September 24th, 2018 by Gary Osberg
Well the highlight of my week has to be Walleye Willie landing a 46 ½ inch muskie on “Secret Lake” in Otter Tail County. There are 1,048 lakes in Otter Tail County, more than any county in the United States. Wednesday night Willie and his dad went fishing with a guide, Randin Olson. It was almost three years ago, in October of 2015, that Willie caught his first muskie. That year he had made a list of fish species that he wanted to catch and the muskie was the last one on his bucket list of 10 fish. Willie is 9 years old and he wants to be a fishing guide when he grows up. I have attached a picture and there is a video on YouTube. Let me know if you want the link.
Live From Here this week is just two weekends away from brand-new episodes! With the penultimate rebroadcast of the summer break, you will revisit the May stop at Wolf Trap with Kacey Musgraves, Cory Henry and the Funk Apostles, and comedian Sheng Wang. Plus: Chris Thile’s Song of the Week encourages us to “Power Off and Carry On”; Sarah Jarosz sings “Morning” and joins Chris and the band on Vampire Weekend’s “Unbelievers”; we congratulate the graduating class of ’47 — that’s 1347; and our traveling correspondent Tom Papa checks in with a report from San Francisco.
“Dost thou love Life? Then do not squander Time; for that is the stuff Life is made of.” Benjamin Franklin
September 13th, 2018 by Gary Osberg
It has been five years since Auntie passed. There are many stories to tell about Auntie, but my favorite came from her son Kevin. They had been visiting Kevin’s uncle in Alexandria and Kevin told Auntie that he wanted to get back to Upsala so he could 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 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 owns a four wheel drive pickup. Auntie was 90 years young at the time. We miss you Auntie. Auntie is on the right side on the picture of the Larson sisters.
This week Live From Here is a look back to May and a show in Atlanta with Father John Misty, Neko Case, and Rory Albanese. Plus: Chris Thile, Madison Cunningham and the band have “The New Delta Blues”; Madison sings “Something to Believe In”; Bertrand Falstaff Heine takes in a minor league baseball game; and Tom Papa heads to Detroit, Michigan, where he experiences the city’s newfound optimism. Tune in on your radio or on your smart device. Remember, the show is no longer broadcast on our Classical Music network. If you want a map showing the frequency of your MPR News station, just ask.
“I was born to have fun!” Leone Larson Hagstrom 1922-2013
September 7th, 2018 by Gary Osberg
The note this week was cut and pasted from my son Erik’s website theoutdoorreport.com. He posted it in September of 2013.
“In our family, Labor Day weekend means a trip to Uncle Brian’s Cabin. It’s our way of saying goodbye to summer and one last weekend dedicated to feeling Minnesota. What I mean by that is a celebration of why we live here, sky blue waters, great food, fantastic fishing and family fun. This year, the weekend began with temperatures in the mid 80’s which lead to perfect swimming weather. Eventually the temperatures dropped far enough to make fishing the favorite activity. “The Cabin” is a gorgeous log cabin nestled in the woods on a small environmental lake near Aitkin, MN. It’s a great place to get away from it all, and the warm orange glow inside the cabin has a way of refreshing your soul.
This little lake doesn’t have much in the way of BIG fish, but it does have a healthy trout population. We’ve never really tried to fish for trout over Labor Day weekend, however, this year my son Willie demanded we give it a shot. Uncle Brian took Willie & I out in his 14 foot boat powered by an electric motor. We trolled the deep water with small crankbaits and “cow bell” rigs with crawler harnesses. Sometimes keeping it simple makes for a more enjoyable day on the water. No electronics, no big boat, no big motors. Just three guys trolling around hoping to feel the heavy strike on the end of the line. Low & behold, it worked. We managed to catch 3 nice eater sized trout that made the annual Labor Day feast even more memorable.
Keep in mind, just because Labor Day has come and gone, and it feels like summer is over, that doesn’t mean we are going to stop “feeling Minnesota”. Fall brings some of the best fishing of the year and hunting is going to be in full swing soon.
