Minnesota Prairie Roots

Writing and photography by Audrey Kletscher Helbling

Looking for Lucy July 11, 2023

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This sculpture of Lucy Van Pelt in Faribault is titled “Land O’Lucy.” (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2023)

SHE’S OUTSPOKEN. Loud. Sometimes bossy. Opinionated. Strong. And, in her own unique way, lovable. She is Lucy Van Pelt of the Peanuts cartoon strip.

Lucy stands outside the east wing entry to Noyes Hall at MSAD. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2023)

Lucy and the other characters created by Charles Schulz represent diverse personalities. They are some of us. They are all of us. And that is perhaps what makes this comic strip so endearing, so relatable.

Agricultural-themed “Land O’Lucy” features a farm site. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2023)

In Minnesota, especially, we hold a deep fondness for the Peanuts’ characters. Cartoonist Schulz was born in Minneapolis, raised in St. Paul, moved to Colorado, back to Minnesota, and then eventually to California in 1958 with his wife and their five children. As a high school student, he studied art through a correspondence course at the Art Instruction Schools in Minneapolis and later taught there. His Peanuts cartoon debuted in October 1950 and would eventually include some 70 characters, their stories, trials, triumphs.

Pastured Holsteins detail the rural theme. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2023)

St. Paul honors their native son with bronze sculptures of Peanuts at Landmark Plaza in the heart of the capital city. While I’ve never seen that art, I’ve seen art from an earlier endeavor, “Peanuts on Parade.” After Schulz died in 2000, St. Paul undertook the five-year parade project beginning with Snoopy fiberglass statues painted by artists and then auctioned to fund scholarships for artists and cartoonists and to finance the bronze statues. In subsequent years, “Peanuts on Parade” featured Charlie Brown, Lucy, Linus, and, finally, Snoopy and Woodstock.

“Land O’Lucy” stands outside the east wing of Noyes Hall. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2023)

It is a statue of Lucy which found its way into my community, landing at the Minnesota State Academy for the Deaf. “Land O’Lucy” now stands in a visible spot on campus, moved during a recent construction project from an obscure location outside Quinn Hall to the front of Noyes Hall East Wing. She’s become my silent, if Lucy can be silent, cheerleader as I walk the deaf school campus doing my vestibular rehab therapy exercises. I like to think that Lucy is encouraging me, just as she is encouraging the young deaf and hard of hearing students who attend this specialized residential school. Lucy symbolizes strength with her nothing’s-going-to-stop-me attitude. We can all use a bit of that empowering approach to life’s challenges.

Informational signage at the base of Lucy. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2023)

This particular statue from the 2002 “Looking for Lucy, Peanuts on Parade” project was painted by Dubuque, Iowa, artist Adam Eikamp with Land O’Lakes Inc. the sponsoring company. The dairy plant in Faribault has since closed. But its support of this public art remains forever imprinted in informational signage at the fiberglass statue’s base.

Artwork shows disking the field in preparation for spring planting. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2023)

The agricultural theme of the MSAD Lucy is fitting. Our area of southern Minnesota is a strong agricultural region. The paintings on the statue reflect that with fields, barn, farmhouse, cows and chickens. Lucy banners rural. She is among 105 five-foot tall Lucys painted as part of “Looking for Lucy.”

Extroverted “Land O’Lucy” outside Noyes Hall east wing. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2023)

If you’re looking for this Lucy, travel to MSAD on Faribault’s east side. You can’t miss the domed Noyes Hall, on the National Register of Historic Places and among many beautiful historic limestone buildings on campus. She stands outside Noyes’ east wing, welcoming students and others, arms flung wide. Typical Lucy with body language that reveals her extroverted personality, her loud, strong and encouraging voice.

© Copyright 2023 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

All about circles & numbers at physical therapy July 6, 2023

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Pretend this is a screen with moving circles. Tap all the red circles, then the blue, then the yellow. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo used for illustration only, June 2023)

“THIS IS FUN!” I effused as I touched a series of red circles, then white, then blue on a big screen. Since I quickly mastered that Fourth of July-themed task after several tries, my vestibular rehab therapist upped the challenge.

