Minnesota Prairie Roots

Writing and photography by Audrey Kletscher Helbling

Sprinkler gymnastics on the Fourth and more family fun July 7, 2011

Filed under: Uncategorized — Audrey Kletscher Helbling @ 6:57 AM
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The winning team in the bean bag toss is quite obvious.

NAME SOMETHING PEOPLE save money for.

How many times does your mom have to tell you to do something before it gets done?

Name something you write down to remember.

If you know the answers (see below) to those Family Feud style questions, then you should have been at my middle brother’s home in southwestern Minnesota on Sunday. We sparred in a brief version of this television game show with young family members competing against old, “old” being anyone 50 or older.

Settled onto our lawn chairs on the driveway in front of the garage, one member of each team stepped up to a cooler, introduced themselves and then poised with hands behind backs awaiting the question. Lacking a buzzer to buzz, we substituted a plastic gallon of cheese balls plopped upon a cooler. Slap the cheese ball lid cover first and your team plays first.

If I hadn’t been so intent on winning this game, I may have thought to take pictures of the cheese ball container slapping contestants.

However, I took plenty of photos of the earlier sprinkler gymnastics. I refrained from that activity until later, at the exact moment one gymnast grabbed the sprinkler and ran onto the patio spraying all non-participants, including my 79-year-old mom. Just before that happened, I had decided to join the sprinkler crew. Timing is everything.

When you view these sprinkler gymnastics images, you will understand why I hesitated initially to join the group. I did not want to risk a leap onto water-slicked grass. Nor did I want to appear too foolish in that YouTube video my nephew-in-law was filming.

My extended family doesn't just nilly willy run through a sprinkler. Oh, no. We make it into a game. In this case, follow the leader. Whatever the leader does, you do.

From the youngest participant at age 17 to...

...one of the oldest sprinkler gymnasts at age 50.

Ah, my extended family loves to have fun.

Later, not long after the sun set on the Minnesota prairie, out came the sparklers. More fun. More laughter. More memories.

Sparkler fun for the younger ones.

Combine sparklers and a slow shutter speed and you get some interesting images.

I can’t think of anywhere else I would rather celebrate Independence Day than with my extended family on the land I love most, southwestern Minnesota.

After we shoot "nice" photos, we always like to do a fun photo. I am in the back row in the grass green shirt. Can you tell which of us were teens in the 1970s? (Hint: See the symbol we're making with two fingers. You would think we could be more creative.) All family members, except me, shall remain unidentified.

HOW DID YOU CELEBRATE your Fourth of July?

HERE ARE THE TOP answers to the three questions posed at the beginning of this post:

Vacation, two times and phone numbers.

© Copyright 2011 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

This is what it means to be free July 5, 2011

Filed under: Uncategorized — Audrey Kletscher Helbling @ 8:08 AM
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FOR THE PAST SEVERAL days, I’ve kept my eyes peeled for the perfect July Fourth image.

I thought that photo might come from my extended family’s annual July 4th weekend gathering or from the Roberds Lake Independence Day boat parade. Or perhaps I’d just see a patriotic display worthy of showcasing. Maybe a field of flags.

However, the photo I selected to best portray our nation’s birthday falls into none of these categories.

I chose this image, taken along Seventh Street in Faribault late Monday afternoon.

Let me explain.

This homeowner disagrees with a recent decision by the Faribault City Council to forgive a $72,000 water bill assessed to FWF Fund One, current owners of the Faribault Woolen Mills property. The woolen mill closed some time ago, leaving an original $120,000 unpaid water bill, which has since been paid down $48,000. Now new investors are working on purchasing the property and restarting the mill, thus prompting the request to forgive the remaining portion of the unpaid water bill. Read more about the issue by clicking onto this recent Faribault Daily News article.

Even though I happen to agree with the homeowner, I didn’t choose this as my favorite Independence Day photo for that reason.

This grassroots expression of an opinion represents to me the cornerstone of our nation: freedom.

As citizens of the United States, we are free to speak—to voice our ideas and opinions and concerns.

We needn’t be eloquent speakers or writers or members of city councils to express ourselves.

A simple handwritten sign posted on a tree along a busy street epitomizes freedom at its most basic, individual, level.

© Copyright 2011 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

A spectacular fireworks show, sort of July 5, 2010

Filed under: Uncategorized — Audrey Kletscher Helbling @ 9:49 AM
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The most magnificent of fireworks displays, viewed by millions.

