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Serving Her Community In a Different Uniform Than She Had Anticipated southernminngirlfriends.com

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20 early Spring 19 MAR/APR

about us editor: Beth Forkner Moe

southern mn regional director of magazines | events: Ginny Bergerson

contributing writers: Kari Berit Grace Brandt Rian Dicke-Michels Kelsey Erwin Carlienne A. Frisch Annie Granlund Julie Buchwald Haley Nancy Iglesias Trent Jonas Marianne Radtke Sara Schlueter

multimedia consultants: Kristie Biehn Nicole Brandon CariAnna Chaney Kari Clark Kathleen Davies Pam DeMorett Crystal Hobart Emily Kahnke Tim Mart Mark Nelson Jay Petsche Kyle Shaw Gayle Stelten

graphic designer: Kate Townsend-Noet Volume 11, Issue 2

Copyright Girlfriends 2019 Published Mar/Apr 2019 by: Southern Minn Media 514 Central Avenue Faribault, MN 55021 ©

southernminngirlfriends.com Send releases and story ideas to:

contents features

5 Becky Daul

Serving the community in a different kind of uniform.

9 Chef Craig Korvela

Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott Northfield gains experienced chef.

10 Spring is in the Air and so are Spring Colors

Pantone releases new 2019 colors.

12 Wolverine Rugby

Changing the game for area young women.

14 Living with Less

Living the minimalist life.

18 Updating your Spring Wardrobe Check out the variety of online subscription boxes that are available.

20 Singing to Remember

Singing Hills Chorus is part of ACT on Alzheimer’s.

24 Functional Fashion

Mankato’s hip fashion show “Raw Fusion.”

26

Making Beauty out of Junk Turning “old” into “new” again.

32 Thrift Stores

Re-cycling, Re-purposing, Re-thinking.

34 Preparing for Success

From kindergarten onward, Junior Achievement prepares students for the future.

38

Kickstart your Garden Knock out the winter blues with a little green thumb.

40

Aiding Those Who Need Help Community and court system come together to help people become strong again.

45 100 Years of Empowering Women

Owatonna Business Women (OBW) celebrates a century of coming together.

accessories

23 a man’s perspective

50 gf directory 4 note from the editor

48 unexpected caregiver 43 wellness

Beth Forkner Moe at Girlfriends magazine, bfmoe@southernminn.com

on the cover:

Becky Daul Photo by Eric Czerwinski See her story on PAGE 5.

In the JAN/FEB issue we missed a photo credit.

Cover and Sheila Rolling feature photos were by Deborah Quam Photography

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NOTE from the editor

H forkner Moe Beth Forkner Moe is the editor of Southern Minn Girlfriends magazine.

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appy spring to you (I hope!); as I write this, we are experiencing yet another winter storm. They seem like they will never end….. but they always do.

That is the beauty of late winter and early spring – there is always hope at the end of the white tunnel. Eventually, the beautiful tulips and daffodils will pop up, the birds will start singing, we’ll open our windows and enjoy the fresh air again, as we watch the world become green and come back to life.

In this issue, we share some amazing – and resilient – area women with you. Many of the women we feature would never have guessed the paths their lives would have taken. We are so blessed they shared their stories with us and with you.

Some of the stories, as always, resonate strongly with me.

For example, I love the Junior Achievement story. For many years, I taught the 2nd-grade unit of Junior Achievement in a local school. The 7- and 8-year-olds learned about “Our Community.” They learned about teamwork, about jobs, about government, about volunteering and so much more. The tagline of that unit has always been one of my favorite – “a community is a place where we live, work, and play…. together.” I always told the students – and was backed by the awesome teacher – that the key word in that statement was “together.” And the young ones “got it” – wish it was easier for the rest of us to remember that, more often. What a great program!

Am very excited to share the story of a successful graduate of the Rice County Treatment Court. I’m quite involved in the

activities of our local Treatment Court (my spouse is a professional on our local team) and know what a difference it makes in the lives of individuals and in the community. It can be literally life-saving, and from a community standpoint, it means we have more people who are safe, being good parents, working and paying taxes, and so much more. It’s not an easy road to travel, to be sure, but it’s a great way for a community to support people who are struggling who – in turn – give back.

And who doesn’t love minimalism? Well, at least the idea of it. One of my occupational hazards is books and notebooks and pieces of paper with notes written all over them and…… well, you get the picture. I try to be Minimalist (to a fashion) – honestly, I do. I’ve even done the 30-day challenge a couple times. That’s where you start at the beginning of a month; on the 1st day, you get rid of 1 item, 2 items on the 2nd day, and so on. It’s a lot of fun, at first. “Yay, I can do this,” you think for about, oh, a week (by which point, you’ve gotten rid of 28 items!) During the middle of the month, it gets a bit more challenging. At the end, I confess, I’ve considered that getting rid of a deck of cards counts as 55 items (the full deck, plus the Jokers, plus the box the deck came in). Nothing wrong with that; it’s the effort that counts, right?

Those are only a few of the stories we share with you this issue. Kick back and enjoy!

Cheers to you!

