Country Acres 2019 - December 20 edition by Star Publications

Country

Friday, December 20, 2019

cres A

Volume 7, Edition 18

Focusing on Today’s Rural Environment PHOTO BY SARAH COLBURN

John Roscoe is pictured Dec. 10 by a round barn off Pinecone Road in Sartell in Stearns County. Roscoe has researched every barn of its kind in the state, and written “Minnesota’s Round Barns,” containing a wealth of information on the iconic landmarks.

Roscoe’s roundabout

research adventure Book on round barns defines remaining icons By SARAH COLBURN Staff Writer

SARTELL – John and Fran Roscoe have traversed the state of Minnesota, end to end, in search of the state’s 72 documented round barns. Traveling in their Mitsubishi Outlander, the Roscoes followed maps, plugged GPS coordinates into their navigator and asked for directions in hometown bars and restaurants in small towns throughout Minnesota. “These barns really represent a period in agricultural history when farming was becoming a little more progressive,” John Roscoe said. “A lot of what we know about our agricultural history is going away; either traditional farms are going down, [or] turning into more corporate farming and the families that built these farms years ago, we’re starting to forget about that. They were the backbone of America for many, many years and these barns were just part of that history.” The Roscoes found all 72 locations and were able to document 48 barns still

in existence. John Roscoe shares them in his newest book: “Minnesota’s Round Barns.” The barns saw popularity from the 1890s to the 1930s and were a way to efficiently milk a number of cows at once, Roscoe said. The round milking style became so popular that Sears, Roebuck and Company came out with plans for barns around 1910. People could purchase a Sears barn kit back then for $1,627.00 that included not only the plans, but the precut lumber. The style, while visually unique, only lasted a few decades before more modern farming methods kicked them out of production, with farmers opting for rectangular buildings that could house larger machinery and bigger herds. Round barns, Roscoe said, all had self-supporting roofs and much of their architecture came out of agricultural colleges including the University of Illinois. Farmers received the basic plans for the foundation, the building of the walls, the hay mow floor, building the roof and adding the cupola. They could choose some of the exterior finishes like fieldstone ap-

This month in the

COUNTRY

A farmhouse fit for Christmas Sauk Centre Farm Fashion Diane Leukam Column

PHOTO BY SARAH COLBURN

While researching Minnesota’s round barns, John and Fran Roscoe took many photos of those still standing, in various states of repair.

plications on the lower level wall, which was popular until farmers began opting for poured concrete or cement block. Windows, Roscoe said, were one of the biggest decision factors for those building a round barn. Early on, the barns had few windows and were dark and hard to light. As time went on, builders inserted windows around the barn and throughout the different levels to allow in natural

Sacrificing to farm Freeport

12 Country girl Osakis

light. Though Roscoe is now officially a round barn expert, he doesn’t have a history with farming or agriculture. He was an English teacher in the Albany Area Schools for 32 years before he retired 20 years ago.

16 A kindly innkeeper? Herman Lensing Poem 18 Artistry in stitches Padua

ROSCOE continued on page 2

22 Country Cooking 24 21st Century milkman St. Cloud 26 Christmas Q & A

Page 2 • Country Acres - Friday, December 20, 2019

Country Acres

Diane Leukam, Editor diane@saukherald.com Ben Sonnek, Writer ben.s@saukherald.com Herman Lensing, Writer herman@melrosebeacon.com Jennifer Coyne, Writer jenn@dairystar.com Evan Michealson, Writer evan.m@star-pub.com Carol Moorman, Writer carol@melrosebeacon.com Natasha Barber, Writer natasha@saukherald.com Sarah Colburn, Freelance Writer

Story ideas send to: diane@saukherald.com SALES STAFF Kayla Hunstiger, 320-247-2728 kayla@saukherald.com Missy Traeger, 320-291-9899 missy@saukherald.com Tim Vos, 320-845-2700 tim@albanyenterprise.com Mike Schafer, 320-894-7825 mike.s@dairystar.com Warren Stone, 320-249-9182 warren@star-pub.com Jaime Ostendorf, 320-309-1988 Jaime@star-pub.com Bob Leukam, 320-260-1248 bob.l@star-pub.com

PRODUCTION STAFF Pat Turner Amanda Thooft Nancy Powell Brian Dingmann Maddy Peterson

Deadlines: Country Acres will be published the first Fridays of April, May, June, September, October and November, and the third Friday of every month. Deadline for news and advertising is the Thursday before publication.

A round barn sitting just off Pinecone Road near his home in Sartell piqued his interest in the structures. There was talk of how the barn sitting amongst houses, apartments and stores could be converted and saved. As talk continued, Roscoe began researching. He visited the barn, took photos and then started looking to see how many other similar round barns were in the state. He didn’t envision creating a book, he just wanted to document what was nearby. He found a decades-old database that listed round barns by county and nearest town and he found his mission – to capture a piece of history and photograph every round barn in Minnesota. His wife, Fran, said she’s always been supportive of his work and came along, serving as navigator as John tried to take “shortcuts” she advised against. They visited the barns in the area every Sunday, hopping in the car and venturing to a destination, planning to arrive around 1 p.m. and hoping they’d find cars in a nearby driveway and people to talk with. They’d pull in and explain what they were working on, getting permission for photographs and asking about the history of the property. Each time they approached a different barn, Roscoe said it led to a certain spark of joy. Other times though, he had a feeling of disappointment as they arrived at a jumbled pile of lumber or the remains of exposed footings. Some barns were still standing but heavily damaged by the elements, with large holes in their roof structure and shredded wood. Still, Roscoe documented what he could and took photos. Some they visited early in their research they returned to later to find they had been

significantly damaged or removed. Eventually, the two realized they could visit barns any day of the week and they’d just take off on a mini-adventure. Most times they’d stop for lunch, seeking out an independently-owned restaurant wherever they were. Even though some of the barns were hundreds of miles away, they’d return home the same day, only staying overnight if they scheduled to see a handful of barns in a day that were all located in one particular area of the state. As they traveled, they discussed the day’s agenda and the barn they were about to see. The database they were following was created prior to the 911 system and the current naming convention for roads, meaning the addresses weren’t the best way to locate the barns. After a few ventures without success, Roscoe realized they’d have to search for the properties by latitude and longitude – en-

tering those into the GPS instead. Many times, they’d arrive at a vacant barn and property with nobody to speak with about the history. Roscoe spent hours working on the internet doing research, looking for a family name connected with the property. He looked at old newspaper clippings and spent even more time working with local historical societies tracking down the families connected to the barns. Occasionally he’d put the barn coordinates into Google Earth to find a trackable current address for the property and handwrite the address in a letter asking for information about the barn. He was pleasantly surprised to receive letters back outlining a history. Tracking down the information was the most difficult part of the project. “I was frustrated a lot

ROSCOE continued on page 3

PHOTO BY SARAH COLBURN

Fran and John Roscoe have traveled throughout Minnesota in search of the state’s 72 documented round barns.

