October 2019

OCTOBER 2019

How to get

A new way to take charge of your health

MORE SLEEP!

IRELAND’S ANCIENT EAST

After a successful career in politics, STEVE SVIGGUM has returned to the family farm while taking on a new role in the Twin Cities

+

CRUNCHY BROCCOLI SLAW

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Minnesota Good Age / October 2019 / 3

Contents 20

IRELAND'S CASTLES AWAIT Discover a showcase of historic estates and gardens in the Emerald Isle’s Ancient East.

OCTOBER FROM THE EDITOR 8 To know Steve Sviggum is to know warmth and kindness.

MY TURN 10 Helping care for others comes naturally for this local woman.

MEMORIES 12 Patriotism always ran high in my family — starting with my parents and my brother.

26

REAL AGING Minnesota-based Juniper is helping seniors find their way back to health.

MINNESOTA HISTORY 14 Learn how a notorious brothel managed to stay in business for 40 years in St. Paul.

WELLNESS

30

ON THE COVER Steve Sviggum talks life and lutefisk as he accepts a new public-service role in the city.

Photos by Tracy Walsh 6 / October 2019 / Minnesota Good Age

16 Take charge of your sleep with a sleep diary and other key strategies.

IN THE KITCHEN 18 Fried ramen noodles make this broccoli slaw a crowd pleaser!

CALENDAR 36 CAN’T-MISS BRAIN 40 TEASERS

HOW TO HELP Host a Gift Barrel Organize a Gift Drive Individual Shopping Find us on AmazonSmile

GIFT IDEAS

CLOTHING: cardigans, slacks, shirts, blouses, sweats, fleece, nightwear, robes, socks, no-skid slippers, hats, scarves, mittens LINENS: towel sets, sheet sets, blankets, pillows

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ENTERTAINMENT: CD or DVD players, books, music, movies, puzzles HOUSEWARES: dishes, flatware, small appliances, clocks with big numbers AND MORE: personal care sets, grocery gift cards, cash donations

Feel free to use this list for ideas!

We only accept new, unwrapped gift items.

9/20/19 10:58 AM

Minnesota Good Age / October 2019 / 7

FROM THE EDITOR Volume 38 / Issue 10

PUBLISHER

Janis Hall / jhall@mngoodage.com

CO-PUBLISHER AND SALES MANAGER

Terry Gahan / tgahan@mngoodage.com

GENERAL MANAGER

Zoe Gahan / zgahan@mngoodage.com

EDITOR

Sarah Jackson / editor@mngoodage.com

CONTRIBUTORS

Mye Brooks, Ed Dykhuizen, Carol Hall, Julie Kendrick, Dave Nimmer, Lauren Peck, Marilyn Pribus, Carla Waldemar, Tracy Walsh

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Valerie Moe

GRAPHIC DESIGNER Sarah Karnas

AD COORDINATOR AND OFFICE MANAGER Amy Rash / 612-436-5081 arash@mngoodage.com

CIRCULATION

Marlo Johnson / distribution@mngoodage.com

37,000 copies of Minnesota Good Age are distributed to homes and businesses metro-wide.

Minnesota Good Age (ISSN 2333-3197) is published monthly by Minnesota Premier Publications.

Minnesota Good Age, 1115 Hennepin Ave. Minneapolis, MN 55403 © 2019 Minnesota Premier Publications, Inc. To receive Good Age by mail, send a check for $18 with “Good Age subscription” in the memo.

8 / October 2019 / Minnesota Good Age

Mr. Congeniality

G

BY SARAH JACKSON

reetings, Good Age fans.

Is that a farmer on our cover? Why, yes it is.

Seems fitting for a Minnesota magazine, don’t you think? And perhaps no farmer could be more aptly chosen than Steve Sviggum, a former Minnesota legislator, standing in a field of soybeans he grew with his bothers, Jim and Dick.

I wasn’t so sure at first, actually. I must admit when our Memories writer, Minnesota native Carol Hall, pitched the idea of choosing Sviggum as a cover star — “Lifelong Minnesotan, Scandinavian, farmer, legislator, all-around wellrespected citizen” — I thought he sounded, well, maybe a bit too predictable.

A “100 percent Norwegian” guy in a state well-stocked with Norwegians?

But boy was I wrong.

Sviggum isn’t just one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met, he’s also funny, congenial, professional, sensible and wise. What a well-balanced human! That was my first impression anyway — and the profile of him in this issue backs that up.

The guy truly personifies Minnesota Nice — in the best way.

As he showed me and our photographer, Tracy Walsh, around his home, he talked so affectionately about his wife, Deb, sons, daughter and 13 grandkids.

He was impossible not to like instantly.

As he took us around to his farming interests in western Goodhue County, we immediately felt like we were a welcome part of his community.

And when it came time for photos, he showed no vanity — and gamely sat inside the wheel of his John Deere 9330 tractor, even though it was an unrealistic pose.

“This would never happen,” he laughed, beaming, “just so you know.”

Our final stop was a trip to his longtime church, Vang Lutheran in nearby Dennison, where he’ll be serving lutefisk, meatballs and more at the congregation’s annual event on Oct. 9. (Yes, it’s open to the public.)

Sviggum was baptized and confirmed in the church, as were his three kids.

In our 30 minutes shooting photos outside the church, he ran into a friend and a cousin and also took time to graciously give directions to a stranger. And it was easy to see the longtime politician and regent board member in Sviggum — charming, disarming, smart, utterly down to earth — definitely cover star material.

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MY TURN

Longevity, leadership and love

BY DAVE NIMMER

L

aDonna Hoy has spent the past four decades trying to help the poor, feed the hungry, shelter the homeless and comfort the afflicted — all in the shadow of some of the wealthiest suburbs in the Twin Cities.

She’s had thousands and thousands of takers.

Hoy, now in her 80s, is the executive director of the Interfaith Outreach & Community Partners.

What started as an organization she helped create at St. Bartholomew’s Church in Wayzata is now a $9 million-a-year nonprofit with a staff of 52 and a board of 24, including some heavy hitters from surrounding communities.

This month the organization will celebrate its 40th anniversary. And she’s not thinking of leaving her post anytime soon.

“We are inspired by our clients,” she said. “They have resilience, faith and hope.

They love their kids and want them to have a good education. They come here because they want the best for them.”

The organization occupies a 40,000-square-foot building in Plymouth and works with government agencies, school districts, other non-profits, churches, synagogues and mosques to provide services, including food shelves, emergency housing assistance, transportation, kids’ summer camps, art classes and parenting groups.

“We still have our challenges to do more.

We need to provide better housing opportunities, more help for their kids in school

10 / October 2019 / Minnesota Good Age

and better meet their mental health needs,” Hoy said. “So, no; my work isn’t finished.”

Almost 2,000 volunteers provide the energy, enthusiasm and expertise. Hoy has the leadership skills and longevity to make it all work for those who struggle in Hamel, Long Lake, Medina, Minnetonka Beach, Orono, Plymouth and Wayzata.

Those communities wouldn’t be on my radar for emergency housing and food shelves. But I would be wrong. According to figures from Interfaith, 14 percent of residents living there have incomes at or below the federal poverty level.

Hoy wants to do something about that. Interfaith’s goal stands for all to see on its website: “Imagine what it would be like if everywhere a family or child or

a stranger showed up, they would find a heartfelt welcome and invitation to be part of a community becoming the best version of itself.”

It’s a lofty goal that resonates with volunteers like Dottie Merriam from Wayzata, who’s been with Hoy from the beginning.

“Home and community are one and the same,” said Merriam, who represents one of three generations of her family to volunteer with Interfaith.

“We are very fortunate to be in a community where there are smart people who have the heart, the will and the means to step up and get this to happen,” Hoy said. “They understand that tough times can happen to anyone. All of us know a whole lot of people who made our achievements possible.”

▲▲LaDonna Hoy, executive director of Interfaith Outreach & Community Partners, spoke at the organization’s 2018 Great Expectations Breakfast.

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From December 2018 through February 2019, 1,957 volunteers worked 67,235 hours stacking food shelves, mentoring kids, working at the organization’s resale store and giving rides. One of them, Tom Finke of Wayzata, started in 2009 as a volunteer driver. Now he’s designed a database to help match ride requests with volunteer drivers.

