Minnesota Prairie Roots

Today's Minnesota Prairie Roots' flowers come from the Faribault Farmers' Market. I photographed the bouquet there this past summer.

IT MAY BE COLD here in Minnesota with bone-chilling temperatures. But inside—and I mean inside the hearts of Minnesotans—warmth prevails.

With that thought, this week’s Minnesota Prairie Roots’ virtual Friday flowers go to a Paynesville woman who is giving generously to the American Cancer Society.

Meet Kathy Webb, creator of Mrs. Ed’s Seasoned Salt. Kathy has been making her specialty seasoning for 20 years and giving it to family and friends. Two years ago, though, she began selling the salt as a fundraiser for the Cancer Society, via Bloomers, a team in the Paynesville Relay for Life.

The seasoning sells at $6 for a 16-ounce bottle. Kathy and her husband, Ed, donate all of the ingredients, so every cent of seasoning sales goes to the Cancer Society.

I learned about Kathy this fall while working on a Christmas gifts feature about Minnesota-made/grown foods that published in the November/December issue of Minnesota Moments magazine. See www.minnesotamoments.com.

Just this week, Jason Davis from Minneapolis-based KSTP/Channel 5 did a segment on Kathy’s seasoning for his “On the Road” television show. And, yes, Jason got the story idea from my feature. He’s a faithful reader of Minnesota Moments. Here’s a link to Jason’s “Paynesville Woman Spices It Up for Charity”: http://kstp.com/article/stories/s1294760.shtml?cat=26

What particularly impresses me about Kathy is her positive attitude. You see, she’s been battling colon cancer and recently completed six months of chemotherapy.

She told me in an email this week, “I am feeling really good.”

To Kathy and those like her who give of themselves to help others, these Minnesota Prairie Roots’ Friday flowers celebrate you, your strength and your generous spirit.

Mrs. Ed's Seasoned Salt

Mrs. Ed’s Seasoned Salt is available at Bloom Coffee and Floral in Paynesville or directly from Kathy. Call (320) 243-4156 or e-mail mrsed@lakedalelink.net to order for $6 plus shipping. Also, check out the Web site: http://mrseds.us.

© Copyright 2009 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

(Seasoned salt image is courtesy of Mrs. Ed’s Seasoned Salt.)

I use new and vintage cookie cutters when making roll-out cookies for the holidays.

EVERY YEAR ABOUT THIS TIME, I pull out my tattered The Cook’s Special recipe book, published in 1973 by St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, Vesta, and turn to page 75.

At the top of the page, highlighted by a star and “delicious!” penned by my second daughter, Miranda, is my favorite holiday roll-out cookie recipe, Cream Cheese Cookies.

These rank as the decadent version of sugar cookies. Three ounces of cream cheese add the extra flavor that puts these cookies over the top.

This is my mom’s recipe and as much a part of my annual childhood tradition as the Sunday School Christmas Eve program at St. John’s.

For my oldest brother, Doug, I doubt there was anything sweeter than covertly dipping into the freezer for a roll-out cookie or two prior to Christmas.

On Tuesday, my son and I baked a batch of Cream Cheese Cookies. As I flattened mounds of dough, then rolled the dough nearly paper thin, I thought back to those years on the farm when my brothers and sisters and I imprinted cookie cutters into flattened sheets of dough.

Then, many decades later, I began the same holiday tradition with my children, with my girls first and then their brother. Sometimes I wondered, like my mom probably wondered, why I made roll-out cookies. This was time-consuming, messy work with flour everywhere–dusting kids, countertops and the floor.

One year, Miranda stuck a red hot candy up her nose, sending me into panic mode.

Cookie-baking is much less eventful these days. Yet, it’s still memorable. As my 15-year-old son and I worked together Tuesday afternoon stamping out and sprinkling colored sugar atop cookies, I delighted in the sweetness of the moment, of my teenager with the flour-covered hands continuing a decades-old family tradition.

I typically roll the dough as thin as possible.

