Church life ebbs and flows

It is very rare these days to see a large turnout at First Lutheran Church for anything. You should know it has not always been like this. Back in the Cliff Grindland years, an extra-special Sunday like of course Easter might have the ushers urgently setting up folding chairs at the rear of the sanctuary. Such formal ushers in those times, middle-age men who were pillars of propriety dressed in suits and ties. 

A part of us pines for those times. Times change. One's appearance might be "grubby" today and it's perfectly acceptable for you to walk into church and sit in the pew. "Grubby" implies something less than desirable. Do we even pass judgment any more? Do we pass judgment on people's weight, I mean at all? Hasn't this been rather a sea change, really truly? 

Part of the "enlightenment" that we have all gained means not judging based on body image. Tolerance can be a very nice thing. But excess weight brings dangers to one's health, so maybe we should push for more self-discipline on that front. But to say this directly to someone would be totally inappropriate. You wouldn't want to address someone about their "grubby" clothing in church either. 

But as time progresses, we accept the new norm in a way that we do not pay special notice. At all. 

"Fat?" Grubby clothing? It's absolutely of no matter. Life goes on. 

The Grindland days at First Lutheran hearkens back to when the church was most steadfast with values that could easily be described as conservative. It was a wholly mainstream institution. I'm sure in the middle 1960s, if you were an adult member, you would not want to be caught saying anything skeptical about the U.S. war effort in Vietnam. I wonder if a lot of people privately did have skepticism. But they felt enormous pressure to tow the patriotic line. Many young members of the church were content to follow along with that, as they would not want to exercise their brains too much. 

Part of human nature pulls at us to conform, largely because it's for our own good. Do you doubt me? Or do you think I'm exaggerating? 

Did you catch the news item about Tom Smothers passing away the other day? The "Smothers Brothers" were a popular comedy team that got their own network TV show in the middle 1960s. They have come to be remembered mainly for how they staked out their position of being against the U.S. involvement in Vietnam, well before such a position was considered acceptable to hold in America. 

You can research about how the Smothers Brothers drove the "network censors" crazy, constantly. America wasn't ready, but the comedy team opted to take risks. Their show was canceled because it could not survive the storm. Wasn't MLK branded as a shady character by U.S. intelligence agencies because he questioned the U.S. in Vietnam? Why were the headwinds so strong? 

Why was our whole culture so ossified, ossified to the extent that there was a big controversy over how Jose Feliciano sang the National Anthem at the 1968 World Series. I mean, can you believe that? He personalized the song with an artistic twist. Oh, he didn't change the lyrics, he just employed some "pop" originality. And this has become the total norm in the years since. 

Remember how the electric guitar player played the National Anthem for the season opener in the movie "Moneyball?" And while he did so, we saw these totally typical Legion and VFW types with their hats, out on the field unfurling a giant flag. They had no problem with the musical rendition. I mean, can you believe it? We all need to pause and think about these things sometimes. How times change and then we take for granted the new norms. 

I will once again relate the First Lutheran experience. One of the new norms in our culture has been to accept gay people, to not look upon them with scorn or to force them "into the closet." Maybe First Lutheran was able to admit to some cultural changes in years past. But some hurdles just might prove too daunting. So is gay rights a bridge too far? We have to wonder about that. 

Really honestly, I think most sensible people do not want gay people suppressed into this "closet" with such shame that some end up taking their own life. On the other hand, most sensible adults prefer having a sense of personal modesty about sexual matters. We don't want such matters in our face. We have an instinct to suppress such thoughts, probably ingrained in us by God for a reason. 

What would my late mother say? I assure you, Mom would say the sole purpose of sex is procreation. It can be a terrible conundrum. I will confide with you: my own life was hurt terribly by the sense that sex was to be associated with nothing but shame. It was never to be spoken of. If the subject somehow arose like (in a subtle way) with a conversation on a TV show, we'd feel embarrassed to the extent of practically fainting. 

A conundrum indeed: we want a sense of "personal modesty" about such matters. On the other hand, we cannot allow kids to grow up with zero guidance about it, to let boys in their mid-teens go to a movie, develop an erection and have no idea why their bodies are behaving like this. I'm forthright enough to make these points even if some people might want to cringe or say I'm disgusting. Go ahead and say I'm disgusting. 

The Annette Funicello "beach movies" of the '60s were the epitome for "teasing young boys" with the images. I can just imagine the creative minds plotting all this entertainment: the undulating female bodies. I'll assert that it was cruel. We could not imagine the easy availability of "porn" like we have today with the Internet. I put "porn" in quotes because how, really, do we define it? Talk about conundrums! 

And here's the deal with porn. It becomes passe among boys, really pretty quickly as they become "desensitized." That's the buzzword: "desensitized." Women's libbers who might want to decry porn should take the opposite view: the "desensitized" effect on so many men and boys helps the male gender get over their sexual preoccupations, so they can view women as just plain human beings! The way it should be. 

Have you ever seen a porn star in an interview? They don't seem "exploited" at all. They in fact can have the most genuine laugh you could ever hear! They seem happy. Some of them may not be, but you could say that about any occupation. 

Steve Van Kempen

I am writing this on Sunday, the last day of the year 2023. Guess I'll be going to church. Yes, at First Lutheran. I don't expect a big or even good turnout today. Christmas is past. We just had a huge funeral there for Steve Van Kempen. The Van Kempen funeral was one of those very rare occasions when First Lutheran has an overflow turnout. In fact, folding chairs in the back would not have been nearly enough! The crowd extended to downstairs. 

Does a very large funeral bother you a little? I mean, isn't it irresistible to wonder if your own funeral someday will attract just a fraction of the turnout? So, you wonder if you are just not as popular or as well-liked. I think it was Bud Grant who said "if you want a lot of people at your funeral, die young." 

Steve Van Kempen was age 70 which in my youth would have been considered terribly old! Not today. Maybe "middle-aged" would describe. Anyway, members of the boomer generation never get old, right?