“I’ve always felt the act of volunteering was similar to the BOGO (Buy One Get One free) deal,” he said. “When you buy into volunteering, you help your own character in addition to helping the person you’re focused on.”

Hoy’s life is a testament to her belief that poverty and problems know no geographic boundaries, and those who offer hope and help often find their own lives are the ones enriched.

It strikes me that we all ought to be glad Hoy is not the retiring kind.

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Send comments or questions to dnimmer@mngoodage.com.

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9/17/19 2019 12:42 /PM Minnesota Good Age / October 11

MEMORIES

Harboring a patriotic spirit

BY CAROL HALL

C

lutching a clump of Navy tags in one hand and a baking powder can with a slitted lid in the other, I was ready for business.

One of several preteen girls stationed strategically on the Main Street of our little Minnesota town, we were seeking donations for the annual Navy Mothers fund drive. (The artful little paper tags were not unlike the VFW’s red paper fundraising poppies.)

I was never quite sure what the nickels and dimes we collected were used for back then. This was 1948. World War II had ended and my sailor brother had survived and was safely at home in California.

But the organization, the Navy Mothers Clubs of America, continued on — and still does to this day.

Navy Day fell on Oct. 27.

Though now overshadowed somewhat by the broader Armed Forces Day (the third Saturday in May), Oct. 27 was chosen because it’s the birthday of Theodore Roosevelt, who gave so much of his life to the formation of sound naval policy.

This date was fortuitous for the Navy mothers in that it fell during the local pheasant hunting season, and our town in southwestern Minnesota was in the heart of pheasant country. The sport drew many city folk and other out-of-towners to our streets;

▲▲Carol Hall’s mother and brother, Bertha and Orville Hanson, had their photo taken during World War II when Orville was home on leave.

12 / October 2019 / Minnesota Good Age

hence, a bigger take for the club.

My mother never missed a monthly Navy Mothers meeting. She even sewed a navy blue outfit for herself, which was identical to my brother’s uniform. She wore it to march in the annual Memorial Day parade.

And, if memory serves, she and the other marching Navy mothers may even have performed a short drill, of sorts, while carrying the colors of Club and Country.

I, too, had marching duty in the parade.

But it was nothing dramatic; rather, I carried a small American flag, and was dressed in the special outfit my mother made for me. It was identical to hers, but white instead of blue, and I wore it with my brother’s white sailor cap. (Yes, I looked very cute!)

Patriotism always ran high in my family. My dad served in World War I. He experienced the awful trenches, the barbarism of the foxholes and the mustard gas during his sojourn in France during the Battle of the Argonne Forest.

My sailor brother was a machinist mate on a light cruiser that participated in several notable World War II battles, including that of the Mariana Islands and the famed “Turkey Shoot” of the Philippine Sea. A brother-in-law saw action as a marine in Korea. His two sons each endured many horrors, also as frontline marines, during Vietnam. One came

Paper Navy tags (left and below), which could be attached to a lapel, helped in the fundraising efforts of the Navy Mothers Clubs of America, similar to the VFW’s iconic red poppies.

home greatly honored for bravery.

An older sister’s husband broke the mold badly, marrying a Mennonite farmer who was a conscientious objector, during World War II. A family drama unfolded over that marriage.

And then — lo and be darned — I went on to wed a man 14 years my senior who had made the Normandy Beach landing.

My husband Earl commanded troops for the 1303rd Engineer General Service Regiment, building bridges across France and Germany, following Patton’s left flank.

And so I look back rather fondly on the Navy Mothers Club, those Navy Day fund drives and the Memorial Day parades of my youth.

Hearing The Star-Spangled Banner always brings a tear to my eye.

I come by it honestly.

Carol Hall lives in Woodbury. She’s a longtime freelance writer, a University of Minnesota graduate and a former Northwest Airlines stewardess.

Send comments and questions to chall@mngoodage.com.

Minnesota Good Age / October 2019 / 13

MINNESOTA HISTORY

St. Paul’s ‘underworld resort’

BY MYE BROOKS

L

ooking at the gleaming, modern Science Museum of Minnesota in St. Paul today, it’s difficult to imagine the area’s past. However, a century ago, another monolith stood in its place — one of a decidedly different character.

Buried beneath the museum are the remains of St. Paul’s premier demimonde destination: Nina Clifford’s brothel.

Called an “underworld resort” by the Pioneer Press, it was the city’s most prominent bordello. Open from 1889 to 1929, it became a St. Paul institution. Clifford herself was notorious — and powerful.

Reporter Frank Heaberlin, a young man during the brothel’s heyday, recalled, “There were three important people in St. Paul. James J. Hill, Archbishop John Ireland and Nina Clifford.”

Founded by a widow Clifford first came to St. Paul in the 1880s as a widow from Detroit, having spent the years after her husband’s death caring for her mother. It isn’t known if she was involved in the world of sex work before arriving in Minnesota, but perhaps she saw a demand in the St. Paul market.

Paul Maccabee, author of John Dillinger Slept Here, from the Minnesota Historical Society Press, describes the brothels of 14 / October 2019 / Minnesota Good Age

the day as “little more than second-story flophouses with mattresses,” no places for discerning clients.

Clifford, meanwhile, built a veritable palace at 147 S. Washington St., costing $12,000 — approximately $327,000 today.

The building permit lists the structure’s purpose as “boarding house,” with the possibly joking addition “and seminary.”

Around this time, she dropped her legal name, Hannah Steinbrecher, and adopted the name Nina Clifford, which she pronounced “NINE-ah.”

A well-appointed place Clifford’s bordello was no dump. Lavish, deep-pile carpet covered the floors and music played constantly in an opulent dance hall. High-class customers were served “all manner of drinks” by sharply dressed servants, recalled Arthur Sundberg, a young man who delivered dresses to the brothel.

Census records bear this out: In 1900, Clifford employed three maids as well as a cook, housekeeper, porter and musician.

Additionally, nine women aged 18 to 38 were listed as “boarders.”

What really enchanted Sundberg was an encounter in Clifford’s office, an imposing room with a massive marble

fireplace. Seemingly on a whim, she called him to her desk and produced a cigar box. It contained “several hundred unset diamonds … no small ones.”

Wealth and wages Clifford was known for taking jewelry as payment from cash-strapped customers.

She would remove the gems and throw the settings into the Mississippi to prevent identification.

A 1997 archaeological dig, conducted during the Science Museum’s construction, exposed the brothel’s foundation along with a wealth of decadent jetsam: oyster shells, fine glassware, perfume bottles and shards of hand-painted dishware. An opium pipe was even unearthed in what had been the backyard.

However, artifacts from the back of the building show shadows of another life.

Workers found pieces of plain dishes and an abundance of medicine bottles. The life of a sex worker could not have been easy.

Still, the profession had its allure. An anonymous sex worker at the time said,

⊲⊲ A 1997 Star Tribune clipping features an oil portrait — reportedly of Nina Clifford — that once hung in the Minnesota Club in St. Paul.

⊳ Nina Clifford’s brothel at 147 S. Washington St., St. Paul, circa 1937.

Photos courtesy of the Minnesota Historical Society

“Do you suppose I am going back to earn five or six dollars a week in a factory ... when I can earn that amount any night, and often much more?”

The work was stable as well as lucrative.

Clifford was under little threat from the law. Though she was regularly “arrested,” such rebukes led to little more than brief court appearances and small fines, not unlike unofficial taxes on the brothel.

St. Paul law enforcement would even cover for Clifford in reports to higher authorities, insisting that the brothel was a proper boarding house. After all, Clifford’s business was a boon to the city. Members of law enforcement and even the upper echelons of St. Paul society were known to gather there.

Folklore remains The local newspapers regarded “houses of ill fame” with fascination thinly disguised as scorn. Local madams earned a great deal of coverage for their fashions and their exploits.

Clifford was no exception. Given that she left no diaries or letters, most surviving stories of her are from newspapers. These tales often highlighted her generosity. It’s said that each Christmas she would charter a car and personally distribute baskets of food and gifts to impoverished families.

Clifford died of a stroke at approximately age 80 in July 1929, and the brothel closed.

After her death, locals expected to find an enormous fortune, but it turned out she had left little money. It was speculated that the money had gone to an adopted daughter, one of many young women whose education Clifford supposedly financed.

