Minnesota Prairie Roots

Writing and photography by Audrey Kletscher Helbling

In Northfield: Lovely gingerbread house and gardens July 21, 2014

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OH, FOR THE SWEETNESS of this butter-colored 1879 gingerbread house.

Derrin and Paul O'Connells' Northfield home, built in 1879.

Derrin and Paul O’Connells’ Northfield home, built in 1879.

Arched windows and roof-line architectural detail. And that porch, oh, that porch—a cozy place to read or simply relax on a summer day. Pure white Adirondack chairs are positioned at a front corner of the house as an invitation to sit a spell and perhaps observe passersby or a game of croquet. And then a corner picket fence adds the perfect accent to this period home.

An inviting spot, complete with trellis, to sit a spell next to the garage.

An inviting spot, complete with trellis, to sit a spell next to the garage.

Derrin and Paul O’Connell are only the third owners of this 135-year-old house located by Central Park in Northfield. And, recently, their property was among six showcased in the Northfield Garden Club 2014 Garden Tour. Not the house specifically, but the yard and gardens, although my attention was focused as much on the historic house as the plants. I love old homes with character.

Latticework accents a corner garden pergola.

Latticework accents a corner garden pergola.

The O’Connells have done a fine job of complementing their home’s style with garden rooms that call for lingering under a pergola or settling onto a bench next to a trellis.

Windowbox charm complements the historic home.

Windowbox charm complements the historic home.

Window boxes hold pink geraniums, hardy English ivy and airy Diamond Frost. Spruce trees, more than 100 years old, grace the yard.

And just off a sprawling 1980s enclosed porch addition that blends so seamlessly with the house in architectural style and detail that you would think it original, a swath of wide deck steps extend a warm visual welcome.

Some of Derrin's creations displayed next to a vintage suitcase in the porch.

Some of Derrin’s creations displayed next to a vintage suitcase in the porch.

Inside that porch, Derrin O’Connell showcased some of her creations, like sweet little girls’ dresses and headbands. Her artistry style of hand-stitching, upcycling and more fits this house as does her business name, Tillie’s. Derrin’s mom called her this endearing name when Derrin was growing up. Tillie’s will be among the featured vendors at the Fall 2014 (September 25 – 27) Junk Bonanza Vintage Market at Canterbury Park in Shakopee. Click here for more info.

I love the interesting plant, right, tucked into a corner of the home's exterior. Anyone know its identity? I should have inquired.

I love the interesting plant, right, tucked into a corner of the home’s exterior. Anyone know its identity? I should have inquired.

Now if only I could have toured the O’Connells’ house, I would have been even more pleased. But I was grateful to wander around their yard, imagining the history this house, this land, holds.

BONUS PHOTOS:

Love the message on this plaque.

Love the message on this plaque.

Garden art in the hosta.

Garden art in the hosta.

FYI: Click here to read an earlier post from the Northfield Garden Club 2014 Garden Tour. Watch for additional tour posts.

© Copyright 2014 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

Fairy tale garden in Northfield inspires July 16, 2014

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MAGICAL. ENCHANTING. DELIGHTFUL.

All those adjectives fit the gardens of Susan and Dale Kulsrud who’ve created a fairy tale world outside their south Northfield home.

 

One example of the fairy tale magic tucked into the Kulsruds' gardens.

One example of the fairy tale magic tucked into the Kulsruds’ gardens.

 

From streetside, you’d never guess this corner lot would hold such garden charm. So when my husband parked our van and we crossed the driveway past the Corvette to the side yard during the Northfield Garden Club 2014 Garden Tour, we were surprised.

What a delight.

The side yard garden featuring Dale's handcrafted trellis sculpture.

The side yard garden features Dale’s handcrafted trellis sculpture.

 

First the side garden with an array of flowers—including magnificent towering delphiniums—grabbed my attention. But this plot includes much more than plants. An impressive wood sculpture trellis crafted by Dale defines the space that includes other works of art.

 

The garden shed, Valhalla.

The garden shed, Valhalla.

 

Art. It’s everywhere in this enchanting yard where a garden shed of Dale’s design and crafting anchors a rear corner.

