Minnesota Prairie Roots

Celebrating the value of virtues at family event in Faribault June 26, 2019

Filed under: Uncategorized — Audrey Kletscher Helbling @ 5:00 AM
Tags: events, family, Family Fun Night on the Virtues Trail, Faribault, Heritage Bluff Park, Minnesota, The Virtues Project Faribault, virtues, words

One of the virtues posted along the Virtues Project Trail, Faribault. Minnesota Prairie Roots file photo August 2018.

WORDS HOLD POWER. Positive or negative. The words we choose to speak—because we really do choose—can heal or hurt. Uplift or defeat. Encourage or discourage. Unite or separate. Words unspoken, meaning silence, hold the same power.

We all understand that, even if we choose to ignore the importance of words and simply say or write whatever we please, no matter the effect on others.

Loved in three languages. Minnesota Prairie Roots file photo August 2018.

Here in my community, a year-old public art installation showcases the value of words in 10 mirrored signs showcasing 20 virtues. Because Faribault is a diverse community, those virtues are written in three languages—English, Spanish and Somali. Honesty, kindness, patience, tolerance and more banner the mirrors.

One of 10 mirrored signs along a trail that runs next to train tracks and the Straight River in Faribault’s Heritage Bluff Park. Minnesota Prairie Roots file photo August 2018.

The Virtues Project Faribault, part of a worldwide Virtues initiative, aims to unite people. And what a creative way to do that through those strong and positive words posted along a trail in Heritage Bluff Park.

Those most active in promoting virtues here in my southern Minnesota community have done, and are doing more, than simply posting artsy signs along a riverside trail in the central downtown area. On three Wednesday evenings this summer, organizers are hosting Family Fun Night on the Virtues Trail. The first happens this evening, Wednesday, June 26, beginning at 5:30 p.m. and ending at 7:30 p.m.

The event features something for all ages: music, games, Virtues Theater performances, face painting, crafts, storytelling, other creative activities and more, according to promotional information. The second two fun nights will be on July 31 and August 28.

Here’s how it works… Minnesota Prairie Roots file photo August 2018.

I realize many of you live nowhere near Faribault. But I hope you will take time to reflect on virtues and the power words hold. Use/choose your words wisely, recognizing that your words hold power to heal or hurt, uplift or defeat, encourage or discourage, unite or separate.

THOUGHTS?

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In rural southern Minnesota: Peonies & wine June 19, 2019

Filed under: Uncategorized — Audrey Kletscher Helbling @ 5:00 AM
Tags: Aspelund, Aspelund Peony Gardens, Aspelund Winery, flowers, peonies, rural landscape, rural Minnesota, Wanamingo, wine, winery

UNDER INTERMITTENT GREY SKIES, fragrant blossoms of pink, burgundy, coral, rose and more popped brilliant color into the landscape at a rural Minnesota winery which doubles as a peony business.

On the deck at Aspelund Winery. Minnesota Prairie Roots file photo 2018.

Within miles of the winery, the beautiful landscape of southern Minnesota.

If you love the showy and elegant peony, appreciate good wine and delight in the quiet of a countryside location, Aspelund Winery and Peony Gardens (outside Aspelund and to the northwest of Wanamingo) is a must-visit. Randy and I met friends there Sunday afternoon to view the peony fields and to sip raspberry and apple wines.

It was exactly what I needed—to relax in a beautiful natural setting accented by peonies. There’s still time to tour the farm between noon and 5 p.m. on Saturday or Sunday to see the peonies before their brief blooming season ends. (Check Facebook for updates.)

Co-owner Dawn Rohl wears a peacock pin on her denim jacket. The peacock is the winery symbol/mascot.

Minnesota Prairie Roots file photo.

Co-owners Bruce and Dawn Rohl greet visitors to their hilltop location with the welcoming warmth of long-time friends. They are a salt-of-the-earth and knowledgeable couple who work hard to grow magnificent peonies and craft tasty wine. I recommend Rascal Red, a raspberry wine. Below the tasting room, the Rohls develop their wines, the newest an in-progress asparagus wine made from asparagus grown near the vineyard.

The list of peonies available for purchase.

During our visit, flower lovers meandered among the peonies, some selecting bushes to buy and pick up to plant in the fall. Soon Bruce will sell his hybridized peonies lining the entry to the tasting room.

Whether you’re serious about peonies or wine, or simply appreciate both, this rural Goodhue County winery and peony gardens rate as a unique, enjoyable and ideal way to spend an afternoon in a stunning rural setting among friends. Be sure to pet Rascal, the family dog who can open the door to the tasting room.