The mafia briefly ran a nightclub in the former brothel, but the building closed permanently in 1934. In need of a site for a new county morgue, the Works Progress Administration demolished the building on October 19, 1937. Said a project administrator, “What death and taxes began on the once-notorious house of Nina Clifford, the WPA is destined to finish.”

Still, Clifford and her bordello refuse to fade into obscurity. Though little of each remains, they have become immortal pieces of St. Paul’s history and lore.

Mye Brooks is a public relations intern for the strategic communications department of the Minnesota Historical Society.

LEARN MORE! WHAT: Hear stories about Nina

Clifford — and the history of St. Paul’s red-light district — in the monthly Ramsey After Dark series WHEN: Oct. 11, 7 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.

WHERE: Alexander Ramsey House, St. Paul INFO: mnhs.org/ramseyhouse Minnesota Good Age / October 2019 / 15

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WELLNESS

Get better sleep

BY MARILYN PRIBUS

“I

just can’t sleep,” grumbles 77-year-old Charlie. “No matter when I go to bed, I’m awake at 3 a.m.”

Charlie isn’t alone. The National Institute of Health estimates as many as 70 million Americans chronically suffer from one of 90 different sleep disorders.

Their symptoms include inability to fall asleep or stay asleep, which typically results in daytime sleepiness.

Poor sleep has a greater cost than many people realize. For instance, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates at least 100,000 annual policereported crashes are the result of drowsy driving — some with resulting fatalities.

In addition, sleep disorders are known to have both long- and short-term effects on health by increasing the risk of obesity, memory problems, chronic diseases, mood

16 / October 2019 / Minnesota Good Age

disorders, hypertension, stroke and heart failure as well as other impairments to quality of life.

Surprisingly, although more physicians are asking patients about their levels of pain, they seldom inquire about sleep.

This is unfortunate because diagnosing and correcting sleep problems — often lumped together as insomnia — can ease a surprising number of complaints.

Contributing factors Common factors in sleep problems include naturally changing sleep patterns as people age, medication, stress, allergies, pain, asthma, depression, being overweight, sleep apnea and sleep-related medical, psychiatric and neurological disorders.

As people age, their sleep patterns often change and awakening in the night is common. For some people, this might not be a problem. In fact, hundreds of years ago it wasn’t unusual for people to go to bed when it got dark, then arise in the middle of the night for a small meal, to read or even to visit neighbors. Today, some people who awaken in the middle of the night simply use the time to have a snack, read a book or listen to music before falling asleep again without being bothered by their wakefulness.

Pain — whether chronic or temporary

— is a major disrupter of sleep. In some cases, relaxation techniques and rituals as well as adjusting the timing of a pain-relief medication can help. Melatonin, a hormone found naturally in the body and made synthetically, appears to reduce the time it takes to fall asleep and the number of sleep interruptions in older adults with sleepwake cycle disturbances and dementia.

It may interact with some medications, so check with your health-care provider about its safety.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) can be another problem. It’s often marked by snoring and periods when the sleeper stops breathing. People with OSA awaken still feeling tired, and when untreated, it can cause serious health risks. Aging and being overweight are common contributors. Treatment includes weight loss and, in serious cases, the use of a CPAP device, which uses a mask and small machine to supply steady air pressure during sleep.

(CPAP stands for continuous positive airway pressure.)

Start a sleep diary Studies show that people with insomnia are 10 times more likely than others to become seriously depressed, but it appears to be a chicken-and-egg situation. Depression can cause sleep problems, but sometimes sleep problems can lead to depression. Treatment may include medications. Cognitive behavioral therapy (aka talk therapy), which studies show is effective, focuses on changing the thoughts and behaviors leading to both insomnia and depression.

If you experience problems with sleep, check out our pointers for getting a good night’s sleep. If after several weeks of consistently following these suggestions, you are still having trouble, try some self-diagnosis by using a simple sleep diary.

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine has a printable PDF form on its

website — tinyurl.com/sleep-diary-mn — which keeps track of things like medications, caffeine, alcohol, exercise, plus time spent napping or sleeping. Some wearable fitness trackers, such as Fitbit, can also measure sleep patterns and trends. The Better Sleep Project offers a Sleep Cycle app and a free online sleep diary that’s recommended by the Harvard Sleep Center. See thebettersleepproject.com.

If you still can’t uncover the cause of your sleeplessness, take your sleep diary of at least two weeks to consult with your physician. He or she may have suggestions such as lifestyle changes, adjustments to

medication, cognitive behavioral therapy, weight management, visiting a sleep clinic or even surgery.

Charlie, who had trouble sleeping, discovered several likely contributors to his insomnia. He started exercising more vigorously in the morning, stopped his two-hour afternoon nap, and tried a cup of warm milk instead of a glass of wine for his nightcap. Within a week, his sleep had improved remarkably.

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WHAT YOU CAN DO Daily exercise that makes your body tired is frequently an effective prescription for good sleep since people can be tired mentally, but not physically.

If you have physical limitations, find a pulseraising exercise you can pursue such as water aerobics. Don’t exercise vigorously in the two hours before bedtime.

Alcohol close to bedtime can make you drowsy, but disrupts sleep later when your body rouses itself to counter alcohol’s effects.

Limit daytime naps to 20 or 30 minutes and take them in the early afternoon.

Avoid watching TV, checking emails or surfing the web in the hour before bedtime.

Just the lighting on your electronics can be stimulating.

Keep your bedroom cool, dark and peaceful.

If it’s not quiet — or if it’s too quiet — you can run a fan or an electronic device that creates the sound of rain or ocean waves. White noise machines work well for some folks, too. The Marpac Dohm Classic, which has been around since the 1960s, uses a fan-based system to make noise, but it doesn’t move any air. It retails for about $40.

Be aware of caffeine in coffee, energy drinks, sodas, teas and even pain relievers.

If you share a bed, be sure your partner (or pet) isn’t disrupting your sleep.

Go to bed and get up at the same time every day with a routine such as a light snack or a warm bath to signal to your body it’s time for sleep.

Put aside thoughts about what you must do tomorrow and dwell on something pleasant in the past. For example, one woman mentally walks room by room through her grandparents’ home where she spent happy summer vacations.

During periods of stress, find ways to calm down.

Try yoga, talk with a friend or therapist, keep exercising and make lists of what you can do (and do it) and can’t do (and accept it). One man, greatly concerned worried about his wife’s failing health, found that setting a daily 3 p.m. “worry time” was surprisingly helpful.

When he grew stressed, he reminded himself wait until 3 p.m. to worry.

Ironically, when the time came, he found it difficult to worry on demand, so the tactic made a big difference.

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Minnesota Good Age / October 2019 / 17

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IN THE KITCHEN

! n e m a TOP R

BY SARAH JACKSON

MOVE OVER, CABBAGE.

THERE’S A NEW SLAW IN TOWN:

BROCCOLI! AND THIS ONE RELIES ON BUTTER-SAUTEED RAMEN NOODLES FOR A CRUNCHY TWIST. DOUBLE THIS RECIPE FOR A PARTY AND YOU’LL BE A HERO.

18 / October 2019 / Minnesota Good Age

BROCCOLI SLAW 1 package Oriental-flavored ramen noodle soup (3 ounces, other flavors work, too) 2 tablespoons butter 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, such as canola 2 tablespoons brown or white sugar 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar 1 ramen noodle seasoning packet 1 bag broccoli slaw (12 ounces, sold alongside bagged salads at the grocery store) 2 tablespoons nuts (slivered almonds or chopped peanuts) 2 tablespoons sunflower seeds Chopped green onions, for garnish (optional) ⊲ Remove the noodles from the package and set the seasoning packet aside. ⊲ Crush the ramen noodles in a large zipper-close bag. ⊲ Melt the butter in a large skillet over low/medium heat. ⊲ Add the crushed noodles to the skillet, stirring and keeping the temperature at low/medium heat until light golden brown, about 10 minutes.

Set aside to cool.* ⊲ Whisk the oil, sugar, vinegar and seasoning packet in a small bowl until the sugar is completely dissolved. ⊲ Toss the shredded broccoli with the dressing to coat thoroughly, then add the fried noodles, nuts and sunflower seeds and toss again. ⊲ Garnish with chopped green onions (if using). ⊲ Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately. *If you aren’t serving the salad right away, you can fry the noodles ahead of time, let them cool, store them (covered) and then add them (and the nuts) just before serving.

If you don’t mind the noodles soft (we loved them), this salad keeps great for two to three days as leftovers.

