The Bookworm Sez

FARMHOUSE KITCHEN, from pg. 4

It wasn’t just visual. There were also oral and video histories which had been made by the Rock County Historical Society of the people who had served in the military. We watched the documentary, “The Fighter Pilot’s Story,” that Quentin Aanenson put together with his son-in-law in the early 1990’s. Mr. Aanenson produced and distributed this 90-minute documentary which includes real archive footage of the war. Aanenson talked candidly of the emotional and physical toll the war effort required from its soldiers. It is the documentary Ken Burns saw when he was doing his research on WWII. The museum doesn’t just focus on WWII. No, it Fyvie Rae Horne served in begins with the Civil War WW I. She died from com- because 70 percent of Rock plications of the Spanish County’s first settlers Influenza. were Civil War veterans. It showcases all the wars continuing through present day freedom fighters. It appears that freedom requires constant vigilance.

The museum is all about heroes — local heroes who gave of themselves so that we could enjoy pleasant days. We left the museum in a somber frame of mind with tears in our eyes. It is rather humbling to realize how much our freedom costs.

A few weeks later with the meaningful museum visit still uppermost in my mind, I was enjoying a draft horse show. There a man was wearing a t-shirt with these words: “Only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you: Jesus Christ and the American soldier. One died for your soul, the other for your freedom.”

In view of this truth, how then ought we to live our lives?

The Herreid Military Museum is located at 213 E. Luverne St. in Luverne, Minn. It is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The museum is closed on Sunday.

On a side note, on Oct. 22 we visited the Hospers Historical Museum in Hospers, Iowa for the first time. The museum is located in the basement of the Hospers Public Library. Everyone was very helpful and friendly.

The first thing we saw when we came down the elevator was their military display. Uniforms from the different military branches and wars were on mannequins. Many with names, photos and a short history of the men who wore them in service.

The display on LeRoy Poppema really caught my attention. In 1967, this Hospers native enlisted in the Viet Nam war. He was trained to be a hospital corpsman and was assigned to the Marines Corps unit. He was only 22 years old when he was killed by a mortar explosion while rendering aid to a wounded Marine. At an early age, he valued freedom At the Hospers Historical Museum a display of military uniforms through — not just for himself, but for others. the decades reminds us that freedom He expressed his needs constant vigilance. views in this essay while an eighthgrade student at the Hospers Christian School:

What Freedom Means to My Parents and Me

Kings have come and kings have gone, but the desire for freedom lingers on in the hearts of every one of our countrymen. The man of this bewildered world has always treasured freedom, but has often let freedom slip from his possession.

Freedom must be broad and deep, but it cannot be absolute and unlimited. It is also limited by the rights of the community and the general public. Liberty is not a license: We do not have the right to us use our freedom irresponsibly and unfairly, to injure other individuals to destroy their freedom and rights, or to endanger the welfare of a community as a whole. An important test of this maturity and responsibility is whether the individual citizen recognizes the moral and legal responsibility which

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goes along with exercise of his personal rights. We are obligated to exercise every right in such a way as not to interfere with another person’s exercising of the same rights.

If the bulk of Americans do not understand or abide by this essential obligation, this Golden Rule which accompanies the exercise of freedoms, the eventual penalty, could be the loss of all freedoms to all of us. Freedom means enjoyment, privileges which were hard fought for by our forefathers. With our freedom we are being able to worship God according to the dictates of our conscience. Thanks be yet to God that I have the right to worship God in the church of my liking.

I am still a respectable citizen of the state and I can be individualistic and I can still express, and I can write of my own accord that is without using slang.

In the name of decency I can use my freedom of fair trial. I am not told what to do LeRoy Poppema gave his life protecting freeby the government. I can dom for others. choose my own course. In short, we have a responsibility to use our freedom, to form associations in such a way that this right will aid the cause of protecting and broadening all human freedom. —LeRoy Warren Poppema

Renae B. Vander Schaaf is an independent writer, author and speaker. Contact her at (605) 530-0017 or agripen@live.com. v