FYI: The winery is located at 9204 425th Street, rural Wanamingo (just outside Aspelund). If you take Minnesota State Highway 60 between Kenyon and Wanamingo, you will see a sign directing you to Aspelund, which is basically a church, a town hall and a farm site. Click here to read previous posts I’ve written on the winery and gardens.

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Poetic & healing thoughts inspired by a walk through River Bend June 4, 2019

Filed under: Uncategorized — Audrey Kletscher Helbling @ 5:00 AM
Tags: Faribault, Minnesota, nature, nature center, nature photography, outdoors, photo essay, photography, River Bend Nature Center, the outdoors

RIVER BEND NATURE CENTER in Faribault offers a respite from reality, a place to envelope one’s self in nature by walking the wooded trails or the open prairie.

Here, within this place, nature writes poetry.

I read poetic words in signage and flowers and greenery.

In sky and landscape and vistas.

If I walk too quickly, I miss the poetic lines, the nuanced words that create a rhythm of peace in a chaotic world.

It takes discipline to slow down, to notice the descriptive details that hug the earth, that scent the air, that hide within the natural colors of the world.

How often do we as humans choose to hurry through our days, oblivious to those around us? I challenge each of you to slow down, to pause in the busyness of life and look outside yourself and your lives. See your co-worker. See your friend. See your neighbor. See your family member. Then reach out. Connect. Support. Rain your poetry of love upon others.

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At a rural Minnesota flea market, a photo essay June 3, 2019

Filed under: Uncategorized — Audrey Kletscher Helbling @ 5:00 AM
Tags: flea market, Minnesota, photo essay, photography, recycle, Rice County Steam & Gas Engine Flea Market, rural Dundas, second-hand, swap meet, vintage

Flea markets often theme to location. At the Rice County Steam & Gas Engines Swap Meet & Flea Market, you’ll find a lot of agricultural merchandise.

LONG BEFORE RECYCLING, upcycling and repurposing emerged in popularity, hand-me-downs existed. Clothing, furniture and more passed down from person to person. Especially among farm families. Ask my sister and she will tell you about my horrible fashion sense and how she had to wear the bad choices I made in clothing. She followed me in birth order.

Fast forward to today and I still appreciate previously-used items. I don’t need the latest fashion off the rack because I still don’t much care about fashion. Give me jeans and a t-shirt.

I prefer sturdy, well-crafted furniture to new. I like vintage drinking glasses, bowls, tablecloths, art… I prefer vintage stuff to new. I appreciate the craftsmanship, the novelty, the memories, the uniqueness.

For those reasons, I delight in flea markets, garage and yard sales, and thrift stores. I don’t shop them as often as I once did because I really don’t need more stuff. Even so, it’s fun to poke around.

To filter through the odd and practical merchandise. The memories.

Crafted by J & J Glass Art (Jeff & Jane Peterson) of Austin.

To appreciate the work of artisans.

To chat with the vendors.

Here in Minnesota, pop-up second-hand shops—the term seems fitting for all those garage and yard sales and flea markets—have launched for the season.

If you’ve never embraced second-hand, I’d suggest you reconsider. Maybe you’ll develop an affinity for this alternative shopping option. Or maybe you’ll decide you want nothing to do with the current trend.

Whatever your perspective, enjoy my photo essay of the spring Rice County Steam & Gas Engines Flea Market held in rural Dundas on Memorial Day weekend. Let this inspire you to think beyond new, to consider the value in previously-owned.

TELL ME: Do you shop second-hand? If yes, why and what treasures have you discovered?

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From Faribault: The golden hour of evening photography in spring May 30, 2019

Filed under: Uncategorized — Audrey Kletscher Helbling @ 3:43 PM
Tags: Cannon River, city parks, Faribault, geese, May evening in Minnesota, Minnesota, nature, North Alexander Park, outdoor photography, outdoors, photography, rivers, spring, Straight River, the golden hour of photography, Two Rivers Park

A view of South Alexander Park from the shores of the Cannon River in North Alexander Park.

THE GOLDEN HOUR. Those three words hold great meaning to anyone into photography. It is the 60 minutes after sunrise and the 60 minutes before sunset—the time when natural light lends a softness to images.

A lone mallard swims in the quiet waters of the Cannon River in North Alexander Park.

