We gave it our all in Morris

The Williams family is proud to have been a mainstay along Northridge Drive. In case the time is coming when the death dates for all three are inscribed on our monument at the local cemetery, I'm putting up this post as a reminder of our extended presence. The presence has been in so many forms of community life. It just came naturally for us. Maybe I should introduce the dog first. It's "Heidi" held by my dad Ralph. "Heidi" was the second of three small family dogs that our family treasured. The first was  "Misty" and the third was "Sandy" who was the biggest character of the three. Ralph made his mark as founder of UMM music. The University was the pillar of his whole adult life. At center is Mom Martha who was in charge of the UMM campus post office for so long. Dad once had Heidi accompany him to UMM to pick up Mom at the end of the work day. Heidi dashed in and Mom was not immediately aware of her presence. Then as Mom recalled, "I felt someone licking my leg." Very often it was I who picked up Mom at the end of the work day. Days long removed from us now, stored in my memory. Alas my lifespan will be finite just like everyone's. I have shared with a few people my health travails of late. Now I can share with a few more. But instead of continuing with this text I'll share my song lyrics which I wrote Friday after getting back from radiation treatment in Alexandria. (Or, as the locals tend to refer to it, "Alec," not "Alex." Curious Morris trait. "I'm going to Alec this weekend" etc. Boy, I sure am getting used to the roundabouts leading into Alec now. They don't phase me at all now. Just pay attention to the"yield" signs and you'll be fine. I have actually heard that accidents are more common at roundabouts but these are not fatal accidents, and that is the advantage. Oh, yours truly Brian Williams is at right in photo. My distance-running physique? Looks like.

 

I'LL HAVE A CHEMO CHRISTMAS

 By Brian Williams

 

This is just another Christmas song

You might feel like giving it the gong

I request you listen to the end

I do think the time will be well spent

 

'Cause I have a message from my soul

Something you can cling to when you're old

Old is when the challenges can mount

Don't sit back and let them count you out

 

God works in ways mysterious

He has a plan, you know he does

Life gives you lemons, it's been said

Just make some lemonade and mend

 

CHORUS:

I'll have a chemo Christmas

Yes I hope I'll be just fine

People can die for sure

We hope their souls endure

In the realm that offers sweet new wine

 

I can see the Babe at Bethlehem

So small but still the King of Men

He knew that love could vanquish all

All who thought sheer power held the call

 

God loves you when you're very sick

Your standing suffers not one bit

Oh, how I know it can get tough

Turn to the Lord, your odds go up

 

I wish best of luck to everyone

As we awaken to the sun

Let it be a symbol of resolve

Shining to help us meet the call

 

REPEAT CHORUS

Some people go to church for life

Mostly I did not see the light 

Not with the war in Vietnam

Raging while pastors dropped the ball 

 

Shall we just make our lemonade?

And never let your scruples fade?

As I conclude I have a quote

From Satchel Paige, the baseball bloke

 

"Don't look back," the legend said

Why? You might wonder, what the heck?

What you don't know might be a boon

"Something might be gaining on you" 

Mom and Dad enjoying leaf-raking on the beautiful and peaceful Williams family property on Northridge Drive, Morris. "Beautiful and peaceful" meant we did have interactions with wildlife! Such is the lot of semi-rural people. Lately we have had the presence of wild turkeys! A novel and interesting sight at first. Maybe they'll multiply just as Canada geese once did, significantly. Finally the geese became "sky carp" as noted local author, the late Doug Rasmussen, proclaimed. Ben Franklin thought the turkey should be the national symbol, not the eagle. He said turkeys were industrious. Eagles are merely predators. What do you think? Our immediate neighbors on Northridge Drive are the Cihaks to the west, the Murphys to the east. I'm an old high school classmate of Rose Murphy nee Weiler. Of course I think of her as "Rose Weiler." She was a Homecoming queen candidate back in '72. We graduated in '73. The state lowered the drinking age. What a mistake. I was delighted to attend Addison Cihak's graduation reception in the spring. Now she's at UMM and will play baskeetball.