PHOTO SUBMITTED

This barn sits in Pope County, south of Glenwood. The foundation of this barn is made of cement block while the top is a metal exterior.

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Friday, December 20, 2019 - Country Acres • Page 3 ROSCOE continued from page 2 but I kept at it,” Roscoe said. “I just knew I wanted to do this and I’m pretty persistent and wanted to keep going. I’ve always been that way. I don’t quit, I keep pounding away until I find it.” Once he found all the details, he wrote about each barn, organizing them in the book in alphabetical order by county. Now, he’s speaking to local historical societies about the barns.

He’s found a good number of people interested in the topic. He has a website that attracts barn enthusiasts and when he announced the publication of his book he got calls from Indiana, Illinois and other states asking how to get a copy. “There’s a nostalgia for bygone years,” Roscoe said. Roscoe’s book, “Minnesota’s Round Barns,”

was published in the spring of 2019. It’s the second of his books; the first was “Legacies of Faith – The Catholic Churches of Stearns County,” a piece he wrote with his brother, Robert Roscoe. “I really think that there are very few people that really know much about round barns at all,” Roscoe said. “There’s a lot of curiosity about them.”

PHOTO SUBMITTED

This Kandiyohi County barn has a metal exterior and a traditional wooden interior. It’s unique in that the silo rises from the top of the roof.

PHOTO SUBMITTED

A round, traditional red barn still stands in Stearns County. The bottom half of the exterior is built with This is one of two round barns in Douglas County and houses a quaint cupola that sits, along with the fieldstone, a trend for the outside of foundation walls until farmers began opting for poured concrete or American flag, in contrast to the blue sky. cement block. Stearns County boasts two round barns, one in Sartell and one north of Albany. PHOTO SUBMITTED

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A farmhouse fit for Christmas Decorating is artistic expression for Felling By SARAH COLBURN Staff Writer SAUK CENTRE – Forty to fifty Christmas totes filled to the brim with ribbons and ornaments, lights and trees and little glittery sprigs of wonderfulness await Debbie Felling each year. She has her Christmas décor stored in a huge

Christmas closet she built three decades ago; there’s another closet next to the fireplace and a third in the basement. Two weeks before Thanksgiving she pulls it all out and begins sorting each piece by color and theme – never creating the same décor twice. “I regard it as a hobby,” Felling said. “It’s a real stress reliever for me. You can work on it in small

ALL PHOTOS SUBMITTED

A side table is adorned with sprigs of green and glitter. Candles surround a glass cloche that houses a tiny church.

segments.” Felling and her husband, Cyril, have a large dairy farm and the work was always constant and pretty stressful, Felling said. Decorating their farmhouse was always her reprieve. Now that the next generation of Fellings, son Jason and wife, Marie, have taken the major role in farming, Felling spends a lot of time keeping up with her children and 14 grandkids. In the meantime, her hobby has grown. While other people took up knitting or crocheting to relax, Felling balanced work and family, and expanded her Christmas décor collection. She now decorates every room on the main floor – the living room, kitchen, dining room, office, family room, a bedroom and a bathroom. No nook or cranny is left untouched or under-glittered. She spreads out the boxes across the bedrooms on the top floor of her home. Garlands and big red boxes fill the bed, trees of

FELLING continued on page 5

Debbie Felling adds Christmas touches to a wooden banister and staircase in early December at the Felling farm south of Sauk Centre.

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Friday, December 20, 2019 - Country Acres • Page 5 FELLING continued from page 4 dressed in bronze and gold while the bedroom will be a winter plaid of red, black and white complete with snowflake pillows to last the entire season. Felling builds her rooms off an initial inspiration piece. In the bathroom she began with white and red frosted hydrangeas, added in other white elements and then unearthed a white and red garland. “I build off one thing and start adding in,” she said. Felling first got interested in decorating when she was young. She remembers putting colors

together and visualizing projects before she started. She does refresh her décor occasionally, adding in a few new pieces and donating ones she no longer uses. This year she concentrated her purchasing on stems, florals and new candles. Her inspiration comes from local stores, magazines and things she sees in other people’s homes. She doesn’t spend a lot of time on Pinterest but does Google ideas and save the images. The décor goes everywhere: end tables, sofa tables, the edge of the soak-

Debbie Felling has been collecting Christmas ornaments to honor each year since she’s been married. In more recent years, Felling is sure to get an ornament that honors each of her grandchildren.

FELLING continued on page 6

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every shape and size adorn the dressers, and totes are lined up wall-to-wall filled with sparkly things. “It’s just fun to change things up, I just enjoy it,” she said. Her motivation now comes from her grandkids, age 1 1/2 to 23. “I really have always enjoyed seeing my children’s faces when they were young,” she said. “Now my granddaughter [especially] is just fascinated; it’s just fun watching the kids when they see the lights.” It takes Felling a full

Page 6 • Country Acres - Friday, December 20, 2019 FELLING continued from page 5

ing tub, the shelves around the fireplace. Sometimes she clears a space and starts fresh with Christmas and other times she fits it into the décor that’s already there. The front porch of the farmhouse is adorned with a full-size Christmas tree, garland around the

door and festive black and white chevron pots filled with greens and sprigs of red. Large red urns flank the front door, topped with gigantic shiny, red ornament balls and dogwood branches. Complimentary wreaths sit just above the urns. Three-tiered wreaths hang from each of the dou-

Debbie Felling decorates her second full-size tree with pops of brilliant red.

ble-front doors. A large bronze-colored, metal nativity sits just in front of the main window. Inside the farmhouse, Felling decorates two fullsize trees. Her banister is filled with lighted greens and bows, an end table is filled with candles and sprigs of green and gold, a cloche sits at the center and inside, a tiny church. The mantle, the top of the china hutch, a short curio all get a Christmas dressing. In addition to Felling’s décor, she has a special ornament representative of each year since she was first married. She displays the ornaments as they fit her themes and now, her ornaments include the names of every one of her grandkids. Through the years she’s spread her talents, helping friends and decorating for her mother who’s in her 80s. She understands her hobby isn’t for everyone but she enjoys the artistic skill and the sense of calm it brings. “I’m not hosting Christmas and I don’t need to decorate,” she said. “I’m not doing it for everybody Even the bedroom is dressed for Christmas. The festive plaid quilt else; I do it because I enjoy it.” and throw pillows are appropriate for the whole winter season.