  

First Lutheran Church

Addendum: I just got back from my attempt to attend church today. It was nothing. It was a "hymn sing" which is just code for "nobody gave a rip about planning or having the resources for a service today." We should never be surprised by something like this in Morris, Minnesota, this town where people only spend time if they absolutely have to. And the holidays only make the situation more depressing. So many people gone to visit family somewhere else. Especially grandchildren. Why not leave those grandkids alone to spend time with their own parents? Which the parents might like but then again, maybe y'all have money to give them! That changes everything of course. 

I suspect that Faith Lutheran of Morris had more of a plan for today. That wouldn't be hard because we had no plan. I wonder if there is a circle of insiders with First Lutheran who secretly know of a date when the church will simply close up. Cease to exist. I'm betting on it. We're the church that did not survive gay rights. The ELCA has experienced a crushing blow because of gay rights. 

I sat down at First Lutheran this morning, then left after a couple minutes. I don't know why they didn't just cancel the service. 

The holidays are hard on single people. Looks like there might not be any businesses open in Morris on New Year's Day. People have to eat. And pretty soon we'll have Martin Luther King Day. Look what has happened with Thanksgiving: it is turning into a four-day weekend. And now we have "Juneteenth" taking hold in summer: a three-day weekend. Well why not?  Don't we all just love it?

Keith Lindor speaks during the Van Kempen funeral service at First Lutheran. Keith like Steve was a 1971 graduate of Morris High School. Your blog host was Class of '73, as was Keith's sister Laurie. The boomer generation slowly departs this life as do all generations. Us boomers have always considered ourselves irreplaceable, haven't we?

 

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

Biking/walking trail remains totally open!

Normal times with the weather meant we'd have to say "goodbye" to the biking/walking trail as winter set in. Such unusual times at present. We might expect only a portion of the trail to be accessible now. Then we'd wonder at what point in spring we could get back to the full route if we sought it. 

There was a "rumor" a few years back that a private party had gotten out there with the proper equipment for attacking snow and cleared a portion of it. Also, I have noticed in some years that certain hardy, undaunted people were accessing the trail even with a fair amount of snow buildup. So keep in mind, City of Morris officials, how popular this asset is for so many people. The intrepid folks leave behind their footprints in the snow! 

I have never been one to be so committed. I figure that in March sometime, the opportunity will open up again. But not last March! We had the incredibly persistent winter last year. Nothing we can do about it of course. In Minnesota we just cope. Will talk about it like it's a pretty big issue sometimes. But we know we must take certain steps to just get by, survive, prevail even. 

We are in between Christmas and New Year's. Nothing short of incredible that the biking/walking trail is totally open, not an issue anywhere. We might want to pinch ourselves. So the conditions are so accommodative by the standards of our typical winter. Still, it's mid-winter, shortly after Solstice, and most people would find the outdoor conditions still not really accommodative. We feel the cold. We're coming out of the Solstice which spells lots of darkness. 

We can turn on our holiday lights early in the evening. This reminds of an old prank. Of course pranks are not what they used to be, not in our litigious society of today. Truly it's rare to learn of such a thing. We teach our kids to take life more seriously, for one thing. I am a "boomer" and believe me, we could be shockingly unserious about life. Your average boomer would not want to admit how foolish or reckless we could be. I will admit it because the truth shall set us free. Denial is counterproductive. 

The current time of year prompts me to think of a prank that I think is pretty harmless: send an email to a neighbor advising them that there's a city law against having your Christmas lights on after a certain date. Hah! 

Does there seem to be fewer Christmas light decorations these days? That's what I seem to observe. For a couple weeks I had a fair amount of lights out on my property along Northridge Drive. I noticed the neighbors were not getting on board with this - it was minimal. That's fine. But what prompted me to take my lights down early was the morning when we got the news reports about Donald Trump starting to use full-on Nazi/Hitler rhetoric in his speeches. And I realize: this is the guy who has come to represent Christianity in America almost more than Jesus Christ himself. 

Hyperbole? Pastors these days know they can be criticized for quoting Jesus Christ from his Sermon on the Mount. Christ could be "progressive" in his attitude at times. But I guess a lot of the parishioners around rural America think they know better. Know better than Christ himself. And they do not want to sound "woke." 

Of course they have been influenced by the "conservative entertainment complex" within the media today. It dominates AM radio. So much absolute mendacity out there, but the practitioners find that it "sells." So remember that these people like Ben Shapiro and Mark Levin have professional monetary incentive. 

Now these guys are railing about efforts to keep Trump off the ballot in various states. Maine made the news yesterday. Lawyers can slice and dice this topic as they can most any topic. But isn't it totally reasonable to conclude that Trump did in fact push for a full-in insurrection? And he got pathetically gullible people like our congressperson out here in the rural Minnesota hinterlands, Michelle Fischbach, to go along with it, to eat out of his hand. And now she wishes to avoid the topic. 

And what do we hear on AM radio? We hear sheep dip that suggests total absence of a cognitive grip on things. But the hosts who spew this find that it sells. What does that say about rural Minnesota residents? 

The AM radio personalities are now saying this for example: "Biden sympathized with the BLM protests so maybe he should be kept off the ballots too." As if there was anything truly analogous. 

Supporting protest? It's a good thing that Americans were in the end receptive to the Vietnam war protests. That matter was a distraction for so long. Seriously, I think it instilled a type of cynicism that led to a lot of the irresponsible behavior by the boomer youth. I'm thinking of the late '60s and early '70s. Your average boomer is not going to want to remember much about that today. 

Booze, drugs, partying, staying up late, rock music so loud you endangered your hearing. 

Indeed, God created us as flawed human beings. It manifests itself in a variety of ways. The current Trump phenomenon may lead to the literal destruction of the United States of America. So give thanks for every remaining normal day we have left. We are becoming a house of cards. 

Trump will seize control of the Federal Reserve and make sure interest rates are set at dead zero permanently. Low interest rates have become like heroin for so many in our financial system, for so many in the "financial media." They utterly fail to see the long-term consequences, even though in their subconscious they must know, just like they must know deep down that Trump is a dangerous sociopath. 

We are experiencing folly once again, this nation of ours, just like when we sat on our hands as the Vietnam war escalated, took the lives of close to 60,000 young American men. In a war that we ended up losing. And which almost wrecked the economy. 

