October 31st, 2024 by Gary Osberg
In the spring of 1965, I knew I was going to get married in August, but I felt compelled to prove to myself that I wasn’t stupid. I had failed two quarters at the University of Minnesota Institute of Technology after I graduated Upsala High School in 1961, and it weighed on me.
So, I quit my job at Honeywell and signed up for 4 liberal arts classes at St. Cloud State. I paid $10 per week for a room off campus. My favorite class was “Art Humanities 121” taught by David Crane. I still have the textbook, “Purposes of Art” written by Albert E. Elsen. I did much better at SCSU, mission accomplished. The love of art stuck with me.
My daughter teaches art at Upsala High School and both of her daughters are great artists. So, I have become a collector of artwork. Most of the artwork on the walls of my cottage are from my daughter, her daughters or her students. I have a niece who was so successful as an interior designer and artist that she retired to Crescent City, California before her 62nd birthday. She lives close to the Redwood National Parks. She sent me a picture of her backpack positioned at the foot of a large Sequoia tree. The backpack was dwarfed by the tree. I am very pleased with the painting that I commissioned from Mary.
I have many friends that are artists and one of them is Charles G. Kapsner who lives north of Little Falls. Next Thursday, the 7th of November, he is hosting “Odyssey – A 50 Year Artist’s Journey: Not a Still Life.” at Studio Pintura in the NKB Building on Jackson Street NE in Minneapolis. The event starts at 4pm. Details and pictures of his art are at StudioPintura.com
“Beauty perishes in life, but is immortal in art.” Leonardo da Vinci
October 25th, 2024 by Gary Osberg
On Monday I will reach a milestone. For the last twenty-five years I have represented Minnesota Public Radio in central Minnesota, western Minnesota and southwestern Minnesota as well as Sioux Falls, South Dakota and Sun Valley, Idaho. In April we sold the Sun Valley station to Boise State Public Radio, but I picked up the Brainerd territory.
In April of 1999, I was promoted to sales manager of the Xerox agency Albinson in Minneapolis. I lived in Upsala at the time, so I would leave home at 4am every Monday. I rented a room from my cousin Kevin in Golden Valley. I would return to Upsala on Thursday evening and work from Albinson’s St. Cloud branch on Fridays.
On July 13, 1999, I had supper with my son at Byerly’s in Golden Valley. I told Erik that I would keep the old parsonage house in Upsala, but I was planning on moving to Minneapolis, since I had my dream job with a great product, and I would be making a very good living. The very next day I found out that the owners of Albinson didn’t like the new contract that Xerox had presented to them, so they decided that they didn’t want to be the Xerox agency anymore. They would no longer need a sales manager. My boss told me that I should pack my things, and they would pay me thru the end of the month.
I spent the summer of 1999 painting old buildings in the Upsala area. I drove to Randall and went to the back room at Bermel’s Shoes & Boots, the local Red Wing boot dealer. I picked out a good pair of sturdy work boots and started climbing ladders. My first job was painting the Post Office in Upsala and then I painted an outbuilding on my cousin Dave’s farm. Per my brother Bill’s instructions, I used oil-based primer and latex paint. He let me use his power washer. The two buildings that I did the summer of 1999 still look good. The boots are in pretty good shape too.
In August of 1999 I read an ad in the St. Cloud Times for a “Development Officer” for Minnesota Public Radio. I didn’t know what a “Development Officer” was, but it turned out to be sales. A perfect fit. It took two- and one-half months and seven interviews to get this job, but it worked out well. Compared to “slamming boxes for Xerox”, this is more fun than it is work. I have no plans to retire anytime soon.
“It matters not how strait the gate, how charged with punishments the scroll, I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul” From the poem “Invictus” by William Ernest Henley.