And here's a few years previous! People have enjoyed seeing this photo which might have been taken during courtship. I would guess it was taken along the Gull Lake chain in north central Minnesota. Mom was a native of Brainerd. Their wedding date is inscribed on our family monument at Summit Cemetery. I chose a bench style of monument for the site. Please feel welcome to "sit a spell" there anytime!

I'm a little hesitant to use this photo because Dad could get pigeon-holed for his role with the famous UMM men's chorus. as if he was primarily connected to that. He directed the whole gamut of music in UMM's earliest days. He was the only music faculty in the institution's first year! UMM's promoters were greatly worried about whether the school could even survive in the fledgling state! Survive and thrive it did. It is seeking a rebound at present under Chancellor Michael Rodriguez. Good luck Michael! I heard someone say once that UMM was lucky to get my father when you considered his credentials and background. He directed the Apollo Male Chorus of Minneapolis in the 1950s. He also taught music at the U of M-St. Paul School of Agriculture. Remember the "school of ag" we had here in Morris? Their days came to an end. Dad was a prolific published composer. You can find church choirs performing his music on YouTube today! But always check to make sure there's no confusion between Ralph E. Williams, my dad, and "RalphVaughn Williams." Dad always used the "E." initial.

 

Making peace with church, maybe

I'm not 100 percent on this in the wee early hours of Friday, but I may have my name restored to the church rolls today. I do this in a highly conflicted way because I resent the role of rural MN Christian churches in being so reverential and loyal to Donald Trump and his crowd. My dismay has obviously been significant. 

Why did we let this come to pass? It looks like all these "Christians" are inclined that way again with mid-terms approaching. Rural hospitals are closing because of cuts to Medicaid. Why do you all continue to vote against your interests? Maybe it's because of "trans" kids getting an apparent open door tor playing on girls and women's sports teams. To the extent that many Democrats are inclined to being sympathetic to that, I wish they'd drop it like a hot brisk, NOW. I have closely watched the growth of girls and women's sports all through the years. What a shame if so much of the success were to be washed away by such a perverse policy. But it looks possible. 

Gloria Steinem was positioned as totally pro-trans in her final years. What a disappointment. As a footnote in Morris newspaper history, I'll remind how we at the paper got "taken" by the faux announcement that Steinem was scheduled to make a visit to UMM. We gave it a chunk of the front page. The announcement, as it turned out, was from some over-zealous UMM people who were engaged in wishful thinking. What? Feminists being over-zealous? Mercy. Edell Swanson did some detective work and found out there was no such intention or plan for Steinem to come here. Oh what a tangled web we weave.

My church would be the new First Lutheran/Federated partnership, which I guess does not have a new combined name. Pastor Matt is very capable if not the most flamboyant bloke. Services are being run capably and with no apparent glitches, according to what I see on YouTube. Glitches? I mean like someone starting to speak and the damn mic is either not working or not set right, or we get a loud blast of feedback as what happened with Pastor Rich once. Pastor Rich was an interim who just abruptly announced through the bulletin that he was leaving. The departure fit right in with the discouraging pattern at First Lutheran, so finally I was sick of it and quit the church. The ELCA is known as liberal but I know we have at least one openly pro-Trump family in the pews. I suppose I could name names but to heck with it. If I re-join I'll just sit quietly in back. I know Jim Thraen will be happy and relieved that I'm back! Pastor Matt is good at being non-political, kudos. But would he dare quote from Jesus' "Sermon on the Mount?" Jesus could sound a little "liberal." It has been reported that in some places, when a pastor quotes from the Sermon on the Mount, some people will literally get up and walk out of the sanctuary. Putting Donald Trump ahead of Our Savior? I guess so. Should I challenge Pastor Matt to share such quotes? I'd better not. "I am my brother's keeper?" I guess not in the rural Upper Midwest, year 2026. Another "glitch" that has typified First Lutheran has been failure of the slide system to advance properly. I walked out of a Christmas Eve service there once because of this. And I recall the notorious  "New Wine Homecoming Concerts" that started ridiculously past the announced starting time. Mom, Dad and I walked out at least once because of that. Simple incompetence. I'm paying for better than that.