Source: Adapted from Paula Deen and Christine Lakhani at foodnetwork.com; photo by Sarah Jackson.

Minnesota Good Age / October 2019 / 19

TRAVEL

Late-day sun illuminates Lismore Castle on the River Blackwater in County Waterford, Ireland.

20 / October 2019 / Minnesota Good Age

Epic

Eire Explore Ireland’s castles, gardens and more in the country’s lesser-known Ancient East

BY CARLA WALDEMAR

My mum denies it, but surely I was born Irish. Or maybe just a whiff of the air freshening the green countryside is all it takes.

Yet, after many a ramble, this trip was the first I’ve seen of the mostly unvisited niche of the island called the Ancient East. It’s the stretch of countryside where grand old castles and just-as-grand formal gardens invite visitors to have a look.

Though the tourism district encompasses much of the eastern half of the country, we primarily toured the areas stretching south of Dublin.

And, indeed, this isn’t the usual story of the famines, the Troubles, the civil war: This is Upstairs to those dramatic Downstairs turns of Irish history. It’s a peek at how the gentry lived, and live on today, opening

▲▲Winged horses from 1869 grace Powerscourt Gardens in Ireland, which features 47 planted acres with extensive statuary, Italian terraces and a Japanese garden.

22 / October 2019 / Minnesota Good Age

their centuries-old grounds and mansions to the public as a means of hanging on to their ancestral properties in the days of sky-high taxes. Best of all, it’s a story of the individuals who treasure this legacy.

We set off for County Wicklow, “the garden of Ireland,” for our first stop.

At Powerscourt Gardens, a twinkle-eyed, red-bearded Alex Slazinger led us through the property owned by the Wingfield family before him from 1691–1961.

A graceful, Palladian-style manor overlooks an Italian garden framing iconic Sugarloaf Mountain in the distance. Its terraces were dug during the potato famine, giving employment to 100 men. Its kitchen gardens, rhododendron walk, pond and 47 cultivated acres featuring plants from all over the world were collectively voted “third best garden in the world” by National Geographic magazine.

Our next stop was the Norman-built Kilkea Castle of 1180 — the oldest castle in continuous use — where we spent the night. Recently purchased by an American couple dedicated to sustaining it, its muscular stone exterior, slit with narrow Gothic windows and topped by crenellated

turrets, enclosed a dining room where we feasted on crispy oysters, local crab and beef and Baileys caramel ice cream.

Our adventures continued at Huntington Castle in Clonegal, erected in 1165 as a soldiers’ garrison to control trade where two rivers met “back in the day before much law and order,” said present-day owner Alexander Durdin Robertson. Today sheep graze peacefully aside the squat gray structure where, indoors, hunting trophies and clunky suits of armor greet you as you proceed to the dining room, fashioned like a Bedouin tent, rich with family portraits, including the granddaughter of legendary pirate Grace O’Malley.

Peaceful since 1675, the castle was the first to employ electricity in the 1880s; peasants traveled from near and far to watch the lights go on at dusk. The drawing room hosts a trapdoor to a secret, hide-frommarauders chamber.

The castle, complete with original furnishings, is still occupied by the heirs of the original family. Just to keep things interesting, a couple hippie members of the clan fashioned an Egyptian-style temple in the basement in the 1970s to honor female divinities. Meanwhile, the estate’s surrounding gardens, planted in 1680, boast a majestic, 500-year-old yew walk.

Where to next? Lismore Castle and Gardens for the Blackwater Valley Opera Festival’s performance of Donizetti’s hilarious Don Pasquale, punctuated at intermission by a dinner of asparagus salad and guinea fowl amid the festive locals.

Lismore, which lies in the south about three hours by car from Dublin, features a formal upper garden established in 1620, making it the longest-cultivated plot in Ireland. By contrast, its lower gardens, founded in the 1850s, have a “modern,” free-flowing, natural style of design.

▲▲ Bed-and-breakfast guests at Huntington Castle & Gardens in Ireland receive full access to the gardens and estate.

Photo courtesy of Ireland’s Content Pool

Minnesota Good Age / October 2019 / 23

After breakfast, we head even farther south to Castlemartyr Resort, which resides on a site occupied Sir Walter Raleigh in the 1500s and even earlier by the Norman earl Strongbow and his Knights Templar, who built the castle in 1210.

Here you can see an exhibition by its trained owls and falcons, who soar and hunt on its grounds and even stand on a tourists’ gloved arms to stare them in the eye.

Circling back up the island, we stopped at Dromana House for lunch and a tour of the 13th-century medieval manor and gardens, perched high above the Blackwater River.

Nicholas Grubb, whose family harks back to 1680 here, and his wife, Barbara, whose roots run even deeper — back to 1215 — welcomed us, one and all.

Twenty years ago, the gardens had deteriorated into jungles. Today they’ve been meticulously restored. Indoors, Barbara Grubb pointed out two highlights — a portrait of her great-grandfather, who fought for emancipation; and a telephone room, designated to house this revolutionary new form of communication.

“And here,” Barbara Grubb said, “is where Lord X” — a relative, of course —

Two days in Dublin IT’S SUNDAY MORNING as I lace up my running shoes in preparation for a whirlwind tour of charming Dublin, founded

by Gaelic peoples around the 7th century on the banks of the River Liffey.

Here in the oldest part of town, sits the town’s first church in 1030; today Christ Church remains the city’s oldest building in continuous use.

Treading its elaborately tiled floor, you’ll spy the grave of Anglo-Norman conqueror Strongbow and the heart of St. Laurence, patron of the city. Descend to its crypt to discover artifacts of its past, including stocks used as punishment in 1179, and the remains of a rat and cat found mummified in the organ’s pipes.

Nearby St. Patrick Cathedral, on the site where the Irish saint is said to have baptized converts, is where its former dean, Jonathan Swift (author of Gulliver’s Travels in his off-duty moments) lies buried. Here two churches combined choirs to host the first performance of Handel’s Messiah on a long-ago Easter Sunday.

Wander to the nearby Temple Bar neighborhood, with more than its share of bars, indeed. Then tread the lacy Ha’penny Bridge across the Liffey to the Writers Museum (Can the Irish write? Nobel winners aplenty!) and nearby Hugh Lane Gallery of modern Irish art. Its high point, the studio of eccentric artist Francis Bacon, resembles the aftermath of a tornado.

Head riverward again along legendary O’Connell Street (above), pausing at the General Post Office for its exhibit detailing the bloody Easter Rising of 1916.

24 / October 2019 / Minnesota Good Age

“killed himself.” (Yes, there’s a ghost.)

And that’s just one of the spicy stories from her family’s annals.

Next up: Dunbrody Country House, set on 300 acres of parkland and home to the Dunbrody Cookery School, offering classes for one, two and five days by owner/TV celebrity chef Kevin Dundon.

Dundon treated us to exquisite canapés and cocktails of local gin in the mansion’s sunken garden before we left for Loftus Hall, of the 1700s, on the isolated Hook Peninsula — considered one of Ireland’s most haunted mansions.

Head back to the river for lunch and a browse at Winding Stair, bookstore of Irish lit and storehouse of splendid food (think creamy seafood stew).

Farther along the river rises the new Epic Museum, a repository of Irish history — politics, religion, art and music — along with the epic emigration of huge (and deadly) masses on “famine ships” during the potato famine.

The museum also celebrates those of Irish heritage who fared well in the U.S. (many presidents and showbiz stars among them).

Tramp across the Sean O’Casey Bridge to the Archaeological Museum that recounts Irish history. Here Viking jewels and swords are showcased, alongside the remains of earlier men, mummified by eons in the peat bogs. Around the corner, the National Gallery celebrates art — international and Irish alike.

If you’re still standing, work in other must-see stops: the tiny, eccentric Little Museum aside St. Stephen’s Green — the city’s outdoor living room — where equally offbeat guides explain the city’s history via quirky collections (including U2 memorabilia).

Stop in at Trinity College (tours by students available) and its library, featuring the precious medieval Book of Kells manuscript.

Then dine at nearby Davy Byrnes, home of superior fish and chips. Finish the night at O’Donoghue’s, where lively players of trad music (think fiddle, guitar, squeeze box, mandolin, kazoo and pipe) fill the night with ballads and gusto.

