FAMILY

The role of 'Family Keeper' can mean pointing the family toward the future

Ann Bailey — Mon, 23 Jun 2025 10:30:00 GMT

I’ve unofficially declared myself the “Family Keeper.”

It’s a title that I made for myself because I am the fourth consecutive generation of my family to live in our farmhouse and my children are the fifth. The attic of the house is large, which offers both an opportunity and a challenge.

The opportunity is the ability to store a wealth of family history in the form of household items, letters and books, including farm records, dating back to the late 1800s. The challenge is deciding what to store and what to keep.

Over the 31 years we’ve lived in our house my husband, Brian, and I and our children have “cleaned out” the attic several times, but within a few years of the purging and sorting of items we added more of our stuff so we were back to square one.

Now in our 60s and retired, Brian and I decided we had to be ruthless in our endeavor to clean out the generations of items that were in the attic, including our adult children’s grade school and high school report cards, awards and drawings.

I had been keeping all of the latter for sentimental reasons and, after cleaning out my parents’ about a decade ago after my parents died, I realized that if my own three children felt the same way about the things my mom and dad had kept for me, they may not want them.

I was right. They scanned a few things and the rest went in the trash.

I was equally brutal with the generational items that were stored in the attic. I sorted through about a dozen boxes of photos, keepsakes, daily diaries, calendars, farm records books, religious articles, letters, suitcases and many other things and threw the majority of it. I took the Catholic religious items, such as rosaries and broken crucifixes to our church where they will be properly disposed of. The intact rosaries are in my bedside drawer and a beautiful, old crucifix now is hanging on our hall wall.

I waffled over throwing away some of it, such as unidentified wedding and family photos from the late 1800s and early 1900s, but logic prevailed and they went to the landfill. I have no idea who the people are and couldn’t justify keeping them so my children would have to get rid of them when Brian and I are deceased.

I spent an entire day and another half of the day, going through the boxes in the attic keeping top of mind our Brendan, Thomas and Ellen throughout the whole weeding out process. I asked myself, “Will this mean anything to them when Brian and I are deceased or will it just be a headache for them to sort through it?”

I didn’t throw everything. I put family pictures of identified people in separate plastic storage bags with the names of my children, siblings, parents, cousins, maternal grandparents and my maternal great-grandparents. I am giving each of the bags of the living relatives to each of them and they can do with them what they choose, and if that includes throwing them in our farm’s dumpster before they leave our farmstead, that’s fine. My self-imposed responsibility was to give pictures to the people who were in them, and what they decide to do with them is their choice.

I am putting the bags of pictures of deceased relatives in a single box that will go back up in the attic. When Brian and I are gone our children can decide whether to carry that box to the dumpster or look at its contents. The same goes for the farm record books, day-to-day calendars and diaries.

A note: The calendars, diaries and farm record books contain some good column fodder, so I’ll share some of the things I find in them in the future.

Those and the photos of deceased relatives that are identified total three boxes for our children to keep or dispose of when we are deceased. It’s a good feeling to know that, because as someone who helped clean out her parents’ home, where they had lived for 60 years, I know how difficult that is.

The older I get, the more I realize that, in the end, no matter how precious we think those material things are, it’s only “stuff” and that we can’t take it with us.

I’d rather make memories with our children and grandchildren and have them do the same with each other than hang on to physical things. The former are what definitely are worth keeping.

Ann Bailey lives on a farmstead near Larimore, North Dakota, that has been in her family since 1911. You can reach her at 218-779-8093 or anntbailey58@gmail.com.]]>

Richest 1% of Minnesota families own nearly one third of the wealth, data report says

Christopher Ingraham / Minnesota Reformer — Sat, 01 Feb 2025 12:13:00 GMT

Minnesota's household wealth — mirroring national trends — has become more concentrated over the past six decades, a new database of household wealth.

In 1960, for instance, the bottom 50% of families owned about 10% of the state’s total wealth, while the richest 1% had about 17%, according to data collected by Geowealth US.

But by 2010, the share of wealth owned by the bottom 50% fell by roughly half, while the wealth of the richest 1% more than doubled. Those shares changed little from 2010 to 2020.

The estimates in the database are based the federal Survey of Consumer Finances, which asks respondents about their assets and debts, as well as the Census’ American Community Survey, which measures demographics, income and home ownership.

Behind the numbers

The rise in wealth inequality is driven by many factors, including the loss of high-paying blue collar jobs; the growing concentration of white-collar jobs in coastal metropolitan areas and big advanced economies like the Twin Cities; and changes to the tax code favoring the already-wealthy.

Wealth inequality in the United States is greater than in most other democracies. Racial wealth disparities, driven in part by decades of discriminatory policymaking, are often staggering.