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Friday, December 20, 2019 - Country Acres • Page 7

Farm fashion

by Diane Leukam match. Farmers, have you ever thought about what outfit you will wear in the morning? Of course the media would like the masses to think every farmer wears overalls with a red handkerchief handy. Maybe that’s why this response was on top of the list: “The outfit farmers wear is designed for hard and usually dirty work. What they wear is not really different from what other hard-working men wear and probably does not have a particular name. When I grew up, farmers often wore overalls, a shirt, socks and boots or shoes. They liked overalls because they did not require a belt and were not particularly tight anywhere, including the waist. Chaff, dust and etc. would simply fall out the bottom of the legs.

Later more farmers wore jeans, coveralls and similar clothing.” Is this a wrong assessment? Of course not – in this person’s experience. My only gripe about his response, if I were to complain that is, is about half of farmers are hard-working women. Anyway, the next answer began with one word: “Clothes.” You are going to see an occasional overall when you go to the local fleet supply or feed store, and that’s cool – more power to these farmers for wearing whatever their hearts desire. More than likely, though, there will be an abundance of jeans and T-shirts, often under a flannel or other cotton shirt. There will be leather work shoes and seed corn hats and jackets. Believe it or not, some farmers even wear name-brand clothing. There might be some coveralls. Many will be perfectly clean and others not so much. My dad used to make all the farm-related trips to town and, to my knowledge, he always changed into clean clothes. Was that necessary? Probably not, but

that was his choice. Backing up, what’s the difference between overalls and coveralls? Like those described in detail by the gentleman in the first response, we often put “bib” in front of the word “overall.” I have a friend at work who grew up in northern Minnesota and still loves the country lifestyle so much that she wears bib overalls around home just to remind herself of those days. Coveralls are just that. They cover everything except the hands and feet. In the winter, you will see many Car-

hart insulated coveralls, at least around here. Finally, because I can’t resist, we have to talk about buffalo plaid. The red and black plaid like Paul Bunyan’s shirt is a big thing this year. I wrote a column about it in the Sauk Centre Herald a few weeks ago. This fashion statement is everywhere. Farmers, ranchers and lumberjacks have been wearing blue jeans and plaid shirts since the 1800s. They probably don’t realize it, but they have been cool all along. So, next time you don

that worn-out hat or plaid shirt, have no fear: Your “outfit” is high style. You could even wash up that buffalo plaid shirt and wear it to Christmas dinner. May you find joy in the season, whatever your life situation may be. Sometimes it’s the littlest, most unexpected moments that make all the difference. Recently, I saw a little boy literally make a lady’s day offering her one M&M. I think it was red. I wish you all a very Merry Christmas.

CADec20-1B-MT

armers have a great fashion sense. My brother is a farmer, and by the looks of it, I swear he has worn the same baseball cap for 20 years. If you use the same valuation guidelines as some of the holey jeans people buy off the rack these days, it could be worth a small fortune. I mean, you can buy jeans that are ripped to shreds, why not a threadbare baseball cap? It might need to be washed in order to sell it, but it would be worth a try. Chances are he wouldn’t part with it; it probably has a few more years in it before it falls to pieces. I am curious to see how long it lasts, but I also have a suggestion for him. When it is finally rendered unwearable, I think he should get it custom-framed in a shadow box – dirt, grain dust, sweat and all. I had to laugh one day when I came across an online discussion on quora. com about farm fashion. The question someone posed was this: “What do they call the outfit farmers wear?” The question itself is hilarious so the answers were bound to

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Friday, December 20, 2019 - Country Acres â&#x20AC;˘ Page 9

Sacrificing to farm By SARAH COLBURN Staff Writer

FREEPORT â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Ken Scherping was just 18 years old when his father, Edward Scherping, died in a farming accident and he took over the family business. He buried his dad on Dec. 24, 1982, the day of his 19th birthday. The day started like any other, rising early for chores but on that day, he had help from some family friends and his siblings so they could all make it to the funeral. He doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t recall making a decision to take over the family farm, he just did. It was what needed to be done and now, 40 years later, something Scherping and his wife, MaryBeth,

are still doing. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We had good friends who helped along the way, and good employees,â&#x20AC;? said Ken. The Scherping farm features an underground tunnel from the main farm house to the barn. Edward had it built in 1973, the same year he took a fall on the ice that left him with a broken knee cap and an extreme fear of winter glaze. The tunnel, made of cement, has its own lighting and became the main method of transportation for Edward. Though Edward owned the dairy farm, he never milked cows again after his leg injury. Instead, he hired help to do it and his seven kids pitched in, too. Ken, the youngest of the kids, began full-time

A Holstein calf is one of many at Scherpingsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; dairy farm near Freeport.

Farming keeps Scherpings close, family-oriented

milking when he turned 16. Ken remembers his dad waking at 4:30 a.m. every day to put on his brace and go to work in the milk house, washing the milkers and overseeing the entire operation. Having survived polio at the age of 12, a disease that killed his brother, Edward walked with a limp and a brace on his leg â&#x20AC;&#x201C; not from the polio, but from his broken knee cap. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He was always here, no vacations, he didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t leave the farm,â&#x20AC;? Ken said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Worked constantly.â&#x20AC;? He remembers his mom, Bernice Scherping, had her own farm chores. She prepped all 60 cows for milking and continued to work on the farm until 1986 when Ken married MaryBeth. Now, the prep work is MaryBethâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s task. The two wake by 5:15 a.m.; she feeds the calves and beds them if needed, while Ken brings the cows up to the barn. They work together all morning long milking, sweeping the barn, scraping the yard, cleaning and bedding the free stalls. They take a break about 11:30 a.m. to eat what they jokingly refer to as breakfast/supper/dinner.

SCHERPING continued on page 10

PHOTOS BY SARAH COLBURN

MaryBeth and Ken Scherping work together on the Scherping dairy farm in Freeport, recognized as a Century Farm by the Stearns History Museum.

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Page 10 • Country Acres - Friday, December 20, 2019 SCHERPING continued from page 9 house their young stock. They keep all their bull calves and finish them out as steers and farm more than 260 acres of corn, alfalfa, oats and soybeans. Technology has changed the way they do things, but some things are still ingrained into the historic family farm, a farm that’s been in the Scherping family more than 100 years and has been named an official Century Farm by the Stearns History Museum, being founded in 1898. They recall times in the early years when they talked back and forth on two-way radios, each manning a different silo, as the makings of feed came together. If one of the elevators stopped suddenly, they’d yell to one another to stop the neighboring machine, getting the mix as precise as possible. Now, they have a TMR (Total Mixed Ration) that mixes the feed for them. Through the years, instead of adding on, they’ve remodeled the house and invested in the property. PHOTO SUBMITTED Ken Scherping stands in a tunnel that runs from the house to the They installed a robotic barn on the Scherping farm near Freeport. The tunnel was built by calf feeder, built a shop Ken’s father, Edward Scherping, in 1973 after a fall on the ice left him and erected a shed on their second plot of land for the with a broken kneecap and difficulties walking on ice. They prepare one big meal a day and then it’s back to work. They work with their young stock, bedding them, keeping them clean. MaryBeth tends to the laundry and the bookwork. In the spring they get the fields prepared; they get the rocks picked, cut the hay and get the crops planted. A high school student and a college student are hired to help with evening chores, repeating the same cycle from the morning.

