How to watch a football game! Unique "Sports Station" Set-up!

Unique “Sports Station” Set-up! 

      How do you watch your favorite sports?

I have found a special way to follow the Minnesota Vikings NFL football team.

Here’s how it goes:  In our rec room with other fans cheering - or not as the season progressed... I set up my special “sports station”.  

This means a recliner is set up facing the TV with a folding tray/table in front of it.

On the tray/table I have my laptop computer.

Next to that is a radio with earphones.

And of course... various bowls of popcorn and refreshments are scattered about.

The plan…

Here’s the plan:  I find a radio station that broadcasts the play about three seconds before the picture comes on the TV.  With my earphones connected to that I can be aware of what is going to happen.  And hopefully I won’t cheer for the “wrong” team - which I’ve been known to do when someone made a good play.

This may not be popular with the fans I’m sitting with.

It also means that I hear what has happened a few seconds before my husband sees it on TV.    He may be calling out:  “Catch it - Catch it...” while I already know it’s been intercepted!  I have learned not to express my thoughts while he’s still hoping for the best!

The key part…

The last part of my sports station is my MacBook.  I have it connected to a link to Vikings’ Mike Wobshall’s in-game chat.  This is an “interactive chat” with folks who may also sign in and add their comments during the game.   

 Mike or “Wobby” explained that he started with the Vikings as an intern back in 2005.  He accepted a full time position before the 2007 season and was a writer until he became the Vikings Entertainment Network Content Manager in 2014.

 His “in-game chats” were started several years ago “as a way to bring fans unique content.”  This has become a favorite addition to the game for me and helps me understand it better.

 Talk about “multi-tasking”!

Wobby watches “the games from the Vikings Radio Network broadcast booth, sitting between play-by-play announcer Paul Allen and analyst Pete Bercich.”  He also keeps track of the comments from folks on the internet that are flickering across his computer screen. 

He is responsible for sorting through them... selecting which ones to publish... and then answering those that are questions while at the same time he’s reporting on the game!

As Wobby explained: “It’s hard to read all the comments, react to them and watch the game. I do the best I can. Watching the game takes precedent so there are times I miss comments.”

  Another benefit of the chat being on the internet came when I was out of the state and couldn’t get the game on TV or radio.  Wobby explained, “We’ve had fans sign into the live game chats from all over the globe, even some of our armed servicemen and servicewomen have signed in from their bases across the world.”

       They may have several thousand folks in the live chat during a game.

Comments like this:

I recall the time I was listening to the game and watching Wobby’s “in-game chat” while sitting in a distant hospital room with my husband who was recovering from a heart attack.  As we watched the team losing I wrote Wobby ... we’re watching the game from a hospital room... this is not helping Paul get better!  

And Wobby responded online that he wished Paul a good recovery.  This was in the middle of game... and I was very touched.  You don’t feel quite so alone anymore.

Wobby likes the funny comments that come in and some of the “creative pen names” fans have chosen.  They have the option to submit a name or not.  My signature was “Rosie from Cannon Falls”.  I’m going to have to work on a better one for next season!

  

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Life… like a mystery novel

Life is like a mystery novel...

Mysteries... the fun ones... where they lead your mind on a merry chase that you enjoy.

  Recently I asked our librarians for suggestions about mysteries based in the twin cities - where I grew up.  It’s kind of fun to recognize the background settings in my mind.

Remember this?

These stories include some by John Sandford and Christopher Valen.  Valen actually featured a horse farm near Cannon Falls in one of his homicide detective novels.  And when we first met a few years after its publication, we were both surprised to discover it was our farm he had fictionalized!  He had scoped it out on the internet and he needed a place for some fiendish activities to take place.  

When one of our local law enforcement friends found out - he grimmaced and said to me, now we’ll probably have to come out and bring a shovel!  

Clues...

Anyway... the librarians directed me to some mysteries by Julie Kramer - a former TV newsperson from the “cities”.

Now keep in mind that I have read many mysteries.

So... as I started reading the first one in her series - it seemed a little familiar.  But since I didn’t recognize who the killer was I figured I had just read too many books.

Or... I prided myself on the idea that maybe I was just becoming a better “detective” because I recognized a clue right away.

Not so smart!

 But it was when I started reading her second book in the series that I realized I wasn’t so smart!  This time I remembered who the killer was.  Actually, I was partially right and read the whole book to see what else I remembered!

This experience got me to thinking.

In reading the book the second time I noticed more signals given by the author as she took me down the twisty winding trails of her mystery novel.

Then I thought how much this relates to living your own life.

And the benefit of knowing what “clue” could help you and hopefully learn from it.  

 See the clues...