Minnesota’s racial disparities are among the worst in the nation, partly due to the state’s long history of redlining, or denying mortgages and other financial services to non-white people. Those century-old policies reverberate in maps of neighborhood inequality made today.

The richest and poorest Minnesota communities are all concentrated in the Twin Cities metro.

The wealthiest communities in the Twin Cities are roughly 10 times richer than the poorest ones, according to the data.

Median households in parts of the west metro — including Lake Minnetonka, Plymouth and Maple Grove — have a net worth well over $400,000. Those in parts of south Minneapolis and the western part of St. Paul have closer to $40,000.

In the richest areas of the country, like Palo Alto or the New York City suburbs, the typical family is worth well over $1 million. In the poorest communities, which are in New York, Houston and Milwaukee, the typical family has only $18,000 in assets.

“People who grow up in wealthier places can reap benefits that span generations,” Tom Kemeny, one of the database’s compilers, explained in a recent commentary. “As a result of property taxes and philanthropy, wealthier communities have greater resources for schools, health care, transportation and other infrastructure.”

This story was originally published on MinnesotaReformer.com.

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A tail of determination: Dog treks 60 miles homeward before reuniting with her owners

TJ Rhodes — Wed, 27 Nov 2024 13:30:00 GMT

With a good sense of direction, anyone can find their way back home.

Enter Grace Murphy’s 3-year-old dog, Ember, a great Pyrenees golden retriever mix who ran off while visiting her parents, Joel and Jamie Anderson, who live in the country near Solway — about 10 miles from Bemidji. Ember disappeared on Oct. 3 into the nearby woods hours before Grace and her family headed home.

Murphy, who now lives in Moorhead with her husband, Roderick, and their three young children, did everything they could to find Ember. She, her parents, siblings and numerous friends searched extensively in the area where Ember went missing; they posted fliers; they posted in lost pet groups on social media; they contacted retrievers, shelters, local sheriff’s offices and even put out a scent trail — all to no avail.

“My boys have been raised with her,” Murphy said. “Every time we would leave my parents to come back to Moorhead after not finding her, my 4-year-old cried consistently. ‘We can’t leave yet without Ember. We haven’t found her yet.’ ”

However, life had to go on, and about two weeks later, the Murphy family traveled to Washington state for Grace’s sister’s wedding.

After exhausting every avenue in search of Ember for more than two weeks, the family feared the worst: Ember was gone.

But a string of fortuitous Facebook connections led the Murphys to locate their beloved dog, crazily enough, some 60 miles away from where she originally went missing.

While in Washington, Murphy received a Facebook message from someone who used to live in Fertile. The concerned individual noticed a post in a Fertile Flea Market Facebook group from Tammie Campbell who found a dog in Fertile that looked eerily similar to Ember, with one caveat: the found stray dog in question was listed as a boy.

“I pulled up the picture on my phone and immediately was like, ‘Oh my goodness, that’s Ember,’ ” Murphy recalled. “I was just bawling. We were all so excited.”

Murphy, friends and family all tried their best to contact Campbell, but it was 10 p.m. in Washington, which meant it was midnight in Minnesota, and the excited bunch had to wait until morning to discover if it truly was Ember.

“My dad had teased me. He had told me originally, ‘It’s not like we’re gonna find her in Mahnomen… this isn’t Homeward Bound,’ ” Murphy recounted. “He was standing there when we found out she was in Fertile. He was like, ‘Maybe she was coming home.’ ”

After squarely identifying Ember from her unique, crocheted collar, Murphy sent a family member who was still back at home in Minnesota to pick her up from Campbell, and the tale was nearly complete.

When the family member arrived, Ember was excited to see familiar faces and finally relaxed, sleeping throughout the car ride home.

When the Murphys returned home from the wedding trip and finally locked eyes with Ember after being separated for nearly three weeks, a watershed of emotion enveloped the family.

“She’s a fairly decent-sized dog, so she’s not allowed to jump up. But she scratched that and just jumped up on top of me and wouldn’t stop whining and wagging her tail,” Murphy recalled. “She was so happy, so excited, and then she saw my little boys and could not stop licking them and whining. Like, ‘Oh, these are my family.’ ”

Ember’s stay in Fertile

Ember was found in Fertile on Oct. 14, by Campbell, 11 days after she went missing. However, her trek to Fertile still remains a mystery.

Campbell said she found Ember lying near her outdoor shed. Initially startled, Campbell was taken aback by how much Ember resembled her late dog, Angel. Furthering this resemblance, Ember was lying on Angel’s grave marker.

“Our dog has been gone for five years now, and it was almost like she was reincarnated to this bigger dog with the same personality, everything,” Campbell said. “The places that she would lay in our yard were the exact places our dog would lay. To see her laying under a certain tree looking up at squirrels or laying on our back deck (reminded me of Angel).”

