Farmers are the original eternal optimists. Indeed, it was a hailed-out farmer who first coined the phrase “Just wait until next year!” and not, as legend has it, a diehard sports fan. Optimism is an essential component of a farmer’s character. Perhaps the most pessimistic farmer I ...

My Magical Mystery Nostalgia Tour has come to an end. It’s time to return to the present time. Which isn’t that great. But it’s all we got. Pam accuses me of being a serial nostalgic. She’s right. The longer-ago memories are, the more enjoyable they are to retrieve. One definition ...

Recently I was able to connect with other city administrators both near Marshall and across the State of Minnesota. One consistent message was the challenge of finding enough revenue to provide services — whether it be providing public safety, maintaining infrastructure like streets or ...

At this time of year I always get a craving, one that reminds me of growing up on Marguerite Avenue. My family had a set of gardens in the backyard. They were mostly small flower gardens but we had one large vegetable garden below the hill. At this time of year the garden would be producing ...

Leon Mortland was born in 1946 in Tyler, to Hazel and John Mortland. Leon grew up on the family farm northeast of Tyler and attended Tyler Public Schools. After graduating from Tyler High School in 1964, Leon continued his education at Mankato State College. He met Augustana College student ...

Do you see your connections as a way to hold on to something, someone, or as opportunities? At some point along our way, most of us come to the realization that as big as our planet is, the world is a small place. That revelation comes to us from many sources, but there’s always a ...