“When I show up in my Boy Scout uniform, I’ll look in the mirror and laugh and think, ‘This is not the uniform I was planning on wearing.’” – Becky Daul

Serving the Community in a Different Kind of Uniform

Becky Daul

W

By Grace Brandt

hen Becky Daul was a junior in high school, she felt like her future was one big question mark. Recovering from weeks in the hospital because of a health issue, she didn’t know whether she wanted to attend college right away after graduating or what else she should do.

But everything became clear when a friend in the Marine Corps encouraged her to talk to her local recruiter.

“About ten minutes later, I got a call from the recruiting sta-

tion,” she remembered with a laugh. “I didn’t want to go, but it ended up being really awesome. I remember going to my first enlisted PT (physical training)… and I just remember getting my butt handed to me. I couldn’t even lift my arms the day after I’d gone. I was in a ton of pain. My dad asked me, ‘So, are you not going back anymore?’ I was like, ‘No, I’m definitely going back.’ It pushed me a lot harder than I’d ever been pushed, but there was a sense of accomplishment of pushing through it to finish it.”

Once Daul discovered the world of the United States Marine Corps, she dove into it head-first, deciding to attend college right away after all so that she could earn a degree and be qualified to earn a commission as a second lieutenant. She chose MSUMankato, joining the university’s Marine Corps officer program.

After two years of physical training and putting together an CONTINUES ON PAGE 6

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CONTINUED FROM page 5

officer package, Daul was selected by the Marine Corps’ officer selection board to attend Officer Candidate School (OCS) during the summer of 2017. If she made it through the rigorous 10-week program, located in Quantico, Virginia, she would earn the right to commission as a second lieutenant.

“It was super-stinking awesome,” Daul said. “I loved every second of being there.”

But, while Daul enjoyed her time in the barracks and was able to keep up with the intense training, she slowly started to realize that something wasn’t right. She was more sluggish than she should have been, even factoring in the extreme lack of sleep candidates experience, and her feet started causing her extreme pain.

“You just assume you’re stressed, eating wrong, etc.,” she said.

“Everyone’s feet hurt, but mine were a little bit more, and I could tell.”

Daul went to the medical corpsman a few times, but there was no diagnosable problem, so she continued with the training. However, after a particularly grueling overnight hike with 90 pounds of weight in her pack, the pain grew even worse and she ended up back in medical care, where she was finally diagnosed

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with cellulitis - a serious bacterial infection.

While the corpsman assured Daul she could quickly recover from the infection, it lingered. Daul ended up on bed rest for three days and missed several more days of training, which eventually meant she had to be sent home because candidates can’t miss more than seven days of field work.

Despite her early release, Daul was invited to return for a future class because she had done so well before her cellulitis disqualified her. When she returned to Mankato, she immediately threw herself back into training, planning to return to OCS the next summer. However, the pain in her feet persisted. She visited several doctors before finding the answer: she had an autoimmune deficiency which disqualified her from continuing on with the Marines.

“It was kind of a whole year of a slump of, ‘What do I do next?’” Daul said. “I worked so dang hard for it. I put so many hours into it. I sacrificed relationships with family and friends and really pushed myself. I didn’t have a background in anything other than yelling at people. My entire plan was the Marine Corps. I didn’t want to do anything else. You don’t foresee something like an immune deficiency is what’s going to stop you all of a sudden.”

Daul graduated in May 2018 and started looking for full time jobs as she worked part-time at Chankaska Creek and Winery.

When she saw an opening with the Boy Scouts of America, she decided to apply “on a whim,” figuring there was no way she’d be given an interview.

However, she ended up getting hired as a district executive, in charge of 400 volunteers and nearly 400 youth members within a roughly 100-squaremile area in southern Minnesota.

Daul’s job includes fundraising, overseeing volunteer efforts, speaking with parents and recruiting new members - including new female members, since the Boy Scouts is working to open all levels of its program to girls too.

“Having someone who looks like me and talks like me in front of girls worked in my benefit,” she said.

Daul says her time in the Marine Corps taught her skills and lessons she’s been able to apply to the Boy Scouts, even though it was something she never expected to do.

“In a weird way, the Marine Corps actually prepared me a ton for having the job I have now,” she said. “It just wasn’t necessarily what I thought I was going to be doing. When I show up in my Boy Scout uniform, I’ll look in the mirror and laugh and think, ‘This is not the uniform I was planning on wearing.’”

One way the Marines helped prepare Daul was the fact that both the Marine Corps and the Boy Scouts are so male-dominated. “[I’m now] very used to being the only female in the room,” she said. “It helps with a lot of my volunteers. We have tons of vets, law enforcement, fire fighters - scruffy men. Having my background with the Marine Corps gives me an advantage talking to these men. I’m not this ‘super girly-girl’ talking in front of them;

I’m someone who’s had my face slammed in dirt and gotten up from it again.”

Daul said she loves her job and especially appreciates the opportunity she has to help her young members succeed in the CONTINUES ON PAGE 8

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“Without the Marines, I wouldn’t be in the position I am right now. I wouldn’t have the confidence to do the job I’m in right now. There’s a lot of leadership skills and different life skills that I got from the Marine Corps, so, as sad as it is, it benefited me a lot more to being the person I am right now, having gone through that. It’s sad I didn’t get to do it, but there’s so much more I can do because I had the experience that I did.” – Becky Daul CONTINUED FROM page 7

program and beyond.