Ember was skittish and seemed malnourished. She would not let Campbell near her — leading to the false identification on the Facebook post — but she simultaneously did not want to leave Campbell’s yard, which is not fenced in.

“She’s a good dog. I would go for walks every day and she would want to follow me, and I’d say, ‘No, you got to stay,’ and she’d stay in our yard,“ Campbell said. “She must have felt loved and protected and she definitely was protecting me because anybody who would drive by or come up, she would start barking and let me know if somebody was there. She’s very smart.”

Campbell began feeding Ember and started the search for her owners. She made Facebook posts, contacted local retrievers, and even contacted the city, which looked through a database and found no matches.

“I was going to keep her until we found the owners. I wasn’t going to turn her over,” Campbell said. “I didn’t want to let her go because you don’t know what’s going to happen to them after they leave you.”

After three days, Campbell finally gained Ember’s trust and was able to pet the skittish dog. After five days, as temperatures began to drop, Ember came inside and slept on Angel’s old bed.

The very next morning, Oct. 19, Campbell and Murphy were finally in contact, formulating a plan to ensure Ember’s safe return home, ending the improbable journey.

“Not everybody has compassion for animals. I think Ember knew where to land when she found a spot because my whole family’s got a soft spot for animals,” Campbell said about why she helped Ember.

“I’m so glad she is in a good home,” she added. “That’s just the icing on the cake.”

The happy ending

Murphy was very thankful for Campbell’s dedication to Ember.

“Ember is very intuitive. If there’s a sick person in the house, she doesn’t leave their side. If you’re crying, she’ll hop up on your lap, even though she’s a huge dog,” Murphy said. “She senses emotion and knows when people love her or don’t love her. I’m sure she just knew Tammie loved her and was like, ‘OK, this is a good place to stop.’ ”

For Campbell, it was an exciting week. She thanks the power of social media for reuniting Ember with her family.

Now, everyone involved can say they’ve made a friend.

The two women are still in touch, as Murphy has extended an invitation for Campbell to come see Ember whenever she is in Moorhead.

The Campbell family was on the fence about adopting another dog, but if they did, they wanted either a great Pyrenees or a golden retriever. Ember is the best of both worlds.

Thus, Campbell has offered Murphy her services as a dog-sitter if she ever needs it. In return, Murphy has offered Campbell one of Ember’s potential puppies, if she ever has a litter.

Campbell said she is not likely to adopt another dog. However, her daughter would welcome one of Ember’s puppies with open arms.

Murphy is still in awe of Campbell’s kindness toward their special family pet and is so appreciative of the role she played in bringing Ember home.

“(It was a) huge relief, and honestly, it just felt like a miracle,” Murphy added. “We’re so thankful.”

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North Homes Children and Family Services names supervised visitation, safe exchange program

Ashley McKenzie — Fri, 25 Oct 2024 20:30:00 GMT

BEMIDJI — In collaboration with community partners and local leaders, North Homes Children and Family Services celebrated a significant milestone on Thursday with a naming ceremony for its Supervised Visitation and Safe Exchange (SVSE) program.

The event, hosted by North Homes' Operations Director Tara Hokuf, featured speakers who highlighted the program’s development and its importance to the community.

The SVSE program was developed to address a critical gap in services for families involved in custody disputes, domestic violence and child protection concerns.

The initiative aims to provide a secure environment where children can safely visit non-custodial parents under supervision, meeting a crucial need in the Bemidji area. North Homes partnered with the Ninth Judicial District and local stakeholders to bring this project to life, creating a safe, healing space for vulnerable families with unique and varying needs.

Made possible through a grant from the U.S. Department of Justice's Office on Violence Against Women, the program builds on approximately five years of groundwork laid by community advocates.

'A vital need'

At the heart of the ceremony was the official naming of the program, Noojimowiji Giinawind Abinoojiyug, loosely translating to “we heal from an illness together in the presence of our children” in Ojibwe.

Jonathan Goodman, housing coordinator at the Northwest Indian Community Development Center, was asked to help name the SVSE program. He shared the personal and spiritual journey that earned him the honor of naming the program and how his own incarceration contributed to his growth.

“These last few years, I knew personally what I was missing, and I know what all of my family members were missing," he reflected. “I want to be able to advocate because where we’re all broken is where the houses don’t come together as a home. And it starts with the children, mothers and fathers. So that was how I ended up naming this program, and I’m honored.”

Jim Christmas, President and CEO of North Homes, expressed his gratitude to all who contributed to the program’s success.

“This is a big day," Christmas said. "I'm really so proud of the great work that's been done by all of our staff and by the stakeholders who really championed this mission. Thank you so much.”

He also highlighted North Homes' history since its inception in 1990 as well as the organization’s growth in Beltrami County that has led to the initiation of the SVSE program — emphasizing key partnerships and relationships.