October 22nd, 2024 by Gary Osberg
I spent a lot of my youth in Upsala, Minnesota. There were “Farm Kids” and “Village Kids”. Some were “summer kids”. They were kids whose parent or parents grew up in Upsala and who were sent to Upsala to spend some time with Grandma and Grandpa during the summer. Some stayed for a few weeks, and some stayed for the whole summer.
Larry was a “summer kid” and he ended up marrying one of the Upsala beauties. She was chased by all the boys, but Larry won her heart. He was also one of the eight couples that camped on our lakeshore on Cedar Lake west of Upsala every fourth of July. He was a fun-loving fellow who died way too young.
MEA weekend is a special time of the year. Many a father/son(daughter) combo head for the woods or ponds to bring home the “bacon” in the form of grouse or duck. Larry, the “summer kid”, knew that I had never taken up hunting, but he wanted my son Erik and myself to experience a weekend of grouse hunting up north at “the shack”. Larry invited our friend Ron and his son Matt, my son’s best friend, to join him and his son Danny. So, there were three dads and three sons along with a black lab, “Bear”. We formed two teams, and I was the “bird dog” on the DADS team. Bear went with the boys.
The first day we brought back 17 grouse and Larry fixed a meal of grouse with wild rice and cream of mushroom soup in the giant iron skillet that hung from a nail in “the shack”. It was one of the most memorable feasts of my life. I trust that you are doing something special with your family this weekend.
“Remember, it’s not about having time it’s about making time.” Erik Osberg
October 11th, 2024 by Gary Osberg
This afternoon there will be a football game on the grass field in Upsala. Most Fridays the USA Patriots host their games under the lights in Swanville. The Upsala field has no lights.
In my day, the football team was the Upsala `Cardinals’, but some time ago Upsala football merged with Swanville and now it is the USA (Upsala Swanville Area) `Patriots’. If it were not my busy schedule, I would be there in my pristine letterman’s jacket. (In 1984, Marcia bought me a new jacket and transferred the “letter” from my beat up original one.)
In 1957 I was an overweight freshman on the Upsala Cardinal football team. Freshmen wore the old uniforms and old helmets, and we did not win any fashion awards. John Atkinson, a senior running back, ran with his knees pumping up and down high and hard. He still managed to make forward yardage. In practice, I would simply bounce from his knees. The memory of the pain is still with me. That was the year when no other team even scored on the Upsala team. Clarissa got to our three-yard line, but our defense held.
A couple of years ago, the 1957 Upsala football team was inducted into the Upsala Sports Hall of Fame. I was one of nine of the twenty-nine original members of the 1957 Upsala Cardinal football team who showed up for our induction into the Sports Hall of Fame. One of the guys, Dave Chuba, came all the way from Ohio. Bob Soltis was the quarterback and captain of the 1957 team. That year Bob was named to the All-State Football Team.
It was the second year that inductees were chosen for the Upsala Sports Hall of Fame. Bob’s brother Ralph was chosen the previous year and another brother John, who was a junior on the 1957 football team, accepted an individual award for his brother Bob. There were lots of Soltis boys and they all played football. No one lifted weights in those days, they just threw bales of hay all summer. Us “village kids” had a tough time keeping up. “GO PATRIOTS”
“Man’s finest hour is the moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle victorious.” Vince Lombardi’’
October 4th, 2024 by Gary Osberg
Millard Fuller was born January 3,1935 in Lanett, Alabama. He became a self-made millionaire by age 29. In 1968 Millard and his wife Linda gave up their wealth to refocus their lives on Christian service. They moved with their children to an interracial farming community in southwest Georgia, Koinonia Farm. It had been founded by Clarence Jordan in 1942 and became Koinonia Partners. The small community undertook several new projects, the primary focus of which was to provide housing for the poor.