“We want to get them all the way through the Eagle Program,” she said. “You see the youth, the way they grow up and the kind of people they can be after they achieve that rank. It’s the same way I looked at the Marine Corps… I did it because I wanted to lead Marines and help them be successful and do all these cool, amazing things. Now, I get to help dozens of youth do the exact same thing. It’s really cool getting to do the background stuff in order to help these kids achieve something they otherwise wouldn’t have if there wasn’t someone in my position helping them get there.”

Reflecting on how her life has gone and how her plans have changed, Daul said she’s still grateful for the time she invested

into the Marine Corps.

“Without the Marines, I wouldn’t be in the position I am right now,” she said. “I wouldn’t have the confidence to do the job I’m in. There’s a lot of leadership Getting to know you skills and different life skills that Who: Becky Daul I got from the Marine Corps, Hometown: Waukesha, WI so, as sad as it is [that I couldn’t Lives in: Eagle Lake join], it benefited me a lot more Family: Black Lab, Rocky Future plans: Starting her to being the person I am right own cupcake shop or dog rescue now, having gone through that.

It’s sad I didn’t get to do it, but there’s so much more I can do because I had the experience that I did.”

Grace Brandt is a wandering reporter whose home base is Mankato.

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Experienced Chef Brings Magic To New Location

V

By Beth Forkner Moe

isitors to the new Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott Northfield are likely to be pleasantly surprised by the food offerings that are available.

Normally, customers (usually, guests at the hotel) would see a continental breakfast and that’s it.

However, Bar Manager Craig Korvela has been providing delicious “small plates,” flatbreads and more since the hotel opened the end of October.

Korvela, who was at Fielder’s Choice in Northfield for several years and is still part-owner, said it’s pretty uncommon for Fairfield locations to have a bar, but the group that owns it (for a total of seven hotels) wanted to add a bar for its guests. The city of Northfield requires any venue with a bar to also sell food to accompany the alcohol sales, so Korvela worked to develop a menu.

“We didn’t want to do (just) snacks,” he said. “And food was an afterthought in the design (of the hotel.)” The kitchen was designed only for the hotel’s traditional continental breakfast, so Korvela used his background and culinary skills to be creative in designing an evening meal menu.

“I operate out of the continental breakfast kitchen, so space and equipment are limited,” he said.

He developed a menu of shareable plates, a couple of which are entrée-based. “They’re meant to be shared,” he said. “They’re small plates, but they will definitely fill one person.”

There are currently 17 menu items, which Korvela said is relatively small, but large for the type of kitchen he runs.

Beyond the shareable plates, they include shrimp and grits, flatbreads, medallions and mashed (which includes steak medallions over mashed potatoes, with mushrooms and a veal demi-glace), lettuce wraps, and avocado and tuna toast. He also brought the steak crostinis from Fielder’s Choice.

“I feel confident about any of the plates,” he said.

Korvela has been in the culinary industry since the age of 16.

Since high school, he has been either a restaurant manager or owner, in several states. He received his undergraduate degree from Black Hills State University in Spearfish, SD. The degree was in business management and entrepreneurial studies, so he learned how to open and operate his own restaurants. He also holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Western Governors University, which he earned the same year he opened Fielder’s Choice.

The food at Fairfield has “been really well-received,” he said.

“The restaurant is open to the public, and about 85 percent of our business has been local customers. Right now, the bar opens at 4:00 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.”

In the spring, Korvela says, the restaurant will be open 7 days a week, and will probably serve lunch on the weekends. And the menu will also have some changes.

“We have a beautiful deck overlooking the river,” he said. “That will double our seating capacity, and that location will probably triple our revenue on beautiful days.”

Korvela’s vision is that the food he provides his guests is constantly changing. “I like to change (things up) quite a bit, balancing the menu with seasonality and demand.

(Once the weather gets warm), we will have to balance cold foods with warm. For example, we might serve salads and ceviches.”

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A

By Marianne Radtke

s the colors of spring awaken, so do our senses. We begin to crave bright and cheerful colors after the subdued greys and darks of winter. To satisfy this desire, feast your eyes on the delicious new 2019 Pantone colors for spring, and feed your cravings with some Toffee or Mango Mojitos, Pepper Stems or a hint of Turmeric sprinkled in your spring wardrobe or home.

Pantone, known as the leading color experts, released their annual color forecast for trends across current and future seasons, influencing purchasing decisions in multiple industries, including fashion and home furnishings and design. This year’s colors are a mix of bold and bright lively hues as well as softer and more neutral classic hues which makes transitioning your Minnesota wardrobe and home 10

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interior from winter to spring much less daunting and much more affordable.

Here are some insights into what’s trending this spring from Juley Jenkinson, a buyer for The Rare Pair clothing store in Northfield; and Margot Wehye, interior designer/owner of The Design Element in Mankato: Q: How do you see the new 2019 Pantone color trends translating into fashion right now?

