It’s only mid-June and I’m to the point where I feel I’ve already been through a full year of ups and downs.
I was talking with our editor, Karen Jorgensen last week and we were recounting the significant things that have happened since January 1, 2020.

For the past several weeks, well okay maybe months already, I have felt like a shaggy dog. There have been days where I have felt like hiding and not showing my face any where. It seems my hair is growing out of control and there is no one around to take care of my problem. For those who know me, I typically sport a fairly short hair style. But ever since the coronavirus hit, all bets were of for keeping a trim look.

A sure sign of life beginning to normalize in Kasson is the number of cars parked on Main Street. During the months of COVID-19 shutdown, the number of cars parked on the street was quite bleak. There were a few employees using the wide-open spots, but virtually no shoppers were going into salons, restaurants or the license bureau. The laundromat, grocery store and the liquor store were some exceptions along with the newspaper office.)

A major highlight of my summers ever since growing up on the farm has been the county and state fairs. Ever since I can remember, I have been involved with a fair in some shape or form.
One of my first memories is showing pigs at the county fair. I still remember showing a champion hog and having my picture in the local newspaper. You would have thought I won the lottery as I had so much excitement built up within.

After several years of living south of the Mason-Dixon Line, my wife and I were enamored with the thunder boomers, lightning crashes and the wall clouds that moved through the area last week. It reminded us of the severe weather we experienced while living in Arkansas and Missouri, the heart of Tornado Alley.

This past week I had the pleasure to interview a woman who turned 107 years old on Sunday.
My only regret with this story is that I didn’t get to personally meet Elrose Milverstedt, who grew up in Dodge County and now lives in Owatonna. Knowing that social distancing requirements are in effect right now with long-term care facilities, we arranged for a phone interview.