Cream Cheese Cookies

½ cup butter

½ cup shortening

3 ounces cream cheese

1 cup sugar

1 egg yolk

½ tsp. vanilla

½ tsp. salt

2 ½ cups flour

Cream butter, shortening, softened cream cheese and sugar. Add egg yolk, vanilla and dry ingredients. Roll out very thin and cut with cookie cutters. Bake at 350 degrees for 5- 7 minutes. If cookie dough is thicker, bake longer.

All you need is colored sugar to add a festive touch to these cookies. Frosting would simply overpower their buttery, creamy flavor. Plus, simple is easier.

© Copyright 2009 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

My husband, Randy, blows snow off our driveway Wednesday morning. From the pie-shaped slice of snow, you can see how much of the white stuff fell in Faribault, Minnesota, during the past 24 hours or so.

Randy blows the feather-light snow.

“WE HAVE THE FOLLOWING cancellations and postponements,” the announcer for a Rochester radio station says. He then launches into a lengthy list that includes the Central Valley Co-op annual meeting, the Waseca Senior Center fashion show, the Medford choir concerts, grades two and three, and bingo at the Legion in New Richland.

Nearly every event scheduled for Tuesday evening in southeastern Minnesota has been impacted by the winter storm that brings “blowing snow, reduced visibility and difficult driving conditions.” The DJ repeats those words over and over again through-out the afternoon.

Now it’s Wednesday morning. Ten inches of snow and high winds make it clear that winter has arrived here in Faribault. My husband, who typically leaves for work at around 7 a.m., is blowing snow from our driveway and sidewalk and from a neighbor’s place. And it’s already nearly 10 a.m.

Our oldest daughter has called from the Twin Cities. Her battery light came on just as she got onto the interstate, headed from south Minneapolis to St. Paul this morning. Rather than turn around, she shut off the radio and heater and continued on. Now my automotive machinist husband will need to attempt an over-the-phone diagnosis, all the while praying she will make it home in tonight’s rush hour traffic.

Upstairs, my 15-year-old still sleeps, oblivious to all the stresses that come with a winter storm in Minnesota. I expect he’ll arise around noon.

In nearby Janesville, the ethanol plant, Guardian Energy, isn’t receiving corn today. In Northfield, the Orthopedic and Fracture Clinic won’t open until noon. So the postponements and cancellations continue.

This, folks, is winter in Minnesota.

© Copyright 2009 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

Winter drive between Faribault & Morristown, 2008.

Stocked up on eggs and milk.

Got gas for the snowblower.

Now waiting

for the winter storm.

Dreamed about a tornado.

Woke up

frightened.

No school?

he hopes.

Only a trace of snow.

Hopes dashed.

Maybe tomorrow.

Will we see wind-sculpted snowbanks by Wednesday here in southeastern Minnesota?

© Copyright 2009 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

WW II veterans remembered at a veterans' memorial in Hirdler Park in Shieldsville, Rice County, Minnesota.

A FEW YEARS AGO, my mom and I were discussing Pearl Harbor. I was interested in hearing about her reaction to the Japanese attack that launched our nation into WW II. Even though she was only nine at the time, my mom remembers her fear.

I recall her very clearly saying that, for all she understood, the attack could have been as near as Marshall. That’s how small her world was back then, confined to the familiar surroundings of the Redwood County farm where she grew up. Marshall lies only 30 some miles to the west. She had no idea that Pearl Harbor was an ocean away from her Minnesota prairie home.

Such remembrances interest me because they tell the personal side of history that statistics and broader, general stories can never reveal.

Rhody, a WW II vet from Rice County, Minnesota.

A few weeks ago, I met a WW II veteran from Rice County. I won’t delve into the details of how I met him (that’s another story), but this 91-year-old man impressed upon me the horrors of WW II.

Rhody and I didn’t talk specifically about the Pearl Harbor attack, but rather we briefly touched on the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, Japan. He pulled out a stash of black-and-white photos and, one by one, handed over prints that showed utter and total devastation of the Japanese landscape.

“We cleaned up the mess in Nagasaki,” Rhody tells me as I gingerly handle the images.