Next Ryan had me tapping first a square with a pulsing letter inside and then white circles that popped up randomly on the screen. Whenever the letter changed, I had to tap the blinking letter and then those elusive white floating circles.

I felt like I was getting not only a visual workout (the goal), but also my morning exercise as I stretched to reach the circles. At the ends of rounds, Ryan would adjust the time, increasing the difficulty. When he saw me struggling, he decreased the screen size. Magical, I thought in my exercising brain. My therapist’s aim was neuromuscular re-education via use of the Bioness Integrated Therapy Systems, software designed to present me with dual tasking and visuospatial processing challenges.

At this point the word “fun,” rather than “brain work-out,” still held my thoughts. But just as I was feeling good about my successes, my therapist determined I needed a bigger challenge. Circled numbers popped onto the screen. I should have stopped Ryan right then and there and told him that I am not a numbers person. Words are my thing. He knows I’m a writer. But I was willing to try as long as I didn’t have to solve math equations.

Turns out I only needed to know how to count. No problem. Easy peasy. Or so I thought. I was instructed to tap the numbers 1-10 in sequence inside a large rotating circle. That requires some visual dancing. The numbers disappeared as I tapped them. Then, of course, Ryan added more numbers. Fifteen. Then 20. He also adjusted the speed. And then he told me the numbers would not disappear. Oh, boy.

By then, the word “fun” had vanished, poof, just like that from my thoughts. I felt a tad dizzy and my head hurt. Ryan noticed. Play ended. I sat, closed my eyes, didn’t always look Ryan in the eye when he talked to me. Those are all cues that my brain is experiencing sensory overload.

We chatted about July Fourth plans and vacations and how I can manage my symptoms when they flare. I’ve come to understand what helps me deal with agitation and sensory overload—deep breathing, coloring, therapy putty, rocking, closing my eyes, ear plugs, retreating to a quiet place. But it’s always good to review those coping skills.

It was nearing the end of my 45-minute weekly therapy session. I still felt like my head had been slapped. At that point, Ryan gave me a break. He had planned to use the virtual reality roller coaster again to strengthen my visual and auditory tolerance. But he recognized my brain had had enough sensory exposure. Or perhaps to much exposure to numbers.

© Copyright 2023 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

Farmers, a new friend & a few ducks along the Cannon July 5, 2023

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Garden fresh radishes, beets and carrots. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo)

PLUMP PEA PODS PILED. Juicy red and golden tomatoes gathered. Leafy lettuce layered. Bulky orange beets positioned beside purple ones. Bundles of radishes, beets and carrots bursting brilliant hues on a vendor’s table.

Peas. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo)

This is the bounty of summer in southern Minnesota.

A recent mid-morning Friday walk at Northfield’s Riverside Lions Park took me past Northfield Farmers Market vendors pulling vegetables, baked and canned goods, and more from their vehicles. As they set up shop, I lingered, admiring the fresh vegetables that appeared so visually pleasing and, I’m sure, are equally as tasty.

Assorted fresh tomatoes. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo)

I was early. The market starts at 11:45 am, runs til 1 pm, Tuesdays and Fridays, and from 9-11 am Saturdays through October.

One of multiple bridges crossing the Cannon River in downtown Northfield. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo)

I left the local marketers to their display work, continuing into the park, which hugs the Cannon River. Water draws me. I paused along river’s edge to frame the distant 5th Street West bridge with my Canon camera. Lush baskets of petunias splashed pink into the greenery and the brown hardscape of buildings. Below ducks swam in the placid river while a red car crossed the bridge.

Orange and red beets. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo)

If not for the constant thrum of traffic on busy Minnesota State Highway 3, this would prove a peaceful setting. Yet I still enjoy this park, appreciating the flower gardens, florals spilling from balconies on the apartment building across the street, the ping of balls and the hum of conversation from the nearby pickleball courts.

There were two white ducks among the others. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo)

I still had one more place to stop—the spot along the riverbank where the ducks hang out. I was hoping to see the pure white ducks I’ve previously seen here. They were there along with the mallards, the iridescent green of the drakes’ heads shimmering in the late morning light.

