Blog Posts - Fly Over Country Scribe

Fly Over Country Scribe

Frozen Sun and Cold Moon Madness

1/21/2019

Even as daytime temperatures are around zero, fishing continues. Most fishing takes place in a somewhat indoor environment, as fisherman create a mini-warm place on the ice where they can coax a winter meal of fish through an eight inch hole in the lake.

Tonight the full moon is called the Wolf Moon. It is truly the season of the canine predator as the coyotes howl in the distance and fishermen leave the lake as it creaks and groans in the otherwise silent winter night.

Glacial Ridge Growers at the Northern Green Conference

1/18/2019

We have already seeded many of the plants for the spring of 2019. A couple of days at the Convention Center in Minneapolis to visit with customers and talk about what is new and green for the coming gardening season.

The days may be short and cold, but now we have turned the corner and are headed into spring; the inevitable hope for warm green days springs into our hearts once again.

To learn more about Glacial Ridge Growers, visit out website at www.glacialridgegrowers.com

The Night of the Great Leaving-A Reflection on the Book “God in a God-Forsaken Land”

1/8/2019

A cold crescent moon reflected on the small lake on a November night in 1874. The little lake near August Hertwig’s cabin was rimmed with early ice. Frozen glass-like shards created tiny fairy-sounds along the ever-widening glaze around the margins of the shore.

The waterfowl which had been August’s vocal friends for the summer, took flight in the moonlight, heading south. Silence permeated the scene now; the great leaving struck a sudden loneliness in the solitary pastor’s heart. The power of the Word gave comfort as winter closed in on his new home: “Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted.” Psalm 25:16

The ‘Dog Days’ of Winter-File for Unemployment

1/5/2019

Our pheasant hunting season ended on the last day of December. My hunting dog immediately filed for unemployment. He will enjoy leisurely days lying in the sun on his rug. Despite the end of the hunting season, the pheasants will face their most dangerous time of the year, trying to survive the snow, cold, and predators of a vicious Minnesota winter.

Voices of the Angels.

12/16/2018

Once again thy gathered together, just as in generations past.

The salt of the earth, the pillars of our little community came to be led by the children. Once again the children told the greatest story ever told. They led us all to a lowly stable an there proclaimed the birth that changed the world. Echoing the songs of angels, they sang, and we could not distinguish them from the voices from on high, heard by shepherds long ago.

Another Holiday on Ice.

11/23/2018

After a late ice-out last April, our lakes are again frozen over in November.

We have experienced just six months of ice-free lakes and are now again walking on water. Another rare ice-fishing Thanksgiving has just arrived. Both Easter and Thanksgiving were holidays on ice.

Holidays tend to be spent on the water in this part of Flyover Country, one way or the other. At least the Fourth of July required the use of a boat.

The Colorful Season.

8/6/2018

Summer Is Indeed The Colorful Season.

From the Gulf Panhandle of Florida to New Orleans, to the Missouri Arboretum in St. Louis, the color never stops.

Of course Minnesota tops off the Flyover colors with the frequent, incredible sunsets, the fish we catch, and the crops now maturing in the sun. The colorful and uplifting narrative of “God in a God-Forsaken Land” reminds us that the 1870s in western Minnesota were also brightly painted and exciting.

Sometimes Farming is for the Birds.

7/7/2018

I have been planting food plots for pheasants and other wildlife.

Locating these plots near areas of good wildlife habitat will put food close to protective cover. Meanwhile the pollinator plants are thriving in these areas as well; bees and butterflies are evident.

Although the Canadian thistle is not a welcome addition to most farms, the gold finches seem to like them as they begin to nest. They eat the thistle seeds and use the down in their nests. Sometimes farming is truly for the birds! And bees. A good summer read is “God in a God-Forsaken Land.” Find out a bit more of what this land was like in the 1870s.

Summer Re-Boot.

7/1/2018

Summer gives us a time to re-boot.

Recent summer rains necessitated a re-boot to launch a boat at a local lake. Living bouquets abound as native flowers co-mingle in beautiful, natural arrangements in their chosen habitats. We change our thinking that all flower displays need to be picked and arranged. The full moon brings abundant spawning sunfish to the table; a delicacy I once thought was only available in springtime.

We writers find the long evenings much too nice to confine ourselves to a computer careen. A good old fashioned notebook and pencil, out on the deck or even on the water seems a better choice now.

The Faces of Summer.

6/27/2018

It is now officially summer.

The beautiful and unassuming faces of summer surround us. Wild flowers bloom in quiet succession. Our canine friends wonder why they are so suddenly hot and lackadaisical.

I also ponder Pastor Herwig’s first summer in Minnesota in 1874. The beauty and wonder of a new land opened before him as he touched the souls of rugged pioneers. “God in a God-Forsaken Land,” takes the reader to the very roots of Flyover Country.