THIS WAS, WITHOUT QUESTION, the best fireworks display I’ve ever seen.

Multiple fireworks shot simultaneously above the water, exploding non-stop in the night sky like “the rockets red glare, the bombs bursting in air.”

I sat riveted, in awe, wondering how the pyrotechnicians managed this show, this exact timing, this magnificence before me.

Coordinated with patriotic songs like The Battle Hymn of the Republic and The Star Spangled Banner, this Fourth of July fireworks show impressed and inspired. I’d never seen such a spectacular scene on Independence Day.

Yet, something was missing. And, truth be told, watching fireworks from the comfort of a La-Z-Boy recliner in your air conditioned living room simply does not measure up to sitting outdoors on a lawn chair in a mid-sized Minnesota town watching fireworks soar, one by one, into the air.

For the first time in forever, my family skipped the local fireworks show, choosing instead to view the annual Macy’s fireworks extravaganza televised from New York.

Although the show ranked beyond impressive, I missed the experience of lounging outside, gazing at the expansive sky, anticipating each burst, hearing the ooooohs and the aaaaahs, the cheering, the clapping.

But I didn’t miss the mosquitoes, droning and diving, circling and attacking, and the reason we opted for a bug-free front row seat beside the Hudson River.

Fireworks over the Hudson River, as seen on my television from my La-Z-Boy recliner in Minnesota.

Text © Copyright 2010 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

A WW II flag of honor reminds me of freedom’s price on Independence Day July 4, 2010

Filed under: Uncategorized — Audrey Kletscher Helbling @ 8:38 PM
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Four flags, including an American flag that flew in Iraq, stand in the narthex of Trinity Lutheran Church, Faribault, Minnesota.

FOUR FLAGS STAND in a circle in the Trinity Lutheran Church narthex—two American flags, the other two unrecognizable to me.

So I inquire on this Sunday morning, this Fourth of July, this day we celebrate our nation’s birthday, this day of independence.

The one flag, with the big blue star in the center and the smaller white stars along the sides belongs to Kathy, who manages the church office. She knows nothing about its background, only that she purchased and proudly flies this red-white-and-blue at her home along with an American flag.

But the other flag, oh, the large star-studded flag, draws the attention of many. “What is this flag?” we ask each other as we unfold the fabric to reveal a sea of stars on white fabric bordered by red.

The women of Trinity Lutheran Church stitched this WW II honor flag.

And no one knows, until Dave arrives and uncovers the mystery. It is, he says, a flag recognizing those congregational men and women who served our country during WW II. The blue stars denote all who served. The six gold stars hand-stitched atop six blue stars honor those who never came home.

Six gold stars represent the six Trinity members who gave the ultimate sacrifice, their lives, during WW II.

I stand there awed, really, that so many individuals from this German Lutheran church in a mid-sized Minnesota community answered the call to duty during a single war. My friend Lee and I count: 162 blue stars and six double stars of gold upon blue.

The blue stars number 162, one for every Trinity member serving in WW II.

Six young men gave their lives for their country. The thought of such grief within a single congregational family overwhelms me.

I feel now as if I am viewing a sacred cloth. I wonder how many tears fell upon this flag as the ladies of the congregation stitched these stars.

I lift the flag, gently flip the fabric to the back side and examine the even machine-stitching on the blue stars. And then I examine the long, uneven stitches on the gold stars, sewn in place by hand.

Hand-stitching on the backs of two gold stars honoring those who died. The outer row is machine-stitching, holding the blue stars in place.

Dave tells us the flag stood at the front of the church, as did similar flags at churches through-out our community of Faribault. Roger steps up, says he remembers a smaller flag in the church he attended during WW II.

And if Dave’s memory serves him right, this flag remained on display until the end of the war.

Today I am glad, even though also saddened, that this flag of honor has been taken out of storage and put on display. For this one morning, on this Independence Day, those of us gathered here freely to worship have been reminded again that freedom does not come without a price.

A view of three of the flags, looking into the sanctuary, centered by a cross.

© Copyright 2010 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

Reflections from Iraq, and America, on the Fourth of July July 3, 2010

Filed under: Uncategorized — Audrey Kletscher Helbling @ 8:54 PM
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WHEN YOU’RE GATHERED with family or friends at a Fourth of July barbecue, just kicking back at home with a beer or taking in a fireworks display, I want you to think of guys like my brother-in-law Neil. He’s on his second tour of duty in Iraq, serving with the United States Air Force.