Jenkinson: “It’s always refreshing to see bright colors being used in spring trends, so that’s exciting. Pantone does a great job of putting together a nice color collection of not only bold and bright colors, but they also incorporate softer tones into their trend forecast. I can definitely see some of these softer colors being used in some transitioning styles from late winter into early spring. Here in the Midwest, it’s hard for us to jump from black and grey sweaters into bright pink and

coral dresses in the matter of a month. We have to transition slowly from dark to bright!

Those softer hues are helpful to that transition.”

Q: And design?

Wehye: “Every year they announce the new year’s Pantone color trend, but it doesn’t always translate immediately into the interior design world. I just returned from a design market and I did see some of these tones.

That is my gauge of what is genuinely trending. I can see the brighter yellows, pinks, and greens in the mix already, but if they are not showing at design market, we are not likely to see them in our products.”

Q: What style trends do you see in the next several months and how we can use these these colors as we transition into spring/summer?

Jenkinson: “Wrap dresses will be big for spring and summer so some of the pinks, yellows, and oranges that Pantone put out will be lovely colors to wear in a wrap dress.

It’s also fun to see these colors represented in the accessory world. It’s an easy way to be on trend without breaking the bank.”

well-represented in both clothing and accessories. Many major fashion companies pay close attention to these color trends and present collections that represent them well. As a buyer, I appreciate Pantone releasing their color trends for the season because it helps guide buying decisions for a season that is quite a few months away (we buy for spring 2019 in August 2018) and feel confident that I’m bringing in fashion-forward merchandise that the customer will love!”

Q: Is there anything else you can tell me about what to expect for spring 2019 Marianne Radtke enjoys writing, photography, design overall? music, art, theater, travel, food, fashion, football, Fall, mountains, oceans, boat Wehye: “In 2019 we will be using lots of ing, biking, skiing and golf. She hates navy blue, sometimes mixing it with shades to cook and has a horrible green of turquoise. I’m working on a new thumb. She has written a home right now, and we are using a children’s book about overLiving Coral - PANTONE Color capri blue for the kitchen island coming fears. She lives of the Year! in Northfield with and the walls and trim in the her husband office. The remainder of the and their home is quite neutral four chilwith rustic wood dren.

Tumeric Princess Blue and stone mixed with soft greys and bright whites (such Jester Red Sweet Lilac Aspen Gold as

Wehye: “As spring approaches and people start getting excited about summer, we will begin to see the use of some of these brighter tones in things like rugs, fabrics and artwork. These tones are perfect Fiesta for spaces like screened porches and kids’ rooms. as well as adding pops of color in main living areas where the base is more neutral. In our area, we are trending more toward lighter and brighter walls (even Pink Peacock white) with lighter wood flooring and black or even brushed gold fixtures. It then gives us white the opportunity to add color in the pillows, quartz artwork, area rugs and accents.” countertops).

Q: What can you tell me about your spring/summer buying experience at as it relates to the 2019 Pantone color trend?

Jenkinson: “When we are at the buyers’ convention, we always see the Pantone colors

It’s tIme to gIve your home a refreshed d new look!

So, as the dormant hues of winter gradually surrender to the emerging colors of spring, treat your senses with sprigs of color by adorning yourselves and your homes with a single-stemmed burst of color in your jewelry and accessories, accent rugs, throw pillows or art. Or completely transform your home or wardrobe into an energizing full bouquet of colors. Need inspiration? View all the 2019 Pantone Spring/Summer colors at www. pantone.com/color-intelligence/fashion-colortrend-report/fashion-color-trend-report-newyork-spring-summer-2019.

The home has large windows with lots of natural light so it should be a beautiful palette!”

Pepper Stem

Terrarium Moss

Sweet Corn

Mango Mojito

Toffee

Brown Granite

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Changing the Game for Area Young Women 12

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By Kelsey Erwin Photos from Facebook

D

ated back to the late 1800’s, the earliest record of women playing rugby was at the Portora Royal School in Enniskillen, Ireland, when Emily Valentine played on the team of her two brothers.

As the sport spread throughout Europe, women’s teams would not take off in the United States until the 1970’s.

In summer 1971, Boksprings, the longest-tenured non-combined men’s rugby club in Minnesota, was established. They played teams such as the Rochester Rogues, the Albert Lea Animals and others in southern Minnesota.

It would not be until June 2012 when the Boksprings league welcomed the Wolverines, the first women’s league in the area.

The team consists of 15 players - eight forwards and seven backs.

The game consists of two halves that are 40 minutes each. There are no timeouts, unless there is an injury. At that point, it is up to the referee’s discretion.

The game begins with a kickoff taken at the center of the field.

The team in possession of the ball will make every effort to score a “try” once the ball is in play. A “try” is when a player touches the ball to the ground in the opponent’s goal. Each “try” is worth five points, and if one is scored, the team also has the opportunity to kick a field goal (kicking over the opponent’s goal posts), scoring an additional two points.

While this both mental and physical game not only empowers women, it also provides them with a sense of pride and community.

Last year, the Wolverines took third in the Minnesota High School Rugby State Championship. Today, this extraordinary team of strong women is prepping for another season.