Beautiful mallard drakes. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo)

With time to spare while waiting for Randy, I joined a man sitting at a picnic table. Either he would welcome conversation or he wouldn’t. He did. We talked about the market—he awaited its opening with cloth bags at the ready—and health and the care he gave his wife before she passed and family and the model railroad spread over eight sheets of plywood in his basement. And he told me about the new museum opening in Randolph across from the fire hall. The Randolph Area Historical Society is constructing a building that will cover the history of six Dakota and Goodhue County townships, house a family history research library and serve as a community gathering spot.

Lettuce. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo)

Randolph is a town rich in railroad history. I’d been there many years ago for Randolph Railroad Days, I shared with my new friend. Given his interest in trains, he has, too, and gave me the dates, October 21 and 22, for the 2023 event. I promptly added the celebration, which includes model railroad and railroad displays, a swap meet and more, to my smartphone calendar.

Rich red sauces. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo)

Soon my phone beeped with a text from Randy that he was nearly done with his appointment. I thanked the guy at the picnic table for the conversation, then aimed back toward the farmers market. I stopped to photograph the colorful produce and the goodies at McKenna’s Sweet Treats stand, my eyes focusing on the cookies, the mini fruit crisps, the sweet breads… And at the end of the table, quart and pint jars brimmed with spaghetti sauce and salsa in the loveliest shade of rich red, seasonings and onions floating in all that homemade goodness.

Baked goods from McKenna’s Sweet Treats. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo)

While I felt tempted to buy a treat made from raspberry preserves, I didn’t. But I left feeling appreciative for the gardeners and bakers and cooks who share their produce and goods at farmers’ markets like the one in Northfield. I felt appreciative, too, for conversation with a stranger and ducks along the river and the Cannon which winds through southern Minnesota on a lovely summer day.

© Copyright 2023 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

A July Fourth eagle in Faribault July 4, 2023

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Juvenile eagle atop a Suburban parked at the Minnesota State Academy for the Deaf, Faribault. (Photo credit: Randy Helbling)

IT IS A SYMBOL OF FREEDOM. The bald eagle. And on this Fourth of July morning, Randy and I watched a juvenile eagle for some 20 minutes at the Minnesota State Academy for the Deaf in Faribault.

Bird whisperer Randy first spotted the large bird across the green atop a Suburban parked in a row of seven vehicles next to Mott Hall. From that distance, its identity was indistinguishable. We only knew that this was a large bird of prey.

We headed west, aiming to get a closer look while also keeping our distance. On the lawn outside Pollard Hall, just across the street from the bird’s vehicle hang-out, we watched for some 20 minutes.

Randy snapped photos with his phone. I’d left my Canon camera at home as this was simply supposed to be a walk around campus and a place to do my physical therapy exercises. Not a photo opp.

We studied, considered, debated. Hawk? Or juvenile eagle? In the end, based on shape, coloring, screeching voice and clumsiness, we decided that this was a juvenile eagle. It showed no fear of us while it flew down the row of vehicles onto the roofs of five mini vans and two Suburbans. When it reached the last vehicle, the Suburban nearest us, we crossed the street for a closer look. Randy snapped more pictures.

Eventually, the eagle took flight behind Mott Hall toward the woods. But then Randy would soon spot it again, this time in a tree with many dead branches. The eagle perched there, eating its late breakfast. A squirrel. I refused to look. I understand this is the natural world, but I’d rather not watch.

What started as just a routine walk on Faribault’s east side became so much more. An opportunity to observe America’s symbol of freedom up close on the Fourth of July.

© Copyright 2023 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

An uplifting surprise in the mail July 3, 2023

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(Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2023)

THE THICK FLORAL WRAPPED PACKAGE arrived unexpectedly in my mailbox today. A sweet surprise from the usual junk mail and bills. As soon as I saw the return address, I knew that whatever I found inside would bring me joy. And it did.