As always, remember “It’s not about having time, it’s about making time!”
Erik
Live From Here this week is a rewind to May and a show at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium with Courtney Barnett, David Rawlings, and comedian Neal Brennan. Plus: Chris Thile’s Song of the Week, “Tic Tac”; music from Madison Cunningham, including her tune “Remember, Remember”; the MPR radio acting company takes us on a tour of the Ingleview Elephant Sanctuary and chats with the mighty star Arcturus; and Tom Papa ponders life lessons from author Jim Harrison while visiting Springfield, Massachusetts.
August 31st, 2018 by Gary Osberg
Using a football analogy, today is the first day of the 4th quarter of my life. I came into this world at St. Gabriel’s Hospital in Little Falls late on the afternoon on August 30, 1943. The chances of my getting into “overtime” are not great, however my mother’s mother, Grandma Ramlo, lived to the ripe old age of 98 and she did not have the health care that I have had. She never did smoke or drink alcohol, but I don’t think she lifted weights either. Yesterday I got a step closer to owning a lake lot on a natural environmental 53 acre trout lake in Aitkin County. I hope to close the deal on September 21st. Now I have even more reason to keep on doing this job that I love. I may want to spend some money on improving this wooded lot that has never been improved on, ever. There is so much hardwood, both standing and fallen, that it is hard to get to the lake. At least if I built a cabin with a wood stove, I would not run out of fuel. Wish me luck.
For some reason, there is no information on the Live From Here website about tomorrow’s show. The big news is that tomorrow will be the last time that you will be able to listen to Live From Here on your classical station. The show will be on all of the MPR News stations and on your smart device.
If you want a coverage map showing where all of the MPR News, Classical and The Current stations are broadcast from, simply ask. I will send you a handy 5 x 7 map.
“Determine that the thing can and shall be done, and then we shall find a way.” Abraham Lincoln
August 24th, 2018 by Gary Osberg
My granddaughter, Kaylin Marie, is a partner in a new venture that provides promotional products. T shirts and stuff. Zygoatian LLC is located on Main Street in Isle, Minnesota. On Tuesday I left the cabin in Aitkin and traveled on a road that I had never traveled on before to visit the store. I was very impressed. In fact, I purchased a table that her father had crafted out of solid walnut. Photo attached.
The problem was that her cell phone provider does not have reliable service in Isle, so we drove to Mora to visit a Verizon store. As most often is the case, the place was very busy. Kaylin was working on her phone to get permission from her current provider to use her existing phone number on a iPhone, when an old man came to the door using a walker. Kaylin jumped up to help him with the door. He sat in a chair and waited. I was strolling around clad in my new jacket that I got for supporting our triple A radio station, The Current, during the last pledge drive. When I took a seat next to him, he asked: “Are you 89 years old?” No, I replied, “I am 74 years old, why do you ask?” “Well you have 89 and a third on the back of your jacket”. “No, that is the frequency of a radio station, The Current, broadcast by Minnesota Public Radio”. The power of promotional products.
Live From Here this week is an April rebroadcast from New York City with Sufjan Stevens, pianist Jonathan Biss. U.S. Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith, and comedian Colin Quinn. Plus: Chris Thile’s Song of the Week celebrates an NYC icon, Rue St. Denis; Gaby Moreno sings “Down in Reverie”; we head gently to Funkytown with a few Breathy Acoustic Covers of Disco Songs; and our traveling correspondent Tom Papa succumbs to Twinkie-related emotion in Atlantic City. Tune in on your radio or your smart device.
“A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions.” Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.