 

Final note: Please don't hold my writing or poetry/lyrics to standards of perfection at this point in time. My health issues are significant. I know there is a segment in this community that loves to throw darts at me, figuratively speaking. Find something better to do with your limited mental capacity, please. 

At present the chemo and radiation treatments appear helpful, even if taking a toll (for the time being). I have radiation today (Friday) in Alexandria.

 

- Brian Williams, morris mn minnesota - musicstuff54@gmail.com

Drew Huebner lights it up for MSUM!

Drew Huebner

I can stay abreast of Drew Huebner's athletic exploits and prowess quite conveniently, as I am a "fan" of WDAY Radio out of Fargo. Maybe you are familiar with WDAY which is the conservative alternative to KFGO in that growing community. And it's a community abuzz with football excitement all the time. 

Moorhead most certainly joins in the mix. Look at those Dragons of the institution known as "MSUM." That's Minnesota State University-Moorhead. For much of my life we called it "Moorhead State." Not sure why the change had to be made. 

MACA product Mr. Huebner continues a tradition that includes the great nationally-known broadcaster and commentator Ed Schultz. The late Ed Schultz, unfortunately. He didn't really look like a former quarterback but he surely was. He had the QB reins for the Dragons. Later he'd show up at the broadcasting table for when the Morris Area Tigers played in the section basketball tournament at the Concordia fieldhouse in Moorhead. I remember so well. I guess I have to remember the tremendous bratwurst sandwiches as well as the games. 

And who would want to remember the game there when the Kevin Loge-led Tigers were staggered in the upset by Staples-Motley? Boy, the memories of that are etched into my mind. I swear we were out-coached. At least I had the candor to suggest that afterward. Another blow to my reputation in Morris I guess. You've got to call 'em as you see 'em IMHO. 

Kevin was going to play for the Gophers but I guess he just got homesick. No sin there. Jackson Loge took up the reins later. 

But today in 2026 let us celebrate the talents of our own Drew Huebner. The Huebners have a bloodline of athletic prowess - congrats to them. I remember all the way back to when I was in high school! Mark Huebner. Later we had Julie Huebner in the girls program. There have been others. 

I have suggested that if Julie Huebner were a high school senior today, she'd be a Division I prospect as a post player. Just pure talent. Our girls basketball program was not strong in the 1980s, most unfortunately. I eventually had to start speaking out about that. More slings and arrows coming my way. But I "lasted" at the Morris and Hancock newspapers all the way up until 2006. June of that year in fact. 

At the end I was done in by the crowd that got their pants in a bundle over coverage of the UMM goalpost incident. But I had 27 very memorable years in the local "press." And my perspective on things was never dictated by a particular influential "clique." Today I think the school and community have freed themselves from that narrowing influence. Our school administration seems quite independent and objective in its judgment. I congratulate the school. 

I wonder how the Tigers will do this coming fall. Hey we have soccer to watch now too. Again congratulations. 

 

41-19 opener win 

The MSUM website really crows about Drew Huebner and his stellar showing in the Dragons' 2026 opener! Fans are getting familiar with this young man quite promptly. He will be on the tip of tongues for sure. 

"2 Live Drew," the headline proclaims on the MSUM "game recap" page, a page that reviews the 41-19 MSUM win over Northern Michigan. 

"A breakout showing from quarterback Drew Huebner." 