I almost hesitate to dub this building a shed given its appearance and name, Valhalla. The name is an apparent tribute to the family’s Scandinavian heritage. Valhalla is a hall for the slain in Norse lore.

 

Shade-loving plants fill the Valhalla garden.

Shade-loving plants fill the Valhalla garden.

 

With the use of carefully chosen shade-loving plants like hosta, King Kong coleus, ivy, impatiens, begonias and more and the integration of garden art, the Kulsruds have created a fantasy world in their backyard.

 

A view of the garden behind and to the side of Valhalla.

A view of the garden behind and to the side of Valhalla.

 

The area surrounding Valhalla calls for an inchworm pace with multiple pauses to examine the details. I literally lowered myself to nearly lying down at some points to take in and photograph the scenes created here. Kids would love this mini world of surprises tucked in among the plants:

 

I placed my camera on the ground to photograph this cat napping among hostas and impatiens.

I placed my camera on the ground to photograph this cat napping among hosta and impatiens.

 

A jolt of color among hosta.

A jolt of color among hosta. Perfect.

 

Some of the art is more serious, like this bust.

Some of the art is more serious, like this bust among flowering hosta.

 

Garden gnome humor.

Garden gnome humor.

 

The stuff of fairy tales...

The stuff of fairy tales…

 

Looking down into a fairy garden.

Looking down in to a fairy garden created in a bird bath.

 

A ground level view of the gnomes' rocky woodland home.

A ground level view of the gnomes’ rocky woodland home.

 

My favorite scene could have come straight from the pages of a Scandinavian storybook with a gnome house situated against a tree trunk and the resident gnome sweeping his front stoop. It’s absolutely magical.

 

Impatiens spill from a tipped pot.

Petunias spill from a tipped pot.

 

This entire yard enchants with plant life and art complementing each other. Flowers and accent plants spill from pots and window boxes, mingling with all that art.

 

Impatiens and butterfly art add color to a plant situated along a walk way.

Impatiens and butterfly art add color to a planter situated along a walk way.

 

I left undeniably inspired.

CHECK BACK FOR MORE POSTS from the Northfield Garden Club 2014 Garden Tour.

© Copyright 2014 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

Bridal party snapshot July 3, 2014

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IT’S ONE OF THOSE SPLIT SECOND moments when you must decide as a photographer, do I or don’t I?

Usually I do.

Saturday afternoon after peeking inside the Contented Cow, an inviting restaurant tucked into an aged stone building along the Cannon River in historic downtown Northfield, I noticed a bridal party arriving for a riverside shoot.

I really wanted to race down the steps for some close-up shots and my husband even suggested I do so. But the photographer in me who has shot perhaps a half dozen weddings for family over the years hesitated. And rightly so. I remembered how difficult it is to have all those family members thronging around, wanting to take their own shots while I tried to hurry things along and get my work done.

 

Bridal party in Northfield

 

Nope, I wasn’t going to intrude on this professional photographer. So I shot two quick frames from near the top of the steps and called it good.

© Copyright 2014 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

Speaking up against prejudice in my Minnesota community April 28, 2014

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AWHILE AGO, I DECIDED I would no longer remain silent.

And Saturday afternoon, while purchasing a Betsy Bowen print and greeting cards at the Northfield Senior Center thrift store, Used A Bit Shoppe, I spoke up.

While I waited for my framed print to be wrapped in newspaper, I chatted with the friendly woman behind the counter. We talked about the spinning glasstop table crafted from three monkey statues—“hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil”—and the other unique recycled merchandise in this jam-packed shoppe.

I’d never been here, I told her, didn’t even know that this place existed, that I didn’t live in Northfield. The business had moved not all that long ago, she said, to this larger location.

About that time a hulk of a man wedged in beside me and interrupted, adding that he remembered the old store, that he used to live in Northfield and now lived in neighboring Faribault.

A Somali family waits to cross a street in downtown Faribault. Minnesota Prairie Roots file photo 2010.

A Somali family waits to cross a street in downtown Faribault. Minnesota Prairie Roots file photo 2010.

But he wanted to return to Northfield, he said, “because of all the Somalis in Faribault.” Disdain colored his words.

He’d just said the wrong thing to me.

I turned, looked him in the eye, and told him I did not appreciate his disrespect for Somali people.

