Mother’s Day 2024 is my siblings and my sixth observance of the special day without a mother. Our mother passed away in November 2018. The six Huisman kids were blessed with a wonderful mother. On a recent Friday my three brothers and I got together for lunch and spent three hours ...

“We don’t smoke … we don’t chew … and we don’t go with girls who do.” I hadn’t heard that old ditty for many years but when I heard it again recently it reminded me of how things have changed over the years. The last two decades of the 20th century were no lucky strike for ...

A week or so ago I was having a conversation with a friend and the subject turned to Little League baseball during our youth. I remember our team sponsor was a men’s clothing store up in Minneapolis (this, of course, was quite a few years ago). Although we weren’t much good at pitching, ...

I remember the first nurse I ever met. She slapped my little butt when I was born. Then she took one look at me and slapped my mother. That story is obviously so much baloney, but I’ve enjoyed telling it for the past 50 some years. Actually, I like nurses and have great respect for the ...

There are times when life just has to be put in perspective. Yes, today is windy … but the sun is shining and 54 degrees is not so bad for April in Iowa. The front page of the Daily Freeman for August 8, 1963, has a main story about 20 to 30 men robbing a train in England and getting away ...

When I grew up outside of Minneapolis, I learned of the military heritage that is the Midwest, especially Iowa and Minnesota. The blending of the two, in a way, culminated in the 34th Infantry Division, formerly the Sandstorm and now the Red Bull Division. Later, working at the Owatonna Post ...