“If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If …
Bald eagles are majestic birds, as is evidenced by these spectacular images shot by Grand Forks photographer Russ Hons. (Check out more photos from Russ Hons here.)
Here in the Red Oak House gardens, blossoms are popping out every day. It feels to me much like when I had babies and I needed to be watchful, to pay attention, because each day was different, and once certain stages were gone, they were GONE. Wednesday, Jim noticed that the bleeding hearts had opened. This particular plant was first …
A rerun from four years ago. Because I can’t think of a better story to tell on Mother’s Day. I’m thinking of my mom on this Mother’s Day, as we all are. She’s been gone 3½ years now, but it seems like only yesterday I was making those semiweekly trips to Hettinger, N.D., to see her in the nursing home, …
I’m back in London after a two-year absence. This is my 15th time here, each time with a group of students. I have eight with me this time, the fewest since my first year in 2000. It’s expensive, and although the cost of coming here for two weeks for the class is quite reasonable, it’s still expensive for students. I …
Spring is a great time to view blooming trees, as these images from around town taken this week by Grand Forks photographer Dave Bruner confirm.
It had long been my intention, should I ever get to Tucson again, to visit the Special Collections Library on the University of Arizona campus. This past April, I spent a perfectly blissful week in the southern Arizona city, with good friends, and had a few days for solo exploring. One day I took a Lyft cab to the campus …
Tuesday my yard was filled with the intoxicating fragrance of our blooming crabapple trees. Sunday there was a hint of blossom in the fat buds, and with Monday’s sunshine, these fully opened. Bismarck is filled with crabapple and other blossoming trees, and the pollinators are quite busy. Although we don’t have one, the fragrance of the plum trees takes me …
Dorette is the master chef in our household, no question about that. But I have a few dishes that can also evoke oohs and ahs. Today (Wednesday) I’ll be making one of my favorites: rhubarb crisp, thanks to the generosity of our Bloomington, Minn., neighbors Sheila and Bob Owen, who shared their rhubarb with us. Then there’s Russian Cream with …
It was a blustery spring day Monday at Red Oak House with the front passing through that brought thunder and rain to the northern Plains and a stiff breeze to rustle the new leaves everywhere. I could hear the chipping sparrows in the backyard. Any day, now the white-crowned sparrows will pass through. We are mostly done with the cleanup from Sunday evening’s …
I miss Mister Whipple. The prim TV grocer’s pursed lips and disapproving glare were apparently all it took to move toilet paper off those shelves back when the Earth was young. Remember the giggling gaggle of housewives who’d give his display a surreptitious squish? Please don’t squeeze the Charmin! Those were the days — when prime-time television dared to push …
In his inaugural address, President John Kennedy challenged the youth of our country to “ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country.” If ever there was another time to rally to that call, it is now. We have an administration led by a president with no soul, no moral compass …
A nice thing about being retired is having more time to read. I’ve just completed two books, one of which I read for first time in college: “The Stranger,” or as it is titled in French, “L’Étranger,” by Albert Camus, published in 1942. My copy is a new translation in “American English” by Mathew Ward. Set in Algeria, the novel …
Here at Red Oak House, it was a sunny 84-degree Saturday, and so many things in the garden are popping it is worthy of a photo update. It was a very busy day here. Jim did some cultivating and got some vegetables planted. It is pine pollen season, and everything is coated with the fine chartreuse pollen dust, including the furniture …
This past week, I posted some thoughts after visiting the cemetery in St. Cloud, Minn., where my grandfather, William Vogel, and seven other members of my mother Minnie Vogel Vorland’s family are buried. I had been struck by the fact I know nothing about what became of the descendants of mom’s nine siblings. It’s different on the Vorland side of the …
Today is Don Rickles’ birthday. It’s also my mother’s birthday, but that’s another story and another post. Don Rickles died a month ago. If you’re like me and you always wanted see him live but never did and you feel cheated, the next best thing may be to watch the terrific John Landis documentary “Mr. Warmth.” Johnny Carson was the first to call …
I spent last week in Southern California learning how to be a better photographer. I attended the Sports Shooter Academy 14. First a little history. Fifteen plus years ago, several professional sports photographers got together and decided to put on a sports photography seminar called the Sports Shooter Academy. Famed USA Today sports photographer Robert Hanashiro set out on making this the best sports photography …
Grand Forks photographer Michael Bogert’s recent forays into the outdoors have yielded an eclectic assortment of images, from great horned owlets and bald eaglets to ducks, geese and other waterfowl in the air and on the water to beautiful, colorful sunsets.