That set him off. I can’t recall every word spoken, but I do remember the bit about his grandmother being a war bride and speaking seven languages. Not once did he explain why he so disliked Somalis. Not that an explanation would have mattered.

As his agitation grew, I began to feel threatened.

“Sir, I don’t want to argue with you,” I said, attempting to diffuse the situation. “I’m just sharing my opinion.”

“I don’t like you forcing your opinion on me,” he responded, ever-growing anger tinging his voice. “When they (Somalis) respect me, I will respect them.”

He finally walked away, edging toward a cluster of other shoppers, including my husband, who’d overheard bits of the mostly one-sided conversation.

I turned back to the elderly clerk, picked up the four dollars and some odd cents change she’d laid on the counter.

“Welcome to Northfield,” I said. “Oh, that’s right, he’s from Faribault. I feel sorry for people like him who cannot respect others.”

Then I exited this shoppe where a “speak no evil” monkey hunches with a hand clamped across his mouth.

© Copyright 2014 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

Hello, God, it’s me March 1, 2014

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NEVER UNDERESTIMATE the power of prayer. Never.

Prayer provides a powerful personal portal to God. Consider that connection as immediate as a text message or a phone call away.

The thing about God, you won’t get his voice mail. He’s always listening. Twenty-four seven. He is, after all, our heavenly Father. And what parent wouldn’t love to hear from his/her child on a daily basis? Love works that way.

Yet, just like an earthly father, God doesn’t always give us what we want. Prayer doesn’t work that way. God responds in ways that he deems best. He really is a lot smarter than us.

Oftentimes that’s hard for someone like me, who desires to be in control and possesses minimal patience, to accept. I want the issue resolved yesterday, the direction given immediately, the prayer answered right now exactly as I prayed it.

I imagine God wonders sometimes if I will ever learn. I’m trying, God.

Prayer necklace

Recently I began carrying a medallion in my pocket to remind me of the need to always be prayerful. It’s really a necklace, minus the chain, a piece of jewelry I received during my childhood. I don’t recall who gifted this to me, but I’ve had it for nearly 50 years.

On the front side is an image of praying hands, on the back this inspirational prayer:

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. Amen.

Prayer necklace back

You likely know this as the Serenity Prayer adopted by Alcoholics Anonymous. I am not an alcoholic. But I am in need of serenity in my life. I tend to worry and stress about issues. Ask my husband.

I recognize that flaw. So this silver dollar sized medallion slipped inside my jean pocket reminds me daily that God is in control. This doesn’t mean I should sit idly and do nothing about certain situations. God doesn’t expect that. But rather, he needs me to understand that he is the one walking beside me through my days.

Oftentimes these days, I find myself sliding my right hand into my pocket, my fingertips brushing the outline of those prayerful hands, the imprint of the raised letters. A sense of peace fills me as my lips whisper a silent prayer.

Another window shows Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Even Jesus prayed, here in the Garden of Gethsemane. Minnesota Prairie Roots file photo.

DEAR READERS, please join me today in praying for the families and friends of three Carleton College students who died in a car crash Friday afternoon at Minnesota Highway 3 and Dakota County Road 47 just outside of Northfield, three miles from campus.

The trio were killed and two other students seriously injured when their car apparently went out of control on an icy and snowy roadway and was broadsided by a semi, according to news reports.

Dead are James Adams of St. Paul, Minnesota; Michael Goodgame of Westport, Connecticut; and Paxton Harvieux of Stillwater, Minnesota. Hospitalized in stable condition in the Twin Cities are Conor Eckert of Seattle, Washington, and Will Sparks of Evanston, Illinois.

I cannot imagine the depth of grief felt by the families, friends, the Carleton College community and the community of Northfield.

A vigil is being held at 11 a.m. today at Skinner Memorial Chapel on the college campus with counseling staff and chaplains available. (Click here to read a message from the president and dean of students at Carleton.)

Please pray for peace, comfort and healing. Prayer provides a powerful personal portal to God. At all times, in all circumstances.

© Copyright 2014 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

Pick the Bic from the pocket, please January 14, 2014

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NOW WE ALL KNOW that merchandise is returned to stores every day and restocked on shelves, right?