Somehow we got normal life jump-started in this country. But I am not sure about the present. When you have to be ashamed to attend church because of the U.S. Christian Church's association with Trump and MAGA, it is a greatly concerning thing. I think about that when I'm out along the biking/walking trail east of town. I am merely an observer.

Addendum: We learn now that Trump has an issue with body odor and he wears diapers. Add this to his proclivity to show such a foul mouth, even on Christmas Day as he wishes for certain people like Jack Smith to "rot in hell." What would the angel say from "It's a Wonderful Life?"

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

Town that shriveled up: "Pomme de Terre"

"Pomme de Terre" gets heard quite a lot in our area. One might wonder why there is no actual town that bears the name. It rolls off the tongue comfortably, is appealing. 

"Pomme de Terre" adorns our city park out by the dam. The park was once a state park. Today it is a fixture for camping and summer relaxation as with the "spray park." Sometimes in summer I rinse off my body at the spray park in lieu of a regular shower. I only do that when there are no little kids using it, and the kids do indeed gravitate to it. A nice community resource, as is the whole Pomme de Terre Park. 

Pomme de Terre! The name actually adorns another place fairly close to our community. "Fairly close" is a relative description. Thus the place that I cite is about nine miles to the north. It too is a park. It has a boat landing. The "Pomme de Terre" name is not such a simple matter there. I grew up habitually calling it Pomme de Terre, then later discovered on official maps that it is "Perkins Lake." 

Perkins was a well-known family out there. But a name is a name and it should invite consensus. There's a sign at the access that says "Pomme de Terre." I shall continue feeling comfortable calling it that. 

One might suggest there is potential for confusion - eh? - with two parks so close together being referred to the same way. Let's look at it like this: if you're a lifelong resident you'll bear in mind the need to distinguish sometimes. "You just have to know." Words to live by in a small community. 

 

The town site

Where fate wasn't kind

Many lifelong residents here may not know there was, indeed, a town called "Pomme de Terre." Not far from here. Today the place might be called a "ghost town." Another term I have seen in research is "extinct town." Towns can rise and fall for any number of reasons. Serendipity could play in. Most often I would say it's bad fortune. "It was just not meant to be." 

It has to be considered sad that a little hamlet with unmistakable charm "bites the dust," as it were. There are some old remnants of this early settlement called "Pomme de Terre." Enough to get the place located and to provoke the imagination for how life was there. Can't help but imagine the "might have beens." 

Take the wayback machine back to the immediate post-Civil War years. That's when European settlers began filtering into these parts. Also "manifest destiny" I guess. So a stake got planted for a new fledgling town, "Pomme de Terre." It was the first village settled in Grant County in 1868. It was platted in 1874 in Section 24 of Pomme de Terre Township. 

These were stagecoach days. Imagine the typical old TV western. Opens one's eyes for what it was like as "the West" opened up here in the Upper Midwest. 

There was a stagecoach route from St. Cloud to Fort Abercrombie. The route crossed the Pomme de Terre River, so there's another "Pomme de Terre" name of course. (Plus our golf course in Morris has always had the name.) 

Fort Abercrombie was on the Red River. Our well-known Wadsworth Trail in the immediate Morris area began in St. Cloud and headed for Fort Wadsworth, later to be called "Fort Sisseton." Such intrepid travelers these people were. The indomitable nature of the human spirit I guess. 

"Manifest Destiny" meant that however cruel it might seem, the Native Americans would have to step aside for the values and norms of the oncoming white people. Our UMM campus began as a way of acclimating the Natives to the European standards and culture. Frankly it was considered a failure, though well-intentioned. 

The transition appears to have been grudging for the Natives. The Natives rebelled in an outright "war" here in Minnesota that coincided with the U.S. Civil War. Southern Minnesota had the brunt of the conflict. 

I grew up hearing that there were never any permanent Native settlements in the Morris area. But it appears we were not totally overlooked by the Natives. I guess there was more of a nomadic presence. 

Is it wise to romanticize the traditional Native culture? That is a very good question. The old crusty CBS commentator Andy Rooney got in trouble, I recall, for suggesting there was no reason to feel enthralled. I believe he called the Natives' religion worthless or meaningless or some such thing. 

 

Reaching a head

Bad blood grew to where there was a mass hanging of rebellious natives in Minnesota. It is considered tragic today. War is always tragic, n'est-ce-pas? And then hindsight goes to work. Shall we show restraint in passing judgment? 

There's a cemetery

The "extinct" town of Pomme de Terre was nestled next to the gentle flowing Pomme de Terre River, "our" river. Our Pomme de Terre City park is on a wide spot, a body of water that - would you believe? - is supposed to have a name. It was once officially named "Lake Chrissey." I recall researching that and learning that the name was that of a local state legislator. Too bad for old Mr. Chrissey that the name did not stick. I think it is a nice name, and a fun little project might be to restore it. The problem? The wide spot on the river there is not big enough to be considered a true lake. The habit today is to refer to it as the "Pomme de Terre Reservoir." 

I first learned about the Lake Chrissey name when I was writing an article for the Morris newspaper about the development of the biking/walking trail east of town. "Lake Chrissey - that's a name I haven't heard." But it stayed in my head.

 

The village had promise

The ill-fated village of Pomme de Terre began developing the attributes of a nice small community. A grist mill went up in 1873. It burned down in 1887. The town had a post office from 1868 to 1902. 

The town reached its apex with two stores, two blacksmith shops, the grist mill, elevator and hotel. Oh, plus the "saloon" to make it conform to the TV western model! I wonder if there was a local "madam." Ahem. 

 

(The photos you see here of the town site and cemetery are by Duane Peterson.)

 

Alas, storm clouds began forming re. the town's future. One was how the county seat designation eluded the place. A motion to designate "Pomme de Terre" failed. Elbow Lake got the nod, or the place that would come to be known as Elbow Lake. Quite the deal in those days, to be chosen for the "county seat." 

In modern times do we need so many officially designated counties? Tom Brokaw wondered about that on a TV discussion program. "It may have made sense in horse and buggy days," Brokaw said. I'm a skeptic myself. Old ways are often hard to dislodge. 