According to their Facebook page (Faribault Wolverines Rugby), the team is “a full contact rugby club for grades 9-12 based out of Faribault. Our team is made up of players from the surrounding school area, (Faribault, BA, Medford, Owatonna, Waterville, and Northfield). Our season begins in April and runs until early June.”

Interested students are encouraged to contact coaches through the Facebook page.

Kelsey Erwin is a Digital Marketer and freelance writer based in the Twin Cities.

She has a Bachelor’s degree in advertising from Winona State University. Kelsey is a Winona native, and in her spare time enjoys storytelling and getting out on the Mississippi River every chance she gets.

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13

Living with

less

A

By Nancy Iglesias

s we were eating our brown bag lunches together in the office lunchroom, I leaned over and quietly asked my friend and colleague, Jenna, if she considered herself to be a minimalist. As I had gotten to know her over the last year or so, somehow she fit the profile in my mind of what a minimalist is or rather how they live. She seemed in many ways to have happily adopted a simple lifestyle. Four years out of college, she lives in a cute little apartment in a nearby college town. Her lunches always seem more homegrown, organic, looking like they came right off the cover of a farm to table magazine. She’s a big recycler, she enjoys hiking and camping with her friends on the weekend, she helped her friend make flowers for her wedding out of duct tape and - to top it all off - she makes her own dryer balls out of wool yarn.

Her answer surprised me. She thoughtfully replied, “No, I think I’m too sentimental to be a minimalist.” Hmmm, interesting answer.

While my pre-conceived notions of minimalism were perhaps more rooted in stereotypes than reality, this little lunchroom exchange did cause me to dig a little deeper to find answers to the questions of not just what true minimalism is, but perhaps more importantly the “why” behind the “what.”

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Perhaps the best known spokespeople are Minimalists.com’s founders Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus. Their website, complete with blog, video clips, books and other resources is a virtual storehouse (pun intended) for those who are trying to live with less. For those considering moving toward a minimalist lifestyle, they ask the question, “how might your life be different if you owned less stuff?” When evaluating your stuff, the question becomes “does this possession add value to my life?” In the end, it is not really about the stuff, but rather the intentionality of choosing to live with or without each item in order to gain the freedom to pursue one’s passions and purpose in an unhindered way.

Josh Becker, another leading blogger, explained that “minimalism is the intentional promotion of the things we most value and the removal of anything that distracts you from it.”

When it comes to making strides toward a new lifestyle, whether it’s diet and exercise, budgeting and saving, being more organized or clearing away the clutter, the big question is often, “How do I get started?” Haven’t we all seen the five-day, seven-day or 30-day challenge to a healthier, more organized, less stressed you?

Reading through several minimalist blogs, I ran across a number of these challenges. The minimalist.com guys have the 30-day challenge. This exercise begins by choosing a friend who wants to do some decluttering. You begin on the first day of the month and each get rid of one item. On the second day of the month, you each choose two items to get rid of. And so goes the month until on

the 30th day, you are challenged to get rid of 30 items. If someone gives up anytime during the month, the other person wins. If neither person gives up, you both win because you will have each divested yourselves of nearly 500 items.

Genevieve Parker Hill, author of the best selling book, “Minimalist Living: Decluttering for Joy, Health and Creativity,” explains the motivation behind her three-day decluttering challenge in this way: “Sometimes decluttering your home is more than just something that will help you feel organized. It can help you feel free, have more joy, and gain the space you need for the people and activities that are truly important in life. When decluttering starts you on a journey away from consumerism and toward more fulfillment, it becomes life-changing.”

As I sat at my dining room table writing about the minimalist lifestyle, I looked around my house and decided it could definitely use a little decluttering. I decided to try the three-day challenge and actually might find a friend to do the 30-day challenge with me next month. So far, I have taken two bags of clothes out of my closest that I seldom wear. My pantry and kitchen gadget/utensil drawer look a little more organized, and I have about a dozen books that will be finding new homes in the next week. Will those exercises or any of the other challenges out there transform me into a true minimalist? Probably not!

First, there is no such thing as a “true minimalist.” Minimalism looks different for every person who starts down that journey. It’s not about counting the number of “essentials” with which we can

live, but rather evaluating and adjusting our mindset around the issues of why we keep or discard what we have and consciously choosing to live with less to gain more.

I don’t really want to spend my days rearranging or dusting things that, in the end, don’t really matter or help move me toward greater purpose, freedom and joy. I do believe that simplifying my physical space will allow me to clear out the cobwebs in my mind and heart. But I do not believe that simply choosing to get rid of those things that don’t “spark joy” will make me a more joyful person, nor do I think that is the point of most minimalist.

Clutter comes in all kinds of forms. Some of it is physical (no, I don’t really need 25 cookbooks when I can find almost any recipe I want online), some of it emotional (negative self-talk, comparing ourselves to others, complaining, judging, etc.) and some of it mental (giving in to those things like mindless television and social media that suck our time.)

I will not be moving out of our townhome and into a tiny house or RV to travel the world anytime soon, but the idea of embracing a more mindful approach to everyday decisions so that I can do a better job of pursuing my passion and purpose is something I would like to commit myself to. I’ll let you know how it goes.

