Copyright 2016 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Tell me, how can a burger be angry? April 29, 2016
WHEN I SAW THIS SIGN advertising the new Angriest WHOPPER® near the Burger King in Owatonna, the journalist in me questioned how a burger can be angry. A burger is not a living breathing thing with feelings. Therefore it cannot be angry.
But whatever sells…right?
Knowing absolutely nothing about this burger given I rarely eat burgers and frequent fast food places maybe twice a year, I googled “angriest whopper.”
It is apparently the hot sauce, baked into the red bun and also layered on the burger along with jalapenos, that generates that word choice of “angriest.”
This follow-up to the Angry Whopper will be offered for a limited time only. Will I run out and try one? Not unless someone offers to buy this spicy burger for me.
Tell me, have you tried either of these Whoppers? And what do you think of the adjectives “angry” and “angriest” used to describe burgers?
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ON A RELATED NOTE, Burger Kings across the country, including one in Coon Rapids, have been the victims of a hoax that had employees busting the fast food franchise’s windows. A caller claiming to be from the fire department advised employees to smash the windows to prevent an explosion due to a gas leak and build-up. Burger King employees did just that.
I bet there’s been plenty of anger at the affected Burger Kings.
© Copyright 2016 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
In Winona, Part VI: Hotel humor January 14, 2016
IS THIS WARNING COMMON in hotels? Because I don’t stay in hotels all that often—maybe once a year—I’m uncertain.
Apparently theft is a problem at this particular Winona hotel, although I cannot imagine why anyone would steal any of the items on the list.
There’s a Target right next door with comparable or lower prices.
© Copyright 2016 Minnesota Prairie Roots
A message for Santa & all of us December 22, 2015
WHEN I SPOTTED THIS MESSAGE to Santa while traveling through New Ulm on Saturday en route to a family Christmas gathering, I laughed. What a humorous way to draw attention to a real estate company, I thought.
But then I thought some more about that message after reading a magazine article titled “5 times when you should hold your tongue.” The writer of the piece in Real Simple advised that diplomacy, tact and a lot of silence can go a long way. In other words, think before you speak or write. That’s great advice.
You may think it’s your sister’s fault when, in reality, it isn’t. Perception is not always truth.
I’m a big proponent of listening. I truly believe if we all chose to listen, rather than jump to conclusions, many disagreements would never happen. But in the heat of the moment, when we feel we’ve been wronged, we fail to hear anyone’s voice but our own. That is the precise time when we need to clamp our lips, lift fingertips from keyboards and cell phones and consider that, yes, there’s another side to this story. Once hurtful words are written or spoken, they cannot be taken back.
The holidays are a great time to reconnect with family. But such gatherings can also prove stressful. Travel, too much alcohol, lack of sleep, changes in routine, strong personalities, perceived grievances and more can fuel disagreements. It’s all too easy to lash out with angry words. Don’t. Just don’t.
I tend to fade into the background at family gatherings. I’m quiet and reserved. I listen more than I speak. I prefer to talk one-on-one with family members rather than wedge my voice into a conversation dominated by strong personalities in a roomful of people.
It’s important to remember that only in silence can you listen.
Would Santa rather read “It was my sister’s fault!” or “I’m sorry I was mean to my sister?”
Thoughts?
Copyright 2015 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Highway blessings in St. Peter November 25, 2015
YOU’LL FIND IT in the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke. And in the Psalms:
Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.
You will also find this Scripture in St. Peter. The town. The words banner across the front of a house along South Minnesota Avenue/U.S. Highway 169 which slices right through the heart of this southern Minnesota community.
I know nothing about the house—whether it’s home or business or something else.
But I know that I appreciate the blessing of this bible verse upon travelers like myself passing through St. Peter.
If you are traveling this holiday, may your journey be safe.
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Click here to read my first post in this three-part “blessings” series. Check back on Thanksgiving to read my personal list of blessings during the past year.
© Copyright 2015 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Sleepy Eye: the man behind the name January 14, 2015
WHEN I LIVED AND WORKED in Sleepy Eye for six months in the early 1980s, I didn’t fully appreciate this southwestern Minnesota community.
Mostly, I was too busy laboring away at my more than full-time job as a newspaper reporter and photographer for The Sleepy Eye Herald-Dispatch. Anyone who’s ever worked as a community journalist understands that the profession demands much time, energy and an endless skill set. Basically, I didn’t have a life outside of work.
Now that I’m much older and long ago realized that life should be about more than a profession, I realize what I missed. I may have covered the people, places and events of Sleepy Eye well. But I didn’t really notice. I didn’t take time to personally value sense of place.
A passing shot shows Chief Sleepy Eye’s image painted on the water tower.
Like most small towns, Sleepy Eye possesses unique characteristics, most notably its name. The community is named after Sleepy Eye, a long ago chief of the Lower Sisseton Dakota. You’ll spot his image on the water tower, on the town’s welcome sign, on the public school website (the school mascot remains the Indians) and probably additional places.
Sleepy Eye seems to take positive historical pride in its name. And it should.
Painted on the sign, under the image of Chief Sleepy Eye, are these words: “Made possible by OSE member Willie of Kansas.”
On my last pass through Sleepy Eye en route to my hometown area further to the west, I noticed a painting of Chief Sleepy Eye on the side of a downtown building. The sign was strategically placed by a stoplight. So I snapped a quick frame while waiting for the light to turn green.
Later, studying the details of that image and after some Googling, I learned that Ish Tak Ha Ba is Chief Sleepy Eye’s name in his native Dakota tongue. And I discovered that an Old Sleepy Eye Collectors Club exists, focused on preserving Sleepy Eye antiques, memorabilia and collectibles.
One of these times traveling through Sleepy Eye, I am going to stop and explore. And this time I will really see the place I once called home. See and appreciate.
IF YOU KNOW SLEEPY EYE well, what are some must-sees there? Remember, I’m always seeking out the lesser-known, the unusual, the treasures.
Wherever you live, tell me what you would like visitors to see in your community.
© Copyright 2014 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
I’m taking you Christmas tree shopping tomorrow December 18, 2014
So grab your winter coat, cap and mittens and slip on your boots, unless, of course, you live in a warm weather state unlike Minnesota.
Copyright 2014 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Maybe he plows snow… October 30, 2014
Photographed on Minnesota State Highway 3 in Northfield.
AT THE TIME I shot this Ford truck with the “let it SNOW” window sticker, I found the message humorous. It was a hot and humid July afternoon in Northfield, Minnesota.
Now that winter isn’t all that far away and overnight temps are dipping into the 30s, I’m not laughing.
All too soon the snow will fall. Remember the Halloween blizzard of 1991?
Copyright 2014 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Meatesota, Minnesota, whatever August 28, 2014
THE BILLBOARD MESSAGE plays on Minnesota’s tag, “Land of 10,000 lakes.”
But it doesn’t work for me, this Fareway Foods sign along Interstate 35 just north of Faribault promoting the grocer’s meat department with “Meatesota, Land of 10,000 steaks.”
I don’t get it. What 10,000 steaks?
The thing is, I really do like Fareway’s meat, although I have yet to try a steak. I am not a big steak eater. But I certainly savor Iowa chops.
If this is the Iowa based company’s effort to cozy up to native Minnesotans like me with a spin on our state’s thousands of lakes theme, then this fails in my marketing book.
But I suppose in theirs it succeeded. After all, I noticed the billboard and now I’m writing about it.
© Copyright 2014 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Succinct Sunday sermon June 1, 2014
Edited photo shot while driving by Trinity Lutheran Church sign, Arkdale, Wisconsin.
Copyright 2014 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
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