The town of Herman picked up steam to further endanger Pomme de Terre's future. Then, another major blow as the railroad bypassed the town, choosing instead a route to the north through Ashby. "Pomme de Terre" wilted. The early charm and promise of this town next to the river wilted. 

 

You can visit there

Are you interested in seeing the old site of the village with its residual reminders? Here's what you do: Go three miles east of Elbow Lake on Highway 79, then five miles north on County Road 21. This ends where it meets County Road 4. "Pomme de Terre" was just east of this intersection. The old schoolhouse is a quarter of a mile to the east. It's still there along with a cemetery. 

The village got the Pomme de Terre name from a lake to the south. My parents told me when I was a kid that Pomme de Terre is French for "potato." It's not that simple really. We learn that the name literally means "apple of the earth" which can be understood to be a potato. Mom and Dad were basically right. 

Clarification: "Pomme de Terre" was applied to the edible ovoid-shaped root of the wild turnip. The Natives called this turnip plant "tipsinah." These Indians were Dakota or "Dakotah." 

"Newsbreak Original" calls Pomme de Terre "the forgotten abandoned town." Maybe you conjure up ghost stories. But I'm not superstitious. Hmmm. 

The website notes that "the Sioux people" frequented the area. Again a nomadic suggestion. The Morris Centennial program at the fairgrounds (way) back in 1971 began with an Indian character standing atop a pole. I heard some buzz around me that the portrayal lacked authenticity as "there were no Indians in Morris." Let's re-phrase that to "nomadic," I guess. 

It was southern Minnesota like around Sleepy Eye that got swept into the Indian wars of 1862. Morris once had a dentist Dr. B.F. Ederer who did quite a bit of writing about the Minnesota conflict. 

The "Newsbreak" site notes that Pomme de Terre was at its height "an important center in the region's history." Shall we feel sad that it went belly-up? A part of me feels sad. 

The history is a reminder that no community should feel complacent about its standing. Look at the attributes that got you to the present time. Try to ensure they remain viable. Morris looks pretty solid. Knock on wood?

(wikipedia)

Addendum: What will the Morris area look like a century from now? Well, "knock on wood" considering the very USA's future, really. But assuming the overall model of today continues, will Morris still be the dominant community in Stevens County? I have been sensing that Hancock is picking up steam. Could Hancock become the predominant community? 

Look at Clontarf down the road from Hancock. It once had the potential to be a quite thriving place, whereas now it's a lot like the town in the old TV show "Petticoat Junction." Charming place I'm sure. It faded but not to the extent of Pomme de Terre. Clontarf is a landmark for people driving between Morris and Benson, like when I had braces on my teeth from ol' Dr. Albani in Benson. Nice guy with lively personality. Sorry, I probably did not wear my "retainer" as much as was prescribed. 

What does it cost to get braces for your child today? One might shudder. The Dave Holman family of Morris celebrated a big wedding anniversary at "The Clontarf Club." Only time I was ever there.

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

Girls' Thursday win can be judged surprise

The late great Al Hendrickson of the Morris wrestling program was known to say: "The only thing predictable about high school athletes is their unpredictability." Pops into my head as I consider the recent GBB scores, that's girls basketball. 

It is hard to figure some things. We're looking at comparative scores. Comparative scores can in fact be a head-scratcher. Sometimes it's confounding to make sense of things. No way to predict future matchups, just as coach Hendrickson's comment underscored. What games might be presented as exhibits here? Let's consider first the very good news for MACA girls basketball. It happened Thursday night, to truly put everyone in an especially good mood for the holidays: a 53-37 win over Paynesville. So it wasn't even that close. 

The game was enjoyed by fans at our Tiger Center. This outcome certainly would have been hard to predict. Three games previous to this, the Tigers suffered a quite bad loss at the hands of the Minnewaska Area Lakers, score of 70-29. Our home court certainly didn't help for that contest. 

Since that game, Minnewaska had a matchup with Paynesville. Just consider: Paynesville defeated the Lakers 47-45. Weigh the three outcomes of the games I have reflected upon here. How to make sense of it? Here's a suggestion: don't try. Sports has surprises by its very nature. 

We might have expected Paynesville to dominate here on Thursday. I can remind of a comment associated with the great ESPN sportscaster Chris Berman. "That's why they play the game." 

You can put aside the on-paper expectations for certain. I wonder what our coach Dale Henrich would say about all this. Well he'd be happy as heck we won the most recent game, that's for sure. The schedule says our next game isn't until after the holidays. Our next foe will be C-G-B, here. The Tigers have a 4-6 overall record, 2-2 in section, 1-2 in conference, 3-6 at home. 

 

Wish list

Wouldn't it be nice if we in Motown had a local news media that could report with some depth and enthusiasm about our high school sports developments. What a nice added dimension this would be. I'm thinking of media because I notice a little shift by our SCT newspaper lately. Unfortunately the shift has only a superficial quality. That's because the paper will not back down from its insistence that we buy its print product once a week. 

That's the problem: it's only once a week. 

The paper has given us a new look by having some headlines on its website that at least give a heads-up for scores of games played very recently. I guess you could say this is a big step up from what the paper did previously. Previously on its website we often saw 100 percent UMM sports headlines, a situation that I actually felt insulted by. 

The new approach gives but scant satisfaction. I have checked. I have clicked on a couple headlines for MACA items and found maybe a sentence or two followed by a "plug" to read more in the next print issue. And that of course will cost you money. 

How much at the store now? I don't take notes on this. I'm not obsessed with such things even though  I was once involved with the paper. We published twice a week. 

I remember a school administrator who could be very unpleasant - I would say uncivil - if we failed to publish a complete report from Tuesday night in Thursday's issue. That wasn't easy with the kind of schedule I had then. But this individual and other critics could scream bloody murder in effect. What would they say now? Maybe they'd calm down because this is after all Morris where apathy hangs in the air like the fog on this Friday morning. 

If you do see a thorough MACA game report on the paper's website - this has been evident lately - it would be for a game played the previous week. These articles would probably already have been in the print paper. So to the extent the paper has tweaked its approach with its website - to at least save face a little - the net result is really wholly negligible. 

The paper is trying to fool us. 