Back here in the States, unless you’re a veteran or an immediate family member of a military man or woman, it’s all too easy to take this day—and freedom—for granted.

Take me. I’ve been more concerned about the potatoes I’m bringing to my sister’s picnic than considering how I might show my patriotism. And then, just this morning as I thought about the Fourth and its meaning, I couldn’t remember the words to The Star Spangled Banner. Repeatedly in my head, I sang, like a stuck record, “Oh, say can you see, by the dawn’s early light.” Shame on me for forgetting the words to our national anthem.

It’s not that I don’t care about freedom and independence and patriotism. But because I’ve always been free, I likely don’t care with the depth that I should.

To those like Neil, stationed at Joint Base Balad, the central logistical hub for American forces in Iraq, the Fourth seems more meaningful. (I’ve e-mailed asking him to share his thoughts on patriotism.) “I think that the military folks have a better appreciation for our freedoms than most Americans as we’ve faced the possibility of laying down our lives for it,” Neil says.

And then he includes some information that surprises me, even though it really shouldn’t given he’s now living in a war zone. He sends me photos of the base and tells me about the mortar-mitigating roofs that cover sections of the Air Force Theater Hospital (he’s a lab manager), the gym, the dining facilities and the theater.

Whoa, wait a minute. I never really thought much about mortars hitting his base, which lies near the center of Iraq about 40 miles north of Baghdad. But why wouldn’t the Iraqis target this key military base with some 24,000 residents?

Neil writes: “You’re probably wondering, do we get a lot of attacks from outside the fence? They used to be quite frequent. These days, only occasionally. Most of the mortars fall harmlessly near the fence line, because the enemy (wisely) doesn’t want to get too close to our defenses. They seldom fall anywhere near the housing areas. I do not know of anyone getting wounded by a mortar attack when I was here last time, and so far, it hasn’t happened yet since I arrived here this time. When an attack comes, there’s usually a warning that goes off so that you have at least a few seconds to react appropriately.”

OK, then. I naively thought that since Neil isn’t on a truck convoy or a foot soldier, he is safe. But as the daughter of a Korean War veteran, I should know better. Whenever you’re in a war-torn country, you’re always in danger.

Of all the photos and information Neil e-mails, I am especially moved by the images of Hero’s Highway. The highway is not really a roadway, but rather a tented structure through which wounded soldiers enter the Air Force Theater Hospital trauma bay. A huge American flag forms the “ceiling” of this tent. You can only imagine the psychological impact this has upon those arriving here.

A large American flag decorates the tent structure, known as Hero's Highway, at Joint Base Balad, Iraq.

“The flag allows the patients to know that they’ve arrived at a US hospital,” my brother-in-law writes. “We have a record of saving lives – 98% of the patients who have arrived here alive have also left here alive. A statistic like that provides reassurance to those that are out on the battlefield.” Indeed.

Wanting to lighten the mood a bit, I ask Neil how he’ll celebrate the Fourth. Mostly he will work, pulling the 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. shift. But he’ll also have barbequed ribs and chicken. The USO is putting on a concert featuring Uncle Kracker. There’s a 5K run, which is part of every holiday at the base.

Finally, my brother-in-law wanted to assure I didn’t overlook the sacrifices made by those back home—like the spouses fulfilling duo parenting roles, the kids without a parent. I knew he was missing his wife, Jamie, and their son, Christian.

“Even after the deployment, the families often have to deal with a lot of aftermath, as you yourself can attest to,” Neil explains. (He’s referring to the challenges my dad faced upon returning from Korea and how that affected my immediate family.) “In many ways, they’re the unsung heroes in all of this.”

Yes, Neil gives us much to ponder.

And tomorrow, as we celebrate our freedom, consider these words from my brother-in-law, written shortly after he arrived in Balad: “Every time I travel outside our borders, I gain a renewed appreciation for just how wonderful life is in the US! With the exception of Canada, I haven’t been anywhere where the living standards are so good. The things we take for granted are not available to people in other nations. Living in the US is like living in paradise! It’s no wonder so many people in the world want to live there! Well, enough of that… I’m feeling a bit more passionate than usual about my homeland right now since I’m not there.”

Did you notice all of the exclamation marks in Neil’s e-mail? I did.

Text © Copyright 2010 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

Photo e-mailed by my brother-in-law Neil as sourced from a shared drive at his military base.