A pint of Guinness is all it takes to linger. Then tomorrow, perhaps, head to Bang, almost next door, for modern Irish fare, such as a lovely spring pea and garlic soup; a warm salad of baby Irish carrots; then cod, lamb or chicken: all Irish staples given a new twist.

Off you go, and good on ye!

O'Connell Street Lower, Dublin

a Mutual of Omaha Bank Company It’s was there that Lorainne O’Dwyer, who introduced herself as a witch, guided us through the ill-fated mansion, where more than a few necks were broken by slipping down the staircase.

Fascinating stories continued at Woodstock Garden, in County Kilkenny farther inland, where we stopped for yet another garden tour. Head gardener John Delaney met us for tea and scones before guiding us through the gardens he’s diligently restoring to the standards of their Victorian heyday.

The mansion was burned in the 1922 struggle against British landowners. Today the grounds still boast one of the premier collections of conifers in Ireland amid 10 miles of footpaths — with the wider ones made to accommodate ladies’ giant hoop skirts. Why were the gardens walled?

“To keep the pheasants in and peasants out,” Delaney said.

All of this called for a wee dram. So we headed to nearby Ballykeefe Distillery, launched in 2017 by Morgan Ging on his family’s farm and now producing gin, vodka and that once-illicit liquor, potcheen/ poitin, plus tours.

After an afternoon’s stroll through the medieval streets of Kilkenny, we reached our final stop at Burtown House & Garden, complete with a gift shop and destination restaurant, just 50 miles from Dublin.

Here James Fennel, a noted photographer and designer, is carrying on the legacy of his grandmother, herself a foremost botanical painter, whose passion was returning the overgrown wilds to cozy, informal gardens. Fennel’s since added a sculpture walk to the landscape here in the Ancient East. It’s calling your name.

To plan your visit, go to ireland.com.

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Minnesota Good Age / October 2019 / 25

REAL AGING

Taking charge A new, award-winning Minnesotabased program known as Juniper is putting seniors back at the helm of their own health and well-being.

BY JULIE KENDRICK

W Juniper, a new program from the Arden Hills-based nonprofit organization Innovations for Aging, takes its name from the longliving, hardy evergreen that’s known for its interconnected structure.

26 / October 2019 / Minnesota Good Age

e’re living in treacherous times. A slip becomes a fall, a fall becomes a broken hip and suddenly everything has taken a serious turn for the worse.

Here in the land of 10,000 sidewalks that can remain dangerously icy through April, it can be easy to feel as if you’re at the mercy of raging elements and a faltering body.

But the folks at Juniper have a different idea: You really can live well, even with health challenges brought on by aging.

Juniper, a new program from the Arden Hills-based nonprofit organization Innovations for Aging, takes its name from the long-living, hardy evergreen that’s known for its interconnected structure. Just like the iconic plant, Juniper is becoming known for helping foster long-lasting resilience and stabilizing connections.

Juniper, in partnership with Area Agencies on Aging, acts as a hub for community organizations, health-care organizations and instructors to offer wellness classes statewide.

The goal?

Help people take an active role in improving their health and quality of life through fitness and fall-prevention classes as well as small-group classes on preventing and/or living well with diabetes, chronic pain and other conditions.

Since 2016, 16,000 Minnesotans have participated in one of Juniper’s evidencebased classes, which are verified as effective by researchers in clinical studies.

In Juniper’s case, the classes offered have been proven to promote self-management of chronic health conditions, to prevent falls and to foster individual well-being.

Slo-mo for staying power One of the most popular Juniper classes in Minneapolis is the tai ji quan balancetraining sessions.

Inside a sunny community room at Eastside Family Services in Northeast Minneapolis, Carmel San Juan leads a group of through a series of tai ji quan exercises.

Looking in on the activity, it’s like watching people who are moving through water, or seeing a film run in extreme slow motion.

With soft, fluid movements, the class members, all over age 60, follow San Juan through a series of motions with names like “Part the Wild Horse’s Mane” and “With Hands Like Clouds.” The tai ji quan forms are interspersed with what San Juan refers to as “mini therapeutic movements.”

They’re the kind of motions we all take for granted, until, often suddenly, we can’t do them — things like getting up from a chair alone, balancing on one foot or moving an arm high across the body to reach something overhead.

While the exercises look dreamlike and beautiful, they’re so much more. According to a 2018 study, supported in part by the National Institute on Aging and published in JAMA Internal Medicine, a randomized clinical trial showed that among older adults with a high risk of falling, a 24-week therapeutically developed tai ji quan balancetraining class resulted in a significant reduction in the incidence of falls.

There’s increasing evidence, the study said, that such intervention programs are popular in senior communities and represent “a promising approach to low-cost and easily implementable fall-prevention programs.”

Across Minnesota

class is held, is one of Juniper’s partners.)

In fact, the Juniper program recently received recognition from the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a) with an Aging Innovations Award, the highest honor presented by n4a to member agencies.

For Roles, one of the most important things about Juniper’s organizational structure is that it reaches across the state.

“We roll out classes to people in smaller cities and rural communities, not just the metro area,” she said. “The idea of learning and creating action plans alongside one’s neighbors often leads to friendships being formed among class members.”

That’s important, Roles said, because there’s significant evidence to show that an ongoing support system is crucial to making health changes.

“We’re learning more all the time about how much strong social connections are a determinant of health,” Roles said.

Falls: A $50 billion problem Falls are not only scary and painful, but they’re also often accompanied by significant personal and financial costs. They occur with alarming frequency among those 65 years or older, with approximately

Since 2016, 16,000 Minnesotans have participated in one of Juniper’s evidence-based classes, which include not just the tai ji quan training, but also many other wellness classes.

28% reporting a fall each year. An estimated 38% of those falls result in injuries leading to emergency department visits, hospital admissions or death.

Among Medicare beneficiaries, the average cost for treatment following a fall is more than $9,000. Astonishingly, the average hospital cost for a fall injury is over $30,000.

In 2015, the total medical costs for falls among people age 65 or older in the U.S. was more than $50 billion.

With 20% of the U.S. population soon to be age 65 or older, it’s more

The results of that study are being borne out locally, said Julie Roles, communications director at the Metropolitan Area Agency on Aging (MAAA) and vice president of engagement at Innovations for Aging, the nonprofit subsidiary that operates the Juniper program in partnership with community organizations. (East Side Neighborhood Services, where San Juan’s

⊲⊲ Juniper offers a range of classes to help people manage their health, get fit and prevent falls, including this Stay Active and Independent for Life (SAIL) class in Minnesota.

Minnesota Good Age / October 2019 / 27

What's Juniper?

Juniper is a statewide program designed to create a culture of health in which prevention and wellness are the norm. Health insurance providers, such as Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, are adding Juniper to their list of member benefits for seniors. Learn more at 855-2152174, info@yourjuniper.org and yourjuniper.org. Class topic areas include:

important than ever to find ways to help people prevent falls or to recover more quickly after a fall.

Juniper is stepping into this fraught situation with a real-world, workable solution.

Rachel Von Ruden is a program developer for Juniper.

She believes the tai ji quan classes are so popular because they seem accessible and not too intense.

“It’s a way for people to take charge of their health,” she said. “And I think that’s good for everyone.”

San Juan said her students have told her the exercises have helped them develop “muscle memory” that can come to the rescue when they get off balance in daily life.

“We’re helping people recognize what the edge of stability is as we move from stability to instability and then back again,” she said.

Finding strength Shirley Porter, 72, has been living with the repercussions from a fall. She entered San Juan’s class while leaning on a walker, and

she kept it nearby during the class. Still, she joined along with all the exercises, first leaning forward in a chair, then getting her balance to pull back, then doing the same exercise while standing and tipping her pelvis forward, then back in place.

“My main goal is to get off the walker,” Porter said. “This is my second session of the tai chi quan classes, and I came back because I do feel a difference. I know my balance is better.”

A participant in one of the Matter of Balance classes offered this testimonial on the Juniper website: “I learned how to integrate strengthening and flexibility into my everyday life. Now I flex my ankles as I stand in line at the bank and incorporate strengthening activities in things I do throughout my day.”