If you want to see an example of what a community paper can do on its website in a dynamic way, look no further than Bonanza Valley, i.e. BBE. Check out their recent web-based coverage which even has a video podcast! We here in Morris could do this too. It takes some brainpower and ambition. Here's the link to admire the BBE work:

https://bbejaguars.blogspot.com/2023/12/winter-music-concert-preparing-for.html 

 

Tigers 53, Paynesville 37

A surprising win? It may be considered such. Certainly the MACA faithful felt happy seeing their Tigers work to this 53-37 win, our fourth of the season. It was a Section 3AA-North matchup. Paynesville is 4-3. Unfortunately the West Central Tribune is very brief and with no individual highlights or stats. So I'll have to move on to the Thursday boys game.

Boys: Tigers 68, Paynesville 67

Our boys climbed to 7-1 with this hard-fought win on the road. The Tigers had to fight from behind. We trailed 26-22 at halftime. Then in the second half, we came on strong with a 46-41 scoring advantage. Paynesville was left with a 5-2 record. 

The West Central Tribune comes through with some stats. So we see two Tigers sharing the team-high in points: 15 each by Charlie Hanson and Alex Asmus. Riley Asmus was right behind with 13. Four other Tigers put in points: Drew Huebner 8, Tyler Friesen 7, Jack Kehoe 6 and Owen Anderson 4. 

Oh no! All the other stat categories in the WC Trib's coverage have "N/A" for "not available." I have seen a lot of media struggling this year. You know, instead of so many "N/A's" in the review, maybe the paper should just omit mention of those categories completely. 

Bryce VanderBeek of the Bulldogs scored the game-high 24 points. Abe Brunner put in 17. Then we see Brayden Pung 10, Reed Johnson 6, Jackson Walker 6 and Carter Flanders 4. 

I will repeat with emphasis: We miss Brett Miller at the Morris radio station.

 

Addendum: It is Friday afternoon and I just checked the kmrs-kkok website. Hardly worth the trouble. You'll find the scores there but you can always go to the "Minnesota Scores" site to learn scores. The score is all we get for the boys game. We get scant more for the girls. Why can't someone do something about this? We have UMM in Morris and that means there should be a lot of smart people here.

 

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

Within days of another Christmas

Here we are, the Williams family in St. Paul, late 1950s, full of the standard Christmas cheer. Dwight Eisenhower was president. Was the University of Minnesota-Morris even on the drawing board yet? Here in Morris we had the "ag school," a treasured chapter of our history. Dad taught music at the U of M-St. Paul School of Agriculture. Then he came here for the inception of our new liberal arts college. I don't think Mom was employed in the '50s. She had duties related to yours truly. I had the duty of squeezing the bag of margarine to get the color into it. Older people might remember that. I guess the dairy industry wanted people to know that margarine was not naturally colored like real butter. Do I have that right? There was a "dot" on the bag which when squeezed dispensed the color. I remember we did our grocery shopping at Applebaum's. We had some nice friends in St. Paul like our neighbors the Woodwards, can never forget them. 

 

" 'Twas the week before Christmas." We're approaching the magical date. Maybe you open gifts on the Eve. Maybe the next morning. For a while as a little kid I assumed everyone did it on the Eve. I imagine kids are restless during the night if they're anticipating opening gifts in the morning. Either system is fine of course. 

The family type of Christmas is buried in my memories. Just fine to have it there, as it is such a rich thing. Memories of my family getting together with my uncle Howard and his wife Vi of Glenwood. The two families got together for the very special holidays like Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving and New Year's. Each family would host. 

Howard and Vi never had any children. I'm an only child as I have been reminded often through my life in a disrespectful way. But I carry on. 

Since those many years of the family Christmas, I have forged ahead with a different routine. So I compose an original Christmas song, have it recorded at a Nashville TN "demo" studio, enlist the help of a professional for getting it on YouTube, and then share links with a number of people. I share the links with a personalized message for each recipient, usually brief, sometimes not so brief. 

In a spirit of candor I must reveal now that the Christmas of 2023 ought not be seen as particularly happy across America. The reason is obvious: we have the leader of one of the two major political parties having gone from being scary to ultra-scary. News reports this week clearly indicate that this sociopath is full-on now with his Hitler-type rhetoric. I am merely pointing out what is right in front of us, what permeates the news if you truly consult with the news. 

I put my Christmas lights out for only a few days, now they are down. All Christmas will mean for me is that stores will be closed. I will be unaware of the day's spirit, uncaring. My caring is for the future of this country, particularly all its young people. My generation will pass before long. My high school class had its 50-year reunion this past summer. 

I did not write a new Christmas song for this year. I do have several such songs in the "bottom drawer." I certainly could have shared one, but there is no joy to be felt in this time of national peril when our nation may well be going down the road of 1930s Germany. 

The Republican Party could have put a stop to this. Now, even with the rhetoric of their top guy approaching Hitler proportions, they are falling over themselves to make apologies for him, to equivocate on their normal values. This is a party that didn't even have a platform the last time around. The "platform" was whatever their leader was saying. This is more than dangerous. 

A nation that allows this to happen should not be observing Christmas. It seems bizarre and perverse that we are. 

I did not have a new Christmas song recorded, but I did have a song recorded. In case you're interested, my new song is called "Morris, Minnesota." It was put on YouTube just on Sunday. 

Most of you would not want to give me credit for having talent at anything. I might invite laughter. But I share here for your consideration my song called "Morris, Minnesota." You'll also see a lot of photos that I have posted from my Flickr account. I took these photos with my trusty old "Canon AE-1" film camera. A "film camera!" Isn't that something? 

Here is the link for my song. Go ahead and laugh at me.

https://youtu.be/cW9CNvxJPJA 

 

In the category of gift-giving, I am not derelict. Maybe y'all will respect me just a little if I tell you I wrote out a check for $2000 for the MAHS band activity fund. This will help make possible an enriching spring trip for the kids, tentatively to New Orleans. Again I encourage people to consider "matching" my gift. Or even half that amount! Just go see Natalie at the district office and she'll prepare a nice little receipt for you, helpful for your tax purposes. 