Their adult sons are also readily available to return home to help whenever they’re needed. Tony is 32, Nick is 29 and Shawn, 23. Wives and a girlfriend are supportive of the family business. The farm has grown and changed throughout the years. What started out as 60 cows has grown to 100 and the Scherpings have 70 replacement head on a second piece of property nearby where they

young stock. “We improved things to make life a little easier,” said MaryBeth. What once was the two feeding calves out of pails in the barn is now taken care of electronically and they can spend their time with the calves caring for them in different ways. They use the same milking system they had in 1983 but now the cows are monitored for rumination and heat detection which they used to have to visually watch for. “It’s like having a 24hour herdsman,” Ken said. Technology and investments in equipment have come as the years passed and each decision is a big one. Ken remembers talking to his dad early on about buying the first cab tractor for the farm. “He never liked cab tractors because he could never get in them,” Ken said. “He said ‘if you want a cab tractor, you buy it.’” He did. He bought his first in 1983 – a 5088 International – a tractor he still has and uses today. He bought it at a time he didn’t have any money. He went

PHOTO BY SARAH COLBURN

MaryBeth and Ken Scherping walk towards the Scherping family barn Dec. 2 near Freeport.

to the credit union and they wanted his mom to co-sign for the loan. He explained he’d be making the purchase on his own. Today, he said, that tractor is a quality piece of machinery and today’s machines just aren’t built quite like it. Farm life for the Scherpings isn’t without its struggles, especially the last four or five years. “With the trade wars going on now it seems like agriculture is the one really suffering,” Ken said. “We have our ups and downs

but we get through it.” The farm brings the two a sense of pride, something that kept Ken going in those early years right after he lost his dad. “The animals depend on us; they depend on us to feed them and care for them,” he said. The work is the same and the cows have to be cared for, fed and tended to whether the Scherpings are making $9 or $20 for the

SCHERPING continued on page 11

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Friday, December 20, 2019 - Country Acres • Page 11 SCHERPING continued from page 10 same milk. With fluctuating prices, the Scherpings are forced to constantly re-evaluate their books to be sure everything is adding up. They have not only the stress of tending to their animals each and every day, they have to debate whether to keep the farm going. “Farming is a nice life but people have to realize that you … have to sacrifice when you farm,” MaryBeth said. “You have to be home for chores.” Because the Scherpings have a stanchion barn, they run three groups in and out to milk and then the cows go into the free stalls to eat and relax – the work doesn’t cease. What keeps them go-

ing at this point are their grandkids. They have Adella, 5, Emmett who is 3 and little Darren at 6 months old. “They like to come out to the farm and like to be with grandpa in the tractor,” MaryBeth said. The littles check out what grandma is doing in the barn, if she’s feeding the calves. They also raid the snack drawer, a white chest in the farmhouse kitchen that has the words, “Guilded Gander Eatery and Pub,” stenciled across the front. The grandkids visit the farm at least once a week and they get together every so often with their kids and their families to have dinner out. As an annual tra-

dition, the Scherpings go with all three of their sons, their wives, girlfriend and their grandkids to choose Christmas trees for everyone’s houses. The Scherpings know that raising their kids on the farm taught the boys about responsibility and work ethic. “Farming offers a lot of different opportunities, from electrical to carpentry,” MaryBeth said. “They all know how to do it and if something is not working, they’ll figure it out.” Additionally, she said, the farm has kept the family close. “Being family-oriented, that’s important to them,” she said.

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PHOTO BY SARAH COLBURN

MaryBeth Scherping feeds calves Dec. on the Scherping family dairy farm.

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Page 12 • Country Acres - Friday, December 20, 2019

Country girl By DIANE LEUKAM Staff Writer OSAKIS – Tayler (Waldvogel) Revering is all country. She is just as comfortable driving a combine, tractor or four-wheeler as she is pulling her horse trailer down the highway. Most weekends from June through August, she can be seen riding one of her four horses in professional or amateur rodeos in North Dakota, Minnesota or Wisconsin. For her, everything comes down to the country life. She even met her husband, Dakotah, during a conversation about combines. “My husband works at John Deere in Alexandria, so right off the chute my dad (Bruce Waldvogel) and him got along great. He knew my dad and worked on our combine,” Tayler said Dec. 13 at the home she shares with her husband, along with Gypsy, her 3-year-old Schnauzer and Lariet, their 1-year-old Siberian Husky. “So, I talked to him about combines and that’s how it all started.” Dakotah is originally from Parkers Prairie and works just minutes from

their home. He started there the summer he graduated from high school and never left. Both 25, the couple lives on a farm site they bought in 2018, complete with a picturesque red barn and outbuildings. Poised on a hilltop just south of Osakis, their purchase was unexpected. “Dad and I were driving around and we saw this place was for sale,” she said. From there, everything happened in a whirlwind. The place had been listed that August day; they arranged for a showing the same night at 7 p.m. and by midnight a deal had been finalized. Tayler and Dakotah closed on the house the following month. They had been looking for a place to live and had planned to purchase a home in 2020. “All that changed in one day,” Tayler said. “I respect all my dad’s opinions. I love him to death and he said, ‘you need to buy this place.’” They are glad they did. Located on a county road just two miles from the home farm, Tayler is still close by so she can work at the farm every day. Af-

Revering’s multi-faceted life geared to keep on farming

PHOTO BY MARK KLAPHAKE

Tayler Revering, with help from her dog, Gypsy, combines soybeans Oct. 26 at the Bruce and Deb Waldvogel (her parents’) farm near Osakis.

ter work, that is. She is a licensed alcohol and drug counselor with a focus on adolescents. She works four 10-hour days – two in Alexandria and two in Morris. She is extremely thankful for her parents helping her through school

“I would never have been able to do that without my mom (Deb Waldvogel) and dad,” she said. Always a very active young woman, Tayler pushed through school at St. Cloud State University, summers included. The last three years she drove

each day, lived at home and worked on the farm. The draw of the farm and her horses were so strong in her that she changed majors four times, to make sure her career of choice would be compatible with country life. Nursing, sonography and nursing again lost out

to counseling, with a masters in Rehabilitation and Addictions Counseling. “I was picky; I wanted something I would enjoy but still be able to farm on the side,” she said.