Once I managed to remove the stubborn packaging tape, I discovered a foam sleeve filled with greeting cards from blog reader Roxy of Owatonna. Her selected stash of 27 assorted cards that I can give to whomever I wish is much-appreciated. Roxy, simply by reading my blog posts, knows how much I value sending cards to celebrate, encourage, comfort, thank…

What a kind and thoughtful gift, that also includes stamps on some envelopes and some seals. To receive these cards from Roxy uplifted me in the midst of my ongoing challenging and complex health issues. Many times it’s simply a struggle to manage my symptoms, to get through my days and nights.

But in this moment my focus is one of gratitude for individuals like Roxy, whom I’ve never met. She took the time to put together this collection of greeting cards for me. Her act moved me to tears. And one particular card of birds and vines and florals brought even more tears. It was the scripture gracing the front of the blank card that prompted those emotions. Be still and know that I am God is a Psalm (46:10) I’ve relied on to calm me during challenges. The words remind me of God’s presence even in the chaos of life’s uncertainties, especially now.

Roxy also included seven cards designed by Glencoe artist Bonnie Mohr, who specializes in rural art. Like the Holstein cow wearing a laurel wreath and the fitting message, Wear the flowers. And the quart jar of pale pink roses. A lone tree and a single egg in a nest. Simple. And so me, me who grew up on a dairy farm. Me, rooted in southwestern Minnesota. Me, writer of Minnesota Prairie Roots.

That Roxy understands the essence of me reveals her awareness of who I am via reading my blog. She couldn’t have known, though, that I’ve enjoyed Mohr’s work since her art was featured on the November/December 2013 issue of Minnesota Moments. I freelanced for that magazine many years until it eventually folded. The cover Mohr created is a bucolic winter scene of snow falling on a farm site with Holsteins fenced next to an iconic red barn, aged white farmhouse in the background. That painting speaks to my past, to the family farm, to that which was once the heart and soul of rural America.

The soul of America also exists in good, kind and caring people like Roxy of Owatonna, who penned a personal note expressing her gratitude for the joy I bring into her life and for helping her see the world in a different way via my writing and photography. I am grateful for her generous words and for her well wishes as I work toward reclaiming my health.

I continue to feel grateful for my many readers who have so graciously encouraged me through supportive comments and cards. I feel the love from coast to coast and throughout the heartland. Thank you.

© Copyright 2023 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

Quite the ride June 28, 2023

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This battery-powered T-Rex was my son’s toy. It roared, turned its head, moved its arms and flashed its red eyes. My grandkids were terrified of it at one time. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2023)

IF YOU HAD JUST DISEMBARKED a roller coaster only to see a T-Rex chomping up the tracks and roaring towards you, would you trust that you would survive?

So what does this have to do with anything relevant to today and, well, to me? Lots.

Last week my vestibular rehab therapist changed things up a bit. He led me from our usual private meeting room down the hall to a more spacious room with a large screen TV, a table, chairs, toys, a dollhouse and some type of exercise equipment I couldn’t identify.

“Yeah, I get to play,” I exclaimed to Ryan.

WE’RE GOING TO DO WHAT?

He had other things in mind. “You’re going to ride a roller coaster,” he said. I looked at him in disbelief and then with fear as he pulled out a virtual reality headset.

“I don’t like roller coasters,” I stated. That is true. The last one I rode was nearly 50 years ago. The Woody at Arnold’s Park in Spencer, Iowa. They called it The Woody back then for a reason. Built in 1930, this is the 13th oldest wooden roller coaster in the world. And this amusement ride was, for me, absolutely terrifying as the cars clacked up and down and around the tracks.

I also have minimal exposure to VR, having tried my son’s headset once and experiencing great difficultly in navigating anything. Simply being in a virtual world proved uncomfortable and disorienting.

So when Ryan mentioned roller coaster and VR in the same sentence, I felt my angst rise. But I recognized that he was serious and that this was just one more effort to retrain my brain by exposing me to motion and to noise in an attempt to manage symptoms resulting from vestibular neuritis, Meniere’s Disease and peripheral sensory neuropathy.

REMIND ME, WHICH BUTTONS DO I PUSH?

