Good grief, it’s no wonder the world is in such a state! When I started out as a cub reporter at The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead in the early 1960s, I recall The Associated Press Stylebook was little more than a pamphlet of a few pages, 30 at most. I recently had cause to buy the latest copy, a 612-page tome, …
We all have people who contribute to us one way or another. I’ve been fortunate to have many, many people in my life who I could tag the contribution label to for impacting my life, mostly in very positive ways. Heather Carri was one of those people. I met her in the autumn of 1974 shortly after I moved to …
Seriously, I didn’t think it would ever come to this, although in the past few months it seems like the writing has been on the proverbial wall. Over the past two years, I’ve gone back and forth, back and forth, looking at the irritations and aggravations that I have experienced in the dozens of times we have either had no …
Like many people these days, it has been a long time since I’ve been anywhere other than La Farm in Minnesota’s Otter Tail County. So when a friend said she was selling her house in Denver where she’d lived for 30 years after her husband died this spring, and she was moving back to Whidbey Island near Seattle, I thought …
Harriet Bristol didn’t have any immediate family. She didn’t have a host of friends left. She was a very private person. Come to find out, she had led quite an inspiring life. Somehow, I felt a connection, which is why I was one of four people who stood under a shelter that cold, rainy day to attend her funeral recently …
Who knew I’d enjoy exercising so much? That was certainly a new experience. Sure, I enjoy water aerobics, especially since recovering from two knee surgeries in 2018. But walking has never been at the top of my list of exercising practices. Until this past January, when I discovered the joys of Nordic Walking. It was time to take off the …
The short paragraph in a recent Star Tribune’s Nation and World section hit me in the gut. “2020 was a deadly year for journalists.” The three sentences stated: ——— Mexico 2020 was a deadly year for journalists The number of journalists killed as a result of their work more than doubled in 2020, an international media watchdog group said Tuesday, …
If you’ve followed my blogs for the past couple of months, you’ll remember I’ve been writing about the murder of George Floyd, how it’s impacted my listening, social justice events and what Toni Morrison calls “race talk.” I’ve shared my commitment for the world: That by 2021, people around the world are listening to each other and in action about …
A month to the day after George Floyd was murdered by a Minneapolis police officer, my husband and I went to pay our respects, view parts of Lake Street, the 38th and Chicago area, the graffiti art, the memorial in front of Cub Foods that has been seen around the world. Arnie picked up a trifold giving the background of …
A few days ago while sitting on a bench waiting for a friend, I couldn’t help but notice a beautiful, barefoot little girl skipping through the water feature in front of the Hughes Pavilion at Centennial Lakes Park in Edina, Minn. Her cute summer outfit, light turquoise bib overall shorts and a pale pink T-shirt was topped off with a …
What does it mean to “listen”? The verb “listen” means to give one’s attention to a sound. As a noun, it is an “act of listening” to something. Especially for the past few decades and even the past few centuries, it occurs to me that there hasn’t been a lot of listening taking place. George Floyd’s murder at the knee …
In July 1995, just a year after returning to my home state of Minnesota after 20 years in Europe, I had my first personal encounter with John and Annie Glenn. It was my 50th birthday and I was having a few friends over for a party. So when the telephone rang, I expected one of my guests was going to …
If only the TV Add People Powers That Be would ask, I would be happy to tell them. I’m sure I could save them millions of dollars. I’m talking about superannoying, insipid, TV ads that drive me up the wall. They certainly don’t have the intended affect to have me drive to the nearest shop to purchase what they’re selling! …
Twenty-five years ago today, on March 3, 1995, I walked into the Landmark Forum not knowing what would transpire over the next three days. Landmark Forum Leader, Jerry Baden, on the dot of 9 a.m. walked to the front of the room in an office complex in Edina, Minn., and proceeded to lead a conversation that transformed my life forever. …
“I can. I will. Watch me!” was Oprah Winfrey’s mantra for her “2020 Vision: Your Life in Focus” tour. That not only resonated with me but also with the other 17,999 mostly women Jan. 11 in St. Paul’s Xcel Energy Center. Never before have I paid so much to see anyone — $178.63 for my seat on the main floor, Row …
