July 29th, 2022 by Gary Osberg
Last Sunday, a Celebration of Life was held for Robert E. Andrews at the Des Moines Country Club. My beautiful niece Logan and Chris got married on Saturday and I had a graduation party to attend on Sunday, so I could not be there. I am blessed with an older sister and four younger brothers. A while back I adopted Bob as my other brother.
Marcia and I were married in August of 1965. Bob and Joyce were married in Des Moines in July of that year. We both moved into the lower level apartments in Century Court on Lyndale Avenue in Richfield. Later, Bob would name them the “Lyndale Barracks”. (Bob was a cook in the Army Reserve.) One evening we met the Andrews couple during a tornado warning. We both were outside watching the storm. It turned out we had apartments that were next to each other. Joyce hated being away from Des Moines, so it was not long before Bob and Joyce moved back. Bob went to work for his uncle C. Mac Chambers who owned an insurance agency. We would go to Des Moines every April so that I could do Bob’s income taxes and they would come to Minneapolis every Thanksgiving so that Joyce could shop at Dayton’s.
Bob was a shock jock without a microphone. Our bedrooms were back to back with thin walls, so we could hear Joyce scream when Bob would “Let one go” in bed and then pull the covers over Joyce to make her smell. Most of his jokes were not fit for any company, let alone mixed company. We both ended up divorced and sometime in the nineties we reconnected. There was no reason for us to be friends. We were exact opposites in many ways. He drove over 300 miles to Bowlus for my 70th and my 75th birthday celebrations and drove home the same day. In 2018 he showed up with a MAGA cap. Bob would do anything for his friends. One time he called me to ask about the special recipe for my Dad’s baked potatoes. He was going to be baking 70 potatoes for a friends get together. He would call me the day before my daughter-in-law’s birthday to make sure I would not forget.
There are way too many stories to tell about Bob. The point is that brotherly love does not care who you vote for.
As his young widow said to me this week, “Did you ever guess that we would miss those awful jokes?” Yes we do Bob. Rest in Peace dear friend.
“Grief is not a task to finish, and move on, but an element of yourself. An alteration of your being. A new way of seeing. A new definition of self.” Gwen Flowers.
July 22nd, 2022 by Gary Osberg
What a glorious summer day! Yesterday was even nicer. The winds switched to the north. One of the many blessings of living in Minnesota is that on occasion, we get a bit of cooler and dryer air from Canada during the summer months.
My daughter’s garden in Upsala is doing great. The Yukon Gold potatoes are free of potato bugs. I think Kerry goes out every day and picks them off.
There once was a farmer who claimed that he saw the initials P.C. formed by the clouds in the sky. He was sure it meant Preach Christ, so he sold the farm and went off to seminary. He had an awful time of it and never really caught on anywhere. Years later he died and went to Heaven and he asked God, “Why didn’t I become a great preacher and how come I ended up so unhappy as a minister? You gave me the sign in the sky and I was sure it would work out.” God replied, “P.C. ? I meant plant corn.”
I am sure that today the clouds are forming the initials P.H. It must mean “Play Hooky”.
“To put the world right in order, we must first put the nation in order; to put the nation in order, we must first put the family in order; to put the family in order, we must first cultivate our personal life; we must first set our hearts right.” Confucius
July 15th, 2022 by Gary Osberg
Fisher’s Club is a restaurant next to a city owned swimming beach on the north shore of Middle Spunk Lake in Avon, Minnesota.
George “Showboat” Fisher was a major league baseball player from 1922 until 1932. He played for the Washington Senators and the St. Louis Cardinals. He was 33 years old when he opened Fisher’s Club. The dance floor was added in 1937. It was about that time that they started serving their legendary Fisher’s Famous Walleye. The secret recipe is still used today. The main dining room was added in 1953 and the porch in 1954.
When George Junior came home from a construction job in Greenland to work with his dad at the Club, ‘Showboat’ told his son, “Stick around to help me here at The Club or I’m going to sell it.” Junior and his wife Sally took over in 1959. It used to be a bottle club. The lockers that the regulars used to store their liquor bottles in are still on the wall with their names on them.
The owners, Cory and Jacob Voss, have added a full service bar. Jacob graduated from Upsala High School in 2011. The summer schedule is to be open Tuesdays from 4 until 8. On Wednesday Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday they open at 11am. Be sure to call for reservations, 320-356-7372. www.fishersclub.com
“Nobody goes there anymore. It’s too crowded.” Yogi Berra
July 12th, 2022 by Gary Osberg
In the summer of 1955 I was 11 years old and we were living in St. Louis Park. My mother signed me up for bible camp. I have no recollection of where it was other than “up north”. I got so home sick, that an older couple was enlisted to drive me to Upsala and my Godfather, Ralph Johnson, drove me the rest of the way back home to 1620 Colorado Avenue in his brand new Chevy. I turned 12 at the end of August.