But how thoroughly are those returns checked, if at all?

Recently my husband shopped at the Target in Northfield and bought two pairs of jeans for our college-aged son, currently home from Boston on holiday break. These were purchased with cash as we have canceled our Target REDcard. We are choosing to be proactive rather than follow Target’s advice to “monitor our account” for possible fraudulent activity.

That said, we are always please to find jeans that fit our long-legged and slender 19-year-old.

Surprise. These jeans purchased at Target came with a Bic lighter stashed inside a front pocket and repositioned in this staged photo.

Surprise. These jeans purchased at Target came with a Bic lighter stashed inside a front pocket and repositioned in this staged photo.

I wasn’t pleased, though, when I discovered a Bic lighter buried in a front pocket of one pair of jeans as I removed labels to launder the pants.

Bonus two: A receipt to Walgreens tucked into the other pocket. This receipt was visible.

Bonus two: A receipt to Walgreens tucked into the other pocket. This receipt was visible.

A receipt to the Northfield Walgreens store was tucked inside the opposite pocket.

I assumed the jeans were not worn as all labels were attached and the pants appeared in new condition. So I tossed them in the wash.

Jeans purchased at Target with a receipt in one pocket and a Bic lighter in the other.

Jeans purchased at Target with a receipt in one pocket and a Bic lighter in the other.

It’s a good thing I always check pockets before doing the laundry. I wish Target would do the same before restocking merchandise.

But I suppose they have more important things to worry about than Bics in pockets.

HAVE YOU EVER FOUND anything unexpected in the pockets (or elsewhere) of just-purchased merchandise or discovered the merchandise had been used? Let’s hear.

© Copyright 2014 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

What’s the story behind this license plate? January 13, 2014

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Cat nap license plate

THE THING ABOUT PERSONALIZED license plates is this: I always wonder about the story behind the choice.

Is the owner of this Lincoln MKX, recently photographed along Minnesota State Highway 3 in Northfield, a cat owner? Or simply a lover of cat naps? Or?

© Copyright 2013 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

My enduring appreciation of barns January 6, 2014

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Barn on the way to Northfield

OLD BARNS ALWAYS TURN my head, including this one along Minnesota Highway 3 between Faribault and Northfield.

Weathered wood, a strong roof line, the physical bulk of the barn, the work once done therein, the stories this agrarian building could tell all cause me to notice and ponder.

It is my own rural roots, my years of laboring in a barn—scooping manure, pushing wheelbarrows heaped with ground corn, shoveling scoops of smelly silage, lugging tall cans of frothy milk—which connect me to this anchor farm building.

Though decades have passed, those memories remain strong, unweathered by time or age.

© Copyright 2014 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

Northfield, Minnesota: All decked out for Christmas December 26, 2013

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A snippet of Division Street in downtown Northfield shortly before Christmas.

A snippet of Division Street in downtown Northfield shortly before Christmas.

NORTHFIELD, IN MY OPINION, rates as one of southern Minnesota’s most visually appealing and charming river towns.

Nestled along the banks of the Cannon River, this college community of some 20,000 is historically-known as the place where the James-Younger Gang met its defeat during a failed bank robbery.

Merchandise displayed outside of an antique store.

Merchandise displayed outside of an antique store.

The draw for many to Northfield, though, are the one-of-a-kind artsy shops and eateries dotting Division Street, the main downtown route bordered by primarily historic buildings.

Santa wasn't in when I stopped at Bridge Square. But kids can meet with the Jolly Old Man in his very own holiday shack.

Santa wasn’t in when I stopped at Bridge Square. But kids can meet with the Jolly Old Man in his very own holiday shack.

On a recent Sunday afternoon before Christmas, I strolled along a portion of one block over to the town center, Bridge Square, to capture the holiday scene.

Detailed holiday signage draws shoppers into businesses.

Detailed holiday signage draws shoppers into businesses.

Northfield merchants know how to do Christmas right. It’s in the details—the words and colors and designs and ambiance—creating an aesthetically-pleasing set that draws you into the scene.

A scene in the bakery window.

A scene in the bakery window.

Another view of that bakery window.

Another view of that bakery window with historic buildings reflected.