REVERING continued on page 13

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Friday, December 20, 2019 - Country Acres • Page 13 REVERING continued from page 12 The Waldvogels farm about 1,000 acres and milk 115 cows in a stanchion barn about a mile west of Osakis. Son Michael lives at home and farms and Derek is married to Amanda. They live in Alexandria with their two young children. Tayler has been involved in the farm since childhood, feeding calves, milking and doing fieldwork. There were times in high school when she did all the chores by herself

on the rare occasion her parents would be gone to a wedding or another event. “I would do all the feeding and milking,” she said. “It didn’t happen very often because my dad didn’t like to leave like any other farmer.” Come harvest time if the combine is running, more than likely it is Tayler at the wheel. “Dad would do a couple loads in the morning to make sure the dryer bin

rock picker. It’s just time consuming; it’s like watching paint dry, searching for rocks. I’d rather be the one in the digger on the walkie talking telling the other person ‘hey, I just passed a big rock!’” Tayler always raised bull calves for herself and still does, now with Dakotah, who feeds them in the mornings. Tayler feeds

kept running,” Tayler said. “I would come home from work and combine until the dryer bin was packed full. There were plenty of nights it was 11, 12 or 1:00 and I was still combining. That’s my thing.” She has done most every farm task except one: planting. “Mom and dad do the planting,” she said. “I’ve done everything else. I hate picking rock, but it’s not bad [because] we have a

REVERING continued on page 14

PHOTO BY DIANE LEUKAM

Tayler Revering is comfortable in a tractor, combine or any other farm equipment, as she has been active on the farm since she was a young child. Now working as a counselor, she still comes home to the farm each day. PHOTO BY MARK KLAPHAKE

Tayler Revering unloads soybeans into a grain cart operated by her husband, Dakotah Revering, Oct. 26 near Osakis.

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Page 14 • Country Acres - Friday, December 20, 2019 REVERING continued from page 13 them in the evenings. When she was younger, she and her dad were at odds but in a friendly way. “I was always excited about the bull calves and he never was,” she said, laughing. “Most dairy farmers want the heifers.” As much as she loves farming, Tayler loves her quarter horses even more. Romeo is the oldest at 18 years old. He is sweet and gentle, and the horse of choice for giving children rides. Hinny, 9, is Tayler’s current rodeo horse, with

Paris, 13, as her backup. The newest in the group is Nudie, who was purchased in September. She was a racer and is now at a trainer in Wisconsin. The horses are exercised every day, with their training routine based on the time of year, weather conditions and temperament. On a cold winter day, that might simply mean a walk through the snow. Tayler’s love of riding started at a very young age, haltering her calves and riding them around

PHOTO SUBMITTED

Tayler Waldvogel (left) and Dakotah Revering, both of Osakis, are shown in an engagement photo with two of Tayler’s horses, Hinny (left) and Paris, along with Gypsy, her pet Schnauzer.

PHOTO BY DIANE LEUKAM

Tayler Revering plants a kiss on the nose of her horse, Paris, Dec. 13 on the farm near Osakis. One of four quarter horses on the farm, Paris is currently the backup horse for Revering, who rides in amateur and professional rodeos throughout the summer months. Paris also carried Revering on her back up the driveway of her grandparents’ farm in September, the day of her wedding with husband Dakotah Revering.

the yard. When she was in the third grade, her mom bought Tayler her first horse and she was completely hooked. She started out with a team penning cattle along with a farm employee. Later as a member of the Osakis saddle club, the Trailblazers, she started barrel racing. Tayler competes in several rodeos on a given weekend, but during field-

539

work she keeps her schedule more open in order to help on the farm more. Each summer she tries to compete in 30 rodeos, though last summer she only did 10. She was busy finishing school, working, going to weddings and planning hers and Dakotah’s. Larry and Rita Marthaler, Tayler’s grandparents, hosted the special event at their farm near West Union.

On a beautiful September day, Tayler made her way up the driveway on Paris’ back in a bridal gown and cowboy boots, a fitting tribute to her love of all things country. The celebration also included a surprise gift made by family and friends that will one day be placed at the newlyweds’ home. A small grain bin was repurposed into a bar, complete with lights and a cupola.

With school, the wedding and the harvest in the rearview mirror, Tayler has her eyes on her work. As she counsels young people, she realizes more all the time how blessed she was to grow up on the farm. “Now, I understand how important it was for me, having that time with

REVERING continued on page 15

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Friday, December 20, 2019 - Country Acres • Page 15 REVERING continued from page 14 interview was finished, it was back to work as Tayler stepped up into the big John Deere idling in the yard – a perfect fit for a country girl.

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Page 16 • Country Acres - Friday, December 20, 2019

A kindly innkeeper? By Herman Lensing

PHOTO COURTESY HEIDI UPHUS

He’s the villain of every Christmas pageant stage, Of him there are no songs, instead we hear rage. No songs sing his praises, because he did say, “No room here, begone and on your way.”

His inn was full, not even room on the floor, No place for the Child’s birth inside the open door. To the stable they did go, with animals and hay, Hearing, “No room here, be on your way.”

Still, was he as bad as he is seen, Or was he kind and not really mean? Did he offer a hand when he did say, “No room here, begone and on your way?”

He’s a Scrooge, pre-Christmas conversion, At best, he’s the Grinch, biblical version. For we all know the inn keeper did say, “No room here, begone and on your way.”

He sent them away quickly, not seeing bright light, Glowing in the sky – foretelling a blest night. A birth taking place in a stable far away, Because he said, “Begone and on your way.”

The stable might have been given to them, Far better for birth than his crowed inn. With Baby due anytime that day, To a stable they were sent on their way.

Cold words for a couple with their baby due, He acted coldhearted – his words are cruel. He should have found room and let them stay, But said instead, “No room here, be on your way.”

The Baby was born, fulfilling prophecy, To save all people, not only you or me. A stable birth, on a manger of hay, Sent there with, “No room, now on your way.”

This Christmas, with songs of Christ’s birth, That help us celebrate with joy and mirth, They sing of the man who is said helps others, To remind us we are all sisters and brothers.

Is history wrong of that hospitality vendor? Was he just cruel, or was it help he did render? Sending them to a stable, the night to stay, With the words, “Begone and on your way.”

Of shepherds and kings, songs are written, Christmas sheep and doves keep us smitten. The innkeeper’s part is mean to portray, For he said, “No room here - on your way.”

The innkeeper gave shelter for Christ’s birth, Was he the first to practice the gospel verse? In helping strangers – they were not known to him, Is he the first in the Christmas story to act Christian?