Some older folks may more easily recognize the mistakes or clues because they’ve made them too!  In fact, they’ve "lived" it.

It’s comforting to realize that when you see someone else has done the same dumb thing you’re complaining about, you can find comfort because you see they survived that struggle too.  And hopefully they are wiser now.

I’m reading the third book in Kramer's series now.   So I was alert when I recognized another clue... and I almost yelled out: "... don’t touch the gun... it will be used in a murder and it will have your fingerprints on it... ackkkkk!"

I was so sure of this that I flipped to the end of the book to see what happened!  I read a short excerpt and realized that I really hadn’t read this one!  But I had caught the clue!

So maybe I really am getting better at recognizing these signals!

And I’m thinking that it also might be smart to share your thoughts with some “elder folks”!   They might recognize the “clues” that can warn you of problems in your life’s story - your mystery!  

Because they've "read" that part of the book before... they have “been there” - “done that”!

The end.

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Cute… but uninvited "guests"!

Cute... but uninvited “guests”!

Cute little brown furry critters, also known as field mice, have been inundating local residences in seemingly unusual numbers this year.  We actually have set traps in our cars parked in the garage.

This brought to mind some of the mouse antics we’ve seen in years’ past.

It’s true that when you live in the country you get used to the “Fall Exodus” of mice from the fields into the house.   But usually they get the hint they aren’t wanted after some traps are set.  

I favored the traps that caught them in a cage so I could release them outside.  Although I wondered if I wasn’t just releasing the same mouse time after time?

  Then I recalled finding one mouse who had found his own little swimming pool in the house.   It’s called a toilet.

And then there was the little mouse playing hide and seek in my kitchen cupboards.  I’d open a door and it would run and hide.  I played this game for a while -trying to remove bowls, etc. so I could plop a plastic container over him.  But he hopped out and ran away.  And I washed alot of dishes!  And made sure to keep the cupboard doors closed after that.

This reminded me of Pat Jones telling me about the time she took the lid off her coffee pot and saw a mouse in it!  I’ve never opened a pot since then without thinking of that!

One morning I saw a small critter looking at me through the inside screen in the living room window.  He couldn’t move away because the outer glass window had been cranked shut the night before and this little fellow’s tail had gotten trapped.  We didn’t know he was there. But now I saw the chew marks he had made trying to escape.

As I cranked open the window to release him I saw that his tail looked permanently bent to the shape of the window sill.  I wonder what kind of story he told when he got home!

Then there’s the time I had left some tall long stemmed wine glasses next to the sink to wash the next morning.  But the next day I saw mouse turds in them!  

I couldn’t figure out how the mice had climbed into the tall glasses without tipping them over.  Or was it a team of mice balancing on each other to climb up to the lip of the glass and drop in?

Actually, what was worse was the fact that it looked like they were having a party in my house... and I hadn’t been invited!

And so the games continue!

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Miracle of the Littlest Christmas Tree!

 The story of the 
Littlest Christmas Tree...

(It’s true... and it happened in Cannon Falls.  Originally printed in the Beacon in 1979.  

Now on Youtube - The Miracle of the Littlest Christmas tree http://youtu.be/KNwpn71M5Ds)

The little pine tree sat in the city sales lot among many bigger and prettier Christmas trees.  Its trunk was crooked and shoppers pushed it aside in their search for the “perfect” tree to bring home and decorate for the  holiday.

One family was particularly sad that year because Grandpa had just died.  But they went on with the motions of preparing for the holidays.

And they bought a tree for their home.

No cheering up…

But what about Grandma?  Her home was so empty without Grandpa.  Maybe a tree would cheer her up.

But by that time there was only the rather scraggly crooked pine tree left that would fit the purpose.  They took it.

But when they brought it to Grandma they saw that she was too heartbroken to have a real tree that year.

She only wanted the miniature artificial tree that one of the children had brought to Grandpa when he was in the hospital.

And so, the little pine tree was put aside... again.

But that’s not the end of the story!

The family left Grandma and went back home.

They tried to give away the little pine tree but it seemed everyone already had a tree.  But there just had to be a place for it!

Then they thought of a small church nearby.  The sanctuary was already decorated with a huge Christmas tree.

But a large room used for the Sunday School classes was empty.  So why not set up the little tree here?

The children could decorate it.  And they did.

But that’s still not the end of the story.

For Christmas Day came... bright and cold.

Especially cold.

The church’s furnace had gone out during the night.

The sanctuary was freezing.

But the auxiliary heater in the Sunday School room had kept on perking.  And that was the only warm place in the whole church!

And do you know where the Christmas Service was held?

In that room!

And do you know which tree was all lit up and glowing for the entire congregation?

Of course!

And it was a beautiful tree!