“It’s everyone pulling together to make something that is a vital need a very big success,” he added.

Mayor Jorge Prince expressed gratitude for North Homes' role in addressing Bemidji’s disparities in services.

“We know our community has a lot of needs, and when we have quality providers who can step into that gap and help bring healing and restoration ... it’s really, really important,” Prince said.

He also acknowledged the board of directors, staff and all involved at North Homes and the Ninth Judicial District for making the program a reality, adding, “I’m really, really appreciative.”

A focus on safety

Judge Annie Claesson-Huseby of the Ninth Judicial District reflected on the years of planning that led to the center’s creation.

“It is such a joy to be here today because it bridges together that first meeting more than five years ago pre-COVID and today’s date when we’re actually opening the doors, naming the supervised visitation center,” Claesson-Huseby said.

She emphasized the program’s role in providing a safe and welcoming environment for parents and children affected by domestic violence or custody disputes.

Michelle Nelson, North Homes’ Home and Community-Based Service Manager and SVSE monitor, also spoke about the program’s focus on safety, explaining multiple security measures that are in place.

“We wanted to get a place that children can come to, non-custodial parents and custodial parents can come to and know that their kids are going to be safe,” Nelson said.

She highlighted how two monitors oversee each visit, and cameras are installed at entrances, exits, hallways and within visitation rooms, which also have audio capabilities.

Non-custodial parents arrive through a separate entrance 15 minutes before the visit while custodial parents bring children to the visitation room. Visits follow strict guidelines, and if any participant steps outside these rules, monitors intervene to redirect, or, if necessary, end the session.

Unable to attend the ceremony, Domestic Violence Court Coordinator Deb Baer shared a message read by her daughter, Nikki Miller.

Baer’s message reflected on the gap in local resources she witnessed for families affected by domestic violence and other familial abuse.

“It became evident that there was a gap in providing safe, accessible and free visitation and safe exchange services to families experiencing intimate partner violence, dating violence and stalking in our community,” Miller shared on behalf of Baer.

She also honored the importance of uniting with tribal partners to support the program as Indigenous women are seven times more likely than White women to lose their lives to intimate partner violence in Minnesota.

“Meaningful connection and cultural support from our tribal partners are vital to the work we do in our development of best practices, creating change and improving opportunities for survivors and children experiencing barriers to safety” she wrote.

Cultural Contributions

Pendleton blankets were presented to Goodman and Donald Fairbanks, Ombishkaa coordinator at NWICDC, for their cultural advisement and participation in the naming process. As he works with batterer intervention programs, Fairbanks spoke about the impact of emotional healing for men in the community and ending cycles of trauma and violence.

He noted that some men initially just check off boxes for probation, but that they open up more as they go through the program.

“They say ‘I'm talking about this stuff for the first time in my life,’" Fairbanks said, "and they're expressing emotions, which I think is a big part of what we lack as men in the community because we’re taught as young boys that doing stuff like that is a weakness.”

As the ceremony came to a close, attendees walked away knowing that Noojimowiji Giinawind Abinoojiyug stands as a commitment to provide families with a safe and supportive environment for collective healing.

“Together, we can create lasting change," Baer left off. "Blessings to our partners at North Homes Children and Family Services, our cultural advisors and to all those who enter through these doors.”

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From wagon rides to woodcarvings, Buena Vista Fall Colors Festival offers a weekend of family fun

Charley Gilbert — Tue, 24 Sep 2024 19:09:56 GMT

BEMIDJI — The slopes at Buena Vista Ski Area were bustling over the weekend as it kicked off its 75th season with the annual Fall Colors Festival.

Roughly 600 attendees came out for the fall festivities held Sept. 21-22, which offered wagon rides, live music, children’s activities, food and crafts for sale and demonstrations of blacksmithing, woodcarving and spinning.

“We like to make memories here and we have been doing that since 1949,” said Suzanne Thomas, the third generation to own Buena Vista. “Our family wants to preserve the land as it is and have the community enjoy coming here all season long.”

While Buena Vista is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, the fall festival has been going strong for over 30 years thanks to the hard work of the Dickinson family and all of their volunteers.

“I’ve lived here pretty much all of my life and I’ve been involved with this place forever,” Thomas said. “Now with five generations and 75 years, we are still running.”

Irreplaceable volunteers

Volunteers could be spotted running around keeping things going smoothly on Saturday, with many having helped out around the resort for decades.

“We want people to feel at home here,” Thomas said. “Life goes by so fast and here we can slow down a little bit and learn about how our ancestors used to live.”

Someone whose presence is often heard before it is seen is Muffy Dickinson, the piano player.