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Friday, December 20, 2019 - Country Acres • Page 17

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Page 18 • Country Acres - Friday, December 20, 2019

Artistry in stitches Moening creates, teaches, inspires as award-winning quilter By SARAH COLBURN Staff Writer

PADUA – Sherri Moening paints an image with stitches, hundreds of thousands of stitches, crafting an intricate artistry with fabric as her canvas. Tears roll down her face as she talks about one of the pieces she created, a memorial to soldiers traveling long ago from Fargo, N.D. to Fort Snelling. The entire group, horses and all, froze to death and weren’t found until June of the next year. She paid tribute to them by creating a panel of black silhouette outlines in a cemetery with Van Gogh’s “Starry Night” above them. The piece took her seven months and when she wrapped up the project, she knew it needed just one more thing. A single red rose laid atop a gravestone. The labor of love is evident in her crackling voice, filled with raw emotion as

she talks about the importance of remembering the soldiers and their story. “I always put my heart into all of these pieces; it’s not just fabric laying down and making a design, it has to mean something to me,” Moening said. That piece was entered into a contest and ranked in the top half of entries worldwide. Another piece for the same contest tasked her with using Disney’s “The Lion King” as inspiration. For that piece she created a literal circle of life – affixing a piece from her father’s pocket watch, beads to represent a birth, a leaf in memory of her father-in-law, a “C” to represent her friend’s mother who turned 100 that year and a special bead in honor of a classmate who died of pancreatic cancer. When Moening looks at one of her complete works she sees the memories, she sees the people represented in the quilt and she remembers all the time

PHOTOS BY SARAH COLBURN

Sherri Moening sits with one of her masterpieces, an art quilt titled “Nature’s Splendor.” The purple feather running through just one corner of this quilt is comprised of 250,000 stitches. Moening creates the artistry using free motion, meaning she’s basically painting with stitches.

and effort it took her to get each piece just right. On any given weekday, and most Saturdays, Moening can be found working on her quilts from 9 in the

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morning until 4 in the afternoon. As she works, she takes occasional breaks, mixes in some housework and long-arms quilts for others in the community. She works in infinitely small stitches and details. One corner of a feather alone on her award-winning “Nature’s Splendor” quilt is created from more than 250,000 stitches, all

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done free motion using her machine to paint just what’s in her head. She spent two years stitching just by hand and bought a long-arm machine. Though her machine can create repeated stitching images, she prefers free motion, using creativity and artistry to add layer upon layer of detail. Moening created her first quilt in 2009 after visiting over lunch with a friend. After seeing her friend’s work, Moening said she was inspired. “It was artful, it wasn’t just squares, it wasn’t an ordinary quilt to me,” Moening said. “I didn’t know quilting involved pictures.” Moening, who’d always been a crafter, transforming gourds into snowmen and birdhouses, could hardly finish her first

project because she was excited to get to the next one – excited to play with textiles. “You can feel it, you can play with it, you can manipulate it, it’s not messy, it’s very satisfying and it will be around for a long time,” she said. “This is a treasure.” Moening, who lives just a mile-and-a-half from Padua, kept quilting, learning from friends who excelled at the artform. She took in every piece of information and followed it exactly; she can recall every instruction and she’s built on them through the years. Now, she teaches her skills to others. She rents space at First United Church of Christ in

MOENING continued on page 20

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Friday, December 20, 2019 - Country Acres • Page 19

Page 20 • Country Acres - Friday, December 20, 2019 MOENING continued from page 18 PHOTOS BY SARAH COLBURN

left: This piece, inspired by Van Gogh’s “Starry Night,” was part of a Cherrywood contest where Moening ranked in the top half of all projects submitted worldwide. This piece honors the soldiers and their horses that died traveling from Fargo, N.D. to Fort Snelling and weren’t discovered until the following June, having frozen to death on their journey.

abo above: This piece, inspired by Disney’s “The Lion King,” features fea not only images related to the movie but tokens that represent the people and things closest to Moening.

Sauk Centre, where she’s a member, and has opened a quilting op classroom. She teachclassro es ev everything from creating jelly roll rugs above: Moening discusses her “The Lion King” piece, a to table runners. She began Cherrywood contest piece. She by teaching what she reused the theme, Circle of Life, to create literally that out of charms she added to the panel: a gear from her father’s watch, a bead to represent a classmate who died of pancreatic cancer and another to represent a birth.

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fers to as a Snippets class. She gathered all the scraps from her projects and cut them into snippets to create other, smaller projects including wall hangings. “I want to pass it on because somebody gave it to me and it meant so much to me that I want to give it to them,” Moening said. “I love the ‘aha’ moment when you’re teaching and you don’t think you’re doing anything good and they get it.” She carries quilting supplies in her classroom, giving others easy access

MOENING continued on page 21

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Friday, December 20, 2019 - Country Acres • Page 21 MOENING continued from page 20 to some of the most used items without having to run to a craft store to find them. On any given Saturday there are as many as 10 machines in her classroom and ironing boards are set up in the hallway. The participants cut at the middle table and learn techniques from Moening. She teaches classes every Saturday October through December and then April through June. She also has a closed Facebook group that people can join where she has a Tips and Techniques Tuesday and Freaking Free Motion Fridays. Moening has earned a myriad of awards for her work. She regularly places in the top half of contests that garner hundreds of entries from around the world. In the Cherrywood competitions, of which Starry Night and The Lion

King were two, she placed in the top 200 of 400 entries and many of her works have gone on tour as part of a traveling Cherrywood exhibit. Cherrywood is a specific style of fabric purchased from a woman in Brainerd who hand dyes the fabrics and runs a contest with participants from as far away as Japan. Moening has placed in the top half of entries for four of their contests. Though she can whip together a gift quilt for a young couple’s wedding in less than a week, her art quilts can take as long as one-and-a-half years to complete. “I hope people see the beauty in it,” Moening said. “That they see the stitches, the work that I’ve done, the creativity. I hope they’re inspired by my quilting.”

PHOTO SUBMITTED

Sherri Moening (seated facing left) works at the center table in her quilting classroom, instructing students on the latest project set for the day.

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Sherri Moening looks over one of the Cherrywood artistry award books. Her work has ranked in the top 200 projects worldwide in four of the Cherrywood quilting contests. Many of her pieces have gone on tour throughout the world as part of the Cherrywood traveling exhibit.

Page 22 • Country Acres - Friday, December 20, 2019

COUNTRY COOKING

Biscuits ‘n’ Sausage Gravy • 3 cups self-rising soft wheat flour • 1/4 tsp. baking soda • 1 tsp. sugar

Stir together wheat, baking soda and sugar in a large bowl; cut in shortening with a pastry blender until mixture is crumbly. Add buttermilk, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Turn out onto a floured surface; knead 4 or 5 times. Roll dough to 3/4 -inch thickness; cut with a 2 1/2-inch round cutter. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake at 425 degrees for 12 minutes or until golden. Brush tops with melted butter. Split biscuits open and serve with Sausage Gravy (below).