I know this story is true because I helped pick out the tree.

And I think it was really two miracles… 

One was having a decorated tree for the Christmas Service and the other was seeing the beauty in something others had rejected.

And miracles like this will never end... 

as long as you and I look for them... 

every day of the year!

My favorite Grinch… this Christmas! Enjoy!

My favorite “Grinch”... this Christmas!

( I previewed this column with some of the folks mentioned.  I changed some words because they had different meanings for them than for me.  
They may not agree with me but understood my wanting to express my view.  
One was concerned that readers wouldn’t read to the end for the concept I was trying to make.  Please show them they were wrong! )

The Grinch is a bitter, grouchy creature with a heart "two sizes too small" who lives on a steep mountain just north of Whoville, home of the merry and warm-hearted beings know as “Whos”.  (Or could that be our town and the folks known as “Whos-its”?)

But this favorite children’s book, How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, by Dr. Seuss, shows that the Grinch is really a soft sweet person inside when he finds out that the holiday celebration represents more than presents and parties.  

A new “Grinch”!

And this brings to mind a new friend of mine, Ken Kressin.  He has become somewhat well known in this area for his public confrontation of what he sees as problems in the Christian church via his challenging letters to the editor and picketing.

I got to know him a little because his book discussion group was reading topics I was interested in.  They’re called the Free Thinkers.  

I figured that included me - although some might think I fit better as a kind of  “Goofy Thinker”!  Anyway, I asked if I could come to their meeting.

It’s been a few months now and I’ve learned a lot.  I particularly enjoy how much we all laugh!   Although I think Ken is one of the more serious ones there, I see a gentle smile once in awhile.

“Token Christian”

One of them has nicknamed me “their token Christian”, as they mostly tend toward atheism.   At the first meeting they started picking on some of those in my faith but I didn’t have a problem with that because some of us need to be set straight.  But after a while, in a moment of silence... (not many of those you know!) I explained:  “I am a Christian... is that going to be a problem?”

They thought quietly for a moment and decided it wouldn’t. 

Enjoy the talk!

Here’s what I have found out.  We enjoy talking!

One of my favorite stories I related to them is about a former priest at St. Pius, Leon Bonin.  He allowed me to be an “outside the box” type of Christian.

On spur of the moments we would see each other and talk.

One time he was out for a walk.  We got on the topic of Catholicism.  He asked me if I had ever considered becoming a Catholic.  I was listening.  

He said they had changed some things in their doctrine so I would be able to change easier.  He mentioned one and I responded that I still had some reservations about that.  He suggested another and I had something that concerned me about that too.  He was going to tell me another one, when I stopped him and said,  (with tears in my eyes even to this day), “Don’t say anything more, because I just love you.”

In other words, I don’t have to agree with you but you mean a lot to me. 

Philosophy …

And this brings me to my philosophy on my Free Thinker friends.  I mentioned to them that some atheist thinkers might consider themselves to have been created from the foam in an ancient sea.

But because I consider my friends to be part of a species that was made in the image of God, I may actually think more highly of them than they think of themselves!  Cool!

And l like to remember the ending of Dr. Seuss’ story about the Grinch... where they celebrate the festive season together because it has more meaning than presents and parties.

So I wish you all a Merry Christmas...  and may we all be happy “Grinches” in the New Year!

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Memories misty...

Along the way... by Rosie

  Misty memories… 

         at the voting booth!

 

Tears misted my eyes as I checked off the names of friends and strangers in the voter registry while I was a judge at our township hall in the recent election.

But I wasn’t upset because I might not like whoever they were voting for!

It was because I had just watched a TV program a couple nights before about some folks in this world who wouldn’t allow me to have this experience of voting. 

Or probably even to live.

Their reason was that they wouldn’t approve of the way I dress or worship or what I eat or drink, etc.

(Now keep in mind that I don’t always approve of me either!)

Studied many ideas...

Over the years I’ve tried to study up on many different religions.    

Some relatives are in one of these groups. I’d see them at family reunions.  I believe they would rather I wear long hair and long skirts - not jeans and cowboy boots.

But we all loved to get together and talk about our belief in God.

And one year I told them how much I looked forward to seeing them because even though I probably irritated the "heck" out of them, (my word not theirs!), I had a great time feeling their love.

Plus those "non religious" ones...

Also, there is an atheist group that has kind of “adopted” me as their “token Christian”!  We get together because we are interested in similar topics of discussion.  

And now I’m wondering if we both might be combined as a target for some other group?

     But why get misty eyes?

But back to the importance of voting.  My dad taught me how much it meant to him.  Not by saying anything.  But by what he did.

He was older at the time and had just gotten out of the hospital.  He probably only had a few months to live.