“Muffy Dickinson is my dad’s sister and she plays at all of our events,” Thomas shared. “She plays every day that we are open for our events. To see her at the piano each day is so special. She fills the building with beautiful music. If she’s not playing people will ask where she is because people know she plays there every day.”

Thomas also noted that in addition to the ambiance set by Muffy, the presence of the Go and Whoa Harness Club is a huge draw for the fall event.

“Go and Whoa Harness Club volunteers during the festival and are the key group to make this event happen,” Thomas said. “They provide our wagon rides and we couldn’t do this without them.”

Meanwhile, a much louder volunteer could be heard pounding and shaping metal into horseshoes, cobras, hearts and knives for the children in the audience.

“I’m a farrier by trade,” Joel Hamilton said. “When I’m here I’m just pretending I’m a blacksmith, to pretend I’m a knife maker. My real job is making horseshoes and working with horses, but today I’m a blacksmith for the kids doing the best I can to make things out of my horseshoe forge.”

Hamilton has been a farrier for 30 years and has been using his skills to contribute to the fall festival for the past five.

“I like coming here; I do it because of the community,” Hamilton said. “We are told to make the world a better place … so by coming here I’m doing my part and that makes my life better, too.”

He added that as a child he grew up going to Buena Vista, and now giving back is a natural next step for him.

“I’ve been coming here for a while, this place has been part of my childhood,” Hamilton said. “I wouldn’t have been able to do that if guys hadn’t volunteered their time back then, so I’d say I better do my part now, right?”

‘A wonderful place’

Thomas shared that it brings her and her whole family enjoyment to see the community come and spend time together at their events.

“This is a place to call home,” Thomas said, “We enjoy having all these families and people here and cherishing their time together at this historical place.”

Buena Vista continues to host events year-round in hopes of fostering a community that lasts generations.

“This is a special place where everyone is welcome,” Thomas said. “Before my dad died in 2006, he left us a list of things he wanted us to do with this place. In his notes we found in his writing, ‘all trails lead to Buena Vista,’ and that’s something we remind ourselves of when planning these events.”

Buena Vista has become like a second home to many people, including longtime volunteers who look back fondly on decades of service.

“I’ve been helping the Dickinson family out since 1954, I’ve always been here,” Wendell Knutson said. “I had horses for years and I’d give sleigh rides during the wintertime on the weekends. Seeing the kids enjoy the rides was an unbelievable feeling.”

Thomas and others have already started preparations for future upcoming events, so Buena Vista can be a place people can count on to come together, feel connected and have a good time for years to come.

“What would people do without the beautiful Buena Vista?” Knutson left off. “It’s a wonderful place here. I haven’t talked to anyone that hasn’t enjoyed it.”

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Leap into fall fun at Bemidji's Fuller Farm

Charley Gilbert — Tue, 17 Sep 2024 17:32:25 GMT

While this past weekend may not have offered up the crisp autumn days folks anxiously await this time of year, fall was certainly in the air as Fuller Farm kicked off its fifth season.

On the farm's opening night on Friday, children could be spotted jumping to and fro on large hay bales, meandering through the corn maze and jumping into the corn pit again and again, enjoying all the fun activities to be had.

Each weekend now through Oct. 30, attendees can enjoy various festivities at the farm, located just five miles west of Bemidji, including walking through a corn maze, going on hay rides, climbing a straw bale tower, painting pumpkins, petting goats, playing on a giant pumpkin bouncer and more.

With their fifth year underway, the Fuller family has made some new additions to their farm such as their gaga ball pit, storybook walk and outdoor basketball hoops.

“We’ve added some new things to the farm this year so we are hoping people enjoy it,” Owner Megan Fuller said. “The basketball hoops are new and that got a lot of use tonight, so that’s a good start.”

A place for families

The whole family, including their young children, help out before and during the fall season.

“I have to do a lot around here and get it all ready,” Megan’s daughter, Elizabeth said. “But in the end, I think that it’s a lot of fun. And then I like when friends come to play and then I get to play with them all day.”

Preparations for this season have been in full swing for weeks, making it busy behind the scenes, however, as soon as the smiling faces stroll to the farm all of the hours put in prove worthwhile.

“It's a ton of work to get all of this up and running, but then once it all starts, we get to see a whole bunch of people having fun,” Megan said. “And people are super happy and thankful. So we’d say all of the preparation is worth it.”

Fuller Farm is an environment where children can come with their friends and make new ones along the way. The Fuller kids love seeing people at their farm and it doesn’t take long to find a new playing buddy.

“Our son, Grayson, is famous around here for making friends,” Megan said with a smile. “He attaches himself to families and makes new friends every year. It doesn’t matter if he knows them when they walk in but by the end of the day they are friends.”

Megan and her husband, Noah, want their farm to be a welcoming, fun place for people to enjoy fall festivities in Bemidji.