Drew is a sophomore. He showed prowess with his legs as well as hie passing arm. "The complete package." Looks like it. The young man threw for four touchdowns in the game. He completed 21 passes for 265 yards. Zero interceptions! Lots of quality play for the WDAY Radio crew to hash over! 

Drew ran for 109 yards and had one rushing TD. Kalen Lucas caught nine passes for 116 yards and a TD. 

The Dragons play in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, once the home to our UMM Cougars. Our Cougars have settled comfortably into NCAA Division III. I used to be down on that but now I'm appreciating more. But I'm sure MSUM is proud to be in the ranks of the NSIC. I guess UMM got tired of the "money game" of college sports. Play for the fun of it! Nothing to shake a stick at. 

MSUM's second game  like the opener will be at home. And the opponent will be Concordia-St. Paul. Many of our Tiger fans will be hoping for Drew to shine again. 

The Dragons play at Nemzek Stadium. Kickoff-time is 6 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 3. Will the Dragons breathe fire? 

Note to readers: I am coming off a hiatus from blogging of over a month due to some serious health issues that have arisen for me, sorry to inform you. But if anything can get me fired up to get back on track, it's the kind of news coming out of MSUM with Drew the former MACA Tiger! From Big Cat Stadium to Nemzek Field. Boffo..

He's six feet-four and 245 pounds as a soph. With those kind of proportions now, might he get a shot at the pros eventually? We're premature on that. 

 

- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - musicstuff54@gmail.com 

My mom enjoyed her "Dollywood" visit

It's in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. 

 

Pat me on the back for having a nice topical and timely photo to share here. The best part of the photo is that my late mom is in it! So I can remind y'all about Martha and all she represented: her dedication to UMN-Morris and her rich church life among other things. Sons of Norway! The RV club! 

Mom described herself as a "tough Swede." She meant it. The toughness contributed to her living to within one month of her 94th birthday. This despite saying "no" for a long time to getting a mammogram. I felt I had to act on that when I saw her one day clutching at the area just under her shoulder and showing an expression of pain. 

Surgery removed a good part of the problem but could not get everything. Prior to the surgery I was put in a room with the door closed so I could not consult on anything. The surgery appeared to give Mom a pretty lengthy reprieve. Eventually there was evidence that cancer had entered her bones. The doctor said, as he pointed to a couple bold face numbers on a printout: "we could do another test but you might not want to know." 

Living to (almost) 94 despite the presence of cancer. "A tough Swede" indeed. 

Right now yours truly is dealing with cancer myself. Maybe you have heard, maybe not. News gets around fast in a small town. I had my fourth chemo session today (Thursday). On Monday I start radiation in Alexandria. We're giving it hell. I am trying to prepare myself for all eventualities. 

My grandfather on my father's side, the estimable Martin Williams of Glenwood, died of stomach cancer in 1933. He died well before his time. Most likely he had spent too much time around dangerous substances in his work. 

My dear aunt Mildred out in Oregon died from esophageal cancer. At the end she could only get down some ice shavings. 

I ate a full breakfast from the SCMC kitchen today. On the day after my first endoscopy, I could not swallow a single morsel. I have been set up with a tube-feeding system. It's on right now as I write this. Being able to eat normally (within proper oversight) brings satisfaction that can hardly be described in words. 

Maybe in the end all the treatments will  be like what surgery did for my mom: provide a window of time in which I can experience normal life again. I will thank the good Lord for each and every day within that window, I assure you. Long term it is hard to predict with any precision, as I'm sure you know. We have all heard of cancer going into "remission." It's on the corner of my mind. Right now we're trying to bombard the hell out of the cancer that's present. 

The photo you see at top here is "timely" because of the recent tragic death of Dolly Parton. Mom had the photo taken by a bus mate for her Smokey Mountains tour with a tour company. We used both Utopia and Riley's. Her last tour ended two weeks before 9/11. That was a Riley's tour. 

My family was not attracted to country music. But of course Dolly became mainstream in so many ways. My opinion of her rises as I pore over biographical material. What a gem of a human being! 