In 1976 Millard and Linda founded Habitat for Humanity. Today the international organization is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia and it operates in 70 countries. Homes are built using volunteer labor and homeowners provide sweat equity. Many contractors donate their services also. My brother Bill is on the board of directors of Habitat for Humanity of Morrison County. They plan on building a house in my hometown of Upsala, Minnesota. Source: Wikipedia
Central Minnesota Habitat for Humanity is having their annual “Breakfast for Humanity” this Wednesday, October 9th at 8am. An invitation is attached for your consideration. It is being held at The Regency in downtown St. Cloud and it is being catered by Jules Bistro. I hope that you can attend.
“If you don’t ask, the answer is always no”. Dan Stoltz
September 27th, 2024 by Gary Osberg
Quotations are a great way to get an idea across or to remind ourselves and others just what is important. Many years ago, a friend of mine published “A Collection of Inspiring Thoughts” subtitled “For Business & Professional People”. Every week I try to find a quotation to use at the end of this weekly musing. I use a copy of Norm’s booklet and record the date that I use one of my favorites. I invested a little bit of money in his company, and he gave me a box of those booklets. For many years I gave them out to clients and friends. I now have just a few copies left.
For 22 years I sold office furnishings beginning with General Office Products in 1972. One of our suppliers carried a calling card with a quote on the back of the card. Ron Andersen measured offices for carpet installation and his company was not the cheapest, but they did great work. The card read: “The bitterness of poor workmanship remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten” Longfellow
A woman that I was dating at the time told me that it was not Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, but Benjamin Franklin who said, “The bitterness of poor workmanship remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten”. Thanks to the English major who corrected me. She also was the one that told me that when I stopped to use a restroom in a gas station, I had to at least purchase a bag of peanuts if I hadn’t purchased any gas.
An article in USA Today about the passing of Yogi Berra was full of his best sayings. “When you get to a fork in the road, take it” is one of my favorites.
“You should always go to other people’s funerals, otherwise, they won’t come to yours.” Yogi Berra
September 20th, 2024 by Gary Osberg
On September 15th 51 years ago, Marcia and I attended an auction on the north side of Cedar Lake west of Upsala. Widow Agnes Olson was selling her small farm and was planning to move to Cambridge. Gust and Agnes had lived there for many years. They were both teachers in Cambridge and I don’t think they had any children. Things had just started to go well with my office furniture sales career and one of my clients who worked for Red Owl was very encouraging. He owned a cabin on a lake in northern Minnesota. My banker was also encouraging. He knew that my saving account was not very hefty, but he suggested that I attend the auction and see what happened.
When we got there, my wife Marcia took me into the barn and said, “I want this place Gary and here is how you win at an auction. When it is your turn to bid you do not hesitate. You react immediately. Understand?”
I didn’t have the $3,000 cashier’s check with me, so I had to speak to the local banker prior to the start of the auction to get his ok. I promised that if I was the high bidder, I would go to town and get a check from my mother-in-law, Irene Rudie. He thought about it hard, but he finally agreed. I am sure that the fact that my dad and he were great friends and had both worked for the Farmers State Bank in Upsala before the war had an impact. In fact, Roland (Bud) was the best man at my parent’s wedding. Thank you, Bud Viehauser.
The auctioneer milked $50,500 out of the only other contender, and when he turned his attention back to me, and asked “Fifty-one?” I did as I was instructed and simply nodded my head. The other bidder, Lee Bolstad, stormed away and was quoted as saying “Rats, that kid will never quit.” That day changed our lives. One never knows what a day will bring. When I came back with the check for $3,000, Mrs. Agnes Olson handed me the keys. No need to wait until the closing in those days.
“The years teach much which the days never know.” Ralph Waldo Emerson
September 13th, 2024 by Gary Osberg
It has been eleven years since Auntie passed. There are many stories to tell about Auntie, but my favorite comes from her son Kevin. They had been visiting Kevin’s uncle in Alexandria and Kevin told Auntie that he wanted to get back to her house in Upsala in time to watch the Preakness horse race on television.