But he was determined to go to his poling center and vote.

I wondered if I would have done that.

Why bother?

But remember...  

But then I remembered... he was an immigrant... had come over after WWI to start a new life.

And when I was a little kid... when my friends were all bragging about their ancestors coming from a variety of countries, my mother wouldn’t let me do that.  She told me that I was an American... and that was that. 

So I understood that it wasn’t so important who my ancestors were... or what my religion was... or who I was going to vote for...

But that I just take part in a process that is historically unique... and will bring me misty eyes.


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Tracking the James Gang across Goodhue County to their ill-fated raid on the Northfield Bank.

Tracking the James Gang...

The high spirited horses and their gentlemen riders might catch your attention as you take a moment from your chores and watch the dust floating up along the road in the rolling hills of Goodhue County back in 1876.

Some of the stories handed down through the years have been compiled by local historian, Bob Rohl of Kenyon.  And Loren Evenrud of Cannon Falls organized a bus tour to track the Jesse James gang as they traveled to their ill-fated raid of the Northfield Bank on September 7 of that year.  Recently twenty area residents climbed aboard the bus to take part in the historic event.  It was sponsored by the Shepherd's Center of Cannon Falls.

  The finale was a tour of the bank museum and watching the "shoot out" replicating the original robbery attempt.

Interest began... 

Bob first got interested in the outlaw route when he moved to his farm back in 1975. He recalls an older member of the community, Vince Benson, tellling him: “You know, Jesse James camped on your property.”

Bob thought suspiciously... “Ya right!”  But the suggestion put a seed of thought into his mind to find out if it could be so... and he discovered it could! 

Build a case...

What Bob wanted to do was “build a case.” And the result is this tour.  So hop on the bus, watch the rolling fields go by, let your imagination take you back to that time period and listen to Bob describe the possible movements of the James Gang as they traveled across the countryside.

It’s possible that the gang previously considered robbing a bank in Red Wing.  But there were not many escape routes because of the Mississippi River.

And a Mankato bank robbery was possibly foiled but another option is that they were there just scoping out escape routes.  

Their interest in the Northfield Bank might have been triggered by information that some of the bank officials had been involved in southern politics after the Civil War and rumor had it that they had left just ahead of a “tar and feather” posse.

Cannon Falls connection...

Also, a member of the gang, Bill Stiles, had been living in Cannon Falls with his sister, said to be a teacher here.  Stiles would have been able to get good information as to the layout of the area.

Stiles was one of the gang members shot and killed in the Northfield robbery.

Tracking the James Gang Tour...

The tour route began at the G. Anderson farm off Hwy 19 on County 6 Boulevard where the gang is reported to have stopped to ask directions.  Only a steel windmill remains today.  

Then on to White Rock where sources indicate that the gang watered their horses and may have had them shod at a local blacksmith.

Next stop was at what is considered to be the oldest standing residential sturcture in Goodhue County dating back to 1853... the Chandler House on County 8 Boulevard.  The gang may have stabled their horses in the barn.

The tiny town of Hader on Highway 52  was a major crossroad for travel in the mid 1800’s with a major stage coach route passing through.

The James gang was thought to have purchased grain at the Gjemse farm on 90th Avenue.    This was the great great grandfather of Rod Johnson of Cannon Falls.  It was also rumored that the gang bought horses here.  But Bob explained that this is doubtful because most farmers had work horses, not the high powered mounts the gang was riding.

Probably before Aspelund - at County 8 Boulevard and County 30 Boulevard -  it is believed that the gang split up so as not to attract too much attention.

More sites...

They may have gone through other sites including the old village of Norway, no longer there.  And here, the story goes, “a young lad with the name of Brandvold” was stopped by the horsemen and asked where the Brekke Bridge was. They also asked him the way to Northfield.  He told them and they tossed him a quarter - a good sum in those days.

In Northfield they met up with other members arriving from Mankato. 

That fateful day...

   On September 7, 1876 a total of eight gang members entered Northfield and in a period of seven minutes attempted to rob the Northfield Bank , with disastrous results.

Bill Stiles and Clell Miller were killed.  The Younger brothers: Cole , Jim, and Bob were all wounded and later captured at Madelia where Charlie Pitts was killed. Jesse and Frank James escaped to Missouri.

Other memories were given on the bus tour by Meg Judge, Don Reynolds and Don Anderson.

Photos by Loren Evenrud, Cannon Falls Cable Channel, and Rosie Schluter.

  See video on www.paulrosie.com or Tracking the Jesse James gang across Goodhue county on Youtube.

Or click on the links:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1lBz2nNfxY&list=UUBvLkbzOU_gzz8kp5MFt59g

https://vimeo.com/107381746