It’s the end of an era for sure: The last calendar from First State Bank in Ashby, Minn., hangs in our kitchen at La Farm as one has every year for probably over 70 years. I don’t know when the bank started printing the simple, austere calendar in red, white and blue with the black and white photo of the …
The firing of the Johanna Kiln, the largest wood-burning kiln in North America at St. John’s University and Abbey in central Minnesota only happens every two years. The 87-foot-long brick kiln was designed and built 25 years ago by the university’s master potter and artist in residence Richard Bresnahan, along with help from apprentices and volunteers. The latest firing was completed …
There’s nothing like a funeral to remind you of your own morality. Especially when you’re 73 and the person’s whose funeral you’re attending is younger. So today, as I sat in the pew at Temple Israel listening to Rabbi Marcia Zimmerman talking about a man I’d ironically never met (though I knew his wife), that’s where my mind drifted. I …
It’s been an Epic week. So there I was last Thursday in Wahpeton, N.D., at the Red Door Gallery preparing for my next photo exhibit, “A Photojournalist’s Retrospective” highlighting my work of the past 55 years. As I passed Chahinkapa Zoo on my way out of Wahpeton, my cell phone rang. It was Erin, a Mayo Clinic appointment secretary, to …
Longing for spring — REALLY? Nothing brightens up your day quite like a trip to Bachman’s Spring is in The Air flower show at the Galleria. The Galleria welcomed tens of thousands of visitors since the beginning of Galleria Spring is in the Air — Bachman’s Flower Show (formerly at the downtown Minneapolis Macy’s) late last month. According to Wendy …
For over 37 years, the Twin Cities Gay Men’s Chorus has built a large following, this past year attracting over 12,000 fans, to its concerts. Attendees have come to expect “adventuresome programming” (as their playbill promises) from this award-winning group of 150 singers. The spring concert was no exception as evidenced by rousing standing ovations. No one left disappointed Saturday …
It’s the view, along with the Mediterranean, from my daughter’s top floor flat in downtown Barcelona: Gaudí’s infamous Sagrada Família. After days of exploring Barcelona and accompanying breathtaking Spanish countryside, which included a five-day trip to Minorca, I toured the Basilica, the largest unfinished Roman Catholic Church in the world, with my former sister-in-law, Heather Carri and her fun friend, …
For as long as the Art Shanty Projects have been around, a few years now, I’ve vowed to go — yet have never made it — until Sunday. Of course, 16-degree temperatures were no deterrent. After all, the sun was shinning. Plus, I have a warm hooded coat, terrific fur-lined boots and toasty leather gloves. Armed with my sharp metal-pointed German …
One of the benefits I enjoy when traveling the world is trying new dishes in the country I’m exploring. My ever-increasing list of favorites include Germany’s humble spätzle, England’s simple Shepherd’s Pie, Scotland’s perfect Scotch Eggs, France’s yummy Brie and Bleu d’Auvergne cheeses, Cuba’s creamy flans and Spain’s authentic paella. Shortly after arriving on Menorca, one of Spain’s three Balearic …
If you’d asked me a couple of months ago if I had plans to spend a few days in Menorca, a Spanish island in the Mediterranean, I’d have said not anytime soon. However, when you have a daughter who is a seasoned world traveler and lives in Barcelona, Spain, you learn to keep your options open. Andrea found a terrific …
It’s taken me a couple of weeks to return to reality after a 17-day trip to Barcelona, which included an extraordinary side trip of five days in Menorca. The initial purpose of my trip was to visit my daughter, Andrea La Valleur-Purvis, who has called the Catalonian capital home for over a year. She loves it, and I can see …
Twenty-seven years ago this past week (Oct. 3, 1990) is a date I won’t soon forget. It was the “reunification” of Germany. East met West or rather East reunified with the West. For the world, it was a huge celebration — The Wall Fell — it was a strike for freedom, it meant democracy for millions and yes, even the hope of …
As a 72-year-old, I sure didn’t want to miss the once-in-a-lifetime Great American Solar Eclipse. So I went to our local library around the corner — Hennepin County Public Library on York in Edina — along with nearly 1,000 other like-minded Metro area people from infants in push chairs to seniors in wheelchairs. It was totally fun. Even the long …
Saturday was quite the day. If you follow my blogs, you read my take on the re-opening of the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden with a couple of dozen photos. From the Walker event, I went to Westminster Presbyterian Church and continued my artful day with songs in an inaugural event that I hope will multiply throughout this great land of ours. Song: …