The speed limit on County Road 17 is 55, so Kevin was doing 60. Auntie said, “You drive slow Kevin”. Kevin stepped it up a bit and a little while later, Auntie spoke up again. “We’ll never get there on time at this speed.”. Kevin responded: “Ma, I don’t want to get a ticket.” , but he dutifully stepped it up again.
There was silence for a while and then: “Kevin, why don’t you just pull over and let me drive”. Kevin was driving a four-wheel drive pickup. Auntie was 90 years young at the time. We miss you Auntie.
Tonight is the first annual gala for the Center for African Immigrants and Refugees Organization. The gala is branded as “KALSONI”, a Samali term meaning “Trust and collective confidence”. I will be the emcee of the event which is being held at The Park Event Center in Waite Park. Tickets are still available at www.cairomn.org I hope to see you there.
“I was born to have fun”. Leone Larson Hagstrom 1922-2013
September 6th, 2024 by Gary Osberg
Culture shock occurs when folks from one religion and background encounter folks from another religion and background. I experienced “culture shock” when I moved to Upsala in 1956. I was pulled out of St. Louis Park Junior High School and my mother and six of us children moved into an apartment above a grocery store in Upsala Minnesota. Ramlo Grocery belonged to my mother’s mother Laura and her second husband Bert Ramlo. I was 13 years old and because I had not one, but two paper routes in St. Louis Park, I owned a brand-new Schwinn bicycle. It was bright red with white trim. It had streamers coming out of the handlebars, a tank with a horn, mud flaps and white sidewall tires. I rode it up to Upsala High and when I got out of school, someone had let the air out of the tires.
That evening, I stripped the bike and the next day there were no problems. Danny Lillestrand did beat me in a game of marbles and took my favorite aggie.
Here in central Minnesota, there has been another more serious culture shock. There have been many refugees from Somalia and other regions of Africa that have relocated to get away from terrorism and starvation. In the interest of building trust through collective impact , Abdikadir Bashir started the Center for African Immigrants and Refugees, branded as CAIRO Minnesota.
CAIRO is inviting everyone to their first inaugural annual fundraiser gala, “KALSONI”, a Somali term meaning “trust and collective confidence”. The event will be held at The Park Event Center in Waite Park next Friday the 13th from 5pm to 8pm. Tickets are available at www.cairomn.org. They have asked me to MC the event. I hope to see you there.
“Three things in human life are important. The first is to be kind. The second is to be kind. The third is to be kind.” Henry James
August 30th, 2024 by Gary Osberg
One hundred and three years ago today, a boy-child was born in Pretare, Italy. A village in the Apennine Mountains on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. Anthony Caponi grew to be a giant in the art world. In his lifetime, Tony created hundreds, maybe thousands of sculptures, many of them from rocks. He also established the Caponi Art Park and Learning Center in Eagan, Minnesota. Google the park and you can enjoy videos of Tony and his favorite fans, the children. www.caponiartpark.org
Fifty-one years ago today, the “Granite Trio” was dedicated on the mall in downtown St. Cloud. The Granite Trio was commissioned by the St. Cloud Community Arts Council, which became Visual Arts Minnesota. The SCCAC was led by the late Arlene Helgeson. Arlene found out that the mall was going to be redesigned to become a two-way street once again, so the city was planning on moving the Granite Trio. Arlene told the city that she would chain herself to the rocks in protest. The rocks stayed where they were and now the street winds around them.
Eighty-one years ago today, another boy-child was born in Little Falls, Minnesota, 25 miles east of Upsala. In his lifetime he sold Herman Miller office furniture, Xerox copiers and 15 second branding messages to be heard on Minnesota Public Radio. For nearly twenty-five years now he has been helping folks to “get the word out” about their companies and special events in central and southwestern Minnesota, Sioux Falls and Sun Valley, Idaho. A picture of these two boys as they appeared in 2013, on the eve of a celebration of the “Granite Trio”, is attached.
“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your wild and precious life?” from Mary Oliver’s “The Summer Day” a poem beloved by Arlene Helgeson.
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