And Mom came back from her tour very pleased with "Dollywood." She learned a lot about Dolly there too. RIP Dolly Parton. RIP Martha Williams. (I wish Mom was around to appreciate the talents of Caitlin Clark!)

 

- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - musicstuff54@gmail.com 

Oh to be young again, 1973!

Was the Morris High School Class of 1973 special? Of course every graduating class of our school is special. Each one had/has its own distinct qualities with distinct experiences in the growing-up years. Can kids today even relate to the fears of boys back in the day? The fear of being drafted and sent to Vietnam? I think the worst of that was over by the time we actually reached graduation day of 1973. Not that Southeast Asia conflict was over, mind you. The fall of Saigon happened in 1975. Man is such a fallible creature. 

Today our democratized media exposes us to all kinds of absurdities in the human condition. Perhaps I'm alluding to our national government leadership. But there's nothing like the angst of fearing the military draft during Vietnam. We continue to pay the price for that war even today. Many men who survived it were never the same. The most offending politician was Lyndon Johnson, a Democrat. How? Why? 

But the Morris High School Class of '73 concluded its high school journey with a decent amount of pride and resolution for the future. 

I met up with one of my classmates recently for a graduation reception. This was in my neighborhood of Northridge Drive. Craig Murphy and I sat together at this wonderful event. I told the father of the grad how Craig and I had completed high school together. And then without missing a beat I asked Craig to recite the class motto of the Class of '73. I knew he'd have this at the tip of his tongue. He recited: "Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead." 

Pretty edgy, eh? It was a trait of baby boomers back in the day to be edgy, unconventional. Well, even boat-rocking. You had to be there? Maybe. 

The boomers were so plentiful. We saw the rapid growth of state colleges because of us. And now look what's happening: St. Cloud State will be tearing down about half its campus. Of course they still need the money to do this. And they're trying to get it from their usual donors. How discouraging: donating $ to tear down a campus they supposedly love. But the leadership there has made it clear: the old "glory days" are not coming back. 

Today our high school is "Morris Area High School" and we're joined in athletics by Chokio-Alberta. A very nice arrangement. I had the pleasure of attending the recent C-A graduation at the Chokio building. For so many years I covered the C-A graduation for the Morris newspaper when the event used the Alberta building. Same with Homecoming coronation and pep fest and basketball. Bleachers on just one side of the gym. But remember: for a big part of Morris school history, bleachers were pulled out on only one side for GIRLS basketball. And that actually surprised me considering that Morris with its UMM fashioned itself as such a progressive place. Chalk it up as a mystery. 

The MHS Class of '73 is up in years and our ranks are getting thinned by the toll of time and the inevitability of death. We can report that recently we have lost Helen Loher and Sue Sullivan. RIP re. both. I didn't know Sue back in the day. I knew Helen somewhat. Eventually we retreat into the mists of time. 

Edie Martin spoke for us at graduation: "Don't be a milquetoast!"

This is a photo taken at the steak restaurant of Circus Circus Hotel/Casino in Las Vegas Nevada! Your blog host is second from left. I'm wearing my Hoffman Harvest Festival 5K run T-shirt incidentally. Singing the praises of Hoffman in Las Vegas! At left is my fellow MHS Class of '73 member Art Cruze. Art and I are joined in photo by Art's parents Carl and Leona. Art and I made several trips to Las Vegas (baby!) together. My dad's leisure time preference was hunting and fishing. I ended up quite the opposite. Dad's heart was in the right place.

 

- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - musicstuff54@gmail.com 

Ever had a song dedicated to you?

Dave Buechler at piano, Ralph E. Williams

 

A retirement reception was held for my father outdoors at UMM, not on the mall but close to it. Mom insisted that I attend, so I did. I felt uncomfortable in these situations because I was outside the preferred "caste.". 