The next summer Ma sent me packing once again and this time I remember packing a carton of Pall Malls so that I could make money selling packs to other campers. This is was the beginning of my “delinquent years”.
I left this off my resume when I applied for this job at MPR in 1999.
“You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment. Fools stand on their island of opportunities and look toward another land. There is no other land; there is no other life but this.” Henry David Thoreau
July 1st, 2022 by Gary Osberg
The 38th annual Hagstrom/Osberg Golf Open, H2O, will be held tomorrow at the Little Falls Country Club.
My mother’s sister, Leone, Auntie to me, married Duane Hagstrom, co-owner of Hagstrom Chevrolet in Upsala, Minnesota. Between the two families there were 10 cousins. Auntie’s youngest, Kevin, is a very good golfer and for many years he and I won this best ball event every year. For that reason, we named our team ‘Ming’. After all, we were a dynasty.
Because of my back surgery, all I can do is putt. When I was 12 years old we lived at 1620 Colorado Avenue in St. Louis Park. There was a Putt-Putt close by and I spent a lot of time there.
In 2020 I was able to sink a birdie putt on hole number 1 and another on hole number 3 so we were 2 under par after three holes. The rest of the team included Cousin Kevin, my brother Brian and his wife Jean Marie, plus brother Craig and his son Grayson. Craig’s daughter McKenzie drove the cart. We finished 6 under, which means that the trophy was back is in my living room for the first time since 2009.
After golf we gather at brother Bill’s house near the golf course for a picnic and the award ceremony. We are fortunate to have a number of traditions in our family. I trust that your Fourth of July Celebration will be a safe one.
“Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate on the present moment.” Buddha
June 24th, 2022 by Gary Osberg
My son Erik is the “Rural Rebound Initiative Coordinator” for Otter Tail County. According to an article in last Sunday’s Star Tribune Variety section, “presumably the only person in the United States with that title”.
I know that Erik has traveled to Maine and North Dakota accompanying Ben Winchester, a sociologist with the University of Minnesota Extension, giving presentations titled “Rewriting the Rural Narrative: Speak Softly and Carry Statistics”. Erik has also gone on the road with his “Inner Otter” hand puppet to promote the county with 1,048 lakes. More lakes than any other county in the country. Once he even made a trip to Omaha and Des Moines. A big huge thank you to Star Tribune reporter Rachel Hutton for writing a full two page spread worthy of being laminated for the Osberg family archive.
Then, on Tuesday, I picked up the latest Minnesota Monthly magazine and read another story about Otter Tail County written by Ashlea Halpern and Andrew Parks. Their mission is to promote the great State of Minnesota. In that article I read about Erik’s son Willie, aka “Walleye Willie”, age 12, hosting Ashlea and Andrew during the 2021 Governor’s Fishing Opener which Erik and his staff produced last May in Otter Tail County. Willie and his grandparents Kathy and Lee took the reporters out on a pontoon. You can read the entire story by simply going to your favorite news stand. You may also find it at www.minnevangelist.com
“If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with success unexpected in common hours.” Henry David Thoreau
June 17th, 2022 by Gary Osberg
Randin Olson was raised in Otter Tail County. When he was a child, he used to catch frogs and bring them to the local bait shop. They would pay him a nickel each for the frogs. Twelve years ago Randin purchased a beat up boat for $800 and he spent weeks refurbishing the boat. He decided to try his hand at being a fishing guide. His first client was a woman and her young son. Randin took them to one of the 1,048 lakes in Otter Tail County and they had a great afternoon. When it came time to settle up, she asked “How much do I owe you?” Randin said “I don’t know, whatever you think is fair.” She handed him $200.
Three years ago Randin quit his job with a HVAC company and launched “Lock Jaw Guide Service”. For the last three years he has been part of the annual “Osberg Men Fishing” trip. There are 8 Osberg men and a couple of cousins that go to Holly’s Resort on the second Saturday in June. Due to a serious back injury, I have not been able to venture out in a boat since 2019. I stayed back in the cabin and read a book. This year my son arranged for Randin to take Erik and I out on Monday afternoon. It was an amazing fishing experience. I caught a 28 inch Walleye and now finally, after 20 years of trying, my name goes on the trophy. As an added bonus, 28 inches is the biggest fish on the “Big Fish Award”. The previous biggest was a 27 ½ inch Walleye.
If you want to experience some of the best fishing in Minnesota, go to www.lockjawfishing.com
“I love it when a plan comes together”. Gary Osberg
June 10th, 2022 by Gary Osberg
This weekend I am going fishing with my four brothers, my son Erik and my grandson “Walleye Willie” plus brother Craig’s son Grayson. A total of 8 Osberg men ages 13 to 78. Cousin John will also join us.