Recently, I grabbed my camera to photograph early evening spring scenes at two Faribault city parks—North Alexander and Two Rivers. The results show the beauty of incredible natural light in making a photo.

Enjoy.

The converging of the Cannon and Straight Rivers at Two Rivers Park.

A nearly camouflaged bird along the banks of the Cannon River, North Alexander Park.

In the still of a beautiful May evening. trees reflect in the Cannon River as seen from North Alexander Park.

Lots of geese populate the Cannon, including this young family photographed in North Alexander Park.

The historic Faribault Woolen Mill sits along the Cannon River, photographed here from North Alexander Park.

Reflections at Two Rivers Park.

Picnic tables placed along the Cannon River in North Alexander Park (next to the recreational trail) provide riverside dining.

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Memorial Day reflections May 24, 2019

Filed under: Uncategorized — Audrey Kletscher Helbling @ 5:00 AM
Tags: holiday, Korean War, Memorial Day, memories, war, Warner Press

A veteran salutes during the Memorial Day Program at Faribault’s Central Park. Minnesota Prairie Roots file photo.

IN THE BUSYNESS of this holiday weekend, please take time to remember the real reason for Memorial Day. It is about honoring the men and women who died in service to our country.

I direct you to a blog post I wrote for Warner Press and which published earlier this week. Click here.

My dad carried home a July 31, 1953, memorial service bulletin from Sucham-dong, Korea. In the right column is listed the name of his fallen buddy, Raymond W. Scheibe.

Read about my dad’s war memories in a shoebox and how he kept the faith on the battlefields of Korea. Read, too, about his buddy Ray, who died there.

Pause. Reflect. Honor. That is the essence of Memorial Day. Not the start of summer.

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Make way for geese May 22, 2019

Filed under: Uncategorized — Audrey Kletscher Helbling @ 5:00 AM
Tags: Cannon River, Faribault, geese, Minnesota, nature, parenting

THE LITERARY SIDE of me wants to write Make Way for Ducklings as the title of this post in reference to Robert McCloskey’s children’s picture book.

But that would prove inaccurate. These water fowl are geese, not ducks. And they were swimming in the choppy waters of the Cannon River several days ago on their way to wherever.

That they paddled a safe distance from me eased any concerns about an attack. I stood along the shoreline, amazed at these determined geese, amazed at the natural instinct of parents to shelter, guide and protect their young. A lot, I thought, like us human parents.

THOUGHTS?

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Spring photos, spring thoughts May 20, 2019

Filed under: Uncategorized — Audrey Kletscher Helbling @ 5:00 AM
Tags: Dundas, leaves, May, Minnesota, outdoors, seasons, spring, thoughts

THE LEAFING OF SPRING.

That string of four words defines May in Minnesota. In the past several weeks, I’ve watched buds form on trees, then unfurl into a canopy of mostly green. But also other hues.

Until you’ve lived through a cold and snowy winter like we did, I doubt you can fully appreciate the magnificence of this season, of viewing these days like a child at play.

The green of spring appears brilliant. Intense. An incomparable green that locks my eyes onto a lush landscape.

I almost can’t stop looking, taking it all in. This spring. This denotes the season of hope and new life, of following roads that lead to the promise of better days ahead.

TELL ME: What in nature signals spring for you?

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Everyday art May 17, 2019

Filed under: Uncategorized — Audrey Kletscher Helbling @ 5:00 AM
Tags: art, Cannon River, Dundas, Minnesota, photography

ART. It’s everywhere if we choose to see it. And I do, with my camera.

On a recent walk through a city park in Dundas, I paused on a pedestrian bridge spanning the Cannon River. There I turned my lens to swimming geese,

to the water

and then back to the side of the bridge and the textured growths thereon. Abstract art.

I challenge you to look and really see, to notice the details in your surroundings. To discover often unseen and unappreciated art.

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A Minnesota evening in May: A photo essay May 16, 2019

Filed under: Uncategorized — Audrey Kletscher Helbling @ 5:00 AM
Tags: Cannon Lake, Faribault, kayaking, May evening, Minnesota, nature, outdoors, photo essay, photography, recreational trail, Sakatah Singing Hills State Trail, Shager Park, spring in Minnesota

A QUEST FOR ESCAPE, for peace, for a closeness with nature took me to Shager Park and the Sakatah Singing Hills State Trail along Cannon Lake near Faribault Tuesday evening.

In the golden hour just before sunset, I walked the trail, stopping often to photograph my surroundings before landing on a dock overlooking the lake.