Minnesota Prairie Roots

Thursday night concert in Central Park, Faribault

I’ll be the first to tell you I’m not much of a musician. In fact, I can’t even read a note.

Not that I didn’t want to learn about music. As a child, I longed to play the piano. But our family had no extra money for a piano, let alone room in our cramped 1 ½- story farm house for the space-hogging instrument.

Instead, I got a toy accordion for Christmas one year and practically played the keys right off the squeeze box. I didn’t need to learn notes; I had a cheat sheet to guide my fingers.

Despite my lack of musical knowledge, I savor music, like that which fills Central Park in Faribault nearly every Thursday night during the summer. For years, my husband and I loaded up the lawn chairs and the kids for the weekly “Concerts in the Park” series. Now it’s just my husband and me, and the lawn chairs.

You can read about our recent concert experience in a blog, “Listening to the blues, savoring the moments in Central Park,” posted on the Midwest Mix Magazine website, http://www.midwestmixmagazine.com/.

I’ll be writing occasional blogs for this free-distribution southern Minnesota arts magazine which debuted with the July/August issue.

You can view the entire magazine online or pick up a copy. Check the website for locales. This magazine is packed with stories centering on the artistic side of southern Minnesota—an interview with a St. Peter poet, a feature on an up-and-coming young blues singer from Sleepy Eye, an article about Fieldstone Vineyards near Morgan, book and music reviews and more.

Even two stories by me, about fellow folk blogger Beth Johanneck (and her friend Melanie Dunlap) and about Berne Swissfest, grace the pages. I encourage you to check out Midwest Mix Magazine. And visit Beth’s blog, http://countrymouse.blogharbor.com/. She, like me, grew up in southwestern Minnesota. Beth’s prairie roots show in her down-to-earth writing and photography.

That said, take time this summer to attend an outdoor concert, even if you can’t read a musical note or carry a tune.

My office, where I create and write.

Thanks to you, my readers, views of Minnesota Prairie Roots blogs have reached nearly 600 in two weeks.

That’s small potatoes in the blogging realm, but to me personally, it’s a good feeling to know that others appreciate my writing and photography.

Honestly, there is nothing I would rather do than write.

And although I’ve always done photography as a part of my writing (editors like writers who can also shoot photos), I’ve gotten into the art a lot more since acquiring a digital camera. With no film or costs to worry about, I shoot endlessly, from journalistic and artistic perspectives.

But back to blogging. I’ve grown to love this writing style more than any other as I blog from the viewpoint of a journalist, with a personal touch.

Blogging has taught me to truly “see” everything by fully engaging my senses. I observe the sights, the sounds, the smells, sometimes even the taste and touch, of my world. And then, I infuse that into my writing.

From a purely mechanical angle, my writing has improved as I strive to find the right words—the strongest verbs, a creative phrase, a concise sentence, a zinger ending—to share my stories. When I’ve nailed it, I know it, and this gives me great pleasure.

Blog ideas fill my head. They are everywhere, as close as my backyard or half way across the state. I lug my camera most places, except to the grocery store (and sometimes I wish I had taken it there), medical appointments and church. I’ve missed some great photo opportunities when I’ve left my camera at home. So now I just grab it on my way out the door.

A notebook and pen are always as close as my purse, jeans pocket or camera bag. Sometimes I even get up at night to jot down an idea or a phrase that has popped into my brain when I can’t sleep.

I love this craft called writing.

Thank you, my readers, for embracing Minnesota Prairie Roots. Submit your thoughts and comments. I value your voice. And please tell others about my blog.

I promise to continue writing with a passion, sharing stories and photos that entertain and inform, and that give you a renewed appreciation for the world around you.