Alright then. Ryan set up the computer program, tightened the headset on my head, then handed me the controls, instructing me on which buttons to push. He told me to point the laser at the triangle to start the ride. I couldn’t even manage that as my hands shook. I failed at multiple attempts to use the hand controls, so eventually my patient PT took over. Young people can manage tech stuff far better than aging Baby Boomers like me.

Soon I was on the dreaded roller coaster, riding up and down and all around while noise roared. It was a lot of visual and auditory stimuli as intended. Curves and the roar of a waterfall proved the most challenging. Almost immediately I asked to sit. But when I grew more comfortable, Ryan had me standing with my hand touching the back of a chair to help me feel grounded. I took multiple breaks.

OH, NO, THERE’S MORE!

When I thought a roller coaster ride was surprise enough, yet more awaited me. I soon noticed dinosaurs lurking in the background. Then a Tyrannosaurus separated from the herd and began chomping the track, moving at a ferocious pace directly towards me.

“My granddaughter would love this,” I said in the midst of all that chaos, then corrected myself. “Well, maybe not.” Isabelle, 7, loves dinosaurs but even this teeth-baring meat eater might scare her.

In the end, I survived. Both the T-Rex and the roller coaster. Ryan was pleased with my ability to mostly handle the stimuli. Now I wonder what he has planned for physical therapy tomorrow?

© Copyright 2023 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

Repeat again, oh, yeah, that’s redundant June 27, 2023

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At the intersection of Minnesota State Highway 21 and Seventh Street in Faribault. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2023)

LOOK UP THE WORD “big” in my 2003 Webster’s New World Thesaurus (which really isn’t all that new), and I find the word “huge.” I am not surprised. These are synonyms, something the average person would likely understand.

But apparently not everyone recognizes the sameness. Like the person who recently posted a BIG HUGE SALE sign at a busy Faribault intersection.

Writer and English minor that I am, I noted the message redundancy. Then I took a photo through the windshield from the right passenger side of our 2005 Dodge Caravan (which is nearly as old as my thesaurus).

If anything, the sign creator accomplished his/her objective and that was to get passersby to take notice. I hope the sale was a BIG HUGE success.

© Copyright 2023 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

The dance goes on June 23, 2023

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I’ve owned this classical music album since the 1970s. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2023)

IT’S BEFORE 8 AM, and I am twirling across my living room to early 18th century classical music playing on a stereo.

You might call this dancing. But, for me, this is an exercise in balance. For two months now I’ve been in physical therapy to help retrain my brain. That followed a diagnosis of vestibular neuronitis in my right ear and Meniere’s Disease in early April. And now I have the added diagnosis of peripheral sensory neuropathy. And more, possibly post-COVID symptoms, even though I’ve never tested positive for the virus. I had a virus in January and all of my symptoms started in the months thereafter.

I have been working really hard to do whatever I can to help my body adapt to the deficits in my brain that stretch well beyond a loss of balance. Thankfully, I can still write. There are many days when I feel frustrated, impatient, overwhelmed, anxious, exhausted, wondering if I will ever feel better. Able to live the life I once lived.

And so I continue this dance. Four steps across the living room floor, turn a 360, four more steps, turn, four more steps and turn again. By the third turn, I am feeling dizzy. Then it’s back twirling the other direction, pausing at the end of each set to regain my balance. Back and forth several times, the energetic music of Johann Ernst von Sachsen Weimar, Francesco Antonio Rosetti and Johann Wilhelm Hertel propels me across the floor.

IMPROVEMENT & DETERMINATION

There was a time early on in my diagnoses when I couldn’t have listened to this music. All I wanted was quiet, minimal auditory input. I worked in physical therapy to build my tolerance to sound. I still struggle with sound and other sensory issues. But I know I’m better than early on. The fact that I can even sit at a computer and type is proof. Early on that was difficult, if not impossible.

I just now paused to turn off that classical music. It was too much after 45 minutes of listening while exercising and now writing. The right side of my head feels as if it’s been slapped. I recognize that as a symptom that I need, in this moment, to calm.