Sometime in the nineties, my youngest brother Craig was invited by his father-in-law, Jim Keeler, to go along on a fly-in fishing trip to Trout Lake in Canada. Over time, my other brothers, who were into fishing, were invited to go along. In 2003 brother Bill offered to pay the way for my son Erik, so I decided to go along.
I am the oldest of five Osberg brothers and it was a wonderful bonding time. I told the camp host, Murdoch, that I would be back every year for the next 20 years. The next year we went to brother Brian’s cabin near Aitkin instead. The year after that we went to Rainy Lake. Erik was working as a weekend sportscaster on WDIO Channel 10/13 in Duluth and he did a story on fishing with the guide and resort owner Woody for his TV show. Erik suggested that we try Woody’s instead of the fly-in in 2005. We had a great time and the greatest part was that Woody had a wonderful pub filled with memorabilia from his hockey days. For many years we went back to Woody’s. We never did do the fly-in again. You can check out Woody’s at www.fairlyreliable.com It is worth the drive just to meet Woody. In 2011 we switched to Brindley’s Resort on Leach Lake. A large home across the road from the marina worked well for the whole gang, but fishing was tough.
In 2017 we decided to try Holly’s Resort on Otter Tail Lake. Erik is an ambassador for Otter Tail County and we reasoned that we would have a better chance to find the elusive walleye. We had a great time. One of the cabins is right on the lake. Brother Bill is the chief cook and bottle washer, so we put him in that cabin along with brother Geoff from Chicago. Next Friday I will give you a complete report. There is a traveling trophy and guess who’s name has never appeared on it. Maybe this year.
“Dost thou love Life? Then do not squander Time; for that’s the stuff Life is made of.” Benjamin Franklin
June 3rd, 2022 by Gary Osberg
Monday is the 78th anniversary of “D Day”. If you have seen the movie “Saving Private Ryan”, you have some idea of how bad it was. It is hard to imagine that anyone who lived through that experience would ever be the same. The many years of living with those memories are hard to imagine.
Aymer Nelson, a farm boy from Upsala, was there. Aymer was also at The Battle of the Bulge, one of the bloodiest of the war. I asked him if he had been wounded and he told me that a 88 mil shell landed next to him, but it was a dud. He lived to the ripe old age of 104. He was truly one of “The Greatest Generation”.
It is also the 33rd anniversary of the day that my son packed all of his worldly goods into his rust free 1972 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme and headed back to Minnesota from Charlotte, North Carolina. In 1988 I had taken a position as General Manager of an office furniture dealership in Charlotte and it turned out to be a not so fun experience for my family. Erik had worked many late evenings with an office cleaning service to save the $1,000 needed to purchase the vintage Olds. School was out at 2:30 in the afternoon and he headed north at 5 PM. The battery was weak so I told him to not shut the engine off if he expected to start it up soon after the stop.
Early the next morning he ran over a dead deer and when he was pulling the carcass out from under the car he heard a knock in the engine. He made it to the Big Foot Gas Station in Shelbyville, Indiana and called me at 6 AM. He ended up finding a backyard mechanic who changed the timing gear for $400. It was the one and only time I have had to use Western Union to wire money. The mechanic fed him supper and allowed him to sleep on the couch. If I remember correctly he went fishing with the mechanic’s son. They fed him breakfast the next morning and sent him on his way to Chicago to have lunch at Denny’s with my brother Geoff and his wife Susan. Quite the experience.
“Poetry is the one place where people can speak their original human mind. It is the outlet for people to say in public what is known is private.” Allen Ginsberg born on this date in 1947
May 27th, 2022 by Gary Osberg
When I was a youngster in Upsala, we always had a Memorial Day service in the school gym, followed by a parade down Main Street. Sometime after I graduated Upsala High School in 1961, the practice died out.
Then in the 80’s, Lorna Koehn, a member of the American Legion Auxiliary brought back the Memorial Day Celebration in Upsala. I can still picture her marching in front of a group of children, each holding a bunch of lilac flowers.
This year the Memorial Day celebration in Upsala will start with a program at 10am in the school gym. Following the indoor ceremony the celebration will proceed to the Veterans Memorial Park directly across the street for ceremony. There the children will wait in anticipation for the chance to collect the spent brass shells after the 21 gun salute. They make good whistles.
After that, there will be a parade through Upsala, to the City Recreation Building where the `Upsala First Responders’ will serve a picnic lunch. Hopefully there will be some “Bee Bop A Ree Bop Rhubarb Pie”.
Whenever you meet a veteran or a service member, simply say “Thank you for serving”. They all deserve our respect.
“My fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.” John Fitzgerald Kennedy
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