What happens in class Each session includes warm-up exercises, teacher-led movements and cool-down exercises. The slow, percussive movements are intended to engage the mind and build

LIVE WELL • Diabetes Prevention Program • Living Well with Chronic Conditions • Living Well with Chronic Pain • Living Well with Diabetes

GET FIT • Arthritis Foundation Exercise Program • Stay Active and Independent for Life (SAIL)

PREVENT FALLS • A Matter of Balance • Stepping On • Tai Ji Quan: Moving for Better Balance

▲▲At East Side Neighborhood Services in Minneapolis, an instructor leads a group through a series of tai ji quan exercises — which can be performed seated or standing — as part of Juniper, a statewide program for seniors. Photos courtesy of Juniper

the body. Over the course of each 12-week class, the movements and routines progressively build upon one another, which dynamically enhances strength, balance and flexibility.

The exercises, San Juan said, build awareness of what it feels like to be off balance, and then strengthen the muscles that allow for a recovery of balance.

There are other benefits, too.

“One of my students has struggled with asthma, but she told me the class really helped with her breathing,” San Juan said.

“She was able to get off one of her asthma medications, and she credited that to the work we’re doing in class.”

Participants don’t even need to be able to stand, San Juan said.

“You can do the whole class seated if that works better for where you are today,” San Juan said. “It’s really for everyone.”

Some students mistakenly believe there is a religious or cultural element to the movements.

But San Juan assures them: “It’s purely exercise.”

What’s ahead Roles said Juniper already has a contract with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota to help some of their members take classes for free. She hopes more area health insurance providers will consider adding Juniper to their list of member benefits.

“Our long-term goal is to work collaboratively to get the right information to people who could really benefit from it,” she said.

Roles understands: Taking that first step to walk through the door of a classroom can be challenging. But, in the end, it’s worth it: “About 70 percent of our health outcomes are based on our behaviors,” she said. “We have people who come into tai ji quan class using a cane, and they are able to stop using it after taking the classes. That allows people to regain their

What’s tai ji quan?

Tai Ji Quan: Moving for Better Balance is a research-based balancetraining regimen designed for older adults at risk of falling and people with balance disorders.

Fuzhong Li, a senior scientist at Oregon Research Institute, developed the program, which represents a significant shift from tai ji quan’s historical use as a martial art or recreational activity to a method for addressing common — but potentially debilitating — functional deficits.

So far, agencies in Minnesota, Washington, Florida, Maryland and New Hampshire have adopted the regimen for older adults.

Learn more at tjqmbb.org.

independence, which is so important.”

Roles is clearly committed to doing whatever she can to help people connect with each other, build their confidence and live a full life, despite the health challenges they face. She also is aware of the many, often negative, misconceptions about aging, and she’s determined to fight them.

“Ageism is alive and well, and negative perceptions are all around us,” she said. “We allow those stereotypes to become negative self-perceptions, and that has a significant

impact on our physical and mental health.”

In the end, it’s simple: There are ways to live better and stay fit.

“There are evidence-based programs out there, and we know they work,” she said. “If we can get more people to access them, it’s good for all of us.”

Julie Kendrick is a contributing writer for many local and national publications.

She lives in Minneapolis. Follow her on Twitter @KendrickWorks.

Minnesota Good Age / October 2019 / 29

Steve Sviggum sits inside the wheel of his John Deere 9330 tractor to show the scale of the vehicle he drives every fall and spring.

Photos by Tracy Walsh

CITIZEN FARMER After a successful career in Minnesota government, Steve Sviggum is enjoying life as a U of M regent, farmer, grandfather and celebrator of Norwegian heritage!

BY JULIE KENDRICK

Steve Sviggum, 68, is a public servant through and through, from the top of his graying head to the tip of his steel-toed farmer’s work boots.

At a time when the word “government” often is treated like an epithet, he continues to toil happily in the fields of community service, government and education — and on his own farm.

He’s a guy who relishes teamwork, aims for balance and looks forward to finding ways to reach across the proverbial aisle and get things done. If most Minnesotans don’t know his name or fully appreciate the contributions he’s made to the state during his 38 years of public service, that’s just fine with Sviggum. He’s not in it for the spotlight; he’s just here to help make things better for the state.

Minnesota Good Age / October 2019 / 31

Sviggum is the newly elected vice chair of the University of Minnesota’s Board of Regents, an organization whose board he has served on for three years. It’s an unsalaried volunteer role, but it’s one that’s keeping him busy when added to his day job of farmer: This time of year, Sviggum is spending hours piloting a John Deere tractor on his family’s 1,600 acres in Kenyon, Minnesota.

His latest position with the U of M Board of Regents is just the most recent in a long string of civic-minded accomplishments. Sviggum served in the Minnesota House of Representatives from 1979–2007, including eight years as Speaker of the House. He also was communications director for the Minnesota State Senate Majority, Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry and Commissioner of the Department of Management and Budget.

Enthusiastic, easy-going Over the years, Sviggum — whose name

and causes — he feels them. And his

named for Sogn, Norway, where his

passion and enthusiasm draws people in."

ancestors lived.

Sviggum’s easygoing temperament

“It has hills, valleys and streams, just like

is pronounced “SWIGG-um” — has made

makes him fun and easy to be around,

back there, and I like to say it’s a little bit of

lasting friends all over the state, including

Pawlenty said.

God’s country,” he said. “Of course, when

some folks in high places.

That includes former Gov. Tim

"He's so good-natured, enthusiastic and encouraging,” Pawlenty said. “He's also very

there’s ice on those hills, or a foot of snow falling, it’s more of a challenge.”

Pawlenty, who served with Sviggum in

good at channeling the goodwill people

the Minnesota House of Representatives

have for him toward getting important

to do, so Sviggum is no stranger to hard

for a decade. For half that time, Sviggum,

things done."

work. This time of year, he’s in charge of

a Republican, was the Speaker of the

On a farm, there’s always one more chore

“ripping” the corn fields after his brother

House when Pawlenty was Majority

Working the fields

Leader. Pawlenty later appointed him to

No matter how many state-level jobs and

serve as a member of his cabinet and as

major accomplishments show up on Svig-

Campaign trail

the Commissioner of the Department of

gum’s resume, he remains down-to-earth,

Sviggum received his bachelor of arts degree

Labor and Industry.

working the family farm with his two

in mathematics from St. Olaf College. He

brothers, Jim and Dick. In Kenyon, halfway

then taught high school math and coached

Pawlenty said. “He’s caring, encouraging,

between Rochester and the Twin Cities,

football and basketball at Belgrade-Elrosa

loyal, kind, optimistic — and very funny.

the brothers grow corn, soybeans and hay,

and West Concord high schools in Minne-

One of Steve's best attributes is his huge

while raising 150 head of cattle.

sota. It was while he was still teaching that

“He’s the best friend anyone could have,”

heart. He doesn't just think about issues 32 / October 2019 / Minnesota Good Age

The Sviggum farm is in Sogn Valley,

finishes with the combine.

he was approached to run for a seat in the

Minnesota House of Representatives.

“I had never thought about running for office before that. I’d never even taken a political science class in college,” he said, and added with a laugh, “Some friends say that’s what saved me.”

Sviggum ran against a four-year incumbent and won. During that first election, he realized he loved campaigning.

“I’ve always enjoyed engaging with people all over the state, from Warroad to Worthington to Winona,” he said.

His wife, Deb, confirmed that it’s all part of what makes him tick.

“What you see is what you get with Steve, and he’s no different behind the scenes than he is out in public,” she said. “He loves to talk to people wherever we go.”

Back when their two boys and one daughter were younger, the whole family would occasionally be out for dinner when he would be waylaid by a constituent. But Deb remained understanding, even as she occasionally tried to drag him away: “His

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idea of a great day is when he gets to talk to a lot of people.”

In addition to the joys of the campaign trail, he found he was skilled at finding

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“Our family prefers this type of lefse to the more common potato lefse.”

candidates for office.

“I really enjoyed recruiting good people to run,” he said. “Not only were they more likely to win their election, but, more importantly, they would govern better and in the best interests of Minnesota.”

As much as he liked the doorknocking work of campaigning, Sviggum also reveled in the work that began once the election was over. A self-described conservative, he believes it’s impossible to govern well from either extreme of the political spectrum.

“You have to be willing to compromise

Deb and Steve Sviggum celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary with their children and 13 grandchildren at their farm in Kenyon, Minnesota.

Photo by Matt Addington

and cooperate to get the job done,” he said.

Minnesota Good Age / October 2019 / 33

That open spirit and willingness to accept

Family man

alternate viewpoints has made him friends of all political persuasions.