Dealing with these multiple diagnoses feels as much a mental challenge as a physical one. I suppose anyone experiencing a serious health issue would say the same. I try to remain positive and hopeful, but I recognize that, in all reality, feeling upbeat takes effort.

Just like my physical therapy takes effort and commitment. I’m determined to follow through with the exercises my therapist, Ryan, gives me during our weekly sessions. I look forward to therapy because I feel so encouraged and empowered, like there’s something I can do to help myself get better and that I have the strong support of a caring and compassionate professional.

FOCUS, EXERCISE, TRY

And so I continue twirling across my living room. In another exercise, I focus my eyes on an X slashed on a Post It note I’ve placed at eye level on the wall. I keep my eyes on that X as I do figure eights around two containers of therapy putty I kept after breaking my left wrist several years ago. Because I also have diplopia, I see two Xes due to my eyes not tracking together.

Another exercise takes me outdoors to Central Park or the campus of the Minnesota State Academy for the Deaf. There I walk along the sidewalk and then on the uneven surface of grass, turning my head from side to side and then up and down. Randy walks near me as my spotter. I invariably veer hard to the left. It’s his job to keep me safe and I am grateful for his loving care and attention.

One of my biggest challenges remains the ability to engage in conversation. Listening and talking for any length of time tax my brain. When my dear aunt phoned the other day from Missouri, I finally had to end the call because my head was hurting so bad. I’m hoping my therapist can give me some exercises that will improve my ability to engage in conversation without experiencing symptoms.

And so I keep trying. I keep dancing, twirling to the early 18th century music of classical composers.

TELL ME: If you’re living with a chronic illness/disease or have dealt with a major health issues, what helped you cope? I’ve found coloring, playing with therapy putty, doing crosswords, lifting hand weights and rocking in the recliner with my eyes closed to be soothing, helpful distractions.

© Copyright 2023 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

Building the Eiffel Tower in France, then Minnesota June 22, 2023

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Completed 3-D wooden puzzle of the Eiffel Tower. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2023)

CONSTRUCTION OF THE EIFFEL TOWER in Paris took two years, two months and five days and a whole lot of engineers and factory and construction workers.

Construction of the Eiffel Tower in Faribault, built by one man, took 30 minutes.

Clearly there’s a difference in what, exactly, was constructed. My supposed-to-be-retired automotive machinist husband assembled a 3D wooden puzzle of the Eiffel Tower by B.C. Bones in a half hour. Information on the puzzle box estimates construction time at 1 to 2 hours. I am not one bit surprised that Randy fit the 32 pieces into a tower in much less time. His mind works that way. He sees a bunch of parts and he immediately envisions how they all work together.

Me? I would still be struggling to build the Eiffel Tower, especially given the missing architectural blueprint in the puzzle box. That and a missing fact file were likely the reasons this 2003 puzzle was in the freebie pile at a Northfield garage sale.

That Randy managed to construct the tower in such a short time and without a cheat sheet blueprint impresses me. But then I am not one who likes puzzles or has the ability to figure out how stuff connects. We each have our talents. Puzzling puzzles is not one of mine.

Now this two foot high tower sits on a vintage chest of drawers in our living room, displayed not as a completed puzzle project, but rather as a work of art. Just like the real tower in Paris, a tourist draw for 7 million annual visitors who appreciate its architectural and artistic beauty.

Engineer Gustave Eiffel designed the tower, built in 1889 to celebrate the Exposition Universelle. The structure reaches 1,083 feet heavenward and weighs 10,100 tons. But the fact I found most interesting on the official Eiffel Tower website was the 2.5 million rivets used in construction. That’s a whole lot of rivets holding the metal pieces in place.

Only slots hold the tight-fitting wooden puzzle together. But it’s amazingly strong and can be carried without falling apart. That gives me some insight into just how strong the real Eiffel Tower was engineered to be.

This garage sale freebie proved an interesting and engaging find. I learned something about architecture and engineering and facts about the Eiffel Tower unknown to me, mostly because I’ve never researched this architectural icon. And for Randy, this puzzle proved easy. For a garage sale freebie, I’d say we got our money’s worth.