“Our goal is for people to have fun while they are here,” Megan left off. “People come and they're happy to be here — that’s why we do this.”

Additional information

A concession stand as well as local vendors will be on site, where attendees can purchase snacks and beverages. Attendees are also welcome to bring their own food to the farm.

Fuller Farm's hours are 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Fridays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays, and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sundays through Oct. 30, weather permitting.

The farm is located at 445 Stone Lake Road SW, about three miles west of Bemidji High ��.

Tickets cost $10 per person, and children ages 3 and younger are free. On Friday evenings college students can come for $5 with their student ID. Tickets can be purchased online or at the door with cash or card.

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.fullerfarmbemidji.com or check out their Facebook for updates.

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Fortuitous turn of events reunites hand-crafted doll with its maker

Dennis Doeden — Sat, 14 Sep 2024 12:30:00 GMT

BEMIDJI — If only dolls could talk.

A hand-crafted clay doll created as a gift 24 years ago has found its way back to its maker through a fortuitous series of events. It now rests on the dresser of the 24-year-old girl whose mother made it.

The circuitous story involves a doll maker from Pennington, a quilter, a mystery person, and the owner of an antique mall in Bemidji.

An early start

Delight Sporre remembers falling in love with dolls as a child. She collected them and even started making her own out of anything she could find, like sticks and acorns. After getting an antique doll from her grandmother, Delight took even more of an interest.

“I started really researching antique dolls,” she said. “Then my mom and I started going to antique doll shows together and collecting them. I got to meet other doll artists. I learned what kind of clay to use and how it was done. Then I knew at the young age of 14 that’s what I wanted to do.”

By the time she was 16, Delight was sculpting clay dolls and making porcelain reproduction dolls on the side.

“So I had a doll business before I graduated from high school,” she said.

That business continued after graduation when Delight married Mike Sporre. Her creations were featured in national magazines. The couple took annual trips to the East Coast to attend a large doll show and to meet with doll store owners.

“That’s where the market was for these dolls,” Delight said. “Doll shops were really popular then.”

The shops would place orders, and Delight would fill those orders by staying up until the early morning hours making dolls. It was a busy time for the Sporres, who welcomed the first of their 10 children while living in their home area near the Twin Cities.

They moved to Pennington in 1991 and bought a house next door to Kitchi Pines Mennonite Church. Delight continued making dolls until the economy slowed in 1999 and 2000.

“That really affected things like (the doll market),” she said, “because they were not essential things.”

But fellow church members certainly noticed Delight’s talent, and one of them asked if she would make a doll in exchange for a hand-made quilt.

“This was 24 years ago, after my second daughter Esther was born,” Delight said. When she finished the doll, the quilter who received it noticed a resemblance between the doll and little Esther.

“She looks so much like your little girl,” the woman told Delight. “When I die this should go back to her.”

The woman died some years later, but Delight never heard anything about the doll, and didn’t even know how to contact the family.

“It was just lost,” she said.

But now it was found

Jan Burger loves to go to auction sales. About 20 years ago she went to a sale in the Clearbrook area and noticed several dolls that were up for auction.

“But this doll spoke to me,” Burger said. “We really don’t know how it got to that sale and that person. So I bought it, and she has sat on a dresser in my guest room ever since.”

Burger is the owner of the First City Antique Mall, which opened last year at 120 Minnesota Ave. NW in Bemidji. Mike and Delight Sporre opened a booth in the mall a few months ago, and when Burger saw some of the dolls that Delight brought in to sell, she stopped in her tracks.

“I looked at her little pixie dolls and I said to (my husband) Bud, ‘I think I have one of her dolls,’” Burger shared. “I brought my doll in, and I moved some things in her cabinet and I set the doll there with the little ones. Then I showed it to Bud, because he’s an artist, and asked what he thought. He said, ‘It’s the same artist.’”

Shortly after that, when Delight and some of her children came to the antique mall, they were in for a surprise.

“Oh my goodness. Yes, that’s my doll,” Delight said.

Her daughter Esther was with Delight that day. Although she had only seen the doll that looked like her when she was an infant, Esther was told about it and occasionally asked her mother where she thought the doll might be.

Jan Burger was so touched by the story that she decided to give the doll to Esther.

“These things are gifts of the heart,” Burger said. “It’s all about how life comes in this circle, and you never know when you will find someone again. For me, this was just so beautiful, and I thought this doll had to go back to the little girl who was supposed to have it.”

“Esther could hardly believe it,” Delight said. “But even more amazing is that Jan ended up with it and so generously wanted to give the doll to her. She was so happy that now she would actually be able to keep it and one day pass it on to her children. She has it lovingly displayed on her dresser now and it will remain an heirloom in the family.”