What the Cluck! Have we been Cluckolded? No one can convince me that a 10-foot bright blue rooster is more interesting, artistic or pleasing to look at than Claes Oldenburg’s and Coosje van Bruggen’s “Spoonbridge and Cherry.” I’ve loved that sculpture since I first saw it over 20 years ago. And with today’s high 90s temperatures, the water mist that …
OMG! “What a difference a day makes ♪♫♫♪♪♫♫♪,♪♫♫♪,” as the Dinah Washington song goes. Went to Mayo Clinic on Wednesday and had cataract surgery on my left eye. It was a surprisingly easy procedure. The prep time actually took longer than the surgery. I’m now officially a “Patient Lens Implant Identification Card” carrier. The brand name is AcrySof out of Fort …
Today marks another milestone on the path with my German Metabolic Balance® journey: Day 500! And it’s still working — “when I am ‘on plan.’” It’s been challenging the past four months for a variety of reasons, all of which would come under the heading of “life and death events.” It started with an incredible trip to Cuba in late January to …
Take a look at the Minnesota State Capitol in St. Paul, which has been undergoing a comprehensive preservation effort since 2013, the first since it opened in 1905. The Capitol Restoration Project returns the Capitol to architect Cass Gilbert’s original 1905 vision. There will be new and expanded space, for public use, tours and school educational programs. After 100 years of …
With anticipation and excitement this morning, I headed to the celebration marking the Minnesota Department of Human Rights 50th Anniversary celebration in the new multimillion dollar renovated House of the People. I went with my husband, Arnie Bigbee, one of the state’s champions for Human Rights who helped Edina pass the first suburb’s Domestic Partnership Ordinance seven years ago when …
My cousin, Ron Bowman, and his wife, Marsha, and their siblings have been tapping about 190 trees for the past eight years in an 80-acre forest not far from La Farm in rural Ashby, Minn. But this year was not a good year, according to Ron. They started tapping in February. “It started early, got too cold, our trees never …
Our Cuban Family is the second photo exhibit I have from the 5,000-plus photos I took on a trip with 12 other Westminster Presbyterian Church (1200 Marquette Ave.) members a couple of months ago. This exhibit opens in the Westminster Gallery on Sunday with a noon reception following the 10:30 a.m. church service. I will speak very briefly as will a …
Edina, Minn., photographer Barbara La Valleur and her husband, Arnie Bigbee, spend a lot of time at her family’s farm, appropriately named La Farm, near Ashby, Minn. A recent foggy morning provided her with this amazing photo op.
You may have heard the expression “life threw me a curve ball.” Well, that is certainly true in my case. If you’re following my blogs that are about the ® nutrition plan I’ve been on for 15 months, you may have noticed I haven’t written one for two months. April Fool’s Day seems like a fun day to get back …
It’s not often I willingly rise at 3 a.m. But on Jan. 30, that’s exactly what I did to arrive at the airport to take part in a nine-day, once-in-a-lifetime adventure: a trip to Cuba. What a life-altering journey it was in so many ways! I’m still processing the whole experience in addition to nursing a painful arthritic knee, brutalized by …
As sustaining members of tpt public television, my husband and I are sometimes invited to their St. Paul studio to take part in special events. In preparation for tonight’s nationwide roll-out of “Every Minute Counts,” a program about the national Alzheimer’s epidemic, we were among about 100 select guests attending a screening Tuesday evening of program highlights and a panel discussion …
It’s been a year today that I started on my Metabolic Balance® journey. Back then, I figured I’d reach my 88-pound weight loss goal by the end of 2016. That didn’t happen. But you know what? I’m OK with that. I’m very proud of my accomplishment of loosing 54 pounds — and I’m over 61 percent of the way there. I’m proud …
There’s rarely a great time for a car to bite the dust. But come on! Three weeks before Christmas? That just sucks! And the six weeks before and after my daughters’ birthdays? And two months before a trip of a lifetime to Cuba? And an undetermined number of months before a trip to Barcelona to visit my oldest daughter who …
Today I’m giving thanks. I reached a major milestone this week and am celebrating losing more than 50 pounds. My Metabolic Balance journey began Jan. 2 of this year. It hasn’t been easy, and I’ve come to appreciate my resolve, determination, stick-to-it-ness. Being intentional helps. A great friend once told me, “You’re the most intentional person I know.” I’ve found that …
Today marks the 20th anniversary of my sisters and I buying our grandparents’ farm.We have 33 acres tucked in the rolling hills of Otter Tail County near Ashby, Minn., where we grew up. As I look back over the years, I’m sitting at the old red formica kitchen table with its matching red upholstered and chrome chairs where we’ve eaten …