Nancy Iglesias is a freelance writer and storyteller. She is a Mid-West girl through and through with roots and stories from Wisconsin, Illinois and Minnesota. During the week, Nancy works for Home Instead Senior Care, finding joy in assisting families as they seek the best options for their loved ones. On the weekends, she works with preschoolers at her church. Whether she‘s chatting with someone who is four or fourscore, she loves to hear their stories.

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Advice on growing

By Kathy Donahue-Nass

C

lematis, what comes to mind when you hear the name? Is it a vision of the purple vine your grandmother had on her house? Maybe it’s a vision of an empty trellis that you have been trying to get covered with clematis. While clematis are a little temperamental to get started, they are well worth the time at the beginning to ensure their spectacular blooms for years to come.

The first task for your success is determining the location you will be planting your clematis. Most clematis require 5-6 hours of sunlight.

If your location has this much sun your selection process will be easier.

SPONSORED BY If you have less than 5 hours of sunDonahue’s Greenhouse light your variety selection will be 420 10th Street, Faribault limited but do not be deterred there 507-334-7156 www.donahuesgreenhouse.com are several varieties of clematis that grow well in the shade. Look for clematis, Abilene, Alaina, Bernadine, Candy Stripe, Fleuri, Nelly Moser or Silver Moon just to name a few.

Selecting quality clematis requires going to a greenhouse/garden center that grows quality plants. Once you get to your greenhouse/garden center there’s a few things to look for. First look for green healthy foliage. While it’s wonderful to see a bloom it’s more important to have a bushy green plant. Look for multiple stems shooting from the base of the plant. This will give you a fuller plant quicker. Look for varieties that fit your sun requirements and look for varieties that have long blooming times. Selecting two clematis that have different bloom times will extend the blooming on your trellis. Select a June bloomer and

then a summer bloomer. Once you’ve made your selection the real fun begins.

Soil preparation is important as clematis like well-drained soil.

Clematis also have very deep roots so it’s best to dig a whole 18” x 18” and fill in with mix of good black dirt, peat moss and compost. Now the most important instruction! If you do just one thing in these instructions, this is the one to follow! When planting your clematis plant it deeper than it is in the pot. Covering up one or two sets of leaves will give the plant the start it needs. The reason for covering up the node is two fold. First it allows the plant to shoot stems from the nodes that are underground creating a bushier plant. Second if the stem should ever break off at ground level or chewed off by animals the clematis will shoot up from under the ground and your clematis will not be lost.

When planting you do not need to remove the leaves just cover leaves with soil.

After planting if possible wrap a piece of screen loosely around the plant to prevent animals from breaking or eating off the stem for the first year. The stake should be placed toward the trellis to train the plant to its permanent support.

Water your clematis by soaking twice a week for the first few weeks until the plant is established. In years to come, always soak well once a week in dry weather. Feed once a month from April through September with a good water-soluble fertilizer.

Clematis roots like to be cool. Plant annuals or perennials at the base of the clematis to shade the roots or use mulch at the base of the plant to keep roots cool. For the first year it is best to prune your clematis back to about 8 –10” in the late autumn. In subsequent years follow pruning recommendations for your particular variety.

This is the time to notate in your gardening notebook, I am going to plant one or two clematis this spring! Be creative and add some color on that mailbox, in a rose tower, in a crab tree, in a patio pot anywhere you need some color. If planted correctly and cared for clematis will give color year after year.

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April 26th - 28th, 2019 Join us for our ‘Potting Days’ All three days of our Open House

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pivotal point oriental medicine

id you know that Chinese medicine is the oldest literate medicine in the world? It has more than 2000 years of written history. That means one generation of doctors has passed on their knowledge and experience in writing to the next generation over and over again until today. The Yellow Emperor’s Canon of Internal Medicine is the oldest medical textbook in the world dating from around 200 BCE. It is a classic still studied today. Chapter 2 is titled “On Preserving Health in Accordance with the Four Seasons.” This ancient knowledge is still relevant for our health today.

Spring time Spring is when the energy of life pivots from deep storage during the winter and emerges rising up and out, just like a seed sprouting and working its way through the earth and up into the sun.

The burst of green and life is so wonderful and so welcome here in southern Minnesota that you can see it on people’s faces. We are out and about. The better we have rested and stored our energies over the winter, the better prepared we are for the surge in the spring.

Spring is associated with the liver in Chinese medicine. The liver is responsible for the storage of blood and its movement in our bodies, giving us a sense of freedom and expansiveness, both physically and emotionally.

If this movement is blocked or sluggish, or if

the blood is weak or of poor quality, we get symptoms associated with liver function. During the spring when this flourishing is strongest, there’s a tendency to have an increase in liver pathologies.

Some symptoms of an imbalanced Liver are: • Anger or irritability • Depression • Digestive disorders - pain, bloating, IBS • Menstrual disorders • Shoulder and neck tension • Headaches and dizziness There are two components to supporting the liver, nourishing it and helping it move smoothly.

Here are some things to try: • Eating early spring greens - think of the bitter dandelion leafs- helps cleanse our bodies from the heavy foods of winter. Sour foods like Gou Ji berries or apple cider vinegar are also good for the liver.

• Rising with the sun in the morning and going out to breathe the fresh air.