The days are gone for yours truly to celebrate the holidays with family. Or, with the three small dogs we had through the years. But I need not feel alone. I'm sure there were people in Germany who at least felt privately that Hitler was a madman right out of hell. I feel the same way about Donald Trump. Maybe I'll be arrested at some point and sent to a "re-education camp." World history is full of such perils. 

I grew up in times when our two political parties both exuded basic virtue, when Tip O'Neill and Ronald Reagan could be amicable at the end of the day. That America is gone. 

I live in West Central Minnesota where the churches are predominantly pro-Trump. Where we have a congressperson who voted against certifying the 2020 election results, and who now will not even answer my questions about that. The congressperson could in fact be taken down by someone from the political right, a 100 percent MAGA type named Steve Boyd. I see him coming on strong, likely to be our new person in Washington, where the MAGA forces might once again turn to violence to seize power. 

God help us. Or maybe we do not deserve help. God is judging us.

Another photo from the late 1950s: Dad and I at Disneyland! We went to California to visit my uncle Edwin on Mom's side and his wife Doris.

 

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

Kids set tone with musical talents

The earliest settlers on the prairie were surprised at how strong and blustery the wind could be. The background comes to mind after last night (Sunday). Sunday in the morning, First Lutheran of Morris had its Christmas program with the kids. A scene to be repeated all over, with total delight. It never changes. Somehow a person can feel out of place if you are not a parent. At least that feeling tugs at me some. People would discourage any such thought. Because, Christmas is truly for everyone. 

Are you a non-believer or non-Christian? Well you can join in with the spirit anyway. That's the attitude my generation took as schoolchildren back in the day. We'd use the term "Christmas" unreservedly, even though it's tied to the deity of Jesus Christ. No pressing need yet to use "holiday" as the sterile substitute. And we knew there were non-Christians among us. I don't think any of us looked down on them. 

We'd sing the Christian-themed songs with their religious quality. All the kids lined up on the "risers" like at our old school auditorium - the building having been razed several years ago. The distinctive "art deco" auditorium, remember? Generations of young people showed their talents there. 

Audience members would be up in the "balcony," just like "Statler and Waldorf" on the old "Muppets" TV show! The big all-school musical "Oliver" was performed there in 1970. The same spirit we sensed with this year's "Little Mermaid." Another institution that never changes: the school musical. I would wager the singing was sharper back in 1970. I mean, the notes being hit with greater precision. 

And re. "Mermaid?" In a constructive vein I'll suggest the singing guidance might have left something to be desired. Did someone want everyone to sing soprano? But the bottom line is that "Mermaid" continued the tradition of the wholesome exhibition of kids' energy and commitment. No better outlet can be found. 

My generation could veer off into some undesirable behavior. Maybe we were all in a funk over the day-to-day developments with the Vietnam war. Sorry to cite this so often but it is true. Today's young families appear to have little idea what it was like in the '60s and early '70s. The fall of Saigon did not happen until 1975. Richard Nixon resigned in 1974. He had failed to at least see to it that America saved some face with how it exited Vietnam. The U.S. came off looking like the "loser." 

We had no choice but to depart when we did. That was because of the "fragging" phenomenon: U.S. servicemen "killing their own colonels," the way a C-Span panelist put it. Yes it's a downer to reflect on this. 

Let's look at the other side of the coin: no such travesty is going on today, nothing at least that would literally take the lives of so many precious young people. The past is a cautionary note. Let's not put it aside. 

Our celebration of the present is tempered more than a little by the specter of Donald Trump. Now that I have mentioned that, some of my friends would react "there you go again." We must be attuned to the danger. An America that could elect Richard Nixon twice and put up with the persistence of the U.S. military presence in Vietnam can do dangerous things. We've see it before, and remember that the Democratic Party produced Lyndon Johnson who had his hands all over the U.S. involvement in Indochina. 

JFK? That's a good question. He apparently sent "advisors" but in those days that was a code for our inevitable military commitment. 

We're more careful today? Well in terms of sending actual troops, yes. And here it is the self-anointed "conservative" Donald Trump who condemns U.S. military intervention abroad, whereas a quite different climate of thinking prevailed in my growing-up years. The parents of my generation had won World War II. It was "the good war." We should have resolved to keep it in the past as having been an ugly necessity, I mean to stave off the Axis powers. 

George W. Bush had to sort of grope to argue in similar terms for his military adventurism. And "conservatives" coast to coast were the ones getting on board with him. During Vietnam such folks listened to John Wayne. For Iraq, I guess it was Toby Keith? While the "Dixie Chicks" with their heroic skepticism were kicked to the curb. And in my young years, it was the Smothers Brothers with their TV show who were relegated to the margins. 

Relegated by the John Wayne element, and who was John Wayne? Why he was a professional movie man, the consummate professional in his field. So he deserves glowing compliments on that basis. Outside those boundaries for judgment, we should have been more circumspect, knowing this man was hardly the appropriate opinion-leader. He knew how to seize on the type of jingoism that had currency - attach his wagon to it. 

 

Fast-forward

Enough of the jingoism impulse remained to get our forces ensnared in the Middle East. But with Trump now "trumpeting" the skepticism about foreign wars, all that could well be laid to rest. "Liberals" always led the way with war skepticism. I have wondered why economic sanctions and special ops can't always do the job with foreign problems. 

Trump is scary now but I'll accomplish nothing trying to put out a cautionary note. It's futile here in rural western Minnesota. I have stated my feelings before. So I accept my lot as mere observer. 

Trump may get the U.S. literally aligned with Russia. And who knows what end Vladimir Putin may be contemplating. A conquest of Sweden? And when we wake up, will it be too late? 

 

Our town, 1970

How many people around Morris remember the school musical "Oliver" from way back in 1970? Mike Johnson and Judy Hjembo were instrumental in leading the many kids. I really think "Oliver" had a subtle "liberal" political message. Maybe it wouldn't pass muster today? 

It's too bad the old art deco auditorium could not be preserved. Yes the bathrooms seemed rather primitive! But not as primitive as the men's rooms at the old Lakeside Ballroom in Glenwood. 

The "codes" have taken over for forcing change with so many old structures. That's why I think it's futile for trying to preserve the old State Hospital in Fergus Falls. I prefer calling that building by its original name, the "Kirkbride." 