The atmosphere was pleasant. At one point we heard loud music from someone's "stereo" a couple blocks away. Kids with the loud sound systems back then often liked to flaunt it. We heard a loud BeeGees tune. And someone quipped "that's one of Ralph's earlier works." Ah, Dad and his "works" - he was a prolific composer of published music. He had something like 90 published works. 

Our MAHS band under Wanda Dagen performed one of those a couple years ago:"Testament of Nations." Thanks Wanda. Some of my father's works can be found being performed by church choirs on YouTube. Not long ago I found one example from the Amarillo TX Methodist church. It's like achieving a little bit of immortality: having your own musical ideas published, isn't it? I would take this over having a book published. 

Dad has been gone for 13 years now. His music surely lives on. 

My father had a massive impact in elevating the profile of our humble little campus in its earliest years. The school's promoters/lobbyists were uneasy about whether our venture of UMM could have staying power. Southwest Minnesota fought with us for getting this plum. I know it meant the world to the Morrison family of Morris. 

Dad's No. 1 contribution, among many in UMM's infancy, was to take his "men's chorus" to two World's Fairs. The first one probably made the biggest statement. The year was 1962 when Dad's chorus traveled to Seattle for the World's Fair. Click on the link below to read the whole blog post I wrote about this for my companion blog "Morris of Course" just a couple weeks ago. You'll see archived press clippings on top and at the bottom. I assure you that venture was a big deal. Thanks for reading. 

https://morrisofcourse.blogspot.com/2026/06/fledgling-umm-put-on-show-in-1962.html 

 

The clipping you see at top here is from my father's "last days" at UMM leading to his retirement. I don't have the year handy but I'm pretty sure it was 1978. Jimmy Carter was president! The BeeGees led a disco wave. You know, disco pop music could really be pretty artistic IMHO. Nothing wrong with music that gets you to dance. 

Using my magnifying glass to read the caption on the clipping, I can report that it was Dave Buechler, UMM senior, who wrote a musical composition dedicated to my father. The UMM concert band proceeded to perform his work which I'm sure was boffo. Buechler titled the piece "Three Short Movements for Band." It was part of his senior project. Way to go Dave. 

Dad's retirement capped his 18 years with UMM. But his involvement with the U was deeper. He got his undergraduate and Master's degrees from the U and taught at the U of M-St. Paul School of Agriculture in the 1950s. That's when I was in preschool. I do have memories of it. The St. Paul "School of Ag" was winding down just like Morris' West Central School of Agriculture. Times were changing. Well, as they often do. 

Are times changing now so as to make the future of UMM uncertain? This past academic year showed some possible fissures. Our chancellor says there are no plans to close UMM. Then again there's the old saying that no one's life or liberty is safe when the legislature is in session - something like that. So I don't know. 

Our spring graduation is scaled down from what it once was. Believe me I remember the past. 

I established a family fund to make sure the Williams name stays relevant and appreciated. If you examine my blog post on the men's chorus World's Fair trip, you should surely have an appreciation of what Dad meant. Well, Mom too of course. All I can do is keep the Fund going. 

Will I win respect this way? Not with the longer-of-tooth UMM people or at least a significant number of them. There are always some good people around like David Brown. As for the pretentious and stuffed-shirt types, maybe they'll feel an obligation to show some respect for me. It is a long shot. To those people I would say "Eat your heart out." I might cite Sue Gooch. Yes I remember.

 

Addendum: Del Sarlette recently informed me that Dave Buechler was in the UMM jazz ensemble when it performed the Don Ellis chart "Final Analysis." This was in the pre-Jim Carlson days of UMM jazz. Clyde Johnson gamely directed the most challenging piece with its unconventional time signatures. I was there! I wrote a whole blog post about the historic performance which was at the recital hall. 