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Mom never stops being a mom

Michael Johnson — Fri, 10 May 2024 10:30:00 GMT

I’d like to recognize the moms out there who are quietly doing all the things that only moms can do, in ways that only moms know how.

As a dad, I know I have my skills and I put them to use daily for my family. But my contributions are different from the superpowers of moms.

My kids inherently understand this better than my wife and me. The kids know to ask Mom for some things and Dad for other things. My wife may say, “Go ask your father,” but they already know that it’s her answer they want. Dad’s answer won’t suffice.

Sometimes they’ll ask me where the (fill in the blank) is. If it’s in the house, it’s very likely that only mom knows its whereabouts.

There are conversations that they only want to have with Mom. When they are sick, they know that their mom will bring them back to good health far better than their dad. They may pretend to fend off the hugs and kisses from mom, but they know that those are life-giving and in the right moment, they can change the whole direction of the day.

Things weren’t all that different with my mom, who is still outdoing herself in mothering.

While both my parents are excellent at not getting angry with me even though I gave them plenty of opportunities, my mom has patience that is never-ending.

I won’t forget the countless years that she fed us, cleaned up after us, looked out for us and yet gave us tremendous love and freedom in our childhood. I cannot recall a time growing up when she made me feel like I was a burden or that I owed her for all that she did for me.

That’s a constant check on my own attitudes about parenting. After a busy day of work, when I transition to making a meal for the family, I sometimes get a little upset when the kids don't like what I put on the table. Sure, my one-pot wonders may not be as great as the cheeseburgers and mini corn dogs they get on their school lunch trays, but it’s usually nutritious and edible.

To be fair, I don’t remember a time when there wasn’t something my mom put on the table that I wouldn’t eat. It was pretty much never the one-option kind of meal that I try to slip in under the kids’ noses. No, Mom would fill the table with options. And if I didn't like the hot food options, there was always a plate of bread, a bowl of lettuce and Western dressing so I could make as many lettuce sandwiches as it took to fill my void. (Don’t knock it til you try it.)

I didn’t complain about food, she didn’t complain about my diet.

While she’s a great cook, it was the way she fed us. She was pleased to do so. Caring for our every need without complaint taught us about being selfless. She didn't have to hammer us with lessons or try to explain why she was doing what sie was doing. She led by example in all that she did.

Still today, when we have a need, my mom is eager to help without asking for anything in return. Her desire to do good things for her children is unwavering. It’s the kind of attitude that wasn’t drilled into me by any means. It’s one I’ve witnessed over and over again and can’t help but want to model as a parent.

So to my mom, my wife and all the moms out there who are doing what no one else can, day after day, I wish you a happy Mother's Day. May your children be a constant blessing and reminder of the good you’ve done here on earth.

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Minnesota child care providers struggle to fill 700 open positions

Emma Nelson / Star Tribune — Wed, 17 Apr 2024 18:04:00 GMT

Minnesota's tight labor market is hitting the child care sector hard, making it tougher for families to find care as jobs go unfilled and classrooms sit empty.

A March survey by the Minneapolis Fed and First Children's Finance found even though hiring woes have eased since the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, child care providers are still struggling to attract qualified employees. Child care center respondents reported more than 700 open teaching positions resulting in more than 2,000 unavailable child care slots statewide.

"A center may be licensed to care for, let's say, 75 or 100 kids. But if they don't have enough staff in place to meet the [state staffing] ratios required for each age group, they can't operate at their licensed capacity," Suzanne Pearl, Minnesota director of First Children's Finance, said during a virtual event Monday. "Over the past couple of years, we've seen many centers operating with empty classrooms. They have the space: They just don't have the people."

The 1,266 survey respondents — about three-quarters licensed family child care providers and a quarter child care centers — represent about 16% of licensed child care programs in Minnesota. Most are operating at about 85% of their licensed capacity, survey results showed, with family providers and those in Greater Minnesota tending to report higher enrollment.

Tu-Uyen Tran, who writes about the regional economy for the Minneapolis Fed and facilitated Monday's event, said child care has been essential for his own family in educating his children, ages 7 and 4, while allowing him and his wife to work.

"Many other families, other workers, depend on child care providers to earn a living," he said. "A lot of employers depend on providers, too, because employers depend on parents to show up for work."

The survey results showed a link between child care enrollment and family employment and finances. While enrollment is beginning to stabilize across the sector after taking a hit during the pandemic, more child care centers reported decreased enrollment this year compared to last year. Across the board, providers cited tuition costs and parents leaving the workforce among the top reasons for enrollment declines.

"They're a private business that is essentially filling a public good, and they're limited to what they can charge by what families can afford," Pearl said. "And every business does this, but few industries or businesses are as critical to everybody else as child care."