“What do you mean?” I ask, not quite understanding, or maybe not wanting to understand.

“We cleaned up the rubble,” Rhody says. “There were too many dead people.” And that is all he will say about those who died. I don’t press him.

But I wonder about the child-sized Japanese sandals made of woven reeds or grasses that he has shown me earlier.

I follow up with one more question. “What about going into the area?”

He recalls the words of his sergeant: “It could be radioactive, but you gotta go in anyway.” And so that is Rhody’s story. He did what he must do for his country.

Howard, a WW II veteran from Kenyon, Minnesota.

Several months earlier, I met another WW II veteran, Howard. He was driving his patriotically-decorated 1950s vintage Chevrolet pickup truck through downtown Kenyon when I caught up with him just outside the local VFW.

Howard served in the U.S. Army, in the China Burma India Theater, and is a member of the Kenyon Veterans’ Color Guard. We didn’t talk about WW II. But rather, I admired this veteran’s proud display of patriotism in the American flags and the “Support Our Troops” sign adorning his truck. (See my August 24 post, “WW II vet supports troops.”) Howard’s love of country and his appreciation for freedom touched me.

WW II veterans honored at the Northfield Area Veterans Memorial in Riverside Lions Park, Northfield.

Today, on this the 68^th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, take time to honor WW II veterans like Howard and Rhody. And remember those 3,500 Americans who were killed or wounded on American soil on December 7, 1941.

© Copyright 2009 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

An alstroemeria bouquet from my husband.

OCCASIONALLY MY HUSBAND, Randy, gives me flowers, just because.

He needs no reason, of which I’m aware, to purchase a clutch of flowers from the grocery store. I find that incredibly thoughtful and, well, just plain wonderful.

There’s nothing fancy about these bouquets, which I must cut and arrange in a vase. But that matters not. I delight in this unexpected gift.

Last night, as Randy carried in bags of water softener salt from the grocery store, he also carried in a triple-wrapped plastic bag of lovely, mauve alstroemeria.

As I snipped the stems, I considered how blessed I am to have this man as my husband, this man who, after a long, hard week of work, still thinks to bring home flowers on a Friday night. Just because.

© Copyright 2009 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

IN THIS SEASON that embraces the spirit of giving, Minnesota Prairie Roots this week honors an organization and individual doing exactly that, giving. They are among recipients of this week’s virtual Friday flowers.

Read on to learn about these two selections and about the others chosen for this every-Friday feature. Minnesota Prairie Roots’ December 4 virtual flowers go to:

An endless summer hydrangea mophead photographed this past summer in my backyard.

The Faribault Emerald Dance Team, a Faribault Senior High School-based danceline, that Thursday evening collected donations for the local food shelf prior to a public performance. After watching these young women perform their high energy routines, I can understand why they are state champions. I applaud their athletic prowess and their efforts to help those in need.

Ruth Klossner, editor of The Lafayette Nicollet Ledger and a lover of all things bovine. From 4 p.m. – 6 p.m. this Sunday, December 6, Ruth opens her Cow Collector’s Moo-seum to the public for an annual holiday open house. Her collection of everything “cow” currently numbers 13,648 and fills all 12 rooms of her Bernadotte home. Bernadotte lies just northeast of New Ulm. Don’t worry. The town is so small you’ll have no problem finding the Moo-seum. I must also tell you that Ruth is one of the hardest working small-town journalists I know. Her passion for rural Minnesota and community journalism shows in her dedication, enthusiasm, writing and photography.

My friends Lois and Randy, who became grandparents this week to Kaleb Michael. The proud new grandma e-mailed photos of the adorable little guy. He looks just like his dad, Lois says. She also tells me that Kaleb is the third boy born to three cousins in a week. I’m smitten with her grandson’s name, a personal favorite as I too have a Kaleb, but Caleb with a “C.” He’s my son, though, not my grandson.