Del said "the concert was the only time we got the ending right!" Tom Garberick was on drums. Tom recognized a little "riff" toward the end and then guided the band to its smooth ending or smooth landing! I saw Tom at the recent funeral for Donna Christensen. The funerals for the boomers' parents can feel like high school reunions! Bruce Christiansen and I immediately remembered our Jimmy Stewart impression.

I also reminded Bruce of when he was employed at the Morris Theater, he'd put school hallway gossip up on the marquee and then step back and take a picture of it! 

Del Sarlette in the spirit for the July 4 holiday!

- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - musicstuff54@gmail.com 

Getting where you need to go in Morris

The great WCCO Radio personality "Dark Star" reported one day about a lone person seen walking alongside a busy road in the Twin Cities. I was amused. "Dark Star" reported this in a light way - he could put many things in a light context of course - by suggesting this individual was forlorn, a lost soul of sorts. There might be a story behind him. 

And so a conclusion to be drawn here is that our urban planning in the U.S. is based on everyone driving their own personal motor vehicle. Pedestrians are like an afterthought. You want to walk somewhere? Please explain yourself. 

Are you so sure the U.S. should stay so dependent on fossil fuels? With what is happening in the Middle East? Well we won't see a wholesale withdrawal from the personal motor vehicle model. 

On Sunday I was driving downtown from my residence like I have done for what seems like time immemorial. And I see a group of young people walking along the service road just east of McDonald's. Have you noticed that the service roads out in that neck of the woods have become a much bigger deal? ("Big deal" is Upper Midwest Scandinavian-speak.) 

These changes can happen slowly. We adjust to the new norm pretty seamlessly. Our City of Morris has made clear that the highway development on north end of town is quite the big deal now. (There we go with "big deal" again.) Our City of Morris has left downtown with its liquor store and gone out to the fringe. 

Thrifty White Drug pulled this act too. We used to have two pharmacies in "downtown Morris." The old City Center Mall place has effectively been replaced by Homestead. John Schmidgall remains the go-to guy. By force of habit I still use Thrifty White Drug. 

I may look forlorn myself someday along the highway as I want to cross over to Thrifty White Drug. This will be when I no longer drive. I shouldn't have to hit you over the head to make clear to you we have an aging population. Don't you notice the Morris Transit vehicles with a fair amount of frequency? 

If all our businesses including the city's liquor store remained concentrated "downtown," a senior citizen might arrange for a "lift" to downtown Morris and then proceed with their list of things to do. But look at our two pharmacies, along with the new Dollar General which looks like a valuable option for shopping. 

If I'm downtown and then decide I need to go out along the highway development, I'll walk. I'm still in good enough shape to do that. But I'll have to cross the highway at some point, on foot. The highway is often quite busy. I know, you want to get out your little violins. But the population is aging. 

Me, I won't even consider buying a new car if there's a risk that I'll fail the vision test at the DMV for license-renewal time. That's a very real concern based on the cost of a new car today. I maybe shouldn't confess my health shortcomings but frankly my vision is tanking. I'm age 71. 

Urban planning should of course make accommodations for people "on foot." There was a time when this attitude got some traction. It's a "progressive" idea. All such ideas are dying in the age of Trump, even if your average person sees merit in them. Your average person gets too influenced by "MAGA." But I have written enough on that. 

Getting back to the group of kids I saw along the service road Sunday morning, I thought it obvious that these service roads were not designed with pedestrian traffic in mind at all. And, more and more business activity is moving out to the highway in the windswept expanses north of town. 

What does "downtown" mean anymore? What does the "business district" mean anymore? I write more on this in my June 12 post on my companion blog "Morris of Course." Here's the link and God bless all of you.

https://morrisofcourse.blogspot.com/2026/06/what-really-is-business-district.html 

 

- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com 

State of America for the 250th

So we're approaching the nation's 250th birthday. I remember the 200th event in 1976 and how it happened during a cynical time in American history. I made this comment in the back shop of the Sun Tribune newspaper once and Jim Morrison agreed with me. Decades have their peculiar traits. 