August 10th, 2018 by Gary Osberg
I am a recovering entrepreneur. I couldn’t work for the man, I had to be the man. Every one of my attempts failed. Early in my career, I read an article in an in-flight magazine. I learned that 25% of the population are “risk-takers”. All of the entrepreneurs come out of this group as do all of the criminals. I am not sure where I inherited the trait since neither of my parents were entrepreneurs, but my mother’s brother Eldon was. I was a juvenile delinquent. My first attempt was Draftech, Inc. a contract drafting service run out of my basement in our home in Coon Rapids. It was not long before I went to work selling office furniture for General Office Products. My second attempt was an energy management company “Office Environmental Systems”. My office was in the Allstate building behind the car wash on Division Street in St. Cloud. I was probably the only one in the State of Minnesota out there on straight commission trying to sell computerized energy management systems to owners of large office buildings. I sold three systems in three years and then I went back to selling office furniture.
I have a collection of business cards that fills a ring binder. I started working here in Wimmer Hall in 1999. I just received delivery of another box of calling cards for Minnesota Public Radio. I go through a box of cards every couple of years. I hope to go through a few more before I call it quits.
This week Live From Here is a look back to the beginning of April and a broadcast from the State Theatre in Minneapolis with Shakey Graves, Dessa, and comedian Rachel Feinstein. Plus: Chris Thile and the band play “And Now a Word from Our Sponsor”. The gang will close things out with “1952 Vincent Black Lightning,”. The radio acting company explores a batch of new colloquial sayings and dives into the world of Forensic Foley investigation, and Tom Papa chats with an amiable taxi driver in Phoenix. Tune in on your radio or your smart device.
“Let us be grateful to people who make us happy. They are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.” Marcel Proust
August 3rd, 2018 by Gary Osberg
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On Monday I will be in a foursome at the Bob Nicol Memorial in Richmond. This week we buried a member of “The Greatest Generation”. Bob lived to celebrate his 103rd birthday in April. He was the founder of the St. Cloud Sertoma Club, serving as its first President. He faithfully attended weekly meetings until a few months ago. Every year, Bob sold more Fruit Cakes than any member. He entered the Army as a commissioned officer through the ROTC and spent 21 months in Europe during WWII. He was a member of the St. Cloud Country Club for 70 years and shot his age at 74. He had five holes in one. Bob will be greatly missed by many. I took this picture of Bob teeing off at age 96 in the annual Sertoma Golf Tournament, now the “Bob Nicol Memorial”.
This week, Live From Here is a look back to a March broadcast from Tempe, AZ with The Wood Brothers, Phoebe Bridgers, and Bobcat Goldthwait. Plus: they will open things up with a celebration of Cactus League baseball and Frank Lloyd Wright, and an instrumental Song of the Week, “Dancing About Architecture”. Madison Cunningham delivers her stunning song “Trouble Found Me.” All that plus, Tom Papa’s notes from a trip to Indianapolis, and the acting company’s journey into the world of “Moms Who’ve Left Facebook”.
“Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.” Albert Schweitzer
July 27th, 2018 by Gary Osberg
Last Sunday, Quiet Oaks Hospice House celebrated their 7th annual Butterfly Release Memorial. This event began in 2012 with just 100 butterflies being released in remembrance of loved ones at the pavilion by Lake George in conjunction with SummerTime by George.
The butterflies are purchased from Butterfly Memories out of Isanti, MN. Raising strong, healthy monarchs is quite an art and must be well timed. Rebecca with Butterfly Memories shared that her parents helped the morning of the event to capture and insert the butterflies into the envelopes. The temperature they are maintained at is what allows them to do this without damaging their fragile wings and legs.
In 2014 Quiet Oaks partnered with the Music in the Garden Concert Series, the St. Cloud Symphony Orchestra and Munsinger Clemens Gardens Botanical Society to create this beautiful event to remember and celebrate the wonderful joy and treasure of loved one’s legacy and life. It has been held there ever since. This year 350 butterflies were released. I watched as one woman waited patiently for her butterfly to wake up and fly away. The smile on her face when it lifted off was awesome. 1,100 of us showed up to share in the experience and most stayed to enjoy the awesome music of Harpers Chord. To get on the mailing list for future events, simply Google Quiet Oaks Hospice House.