The front door of the Electic Goat and

The front window and door of the Eclectic Goat and Glass Garden Beaads.

Back to the antique store...

Back to the antique store…

© Copyright 2013 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

Delighting in a regional orchestra’s Nutcracker Ballet concert December 17, 2013

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BACK-TO-BACK DECEMBERS, my husband and I have won tickets to holiday concerts from Faribault radio stations.

Last year Randy scored tickets from Power 96, KQCL, to see the Trans-Siberian Orchestra at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.

This past weekend I won two tickets from KDHL to hear the Cannon Valley Regional Orchestra’s performance of Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Ballet at the Northfield Middle School.

The two shared the commonality of a holiday theme. Otherwise they couldn’t have been more different with ear-deafening rock music at one to ear-soothing orchestra music at the other. I enjoyed both, in different ways.

Since I’ve already blogged about the Trans-Siberian Orchestra concert (click here), this post focuses on the CVRO’s two-hour long Sunday afternoon Nutcracker concert.

Versions of the Nutcracker play on screen while the orchestra performs.

Versions of the Nutcracker play on screen while the orchestra performs.

A Christmas classic, the Nutcracker shares the story of a young girl who receives a nutcracker from her godfather and then has a dream, according to Philip Spensley, who hosted and narrated the CVRO event. Spensley’s voice alone impressed me in that sort of sitting by the fireside listening to a well-spoken man vocalize in a mesmerizing and magical tone way.

Two nutcrackers were posted on either side of the orchestra.

Two nutcrackers were posted on either side of the orchestra.

The original Nutcracker was performed in 1892 with many revisions and interpretations since, said Spensley.

While the musicians played on Sunday, snippet versions of the Nutcracker showed on a big screen suspended above the orchestra, making this an intertwining visual and auditory experience.

I last saw the Nutcracker presented during a December 2012 figure skating show, “The Nutcracker on Ice,”  at Shattuck-St. Mary’s School in Faribault. (Click here to read that post.)

And many decades ago while in college, I was entertained by the ballet version on stage in the Twin Cities.

Photographed between Acts I and II.

Photographed between Acts I and II.

I come to concerts like CVRO’s with minimal musical knowledge. I can’t read a note nor do I always know what instruments I am seeing or hearing. I didn’t grow up with music, unless you count a toy accordion I got for Christmas one year and organ music at Sunday morning church services. Opportunities simply were not there for me to learn music or attend concerts.

Thus I am especially grateful for opportunities locally to hear the likes of the CVRO, a regional orchestra founded in 1979 and comprised of around 40 musicians, both professional and otherwise, according to member and cellist Rick Berge of Faribault who phoned me about my free tickets.

The gift of the nutcracker, one of many versions accompanying the musicians.

The gift of the nutcracker, one of many scenes shown on the big screen.

He noted that I should pay special attention to the celesta, an unusual instrument resembling a small upright piano. From my seat, I couldn’t clearly see the celesta, but I had a good view of the violins, or maybe they were violas—I don’t know the difference. When watching the violinists, I noted how, most often, they drew bows across strings like ballerinas gliding across a stage. Other times they moved their arms in short, jerky pops like leaping ballerinas. And then I noticed the musicians plucking strings with their fingers and whispered to my husband, “I didn’t know violinists played violins without bows.”

As I said, my musical knowledge is minimal.

The CVRO founder and long-time conductor, Paul Niemisto, comes to his position with vast musical experience. (Click here to read about his background.) He currently serves on the faculty at Northfield’s St. Olaf College, a college noted for its strong musical program. To retain that level of commitment to an orchestra for 33 seasons is remarkable.

Also commendable is the commitment of the volunteer CVRO musicians who come from around the area, gathering to practice and present four regional concerts annually.

I was delighted to sit in the audience at their holiday concert, wondering, as I always have, how ballerinas can dance on their tiptoes and how violinists know exactly how far to slide their bows.

Applause between acts for the Cannon Valley Regional Orchestra.

CVRO musicians prepare to take a break between acts.

FYI: To learn more about the Cannon Valley Regional Orchestra, click here.

Although I received two free tickets to this concert, I was not asked to write this post nor did winning the tickets influence the content herein.

© Copyright 2013 Audrey Kletscher Helbling