippewa County, Minnesota.

Kinda.

Shadow in the Sky Over Granite Falls, Minnesota

Minnesota Countrymouse — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 19:30:45 -0500

I posted a new photo to GraniteFallsPhotos.

The Historic Swensson Farm in Chippewa County, Minnesota - Set for the Movie Sweetland

Minnesota Countrymouse — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 20:14:22 -0500

Do you see a face in the orb floating above this sentence?

Once again, my friend, Cindy, predicted an orb if I took a picture, this time of the porch at the Historic Swensson Farm in Chippewa County, Minnesota, and once again, an orb showed up on my photo. She wouldn't come anywhere near the porch and worried when I disappeared behind a bush while photographing this turn of the century, 22 room home.

Cindy and I have been enjoying the delicious terror of the supernatural since we were in junior high and tried to get Anne Frank to talk to us through Cindy's little sister, Mary, during a seance. I don't know if Anne Frank ever showed up, but we were able to make Mary cry. That was something.

Cindy fussed the whole time we were at the Historic Swensson Farm and was certain the place is haunted (see this link) because she was feeling noodly. Noodly?

I, on the other hand, loved the way it felt at Swensson farm. It's beautiful there, but I'm willing to admit it seemed possible we weren't alone. I suppose I should mention that we snuck onto the grounds because we had no other choice. The gate was locked. Old habits are hard to break. Cindy and I have been noodling our way onto unattended properties for decades.

Since the farmhouse was locked up tight, I had to photograph the interior through a closed window, but I got a sense of what I'm missing. Showing me a house like the Swensson home without letting me inside to look around, is like putting a piece of white cake with white frosting in front of me with a stout cup of coffee, and then telling me I can't eat it.

Many of the scenes from the movie Sweetland were filmed here at the Swensson farm. I thought it was lovely and I wanted to stay. Cindy, on the other hand, couldn't wait to leave.

Oddly enough, she loved the little family cemetery. My little sister, Crazy Annie, says the tombstones were created from an old mold still stored in the basement of the house. Annie also said the house is filled with the original furniture household items. Oh boy. I'm still feeling bad about not getting inside that big old brick house.

Visit the museum Sunday afternoons Memorial Day to Labor Day 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. or by appointment.

320-269-7636

From Montevideo go 6 miles east on Hwy. 7, turn right and go 5 miles south on County Road 6, turn left and go 1/4 mile on County Road 15.

Upper MN River Valley Meander Art Crawl, October 2-4, 2009

Minnesota Countrymouse — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 07:21:39 -0500

I posted a new photo to MiscellaneousPhotos.

Java River Coffee House in Montevideo, MN - Under New Management

Minnesota Countrymouse — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 07:14:08 -0500

I posted a new photo to DiningPhotos.