Recipes submitted by

MAYDEAN PETERSEN

Sausage Gravy

Willmar Kandiyohi County

• • • •

• 1 egg • 1 Tbsp. lemon juice or vinegar • Water, cold

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Vanilla ice cream: • 2 cans (15 ounces) sweetened condensed milk • 4 cups whipping cream • 2 cups cold water

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla 3 eggs Whipped cream Chocolate curls

To above ingredients, add chocolate, melted in a double boiler, and mix well. (Vanilla is optional in chocolate ice cream.) Put in freezer and pack ice and salt around. Turn until firm. Tastes like Dairy Queen ice cream and doesn’t require eggs. Makes 2 quarts.

In small saucepan, melt chocolate. Cool. In large bowl, cream butter. Gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Blend in chocolate and vanilla. Add eggs one at a time, beating at medium speed for 5 minutes after each addition. Pour into cooled baked crust. Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving. Garnish with whipped cream and chocolate curls. Store in refrigerator.

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Brown sausage in a skillet, stirring until it crumbles. Drain, reserving 1 Tbsp. drippings in skillet. Set sausage aside. Add butter to drippings; heat over low heat until butter melts. Add flour, stirring until smooth. Cook 1 minute, whisking constantly. Gradually whisk in milk; cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until thickened and bubbly. Stir in seasonings and sausage. Cook, whisking constantly, until thoroughly heated. Yield 3 3/4 cups.

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Have recipes for the next edition of Country Acres? Contact Diane at diane@saukherald.com

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Friday, December 20, 2019 - Country Acres • Page 23 PHOTO BY JOHN BRIOL

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www.mmcjd.com 1 Offer valid for $750 off on all New John Deere X739 and X758 Signature Series Mowers Mowers purchased from a participating John Deere dealer between 3 December 2019 to 2 January 2020. Some restrictions apply, prices and models may vary by dealer. This can be combined with the regular installment options. Prices and savings are in U.S. dollars. 2 Offer valid on qualifying purchases made between 2 November 2019 to 2 March 2020. Subject to approved credit on a Revolving Plan account, a service of John Deere Financial, f.s.b. For consumer use only. No down payment required. Introductory rate of 0% APR is for 60 months only. Available at participating U.S. dealers. Prices and models may vary by dealer. Offers available on new equipment and in the U.S. only. Prices and savings in U.S. dollars. *The engine horsepower and torque information are provided by the engine manufacturer to be used for comparison purposes only. Actual operating horsepower and torque will be less. Refer to the engine manufacturer’s website for additional information. ** Term limited to years or hours used, whichever comes first, and varies by model. See the LIMITED WARRANTY FOR NEW JOHN DEERE TURF AND UTILITY EQUIPMENT at JOHNDEERE.COM. John Deere, the leaping deer symbol, and green and yellow trade dress are trademarks of Deere & Company.

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21st Century milkman Hagfors builds dairy delivery business By JENNIFER COYNE Staff Writer

ST. CLOUD â&#x20AC;&#x201C; In a world driven by technology, convenience and instant satisfaction, Brad Hagfors is hoping to make dairyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mark on this new era of consumers. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been called the Amazon of dairy and thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s really resonated with people,â&#x20AC;? Hagfors said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m providing an old-fashioned service in a modern way.â&#x20AC;? Hagfors is the owner of Dairy2U, a dairy foods delivery service based in St. Cloud. The business caters to households in the surrounding communities of Sartell, St. Joseph and Sauk Rapids. The entrepreneur works in partnership with local dairy farmer Grant Schoenberg and his Stony Creek Dairy, of Melrose. Customers order online what dairy products they would like delivered to their homes â&#x20AC;&#x201C; fluid milk varieties, heavy cream and butter. Customers may also order kitchen staples, such as locally sourced bread, eggs and pizza. Then, Hagfors receives the order and begins preparing it at his warehouse where it is later

PHOTO BY JENNIFER COYNE

Brad Hagfors is the owner of Dairy2U based in St. Cloud. Hagforsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; business delivers milk, butter and other dairy products to area customers.

picked up for delivery. Hagfors works with Food Dudes Delivery and also oversees central Minnesotaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s last milkman route. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I want to provide people

with a service to get what they need whenever they need it without going to the store and filling their carts with everything else,â&#x20AC;? Hagfors said. The Minnetonka native

started his food delivery business in September after working with a business coach to develop a plan that would best meet his intentions and the needs of the surrounding communities.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;We saw the time was now to do something like this,â&#x20AC;? Hagfors said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This is an area where families are busy but still want to eat healthy.â&#x20AC;? When Hagfors was put in contact with Schoenberg, he knew the dairy farmer was the ideal partner in the business venture. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This is the heartland of America and the heart of Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s farmers,â&#x20AC;? said Hagfors about central Minnesota. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I have such a passion for helping small businesses and encouraging people to shop local. With this business model, we could help a small farmer get back into the mainstream of consumers, and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a win-win for everyone.â&#x20AC;? The delivery business is centered on providing a product and service unlike any other retail store. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m not here to compete with the Cobornâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s or Walmart stores,â&#x20AC;? Hagfors said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Stony Creek has created a niche market with their product, and weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re here to work with that niche and expand it to a new area.â&#x20AC;? With the traditional milkman route, Hagfors is working with the former deliverymanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s customer base, trying to meet their expectations while also setting himself apart from the previous business owner. The entire venture has been a

HAGFORS continued on page 25

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Friday, December 20, 2019 - Country Acres • Page 25 HAGFORS continued from page 24 kind of a bugaboo,” Hagfors said. “There’s nothing to go by, no model to follow. I’m blazing a trail.” As a start-up business, there are many unknowns Hagfors is working through. He is fine-tuning prod-

PHOTO BY JENNIFER COYNE

Brad Hagfors packages an order at his warehouse in St. Cloud.

uct delivery with Schoenberg as the customer base is further established. Aside from working with perishable foods, Hagfors’ biggest challenge is adjusting to the technology, which is the center-point of his delivery service. Currently, customers are encouraged to order from the company’s website. Hagfors is developing a mobile app for ease of use and convenience, and also a subscription platform where customers could customize their orders repeatedly. “My forte is marketing and networking, but with today’s technology, it’s a whole different market of giving people exactly what they need,” Hagfors said. “I do believe it’s the future, and I can do it.” Since September, Hagfors has retained several customers and hopes to grow his following as the concept of home delivery is reintroduced in the communities. “It’s honestly been slower than I was hoping for,” Hagfors said. “It looked good on paper and makes sense, but you can’t make people buy things. I am very optimistic, though.” Hagfors plans to develop a promotion for his business – one that will help establish Dairy2U in

the area communities and provide another outlet for Schoenberg’s niche dairy enterprise. “I grew up by dairy farms, and I have a heart for farmers,” Hagfors said. “With Dairy2U, I’m literally helping farmers succeed by getting their product

into the hands of consumers. They won’t have to compete with big stores. They can provide local.” In the long run, as the dairy industry sees its own changes, Hagfors is hopeful he can be a part of that change for the better.