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TELL ME: How would you do assembling this 3D puzzle without a blueprint? Do you do puzzles? Have you visited the Eiffel Tower in Paris?

© Copyright 2023 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

Fiction focus on teens’ mental health with Van Gogh thrown in the mix June 21, 2023

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I NEARLY WALKED OUT of church once during a sermon. The pastor called Vincent Van Gogh “crazy.” Yes, the artist suffered from mental illness. But labeling him as “crazy” did not sit well with me. I find the term derogatory and disrespectful of anyone battling a mental health issue.

So when I picked up a newly-released book, Screw You Van Gogh, by Minnesotan Jeff Howard, I wondered how the Dutch painter would fit into the story line. Turns out the reference to the artist, who battled anxiety and depression, was held in asylums for the insane and eventually committed suicide, proved a good focal point for a story about high school students.

This fictional book, based on real life experiences, is not a feel good story about teenagers. But rather, this story is heavy, heavy with the issues teens face. Depression. Anxiety. Bullying. Relationship struggles. Trauma from abuse. Pressure to do well. And more.

WRITING WITH AUTHENTICITY

The author, a high school counselor for the past 15 years, writes with authenticity. A main character in the book, Michael Burns, is a counselor at Roosevelt High School. Therein comes the Van Gogh reference. Burns has a jigsaw puzzle of the artist’s painting, “Starry Night,” in his office for kids to work on with him. One of those students is Cassidy Towers, 16, new to Masonville, Iowa, and dealing with panic attacks, suicidal thoughts and more.

As the plot unfolds, so does a certain familiarity. This could be a high school anywhere so real are the characters. The popular kids. The quiet ones who follow the rules. The kids who, on the outside, appear not to give a damn about what they say or do, but who are hurting inside, hiding their truth. Like Tommi, who befriends Cassidy. She is in counseling for severe anxiety and depression, a fact she hides from her classmates. “Tommi could not bear the thought of people knowing she was crazy,” Howard writes.

There’s that word, “crazy,” again. But this time it fits because this is the thinking of a high school student with thoughts of suicide that sometimes “crept into her mind like an evil spirit.” As Tommi and Cassidy’s friendship grows, so does Cassidy’s awareness of Tommi’s struggles. She observes the vacant look in her friend’s eyes, her unkempt appearance, her repetitive petting of a kitten, all signs of Tommi’s declining mental health. By this time, Cassidy has worked through her own mental health issues via talking with the high school counselor, an improved relationship with her mother and using tools (like music) to help her cope.

HELP, HOPE & STIGMA

The author, given his professional work as a counselor, includes helpful ways to deal with anxiety, depression and more. Like Cassidy’s use of music. He emphasizes listening, empathy, deep breathing, hope…

He also addresses the ongoing stigma attached to mental illness. In a conversation with Cassidy, fictional counselor Burns talks about Van Gogh and how he grew anxious and depressed after art experts criticized his impressionist style of painting. Van Gogh turned to alcohol. Burns tells Cassidy that people, especially teens, “don’t want to admit they need help because that makes them weird.” And, because of that sometimes people “crash,” he says. That happens in this book, in a tragic way.

HUNTING & HOTDISH

Within all the heaviness of Screw You Van Gogh are the subplots of counselor Burns’ personal life and relationships and then a budding relationship between Cassidy and classmate Patrick, who once called her “a little crazy” and “goofy upstairs.” When the teens eventually go on a first date, it’s not to a movie, but pheasant hunting. That proved a lighthearted moment for me in the reading of this book. Oh, how rural Iowa/Minnesota, I thought. And then when the author threw in Minnesota’s signature tater tot hotdish served in the school cafeteria, I laughed aloud.

This book is authentic through and through and should be read by every teen, every parent, every educator, every counselor… And perhaps every counselor should purchase the jigsaw puzzle “Starry Night” as a tool to get kids to open up about their emotions, experiences, struggles, as Van Gogh did via his painting.

© Copyright 2023 Audrey Kletscher Helbling