OUTSIDE LOOKING IN
Inspirational week
What a week of inspiration it was for me in the Minneota area. Let's hope some of it rubs off on me.
First, last Tuesday I visited with a 65-year-old man who wasn't afraid to complete a goal he has had for many years when he decided to bicycle 4,500 miles from Prince Rupert, British Columbia to his home in Woodstock, NY, an 80-day adventure.
When I looked at the slender seat on his bike, I immediately felt pain in my bottom region. How can anyone sit on that narrow piece of hard rubber for 80 days? Heck, I'm sore just riding around the block.
Stuart Stiffey, a veterinarian who is featured on the front page of this issue, was sitting outside Brad's Market enjoying a rotini pasta salad when I walked over to ask if I could take his picture. He was one of the most cordial, intelligent, adventurous and goal-oriented people I've ever had the pleasure of interviewing.
I took a few photos of him and because he was headed to Redwood Falls to camp for the night, we agreed to interview after 6 p.m. that night or the next night.
Kevin Anundson stopped by as we were visiting and thoughtfully said a prayer to keep Stuart safe during his journey. Stuart very much appreciated the gesture.
After a few minutes of visiting, Stuart placed his helmet on his head and his sunglasses on his face and continued on his way, first riding past the Mascot office to allow m a chance to take another photo.
We spoke at length about his trip, his family and about life on the phone Wednesday night from his campsite in Hutchinson. His outlook on life is positive and compelling.
On Thursday, I interviewed 85-year-old Dave Chase for a story I am writing for the Senior Perspective. He recently competed in the Senior Games in St. Cloud and medaled in powerwalking. He generally competes, and wins, more events than that at the Senior Games, but was weakened by a recent bout with pneumonia and decided not to push himself too hard.
Chase's outlook on life is a very positive one, too. He is a retired New London-Spicer art teacher, and drew a cartoon of himself competing at the Senior Games with the caption "I might be old, but I'm slow."
He encourages other seniors to work out daily, even if that means just working in the garden, mowing the lawn (with a push mower), or just walking.
"When you get to be my age, you've got to keep moving in order to keep moving," he insists.
On Saturday, I drove to Marshall to take some photos of the Lyon County Fair and met some wonderful kids who were also an inspiration with their dedication and care for each of their animals in the 4-H animal barn.
The Minneota Mudhens then completed the Region 9C championship with a 7-3 win over the Dumont Saints on Saturday. The Mudhens have never advanced to the state amateur baseball tournament before but it was again an inspiration to see how hard they’ve worked to achieve their dream this summer.
On Sunday, I made another trip to Minneota to visit with former NFL great Fred Stokes, who was at the home of Tom and Elana Nomeland. Stokes is now an associate pastor of a church in Orlando, FL, where a mutual friend of Nomeland, Chris Vennetti, is a member of Stokes' church. They had recently returned from a four-day retreat near Watertown, SD, and Nomeland invited me to join them when they returned to Minneota on Sunday.
If you can't get excited or inspired listening to the compelling life-changing stories of these three personable gentlemen, nothing will.
I was fortunate enough to cover Super Bowl XLVI in 1992 at the Metrodome in the Twin Cities as a reporter in Willmar. Stokes played defensive end for the World Champion Washington Redskins, who defeated the Buffalo Bills. He proudly removed his Super Bowl ring for me to get a better look at it.
More on those three men will appear in a feature story in next week's Mascot.
Squirrel: Part II
I wrote in this column a few weeks ago how the squirrels cleared out my small garden, eating everything down to the ground, including tomatoes, green peppers, jalapeño peppers, and cucumbers, leaving only the snap peas for some reason.
I gave up trying to control them after attempts at animal repellent and home remedies that I found on the internet or was given by neighbors.
I stopped feeding the birds at my house because the spillage was keeping the squirrels around. I thought that might have been the solution as I hadn’t seen a squirrel in my yard for almost three weeks.
I usually start my day with a cup of coffee on the deck and to check on an Easter lily that I have been nurturing since April just to see if I could get it to blossom again next Easter for the fun of it. On Sunday morning, as I opened my patio door, there stood a muddy-pawed squirrel who quickly scurried away when he saw me. There was dirt all around the large pot and the lily was uprooted and torn in half. The little bulbs at the root's bottom were all removed and likely now in the squirrels belly.
This has become personal now. Don't be surprised if you see me at an upcoming Farmers Market selling pulled squirrel sandwiches.