With some amusement I'll point out what I feel would be the top drawback of our old auditorium today. It's the "drop-off" from the edge of the stage. Man, in today's age with so many people walking around inattentive and looking down at their phones! I think some sort of barrier would have to be erected today. Lawsuit potential. 

But there were times when kids ran all over that place as with phy ed classes. 

I attended several varsity basketball games at the old gym, like when Paul Kelly was a star player. I believe football was his forte. In those days we did not specify "boys basketball," it was just "basketball." And girls were in "home ec?" Well, they had "Girls Athletic Association," good for a page in the yearbook. Sorry to remind you of all that. 

Let's look forward to the MAHS school musical for next year! I do not think Mike Johnson would have chosen "Little Mermaid." He was quite inclined toward more "artsy" or esoteric productions. Hjembo was the MHS choir director. "MHS" not "MAHS." My classmate Candy Steinkogler was active in choir. Was fun to see her for our recent 50th reunion, Class of '73. 

I was 15 years old when I saw "Oliver." I remember Mark Lammers performing.

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

Solstice does not spell end of the world!

I bought the picture book "Lost Twin Cities" for my parents at Christmas one year. Page after page of photos showing interesting old landmarks in the Twin Cities. Buildings now only in our memories. Any community would present a list of such buildings that evoke memories. So the picture you see here is of interest to Morris residents. "It's the Methodist church in Morris, circa 1913," my emailing friend informs me, "located where Faith Lutheran Church now stands." It is important to remember our community history. What a grand building this was. The photo is from a postcard. My friend got this image from a friend Eric in Michigan who is a postcard collector. Thanks.

 

Plunging into darkness. This is the time of year for the Solstice to arrive. We are a mere six days from that. It's the shortest day of the year or the longest night. We hear about people having "seasonal affective disorder." In long-ago times people feared the world might be coming to an end. 

Sometimes I wonder if the end is near now, what with Donald Trump still on the cusp of seizing power. You laugh. Or, you are turned off and will choose to stop reading this post. Two common reactions. The real crisis that could well be looming right in front of us is not dawning on people. People go through their routine as if life is normal, even as we may be very close to having an autocracy take over in America. A dictatorship. A Fascist government. 

And it does not seem to get many of you rattled. 

Rudy Giuliani is disintegrating right before our eyes. Do you follow the news? He's a combination of pathetic weaknesses now. He would be a joke to consider as an attorney for any of our local government entities in Stevens County. He has a serious alcohol problem. He is delusional. He was lawyer to the president of the United States. 

Again you might just laugh at me. Probably be annoyed. And you will not engage with me in any serious discussion. Truman Carlson was like this toward the end of his life. I was disappointed. He was in the Trump camp and would not listen to the cautionary arguments. He'd just smile. A dismissive smile. I have gotten so accustomed to Trump people behaving like this. They populate our local "conservative" churches. 

Our ELCA churches are somewhat of a counterweight to the Trump-supporting ones. Only somewhat. 

It's an accepted fact that the ELCA has been through steady decline which has every indication of continuing. We have Faith Lutheran on the west side of town, "across the tracks," which at present happens to be doing very well. That's according to the talk out and about. Also, from firsthand observation as I realized on the night before Thanksgiving. What an eye-opener. 

First Lutheran members were invited over to Faith on Thanksgiving Eve. At present we are invited to the Advent sessions on Wednesdays which are during the day. First Lutheran had no Thanksgiving service, nor are we doing anything for Advent. And that is bad. 

When last we attempted a Thanksgiving service, it was barely token in quality. We'd attend really to just have something to do, to go through the motions. And it has been ditto with our attempts to observe Advent. Going through the motions, but at our "rival" Faith Lutheran on Thanksgiving Eve, my what a surprise. Because, there was nothing "token" about the service. Amazing: a full sanctuary, a full adult chorus, a full children's chorus and a nice overall program that was planned, planned obviously by someone who really gave a rip. 

So it still can be done. Nevertheless, both First and Faith are having to overcome the handicap of being ELCA. Federated Church over by the public school is in a similar position, attracting basically the same kind of people. Not political zealots from the political right, not flag-wavers for Trump. 

Federated Church has the curious status of being 50/50 with two denominations. At least this is my understanding, with one of those two being Methodist. And if you think the ELCA of the Lutheran faith has problems now, hoo boy look at the Methodists. The catalyst for ALL the problems, going back to several years ago, was gay rights and whether gays can be considered as ministers. 

It's enough to make you want to break away from organized religion. Which in fact, many people are availing themselves of. Me, I'll hang in there with First Lutheran for as long as the church continues to exist, and I'm not all that sure about the long-term future. 

During the Todd Mattson years we were seen as having the momentum relative to Faith Lutheran. I heard about Faith being torn by conflict, so bad some members left. The Morris barber told me "there's two women fighting over control of the church." These things happen with churches. 

Mattson was a "hip" minister at First who appealed to the parents of adolescents. I would suggest, almost to a fault. The seniors in the congregation need some massaging and attention because generally speaking they contribute the money. That's thanks largely to Social Security, a program for which we can thank the Democratic Party. See how many favors Trump will do for you. 

But again, I can't discuss these matters with the legions of Trump supporters. Their eyes just glaze over. They smile. And at the end, no matter what points I have tried to make, they just say "so what?" OK so it's a cult. I'm just trying to warn y'all about it. 

Someday you'll thank me? First we have to make sure "someday" even comes. You're laughing at me now. 

Faith Lutheran, Morris

I heard from a credible source that when Pastor Dell took the call to come to Faith Lutheran, he did so on the condition that a certain individual resign there. And I sense that helped put an end to the pattern of conflict. 

"Dell" is to be distinguished from "Delmont," the latter being the first name of our music store owner. You should visit Sarlettes Music just to observe his photo gallery in there, all focused on music of course. Ask him to point out the photo at UMM's Edson Auditorium from 1962, of a massed music group: instrumentalists and chorus. Included are the last students of the old WCSA in Morris. My late father Ralph was director. Dad was the only music faculty at UMM in the first year.

I am associated with two institutions that are treading rough water: First Lutheran Church and UMM. Trump "got rid of the foreign students" and these were the cash cow for UMM. 