• Going on walks, especially out in nature.

• Acupressure. Massage the area between the big toe and second toe bones on the back of the foot and pinch the area between the toes.

• Acupuncture! Experience relief of symptoms and set the stage for long-term health for the rest of the year with a spring acupuncture tune-up.

• Chinese Herbal therapy! I offer the highest quality powered (instant) or bulk (decoct at home) herbs in customized individual formulations to match your unique pattern diagnosis. This is a great option for people who can’t make it into appointments very often. After the initial diagnosis we can work together over the phone, with the formulas delivered by mail.

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W

By Sara Schlueter

ith spring just around the corner, giving your wardrobe a fresh look is a must. And any fashionista can sometimes feel the pressure to sport the latest style or newest fad. But before you hit the mall or click “order,” check out the variety of online subscription boxes that are available. Whether you are looking to get new styles delivered to your door every month, shop eco-friendly or rent the latest styles, a personalized box tailored just for you is one way to amp up your spring style.

Subscription Style Companies such as Stitch Fix have made the idea of having a personal stylist accessible to women, men and kids. This exclusive online shopping experience gives the shopper an opportunity to

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establish a style profile, and answer questions about items and accessories you would or wouldn’t wear. You fill out your size information and one of the company’s thousands of stylists will get to work on curating a box with five items they believe would match your style.

A box arrives at your door and you have the opportunity to try on the items and decide what you want, then return the ones you don’t.

You can even decide how often you would like to receive a box. The styling fee of $20 goes towards whichever items you choose to keep.

It’s a fun surprise to see what items your stylist picked out especially for you!

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Eco-Friendly Fashion Be good to the planet and your wallet by looking into style box options with ThredUp. With ThredUp, you can not only clean out your closet and send in your used clothing (and make money!) but you can also purchase secondhand items.

ThredUp recently launched Goody Boxes, where you answer a few questions about your style and budget, and a box with 10 unique

pieces shows up at your doorstep. Each of these secondhand items are under $20 and you pay only for what you want to keep. ThredUp also has a variety of other box options, and for $10 you can select boxes full of spring finds, work wear or a box of your favorite ThredUp items.

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you! For $39.95 a month, you can buy anything on

Rent the Runway Wear the season’s latest looks right off the runway and within budget. Rent the Runway lets you access your “dream closet” with three different subscription plans. You can rent pieces for a few days at a time and return them when you are done.

This type of box is perfect for all the upcoming weddings, showers and parties that come along with the warmer weather. Instead of feeling the pressure to purchase a new outfit for every single event, you can rent a different dress every time and forget about laundry. Simply send back your items when you are done and Rent the Runway foots the dry cleaning bill for you. Plus, new customers can get 20% off their first order. Your wallet and closet will thank you!

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Workout in Style What’s better than sporting funky leggings, colorful sports bras or pretty tops at your next weekend workout class? With Fabletics, you can get your favorite workout and casual wear clothes delivered to you. For less than $50 a month, you can get two leggings of your choice, and VIP offers on all other clothing. You also have the option to skip months. Fabletics also recently opened a store at Mall of America so you don’t even have to wait to get your monthly workout gear fix.

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Adore Me. You even receive your sixth set for free. The flexible plans let you skip months if you need, and you won’t be charged the monthly fee.

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Add Some Sparkle Looking to add fun jewelry pieces to your collection? Try out Rocksbox, and have jewelry delivered right to you. Fill out your style profile and a stylist will pick out three pieces for you each month that you can try out at home. Return back any ones that you don’t love and keep the rest. You can also create a wish list of jewelry and styles that you want to try and your stylist will curate those for you.

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Lingerie For You

With so many options available to not only get fashion delivered right to your door, but curated to match your personal style, it has never been easier to get your wardrobe updated quickly and on budget. Which subscription box are you most excited to try?

Shopping for bras, underwear and intimates can often feel like a challenging task, but with Adore Me all that is delivered right to

Sara Schlueter is a writer and editor in Minneapolis with a passion for storytelling, all things Minnesota, and being involved in the community.

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- Singing Hills Chorus

W

By Grace Brandt

hen the Singing Hills Chorus held its winter performance in the chapel of Mankato’s Our Lady of Good Counsel on January 5, the venue was packed. Every ticket was sold and every seat was filled.

People even squeezed into the back to watch the whole performance while standing.

The concert had originally been scheduled for December 1, but an unexpected snowstorm forced the choir to reschedule. Between the original date and January 5, the group was able to fit in only one extra rehearsal, leaving some members a bit nervous about how well they would remember their songs.

“I was really concerned about that,” Jan Adams remembered.

She lives in Mankato and sings with the choir as a volunteer. “We had to wait until the first Saturday in January, so we hadn’t sung these songs [for some time]. I was concerned, [since] a lot of our members have dementia and might not remember.”

In fact, around one-third of the chorus’s members have Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia. That’s because the chorus was organized especially for people living with these memory-affecting conditions.

A place to belong The Singing Hills Chorus is part of ACT on Alzheimer’s, a volunteer-driven non-profit that has chapters across Minnesota.