This week Live From Here is a rewind to March and a show performed at the Fitzgerald Theater in Saint Paul. There will be music from Caitlyn Smith and Väsen, and comedy from Mary Lynn Rajskub. Plus: Madison Cunningham joins Chris Thile and the band for the Song of the Week, “Cure-All,” and sings Jeff Buckley’s “Dream Brother”; Tom Papa mingles with tourists and employees at Walt Disney World; and the radio acting company deals with a surprisingly aggressive crow.
“What we call the beginning is often the end. And to make an end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from.” T.S. Eliot
July 23rd, 2018 by Gary Osberg
The Rhubarb Pie with ice cream is back at Fisher’s Club, a seasonal restaurant next to a city owned swimming beach on the north shore of Middle Spunk Lake in Avon.
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 and 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 bottles are still on the wall with their names on them. The new owners, Cory and Jacob Voss, have a full service bar. Jacob graduated from Upsala High School in 2011. The new schedule is to be open from Wednesday until Sunday starting at 4pm. They also serve Sunday Brunch until noon. Be sure to call for reservations, 320-356-7372.
This week, “Live From Here” is a February rebroadcast from the Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul with music from Dr. Dog and Ibeyi, plus comedian Dan Naturman. Madison Cunningham joins Chris Thile for the Song of the Week, “The Olympic Athletes from Russia,” and sings her own “Location.” The gang will also field an Instant Song Request for The Beatles’ “Come Together”; take a mid-winter trip to Chicago with Out. In. America. correspondent Tom Papa; and get a word on the “Breathy Acoustic Covers of Hair Metal Songs” collection from the radio acting company. Tune in Saturday at 5 pm central on your radio or smart device.
“What every child wants to know is: `Do your eyes light up when I enter the room? Did you hear me and did what I say mean anything to you?’ That is what they are looking for.” Toni Morrison
July 13th, 2018 by Gary Osberg
Today is Friday the 13th. The Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute in Asheville, NC, reported that an estimated 17 to 21 million people in the United States are affected by a fear of this day. Some people are so paralyzed by fear that they avoid their normal routines in doing business on this day. “It’s been estimated that $800 to $900 million is lost in business on this day..” Source: John Roach.
According to Wikipedia, the actual origin of the superstition appears to be a tale in Norse mythology. Friday is named for Frigga, the free-spirited goddess of love and fertility. When Norse and Germanic tribes converted to Christianity, Frigga was banished in shame to a mountaintop and labeled a witch. It was believed that every Friday, the spiteful goddess convened a meeting with eleven other witches, plus the devil – a gathering of thirteen – and plotted ill turns of fate for the coming week.
For many centuries in Scandinavia, Friday was known as “Witches’ Sabbath.” source: Charles Panati, Panati’s Extraordinary Origins of Everyday Things.
This week Live From Here is a look back to the January broadcast from the Bass Concert Hall in Austin, Texas with Shovels and Rope, Snarky Puppy, and Pete Holmes. Plus: Chris Eldridge and the band play “Bone Collector”; Tom Papa makes an unfortunate snack error while visiting Raleigh, North Carolina; and we experience the horror of The Lobby with the acting company.
“If there is no struggle, there is no progress.” Frederick Douglass
Well the highlight of my week has to be Walleye Willie landing a 46 ½ inch muskie on “Secret Lake” in Otter Tail County. There are 1,048 lakes in Otter Tail County, more than any county in the United States. Wednesday night Willie and his dad went fishing with a guide, Randin Olson. It was almost three years ago, in October of 2015, that Willie caught his first muskie. That year he had made a list of fish species that he wanted to catch and the muskie was the last one on his bucket list of 10 fish. Willie is 9 years old and he wants to be a fishing guide when he grows up. I have attached a picture and there is a video on YouTube. Let me know if you want the link.
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