One example is Peggy Lucas, who served with him on the Board of Regents and on the search committee for the new University of Minnesota president.

“We come from different parties and sometimes different points of view, but I find him to be very open to hearing other points of view,” she said. “Steve is a good listener and a good communicator.”

It has hills, valleys and streams. I like to say it’s a little bit of God’s country.

— Steve Sviggum on his home in the Sogn Valley, named for Sogn, Norway

ones. He’s an unashamed lutefisk lover,

greater delight in talking about his family, including his 40-year marriage to his high school sweetheart, Deb, his three children and his 13 grandchildren. (No. 14 is on the way this fall.) Everyone in the family lives within driving distance of the Sviggum farmstead.

The strong family bonds and the children’s successes, he said, should all be “She sacrificed so much for our family

Describing himself as “100 percent Norweancestry, including the decidedly aromatic

his career accomplishments, he takes even

credited to Deb.

Lutefisk lover gian,” Sviggum embraces all aspects of his

While Sviggum may be best known for

this article for details.)

Food, even that of the non-lutefisk variety, is a big part of Sviggum’s life.

which he diplomatically describes as “an

Lucas said: “He loves to see that people

acquired taste.” The Norwegian delicacy,

eat something, and he often provides the

cod that’s been treated with salt and lye, is

eats. I remember when we were working

just one part of his church’s annual lutefisk

together on the search committee for a new

and Norwegian meatball supper, where his

University of Minnesota president, he once

mother, 88, is still one of the cooks. (This

brought a homemade apple pie to share

year’s event is Oct. 9. See the sidebar with

with everyone at the meeting.”

and for my career,” he said. “She was a better campaigner than I was. I remember her pulling a wagon with the three kids in it when it was 95 degrees. She’d be with them evenings when I was out or when I was gone on overnights in the cities.”

As he considers the additional duties he’ll be facing as vice chair of the University of Minnesota’s Board of Regents, Sviggum acknowledged that the job will change his life significantly.

And while he’s a strong believer that staying active is the key to being healthy, it’s

Steve Sviggum feeds an orphaned calf, whose mother died in childbirth, on the family farm in Kenyon, Minnesota.

Photos by Tracy Walsh

still his goal to allow for plenty of relaxed “grandpa time,” too: “I love pitching them balls, tickling them and reading to them,” he said.

Pawlenty said that while it’s a good idea to acknowledge all that Sviggum has done, it’s not time to count him out any time soon.

“Steve's body of work over the arc of time no doubt makes him one of the most impactful and important leaders in Minnesota's modern history — and he's not done yet, as his remarkable service continues on."

Julie Kendrick is a contributing writer for many local and national publications.

She lives in Minneapolis. Follow her on Twitter @KendrickWorks.

Serving people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds, HOBT collaborates with SCHOOLS and COMMUNITIES on unique, interactive ART RESIDENCIES that nurture the creative spirit and encourage a sense of joy and wonder.

EAT LUTEFISK, LEFSE & MORE! What: Attend the Annual Lutefi sk and Norwegian Meatball Supper, also featuring mashed potatoes and gravy, corn, cranberries, coleslaw, rolls, fruit soup, lefse and a country store selling Norwegian baked goods.

When: 11 a.m.–7:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Oct. 9; reservations are required for the 11 a.m., noon and 1 p.m. timeslots.

Where: Vang Lutheran Church, 2060 County Road 49, Dennison, Minnesota

If you are interested in an art residency for your school or organization, visit hobt.org or call 612.721.2535 for more information.

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4/17/18 2:14/ PM Minnesota Good Age / October 2019 35

CAN’T-MISS CALENDAR OCTOBER

SEPT. 28–OCT. 20

GLORIA: A LIFE → This new work by Tony-winning playwright Emily Mann celebrates the life of Gloria Steinem, one of the most important figures of America’s feminist movement.

When: Sept. 28–Oct. 20 Where: History Theatre, St. Paul Cost: $30–$53 Info: historytheatre.com

OPENING OCT. 17

OCT. 2

→ Celebrate the powerful connection we humans have with our canine companions in the first film on the Omnitheater's new IMAX digital projection system.

→ Enjoy a variety of craft beer samples and wine tasting along with appetizers to benefit Wishes & More of Minnesota.

SUPERPOWER DOGS When: Opening Oct. 17 Where: Science Museum of Minnesota, St. Paul Cost: $9.95 for adults, $8.95 for ages 4–12 and 65 and older, free for ages

2 and younger; other fees apply for museum admission, which is not required.

Info: smm.org

CHEERS & BEERS

When: Oct. 2 Where: Tom Reid’s Hockey City Pub, St. Paul Cost: $35 in advance, $50 at the door Info: wishesandmore.org

OCT. 3–5 SEPT. 10–DEC. 17

DEMENTIA DIAGNOSIS SEMINAR SERIES → This eight–session course covering Alzheimer’s and other dementia topics is open to the public and features a different topic each week.

When: Every other Tuesday, Sept. 10–Dec. 17 Where: Village Shores Senior Community, Richfield Cost: FREE. Please register in advance.

Info: villageshoresseniorcommunity.com 36 / October 2019 / Minnesota Good Age

SEPT. 27–NOV. 2

THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW → Based on the 1975 film, this musical follows sweethearts Brad and Janet, who get a flat tire during a storm and seek shelter at the eerie mansion of Dr. Frank-N-Furter.

When: Sept. 27–Nov. 2 Where: Park Square Theatre, St. Paul Cost: $25–$55 Info: parksquaretheatre.org

TEXTILE CENTER GARAGE SALE POP UP → Explore an auditorium stacked with fabric, yarn, patterns, tools, sewing machines, books, notions and more at garage-sale prices.

When: Oct. 3 is donation day; Oct. 4 is the preview sale ($15–$20); Oct. 5 is the main sale ($1).

Where: Textile Center, Minneapolis Cost: Preview sale admission is $15 in advance, $20 at the door. Main sale admission is $1.

Info: textilecentermn.org

OCT. 4–5

TWIN CITIES OKTOBERFEST →→This family-friendly festival includes German food and beer, live music, traditional German entertainment, games and shopping.

When: Oct. 4–5 Where: Minnesota State Fairgrounds Progress Center, Falcon Heights Cost: $10–$35 Info: twincitiesoktoberfest.com

HEALTH AND FITNESS EXPO →→Explore more than 100 vendors offering the latest in fitness gear, exercise equipment and nutrition tips.

When: Oct. 4–5 Where: St. Paul RiverCentre Cost: FREE Info: rivercentre.org

OCT. 10–12

INVISIBLE →→In recognition of World Mental Health Day on Oct. 10, 2019, UCare hosts a pop-up juried art exhibition in partnership with CIRCA Gallery to spread awareness of mental wellness.

When: Oct. 10–12 with an opening reception from 5–7:30 p.m. Oct. 10 Where: Circa Galley, Minneapolis Cost: FREE Info: circagallery.org

OCT. 11

ELIZA GILKYSON →→Hear the twice Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter and activist — one of the most respected musicians in folk, roots and Americana circles — as part of the Landmark LIVE fall/winter concert series.

When: Oct. 11 Where: Landmark Center, St. Paul Cost: Tickets are $20 in advance or $25 at the door and include admission to a pre-show cocktail hour from 7–8 p.m.

Info: landmarkcenter.org

OCT. 12

TWIN CITIES BOOK FESTIVAL →→This day-long celebration features dozens of internationally renowned visiting authors, local literary heroes, activities for kids, a giant book fair, magazines, book art and more.

When: Oct. 12 Where: Minnesota State Fairgrounds Progress Center, Falcon Heights Cost: FREE Info: twincitiesbookfestival.com

OCT. 13 ONGOING

RECLAIMING OUR GRANDMOTHERS

→→Minneapolis artist Zamara Cuyun explores what it means to be Guatemalan, Maya and female with painted stories that imagine new systems of understanding and healing for indigenous womanhood and identity.

When: Through Nov. 3 Where: Bloomington Center for the Arts

Cost: FREE Info: artistrymn.org

VOCALESSENCE: DIVINE LIGHT →→Experience music from all over the world, including Gyorgy Ligeti’s 16-part Lux Aeterna, made famous in the 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey.