It’s not even a close call, so save the coin toss. Cramer takes North Dakotans for granted and assumes he’s in a safe district. Why, because he’s such a charmer? Guess again, smirk-boy. Smug-boy. Whatever. I’m older than the kid, so I can say that. Plus, I don’t care. I don’t feel any pleasantness oozing from my aura. After decades …
After my morning yoga class, I made another foray to one of our local nurseries, then it was home to the work in the garden. After I’d planted my new treasures, I had to turn to grubbing raspberries. Until the last couple of years, I’d not had much experience with growing raspberries. When we grew them at our Dunn County …
When discussing with Jen what I wanted to do in Cambodia, I made it clear that my first priority was to be of service to the Young Adult in Global Mission program and to her in any way possible and that I had no reconceived expectations. That said, I added, if it worked out, I would really love to see …
Dorette was out of town Friday, so I drove over to St Cloud, Minn., just 74 miles from Bloomington, Minn. From 1970 to 1973, I taught at the college there (now designated a university). I stopped at the cemetery where are buried some of my relatives from the Vogel side of the family. With water and a brush, I removed most …
It’s time for a cold glass of Guenoc chardonnay on the patio of Red Oak House after a perfectly delightful afternoon in the garden, time to savor the goodness of life. Late morning was spent at the local garden shops and then it was home to plant my new treasures. Is there anyplace as happy on a May day than …
Is there anyone out there who is grieving? Or maybe the better question is this: Is there anyone out there who is not — to some degree, about some loss? That’s why I believe my latest book might be the most impactful of my career. The title is “Getting Grief Right: Finding Your Story of Love in the Sorrow of Loss,” …
Today, after dealing with an internet scammer that chose my daughter as their latest victim, I just want to go back to my childhood, when the biggest problem facing us was the Cuban Missile Crisis. The U.S. Army was preparing my mother for this by telling her where it was she should take her preschool children should the nuclear crisis …
If a photograph is worth 1,000 words … well, then, we need to talk. Those digital photos you’ve been happily snapping? They’ll soon be history. Not the good kind of history, mind you — the kind that’s treasured for generations, the kind you’d run back into a burning house to rescue for posterity. They will be history … as in …
North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum may not have been in politics very long, but he has learned the No. 1 rule already: Politics is the art of compromise. To that end, the governor DID NOT veto the section of North Dakota House Bill 1020, which now that it is law, legalizes the issuance of industrial water permits from the Little Missouri …
We took a tuk tuk to Takeo. Takeo, a province south of Phnom Penh, is not only the location of a spot Jen was scouting as a possible end of the year retreat for the YAGM volunteers, it was also the home province of our friend and tuk tuk driver, Me-an’s wife’s family. So when Jen arranged with him to …
Sometimes a friend can jolt you into his reality. I was having that kind of conversation with a lifelong friend … someone with whom I rarely discuss politics. I didn’t know what his politics were until we had this talk. My wake-up call was loud and clear. Before I get into the subject, I think it’s best to validate my …
The picture above of Ginny and me was taken on a pretty cold day, as I recall, a little more than 40 years ago in downtown Grand Forks. Yes, it’s our engagement picture. Yes, we’ve been married for nearly 40 years. And yes, I know, I married “up.” Virtually every man does in my opinion. When the topic of our anniversary came up with my …
When I moved back to North Dakota in 2005, I determined to plant a vegetable garden. I moved back to the Great Plains just in case the world collapsed and when it did, I wanted to be near farm country — where I could, like “The Martian,” grow just enough potatoes to survive. The moment I got all the boxes …
“Wash every bowl, every dish, as if you are bathing the baby Buddha — breathing in, feeling joy, breathing out, smiling. Every minute can be a holy, sacred minute. Where do you seek the spiritual? You seek the spiritual in every ordinary thing that you do every day. Sweeping the floor, watering the vegetables, and washing the dishes becomes hold and …
Bloomington, Minn., photographer Dave Vorland captured these images in the Twin Cities the past couple of months, ranging from wildlife to landscape and celestial sights.
Today was all about Communion. Our morning began very early, before the sun had even considered rising, as we needed to take a journey back to Phnom Penh following the wedding the previous night. The journey had been about four hours in our minibus, but the return trip in our taxi was slightly under three, getting us to Phnom Penh about 8 …
There is an old proverb that states, “You can’t put the cart before the horse.” But metaphorically speaking, this happens quite often in youth sports. Parents preoccupied with their kids getting scholarships or playing professionally is an obvious example. But when the primary focus is on these long-range goals instead of playing for the sheer joy of it, expectations of …
Grand Forks photographer Dave Bruner and his wife, Sheila, decided to take a ride out to the countryside Saturday to look for old barns and farmsteads. Here is what he found, some interesting old buildings with wispy clouds above that looked good in a black-and-white format.
I never went to prom. However, at the age of 53, I did attend a Cambodian wedding celebration, which I believe goes one step better. In order to attend the wedding, and be properly respectful, the first order of business was getting a Cambodian dress. That was easier said than done, however, because the Cambodian people are small and I …
Marina Marzolino’s two-run homer was all the University of North Dakota women’s softball team needed to defeat Portland State University 2-0 in Big Sky Conference action Saturday at Apollo Field in Grand Forks. The Fighting Hawks picked up their 21st win of the season, breaking the program’s Division I record for single-season wins, running their record to 21-29 (7-10 in Big Sky). PSU …
Happy 85th birthday, Nancy Drew! My mother owned all of the Nancy Drew books. Her parents starting purchasing these for her when she was a girl, and she continued to purchase the books for my sister, Sarah, and I. I whiled away many hours reading each and every one, curled up in some quiet corner in our farmhouse, and I …
Last Saturday around noon, I turned onto a narrow street near my home in Fort Worth, Texas, but had to pull over almost immediately. I had happened onto the beginning of the March for Science that was headed down the same street in the other direction. But it was hardly an imposition because I had in fact been curious about …
The University of North Dakota women’s softball team gained a split in a Big Sky Conference doubleheader with Portland State University on Friday at Apollo Field in Grand Forks, winning the second game 6-4 after falling 5-0 in the 10-inning opener. The Fighting Hawks closed their season with a 20-29 (6-10 in Big Sky) record, tying the program’s Division I …
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 …
Dear Gov. Burgum, Let me quote from the conservation easement you signed for some ranchland you and your friends own in southwest North Dakota’s Bad Lands six years ago: “The Protected Property possesses agricultural, scenic, and historic, and cultural values. The Protected Property is located in the heart of the only Ponderosa pine forest in North Dakota, south of Teddy …
Petrichor: The smell in the air before or as rain falls on hot, dry, stony ground (petra = stone; ichor = divine fluid. As defined by one of my favorite authors, Robert Macfarlane, on his Twitter account. Word of the Day March 18, 2017 by Robert Macfarlane I love this word and I love the smell. My first memory of recognition …