In general, providers' optimism about their ability to stay open has improved: About 30% said they're unsure whether they'll be able to make it work, compared to about 50% last year. But making ends meet often requires a mix of funding mechanisms beyond tuition, from the state's Great Start Compensation Support Payment Program grants — which about 90% of surveyed providers reported using — to reducing expenses, tapping emergency funds and taking out business loans.

Family providers — who are more likely to be their business' sole employee — take the biggest risks, with their personal finances often on the line. More than 30% of family providers reported using personal savings or retirement funds to supplement their business, and 20% reported using high-interest financing like credit cards or payday loans. Nearly a quarter of family providers said they were unable to pay themselves at some point last year, compared to 15% of center directors.

There's also a pay disparity between family providers and centers, according to First Children's Finance: Family provider revenue equates to just more than $8 an hour in rural areas and $17 in urban areas, while hourly salaries for teaching staff at child care centers range from $13 to $19. While most child care center respondents reported in the March survey they had raised hourly pay, the sector often lacks benefits like health insurance and retirement plans.

Among all respondents, less than 10% agreed child care workers earn a fair living, and most agreed the child care sector is in crisis.

"Child care is a majority woman-owned business. The pay is low, the hours are long, and as we have seen, the profit margins are thin to negative," Pearl said. "Yet the child care sector provides a service to the state's entire workforce. If the child care sector fails, the rest of the economy follows."

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If you value family farms, this column is for you

Jonathan Knutson — Mon, 04 Mar 2024 11:30:00 GMT

When I was 16, and a week before the start of my senior year in high school, my brother Paul was born. I had two sisters — one two years younger than me, the other four years younger — but the late addition of my first and only brother brought special joy. He's given me joy countless times since then.

Now Paul is doing it again. After many years as a successful shop foreman for a company in the Fargo, N.D., area, he returned to our hometown, McVille, North Dakota, to farm our family cropland. He's farming in conjunction with his brother-in-law, a fine and experienced farmer who's farmed the Knutson land in recent years. Paul will be a full-time, year-round employee who also rents his brother-in-law's equipment, providing Paul with high-quality machinery that otherwise he wouldn't have access to. The brother-in-law, in turn, gets a much-appreciated source of additional help for his farm. They've talked numerous times about the arrangement, creating good mutual understanding.

It's not an uncommon situation in this part of the country, especially as farm equipment becomes bigger and costlier.

Next generation up

Paul will be the fourth generation of Knutsons to operate the farm founded by Halvor and Mathea Knutson, grandparents of our father, Robert. He and our mother, Helen, still live in McVille.

Paul's wife, their college-aged daughter and their high school freshman son are on board with the move. My sister-in-law will retain her work-from-home job, providing invaluable medical insurance.

And my nephew will help on the farm in an evolving, still-to-be determined role. It's tempting for me to picture him someday being the fifth generation of Knutsons to farm the land. But no pressure from me, nephew. Be yourself and follow your heart.

That's what Paul has done. Sticking with his former job would have been simpler and safer. But less satisfying, too. So he followed his heart and accepted the challenge.

If you're uninterested in family farms or family businesses in general, you're not reading this column. But if you are interested, you already understand the attraction of multi-generation farms: the continuity, the shared experiences of ever-improving farm equipment and crop inputs, drought and floods, economic downturns and occasional boom years. The connections include failures and frustration, yes, but also success and pride — a mosaic never fully understood but always appreciated. Were I a better writer, I could better express the appeal of family farms

Helpful, sorta

Some readers are asking themselves, "Hey, retired Agweek columnist guy: Will you help out on the family farm?"

Sadly, no. Cancer and associated health ailments forced me to retire early from Agweek. They've discouraged me from attending family events such as confirmation and high school graduation because my weakened immune system is at greater risk of infection. And now my health prevents me from helping my brother on the farm in any meaningful physical way.

I try hard to stay positive, but there are times I really hate this blankety-blank cancer.

I'm a good listener, though, and do my best to provide moral support. Paul talks with me about what needs to be done, especially financially, and the best ways to accomplish his goals. I most certainly am no expert, but I interviewed many ag economists, ag bankers, extension officials and successful farmers through the years. So a few times I can offer semi-useful insights. But my main role is saying, "You're asking really good questions, Paul. Now find the right people to get good answers" -- which of course he would do anyway.

Two takeaways

I hope this column offers two main takeaways. The first is that Agweek news staffers have strong, personal connections to ag. It's not just a job; it's a way of life that matters greatly to us. Even though I'm now just a lowly columnist, no longer a full-time professional, my own connection has been refreshed and reinforced.

The other takeaway is my appreciation for Paul once again bringing me joy. Thank you, brother.

Jonathan Knutson is a former Agweek reporter. He grew up on a farm and spent his career covering agriculture. He can be reached at packerfanknutson@gmail.com.]]>