The fall of Saigon happened in 1975. You can find YouTube accounts w/ archival media coverage of that mess: people literally clinging to helicopters seeking escape, helicopters being pushed off ships to make room for more desperate refugees. Today our presidential administration would try to shield the public from all this news. 

Oh, but the public's right to know? In theory, yes, that would be the sound principle. Logic does not score the kind of points that it once did. Look at how our Supreme Court behaves now. With time we will probably see a drift back to something approximating the Jim Crow laws in the South. We cannot rule anything out at present. 

Why do I bother writing about this? I am only imperiling my own situation out here in coyote country where MAGA has such strength, to an extent because of our churches. Ah, the Christian church: what will become of it? I wrote out my last check to First Lutheran of Morris and learned within a short time that the members would only be spending half-time there in the future - the rest of the time we'd be going to the Methodist/UCC church. 

ELCA churches got "tarred" with the reputation of being left-leaning politically or "progressive." It's the kiss of death out here in coyote country now. 

Just think of First Lutheran with its truly grand tradition, and I mean that. We used to have "UMM Sunday" which was a celebratory event. It stood out on the calendar. It no longer exists. And if I try pointing out this and other shortcomings to the FLC people, well the reception I get is one of discomfort, of just not wanting to talk about it. Out of sight, out of mind. 

First Lutheran Church essentially got rolled over by the MAGA forces - of course that means "Make America Great Again." A lot of people poured money into a totally new church just outside of Morris, and then these mostly well-heeled folks poured money into a new "steeple" for the new church. Why? What tangible benefit does that steeple bring for anyone? 

Of course, the church I am speaking of is Good Shepherd. 

Just as it is fruitless for me to prompt discussion of the drift of rural Christianity, it is fruitless really for me to be in any sort of political conversation with anyone. It is past time for finding that productive. I may have already dug a hole for myself by doing that. I have seen evidence that my access to various online platforms is limited. In a couple of these situations, the barriers went away after a while, possibly because I was not alone and pressure was brought to bear on the people doing this. 

And we know with 100 percent certainty that the Trump folks will do anything to tamp down any voices that are skeptical toward them. This type of thing clearly happened in Germany of the md-20th Century. The U.S. has also allowed "concentration camps" to be established. Shouldn't you all be concerned about how all of this is likely to end? 

The president initiated the whole Iran thing because he did not want a previous black president to get credit for anything having to do with Iran. Or John Kerry, a white person who once had the Democratic presidential nomination. 

Trump got three million fewer votes than Hillary Clinton. And the electoral college is nothing more than a vestige of Civil War reconstruction. 

Martina McBride

And so our current circumstances, which I can do nothing about, are in place for America's 250th birthday. Martina McBride withdrew from an official event because she saw it was going to be slanted in favor of MAGA. She said that she hoped that such an event would be the kind that "brought all Americans together." My God, who can argue with that? When I was a young adult, no one would. Today? We are in such different times. 

Really all I can do is observe. And if I really knew what was good for me, I wouldn't write my thoughts. Maybe stop writing completely. It might be too late. We see headlines every morning that should scare us. Blame the reflecting pool thing on "vandals." Some people just eat that stuff up. Well a lot of people out here in western Minnesota do, the people that plow their hard-earned money into a new church steeple. They are total flat-Earthers. Maybe I should say "bigots." Or, "maggots" as a takeoff on MAGA. But where will this get me? 

Martina McBride is a huge name in country music. After she withdrew for the 250th event, she gets slammed by the Trump people as a "lefty." Follow the script everyone. I guess I'm a "lefty." 

But I will not vote Democratic if the party continues to show signs of being tight with teachers unions. There are some things that I just will not do. The more money that teachers get, the less is left over for support staff who are very important people with school programs. At least I can see that. 

So to you Republicans, you do still have hope for getting my vote.

 

- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - musicstuff54@gmail.com