Students at Faribault Senior High School who signed banners accepting the five challenges of Rachel Scott. Rachel died in the 1999 Columbine High School massacre. (See my November 5 post about Rachel’s Challenge.) Among Rachel’s five challenges: “Start a chain reaction of love, kindness and compassion in your family and community.” FSHS students, I trust that every time you walk beneath those banners in the school cafeteria, you are reminded of the challenges you accepted. So much good can come from following Rachel Scott’s ideals.

© Copyright 2009 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

SNOW IS FALLING lightly in Faribault, covering the grass, sidewalks and roads with a veil of white.

Up until a few minutes ago, I was not all that pleased with winter’s definitive arrival.

But then I saw something that transformed my dismal attitude. Across the street, a child, snuggled inside a snowsuit in the palest of pink and accented with a rose-colored scarf and mittens, laid down on the sidewalk.

This little girl looked upward as snow drifted gently from the heavens. Then she moved her legs and arms swiftly back and forth, back and forth.

Although I could not see her creation, I knew this cherub had left her angelic imprint upon the freshly-fallen snow.

In that moment, I welcomed winter with the heart of a child.

© Copyright 2009 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

THIS YEAR I THOUGHT I had it all figured out. I would keep my Christmas cactus in a darkened and cool upstairs bedroom until about mid-November. Then I would lug the plant downstairs to the bright, warm living room and wait for fuchsia blossoms to magically appear, preferably around December 25.

But, alas, the plan failed. By early November, hints of pink tipped the ends of the cactus. So I hauled the succulent down the steps and soon the first flower appeared.

What was going on? Last year I waited too long, until after Thanksgiving, to transfer the cactus from the dark, cool upstairs to the warmth and brightness of the main floor. The plant didn’t bloom until mid-January.

So, logic told me to move the cactus sometime in mid-November and then await bud development. But, Mother Nature had other plans.

I can only deduce that the cooler than normal summer and the cool, wet fall tricked my Christmas cactus into thinking Thanksgiving was Christmas.

© Copyright 2009 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

The downtown Minneapolis skyline as seen from the windshield of our family car on Thanksgiving evening.

I ABSOLUTELY AM NOT a city girl. For years, even the thought of going up to or through “the Cities,” meaning Minneapolis and St. Paul and adjoining suburbs, has unnerved me. I dislike the traffic, the tall buildings, the cement, the busyness that overloads my senses.

But slowly, I am coming around, and I have my oldest daughter to thank. She now lives in south Minneapolis and works in St. Paul. That means trips to “the Cities” have been more frequent, although I still don’t go there all that often.

On Thanksgiving, my family and I were driving home from Champlin when, much to even my surprise, I looked toward the downtown Minneapolis skyline to my left and proclaimed it beautiful. My other daughter, who was sitting in the backseat, wasn’t sure she’d heard me correctly.

Yes, I repeated, the setting sun was bathing the buildings in an ethereal glow nothing short of stunning. Wanting to capture the image, I struggled to pull my camera from the camera bag at my feet. But by then, my husband was already driving down a hill and the picturesque moment was lost. So I imprinted the image in my memory and shot a few frames anyway.

I snapped this image as we drove under a freeway overpass near downtown Minneapolis.

A slow shutter speed produced this surreal image of the downtown Minneapolis skyline through the windshield of our moving car Thanksgiving evening.

SEVERAL DAYS LATER, I shared with an uncle, who lives in south Minneapolis, how much our family enjoyed a recent visit to St. Paul. We toured the Capitol, the Minnesota History Center and the Cathedral of Saint Paul. I took in a musical at The Ordway.

“Mom likes the Cities,” my second daughter interjected, somewhat sarcastically I thought.

“St. Paul doesn’t seem like a big city to me,” I quickly clarified lest anyone misunderstand.

Then my uncle suggested I come up to Minneapolis and tour the American Swedish Institute which, he explained, is decorated in the Swedish tradition for the holidays.

It sounds tempting. “Can I take pictures there?” I asked. That can be a determining factor in whether I am willing to go to “the Cities.”

Crazy, huh? But, at heart, I’m still a Redwood County farm girl who prefers fields and wide open spaces to concrete and crowded buildings.

© Copyright 2009 Audrey Kletscher Helbling