Also treading rough water: the newspaper business where I also have a background. Treading rough water largely because of what the U.S. Postal Service is doing to it. Prioritizing Amazon deliveries. And why is that? It must be because Amazon is paying for it, knaves. So newspapers can pony up more? Fat chance of that happening. Republicans do not believe in government services, are anathema to it. Please be backgrounded.

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

Kaylee Harstad leads Tigers over Litch

Tigers 54, Litchfield 21

The MACA girls came on very strong to defeat the Dragons of Litchfield in Tuesday hoops. The win ought to be a major confidence builder going into the holiday break. So the Tuesday story was not only a win, but a quite one-sided win. Coach Dale Henrich had to be smiling by game's end. 

The hoops action was at Litchfield. We soundly defeated the green-clad host team 54-21. Our charge was led by Kaylee Harstad who scored 17 points. The other double figures contributor was Cate Kehoe with 12. Our defense stiffened in second half play - either that or the Dragons went cold. We outscored Litchfield 30-8 in the second half! 

This was just our second win of the season. Litch came out of the night 1-3. 

Nice to see MACA stat report in the Willmar paper, albeit partial. Addison Cihak followed Harstad and Kehoe on the scoring list: nine points. Morgan Harstad and Hana Schutz each came through with five. Brianna Marty added to the mix with four. Maddie Fehr wraps up the list with her two points. Mission accomplished by the Tigers. 

The mission included some 3-point shot makes. Kaylee Harstad connected three times from 3-point range. Kehoe and Cihak each connected twice, and Schutz had one. 

The other stat categories had "N/A" in the Willmar paper, "not available." But it was nice to see the other numbers. So often the Willmar paper just misses us these days. The Willmar paper gets credit for what it reports on this MACA win, but there is still a problem that should be noted: how they refer to our teams. It's a longstanding problem. 

It has not helped that yours truly has written about it often. I am a mere "alternative journalist" now. I have pointed out how the Willmar paper errs in referring to us as "Morris/CA." Over and over this happens. Like it or not we are "Morris Area Chokio Alberta" or "MACA." And we are happy with that. 

My friend Randy Olson of Bonanza Valley reminds me this morning that the WC Trib "stubbornly continues to get the team's name wrong." He continues:

 

It's really, really strange considering that from what I recall, the phrase "Morris Area" was adopted around 1989 when Cyrus came into the fold. (I think '86-'87 was the last year of Cyrus high school?)

There's over 30 years of history behind "Morris Area" that the Willmar paper is ignoring.

 

A lump of coal for the Willmar scribes, I guess. The paper is owned by Forum Communications which used to own the Morris paper. Then the Forum just pulled up stakes here. A former co-worker of mine from when I was with the Morris paper informed me: "The Forum never made money here." 

Well, that's interesting. Legend has it the Forum was getting set to close the Morris paper. Well, not really legend, but background from my Central Minnesota newspaper source. I think the Anfinsons have been buying time here by cutting overhead/benefits. If that's what it takes to continue to have a newspaper, well then it's defensible. A part of me, though, thinks that newspapers continue to make more money than what they let on. It's human nature to never beat your chest over how much money you're making. 

Let's not overlook the Litchfield point-scorers from Tuesday: Anna Sorgatz and Morgan Falling each had five points. Adallia Bruning scored four. Then we see Kelsey Palmer with three and Adeline Lundin and Emma Knudsen each with two.

 

Superb MAHS band concert!

The Morris Area concert hall was "the place to be" Monday night for the Holiday Concert. The musical fare was terrific all the way through, like always, but for me the highlight was "combined bands" at the end. I have never heard such a joyous-sounding performance of Christmas tunes. Two singers were out in front of the massed band. 

The singers helped us follow along with the lyrics of Christmas standards. We were encouraged to join in! Such an incredibly full sound! People went home immersed in the Christmas spirit. Directors were Wanda Dagen and Andrea DeNardo.

 

Eye on the economy

I thought I saw a notice a couple weeks ago that the Morris paper is raising prices. Wouldn't that be par for the course? Today (Wednesday) we get a new Federal Reserve announcement. Really "the Fed" ought to be raising interest rates again. But so many of us would scowl over that. The "financial media" would scowl big-time. 

The media is so heavy-handed with its bias toward the lowest possible interest rates. 

And why would I not want to hop on that bandwagon? All you people who are mesmerized by this mantra of lower interest rates need to see the other side of the coin. Put aside this "heroin" of low interest rates and realize there is a corollary with inflation. Prices across the whole range would continually shoot up. 

I am thinking of buying a snow blower for this coming winter. If there's no snow, at least it would be an insurance policy. So I have to wonder: expensive as this purchase might seem now, what will the cost be in five years? You can apply that to everything. 

Really truly, I think skepticism is building fast over this idea of the great American "single family home." The costs are slowly growing prohibitive for many. More and more, expenses that once seemed fairly routine or "token" are growing beyond that, to be real issues. We only need look at going to the dentist. People do not yet seem to be panicking in the face of inflation. The time could come. 

And then, if you think "MAGA" represents some sort of revolution, it's nothing compared to what a true revolution from the political left would be, built up through middle class dissatisfaction with the cost of living. "Middle class?" What does that term mean any more? I have heard it said that wealthy people like inflation because it creates more separation between the rich and poor. All I can say is: "Be careful what you wish for." 

So what will the Federal Reserve tell us today? Jerome Powell will issue his statement which will then put all the "Fed translators" to work. Word by word his statement will be obsessively interpreted. 

I laugh. Why do we seem so dependent on this thing called "the Fed?" What does that very fact tell us about our financial system? Or our cultural values in fact? I mean, wanting this "sugar rush" of low interest rates all the time. And really truly seriously, will the excrement totally hit the fan at some point? This would be with "hyper-inflation" which has happened through history around the world. It contributed to what happened in Germany in the 1930s. 

Maybe you think I'm over-reacting or over-analyzing. Well, we'll see. "There is no free lunch." 

Oh, so you "don't have to pay rent" when you own your own home? The hell you don't. Look at "property taxes." It makes you feel like you're paying a fee to live there.

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