When: Oct. 13 Where: Summit Center for Arts & Innovation, St. Paul Cost: $30 Info: vocalessence.org Minnesota Good Age / October 2019 / 37

OCT. 13

LIGHT THE NIGHT TWIN CITIES →→Family, friends and co-workers gather to celebrate, honor and remember those touched by cancer and to help fund critical advances in the fight against the disease. Festivities will include food trucks, a glow zone, a glam station, a tailgate zone, live music and more.

When: Oct. 13 Where: Harriet Island, St. Paul Cost: FREE. Registration is free, but walkers are encouraged to raise funds to support the mission.

Info: Sign up to walk, donate, sponsor and/or volunteer at lightthenight.org.

OCT. 15–17

MENOPAUSE: THE MUSICAL →→Four women at a lingerie sale have nothing in common but memory loss, hot flashes, night sweats, not enough sex, too much sex and more in this musical parody set to classic tunes from the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s.

When: Oct. 15–17 Where: Pantages Theatre, Minneapolis Cost: $40–$60 Info: hennepintheatretrust.org

OCT. 17–20

TWIN CITIES TAP FESTIVAL →→See stunning, energetic tap performances — three different shows are scheduled — and register for community classes with top local and national tap artists. All ages and ability levels are welcome.

When: Oct. 17–20 Where: Minneapolis Cost: Varies Info: twincitiestap.com

OCT. 18–NOV. 7

MACBETH

→→Set in the 1940s, this version of the Shakespearean tragedy will be staged throughout the James J. Hill House with the audience moving from room to room and participating in the scenes.

38 / October 2019 / Minnesota Good Age

OCT. 26

DIVA CAGE MATCH: TAG TEAM DUETS

→→Out of the Box Opera presents six pairs of opera singers facing off in two rounds with three celebrity judges ultimately crowning the final champions.

When: Oct. 26 Where: Minneapolis Cider Company, Minneapolis

When: Oct. 18–Nov. 7 Where: James J. Hill House, St. Paul Cost: $35 Info: mnhs.org

Cost: $40–$70 Info: outoftheboxopera.com

When: Oct. 18–Nov. 9 Where: Bloomington Center for the Arts Cost: $17–$46 Info: artistrymn.org

OCT. 18–NOV. 9

OCT. 19

→→In this semi-autobiographical musical comedy, Gordon Schwinn is the frustrated composer of a children’s TV show who collapses into his lunch and wakes up in the hospital. As doctors and nurses fly in and out of his room, Gordon drifts in and out of consciousness and contemplates his life.

→→This inaugural juried outdoor food and beverage competition features local culinary talent. Attendees are invited to purchase competitors’ dishes, imbibe in the Finnegans beer garden and browse pop-up shops.

A NEW BRAIN

POWDERHORN CULINARY ARTS SHOW

When: Oct. 19 Where: Powderhorn Park, Minneapolis Cost: Admission is free. Food, drink and merchandise will be available for purchase.

Info: ppna.org/culinaryartshow

OCT. 23

GANGSTER GHOST TOUR → Cross paths with St. Paul’s most infamous inhabitants in tours led through a shadowy historic building.

When: Oct. 23 Where: Landmark Center, St. Paul Cost: $10; advanced tickets are required.

Info: landmarkcenter.org

OCT. 24

CANNABIS SUMMIT

Historic Cave Tours

As seen on the History Channel “Secret Passages” Hear, see, and explore stories of the sandstone caves. Hear the legends of mining, mobster massacres, and ghostly lore in a truly unique setting.

→ Sensible Minnesota’s third-annual event is open to the public, including patients, advocates and professionals who want to learn more about the cannabis industry.

When: Oct. 24 Where: Hamline University, St. Paul Cost: $120 general admission ($60 for students) Info: sensible.mn

OCT. 25–27

ARTABILITY ART SHOW AND SALE → Artists and authors with mental illnesses sell their work and receive 80% of the profits with the remaining 20% going back to support Artability.

45 Minute Walking Tour • No Reservations Needed Tour Times Year ‘Round:

$ 9.00

Per Person

Thursdays 5 pm • Saturdays 11 am • Sundays 11 am Home of the St. Paul Gangster Tour

Wabasha Street Caves • 651-292-1220

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7/8/19 2:29 PM

When: Oct. 25–27 Where: The Show Gallery Lowertown, St. Paul Cost: FREE Info: peopleincorporated.org

MORE ONLINE!

Find more events at mngoodage.com/ cant-miss-calendar.

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9/12/19 1:58/ PM Minnesota Good Age / October 2019 39

Brain teasers SUDOKU

WORD SEARCH Put Your Hand to the Plow

AGRIBUSINESS BIOMASS COMMODITY COOPERATIVE CULTIVATE DOMESTICATE EROSION

NITROGEN ORGANIC PESTICIDE POLLINATE SLAUGHTERHOUSE SOYBEAN STEWARDSHIP

ETHANOL FERTILIZER FLAXSEED GROUNDWATER HYDROPONIC LIVESTOCK MONOCULTURE

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40 / October 2019 / Minnesota Good Age

M

WORD SCRAMBLE

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TRIVIA 1. Heifers 2. Sugar beets, sweet corn, green peas for processing and farm-raised turkeys 3. Norman Borlaug

T

O H B A X E

ANSWERS

Source: Dwight D. Eisenhower

TRIVIA CRYTPOGRAM Farming looks mighty easy when your plow is a pencil and you’re a thousand miles from the field.

1. Technically, cows are adult female cattle that have given birth to calves. What’s the name for young female cattle that have not had calves?

WORD SCRAMBLE Fallow, Bovine, Scythe

Work the Field

2. Minnesota is the nation’s largest producer of four major agricultural products. Can you name them?

3. What University of Minnesota graduate won the 1970 Nobel Peace Prize for developing new wheat varieties and crop-management practices that are credited with saving millions of lives?

ANSWERS

SUDOKU

Artis Senior Housing GA 1019 H2.indd 1

CROSSWORD

Sources: clovermeadowsbeef.com, wikipedia.org, worldfoodprize.org

9/12/19 1:44/PM Minnesota Good Age / October 2019 41

Crossword

64 “I, Claudius” role 65 “__ girl!”

66 Accomplishments 67 “No warranties”

DOWN

ACROSS

1 Livens (up) 5 River through the Lake of the Ozarks 10 GPS diagrams 14 Teen heartthrob 15 Rocker Eddie Van __ 16 Tennis great Arthur who wrote “A Hard Road to Glory” 17 Toy component of a miniature cabin ($5) 19 Actor Gosling 20 “__ suggestions?”

21 Mindless repetition 22 “You __ grounded!”

23 Jack Sprat no-no 24 One applying for a financial gift ($50) 27 “What __ state of affairs!”

29 Frosty coating 30 Par __: via airmail, in Arles 32 Intend to say 42 / October 2019 / Minnesota Good Age

34 WWII turning point 38 Doozy 39 High-tech eye surgery 40 Self-defense spray 41 Roach or termite 42 Stuntman Knievel 43 Like Cheerios, grain-wise 44 Fine-tune, as skills 46 Author Rice 47 Popular Wyoming mountain resort ($20) 52 Myrna of “The Thin Man” 55 High hairdos 56 Greek “i” 57 Simpson trial judge 58 Unfocused image 59 Exactly right ... and where parts of 17-, 24and 47-Across appear 62 First, in “Who’s on First?”

63 Worse, as excuses go

1 Seasoned rice dish 2 Patsy’s “Ab Fab” pal 3 Hairstyles named for an equine feature 4 Utah luggage tag initials 5 “Dear God!” 6 Reindeer reins holder 7 Filmmaker Woody 8 Former Prizm maker 9 London lang.

10 Guy wearing a ring, perhaps 11 Until now 12 New moon, e.g.

13 Mexican title 18 Church keyboard 22 Escort’s offer 25 Oregon or Chisholm 26 Bat one eye 28 Place to eat Seoul food 30 Mont Blanc, e.g.

31 Saturn SUV 32 Expert 33 Language suffix 35 Starts of many news stories 36 Expert 37 Strong desire 39 Jay of late-night TV 43 Late hr. to turn in 45 CIA forerunner 46 Changes 47 __ the Hutt of “Star Wars” 48 Note after G 49 Pizza feature 50 Blackjack request 51 __ and aahed 53 Comical Cheri 54 Up-and-down toys 59 Ancient 60 Dumfries denial 61 Words before roll or streak