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You had a sandwich for lunch again And then there’s dessert, maybe today. ice cream presented as spaghetti, If you had to estimate, you’ve eaten thousands of those things over the last five years. Chicken sandwiches. Sandwiches with lunch meat. Sandwiches with a burger. Vegetarian sandwiches. a dish Germans love; or blood candy from Russia, made of cow’s blood. Never mind; how about a stick of gum that proudly tastes like soap? Grilled cheese sandwiches, yeah, you But wait – you’re traveling, stand in line for the chance to sample “what may be the rarest pasta in the world.” Have a bowl of “Sumo Wrestler Stew,” knowing that no wrestlers were harmed in its creation. These foods would taste great when accompanied by bread baked in could be in a rut. So tomorrow, why not try something different? Read “Gastro Obscura” by Cecily Wong and Dylan Thuras, and see what else is on the menu. Let’s face it: part of the fun of travel is eating, and lots of it. Whether it’s authentic Thai THE BOOKWORM SEZ By Terri Schlichenmeyer remember? Yes, and while you’re out, you might take in a “Cow’s Head Barbecue” in Texas, a food tour of the Jim Crow South, lunch in Mumbai, chile school, or a Hollywood studio. food or locally-sourced fish, Mom’s secret gravy reci- sand or lava in Libya or the Solomon Islands, and Bon Appétit! pe or Grandma’s pies, half the appeal of travel is on perhaps some mustard pickles from Canada. a table somewhere, and why not? If you’re thirsty, how about a Irn-Bru from

Worst case scenario: you don’t like it but you tried. Scotland, a kind of soda with “.002 percent ammoniBest case scenario: the best meal ever. um ferric citrate.” A Mlíko, or “fluffy beer” from the

So why not start with something easy. On your Czech Republic might taste good, and “Naked Boy next journey, try Bovril, a “beloved” beef product Tea” doesn’t seem so bad when you know that it’s that’s sold as a paste in England. Go to Italy and not from a real boy. Stop waiting for political leaders

“Gastro Obscura: A Food Adventurer’s Guide” by Cecily Wong and Dylan Thuras c.2021m Workman Publishing $40.00 / $50.00 Canada 440 pages Crack open “Gastro Obscura” and you’ll notice a most curious thing: much of what you’ll read about will make your mouth water. Yes, there’s plenty to make you say “Eeeeeuuuww” and curl your lip here, but give authors Cecily Wong and Dylan Thuras a paragraph to change your mind. What they’ve dished up in this book are the kinds of foodstuffs that hosts in other countries Reducing CO2 must be a global effort would prepare for fancy company. Some of the dishes are ancient, passed down from generations of cooks; others are new versions of old meals similar LAND MINDS, from pg. 2 Total 3,534 to some you might already enjoy. You’ll find treats n And now ponder a bit on this question: How many coal-fired power plants are there in the world today? The European Union has 468 and is building 27 more — Total 495 That’s 5,615 projected coal powered plants in just eight countries. The United States has 15 and is building zero more for a total of 15. Whatever the United States does or doesn’t do won’t make a Tinker’s Dam regarding CO2 unless the rest of the world — especially China and India — reduce their coal-fired power plants as well. This for kids here, once-in-a-lifetime bucket-listers for discerning palates, and easy-to-learn comfort foods for young adults – and if you don’t believe that, there are some recipes you can try. Reading this book is like taking your stomach on a vacation, and no foodie should be without it. If you’re looking for an unusual something for the

Turkey has 56 and is building 93 more — Total 149 climate change and global warming debate is a fed- gourmand, “Gastro Obscura” is what’s for lunch. South Africa has 79 and is building 24 more — Total 103 India has 589 and is building 446 more — Total eral government power-grab to increase taxes and control of the privately-owned power industry of America. Look for the reviewed book at a bookstore or a library near you. You may also find the book at online book retailers. 1035 Philippines has 19 and is building 60 more — And now you have the rest of the story … just say ing. - The Bookworm is Terri Schlichenmeyer. Terri has been reading since she was 3 years old and never Total 79 Dick Hagen is the staff writer emeritus of The Land. goes anywhere without a book. She lives in

South Korea as 58 and is building 26 more — He may be reached at rdhagen35@gmail.com. v Wisconsin with three dogs and 10,000 books. v Total 84

Japan has 90 and is building 45 more — Total 135

China has 2,363 and is building 1,171 more —

GUEBERT, from pg. 3

centered on existing smaller cities” and “Reintegrate animal husbandry with food-cropping in keeping with sound soils management…”

All are “180 degrees from the capital intensive, growth-oriented ‘solutions’ supported by governments, corporations and international organizations” now in Glasgow that are “narrowly focused on climate change, a solitary symptom of economic overshoot” that “emerges from an economic vision … devoid of bio-physical insight.”

There is room for hope, though. The “tide may be turning. Increasing number of thoughtful citizens … recognize that the most effective stimulus for rapid social progress has always been popular resistance…”

In short, we need to stop waiting for political leaders to solve this problem. They’ve had more than 40 years and are still walking in circles in the Glasgow rain.

The Farm and Food File is published weekly through the United States and Canada. Past columns, events and contact information are posted at www.farmandfoodfile.com. v