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Page 26 • Country Acres - Friday, December 20, 2019

Christmas Q&A What is your typical Christmas Day? I always spend Christmas Day with my family opening gifts and watching “A Christmas Story.” Of course, there’s always plenty of food as well.

Derek Schreiber Litch ield Place of business: Davis Motors Do you decorate for Christmas, and if so, what do you do? I actually put up a Christmas tree for the first time this year. I usually put up a wreath on the front door, too. What are your favorite Christmas traditions? I’ve always enjoyed getting together with family and friends and watching some of our favorite Christmas movies.

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How is Christmas different now than when you were young? Christmas always seemed all month long to me when I was younger. Now, it seems like the month flies by and Christmas is here and gone before you know it.

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What is your typical Christmas day? Get up and go to church in the morning, then come home and go help Dad with chores at the family dairy farm so we could celebrate Christmas in the afternoon, with the entire family.

pickle in the tree; reading “The Night Before Christmas;” watching as many Christmas movies I can especially, “The Grinch,”“Elf,”“Home Alone,” “Polar Express” and “The Family Stone.” I am also a fan of the Hallmark channel.

How is Christmas different now than when you were young? When I was little it was more about the presents. Now it is spending time with family and understanding the real meaning of Christmas.

What is your typical Christmas Day? Now that my kids are older they tend to sleep in a little later on Christmas morning so my husband and I like to get up early still and drink our coffee by the tree and our fireplace. Usually having the yule log on TV with Christmas music or watching “The Family Stone.” My kids will eventually get up and we open presents as a family. After we have our little family Christmas, we go to my parents’ house and celebrate with my brother and his family. We eat yummy food, open more presents and play family games.

Jacob Willenbring Richmond Place of business: What is your favorite Christmas memory? My favorite memory of Lake Henry Implement What is your favorite Christmas Christmas was my family’s first year Do you decorate for Christmas, memory? My favorite memory was playing a dice game and opening and if so, what do you do? No, when I was growing up, Christmas up cheap gag gifts. We laughed I do not decorate for Christmas. Eve we would hurry to get chores all night at some of the gifts we When I purchased my house, I done so that we could go to the opened. never felt a need to decorate, and 10 p.m. Christmas Mass, then this year with a 1 1/2-year-old son, after Mass we would stop by our If you could choose any gift the Christmas tree would be on the grandma’s house in Cold Spring for for Christmas, what would it ground more than standing up. The a Christmas cookie and visiting. be and why? I would love to get plan is to put up a tree next year. If you could choose any gift for some new woodworking tools for Christmas. It’s one of my hobbies What are your favorite Christmas, what would it be I truly enjoy doing, and some new Christmas traditions? Helping and why? Favorable weather and tools would make it that much bake Christmas cookies, which decent commodity prices for the better. includes sampling them when farmers in this upcoming year. With they come out of the oven. Family working with farmers, it would be supper on Christmas Eve. I’m great so see decent commodity looking forward to making more prices again so they can update family traditions with our son as he equipment and repair what they need to. After this growing season gets older. I don’t think I have to say a lot about asking for favorable weather.

Nicole Christopher Cokato Place of business: Kensington Bank Do you decorate for Christmas, and if so, what do you do? Yes, I love to decorate for Christmas. I love to add red and green touches all around my house. Every room in the house has a Christmas flare to it. Twinkle lights everywhere. My favorite decoration is my Christmas tree. I keep it simple with white lights, silver and gold bulbs and some pinecone ornaments mixed in. Downstairs my kids have their own tree with colored lights and all their homemade ornaments. What are your favorite Christmas traditions? My favorite traditions are decorating Christmas cookies with my family; going to Christmas Eve service; finding the

How is Christmas different now from when you were young? I have many more Christmases to go to now so it makes for a little more of a busier time. I appreciate all the work my parents did to make it a magical time of year with the fun things we did as a family and the traditions they kept alive from when they were little. Christmas was always magical for me as a child but it is so much more special being a parent and seeing their joy. Continued on page 27

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Friday, December 20, 2019 - Country Acres • Page 27

What is your favorite Christmas memory? It is hard to pick a specific memory. I think I would have to say, though, my favorite memory is just all the Christmases with my cousins. I still look back at my childhood Christmases as some of my fondest memories: when we were smaller playing with our new toys together; as we grew to teenagers looking at each other’s clothes and shoes; as we grew to adults, it was being able to have an adult beverage together and playing cribbage and different games. If you could choose any gift for Christmas, what would it be and why? I would choose the gift of time. To be able to make the holiday season last a little longer. My children are growing so fast and I just want to have them stay young for a little while longer.

What is your typical Christmas Day? Christmas Day for us is normally pretty jam packed trying to hit all sides of the family. Our family has continued to grow over the years and we do our best to spend time with everyone.

Rachel Moe Elbow Lake Place of business: Kensington Bank Do you decorate for Christmas, and if so, what do you do? Yes, Christmas is my favorite holiday to decorate for. We keep it pretty traditional with the Christmas tree, stockings, lights, lots of candles and Christmas music cranked all the way up. What are your favorite Christmas traditions? Food. I think holidays revolve around food and family, so with my mom we always have Galumpkis for our Christmas meal. It’s a Polish recipe that my mom grew up with and has now passed that tradition to us.

How is Christmas different now than when you were young? There definitely is a focus shift. As a kid, getting presents is fun and exciting, but now after some health issues in the family, really just being healthy and with family is all I can ask for.

Do you decorate for Christmas, and if so, what do you do? Yes, I love to decorate; always a real tree. I love lights added to my tabletop displays; I love Christmas fragrant candles during the season. What are your favorite Christmas traditions? My family always takes an evening to go out to a Christmas play and out to eat; it’s a dress-up occasion. And, making lefse.

How is Christmas different now than when you were young? It seems so much busier now than when I was young. It used to be more simple.

What is your favorite Christmas memory? As a child it was “Rudolph” on TV on a Friday night.

If you could choose any gift for Christmas, what would it be and why? As I get older it’s so Judy Imdieke much more about good health for New London my family and friends. Don’t get What is your typical Christmas Place of business: Day? We celebrate on Christmas me wrong – I like gifts, but your Three Sisters Furnishings Eve so our Christmas Day is a kick- priorities change. back day for us. What is your favorite Christmas memory? As long as I can remember, we’ve gone to the Christmas Eve Mass at our church. It’s just fun to see everyone dressed up and the church decorated. We also sang in the choir for many years. If you could choose any gift for Christmas, what would it be and why? This year if I could have anything it would definitely be to have my sweet nephew at home for Christmas. He has been at the U of M in the cities since he was born in August with some health issues and likely won’t be home until early 2020.

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