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According to Program Director Sandi Lubrant, members of the ACT group were inspired by a Twin Cities-based choir called the Giving Voice Chorus, which was created to offer people with different dementias, as well as their caregivers, a place to sing and socialize together.

“A lot of times with this disease, people focus on the loss,” Lubrant said. “But there are assets and abilities that still exist, and I think it’s really important to figure out how to tap into it.”

Janesville native Kristin Ziemke acts as the choir’s music director.

Ziemke has always had a special relationship with music, ever since she started playing piano in second grade. During high school, she worked as an activities assistant at a long-term care facility, where she would carry her keyboard around to patients’ rooms and play songs for them. She earned an undergraduate degree in music therapy from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and then worked as music therapy director at Monarch Healthcare Management in Mankato for eight years. In 2016, she opened her own music therapy private practice, Avenues Music Therapy, LLC. “This choir has been just a God-send,” she said. “I love that this choir lets me branch outside of my music therapy [background], but I get to use a lot of my music therapy skills within it.”

While the first informative meeting yielded only a handful of people, by the choir’s official start in September 2017, the numbers had grown. The first concert, held in December 2017, had about 26 people performing, and the numbers have grown for every session since then. The January concert had 46 participants.

Ziemke explained that the choir tries to keep a 1:1:1 ratio - one caregiver and volunteer for every singer living with dementia. In fact, she said they’ve actually had to stop taking volunteer sing-

How music affects our brain According to Ziemke, music is unique in the way it affects people’s brains, because it creates activity across all areas and stimulates productive cognitive processes.

“Music activates our brain in a very special way,” Ziemke said. “It’s an opportunity to be silly together, to dance together and to have fun.

[Our choir members] are living with a disease that is constantly causing deterioration. With this choir, you can create friendships and also challenge your mind and keep it as sharp as you possibly can.”

“Music is stored deeply in the brain, and so are emotions,” Lubrant added. “When people can come together and experience joy and love and music for a morning, it’s just something that carries over for people. [Singing Hills Chorus] is a really quality program designed for adults that helps people thrive and be surprised by what we can accomplish.”

Joining the choir

“Instead of losing friends, people are making friends.

We’re getting to know each other’s stories. We’re laughing together and eating together. Alzheimer’s disease often changes relationships that people have, so to be in a place that’s so accepting and full of love, it’s really important.” – Sandy Lubrant ers recently so that they can keep their ratio.

She added that they plan to cap the choir at 50 participants to ensure it doesn’t outgrow the “community” feel, though she added that they would be interested in starting a second choir if the demand is there.

“We knew it just needed time to blossom,” Ziemke said. “People struggle with feeling confident enough to come experience it, but once they’re in, they’re in.”

Year-round music The Singing Hills Chorus divides its time between two 14-week sessions in the spring and winter, each culminating in a concert, as well as a more informal “get-together” session in the summer.

The choir’s leadership team meets a few months prior to each concert to brainstorm about music and come up with a theme, with the goal of offering participants a range of music that is both enjoyable and challenging. Part of this is includ-

ing pieces that have two- or three-part harmony, as well as some songs most of the choir members are unfamiliar with. There are usually around 14 songs per concert.

But the biggest goal is to pick music that is joyful.

“We try to choose music that promotes joy,” Ziemke said. “If there’s one thing that I can say about the choir, it is a joy-giving experience.

From the rehearsal to the music we choose, to the social time before and after, it’s about creating a joyful experience that promotes friendships, that stimulates cognitive health and helps [our singers] accomplish something that maybe they thought they couldn’t accomplish.”

Ziemke said the choir has all levels of singers, from people who have never sung in a group to people who have years of experience. They also have all levels of dementia progression. Because of this, Ziemke and her leadership team adapt the music to everyone’s individual needs, whether that’s creating a CD or writing out lyric sheets.

“As the disease progresses, we’re able to prog-

When: Thursdays from 10-11:30 a.m. (with social time before and after) Duration: January 31-May 11 Where: School Sisters of Notre Dame, 170 Good Counsel Drive, Mankato Cost: $25 per person (scholarships available) To register: Visit singinghillschorus.org, call 507-519-0626 or email katoactonalz@yahoo.com Registrations are accepted at any time if space is available. However, singers are encouraged to sign up prior to the beginning of the session.

Upcoming events When: 1:30 p.m. on May 11 Where: School Sisters of Notre Dame, 170 Good Counsel Drive, Mankato Cost: $10 (kids under 5 are free but still need tickets) For more information: www.singinghillschorus.org

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ress with them and give them the modifications they need,” she said.

Rehearsals are every Thursday morning in the School Sisters of Notre Dame’s basement, with a social time before and after.

Four sisters are currently singing with the choir, along with their four caregivers.

“We are so honored to be in their home,” Lubrant said.

“They have just welcomed us. That’s a really beautiful relationship.”

Ziemke said, in many ways, rehearsals are just like rehearsals at any other choir; she works with members on diction, volume, breath support and other musical elements. However, she also modifies the way she directs to make it more appropriate for her members, such as doing things at a slower pace or providing moments to pause and really grasp the information.

“We’re working on the same goals as your average choir, but we may pace it a little differently,” she explained.

“They just become different people,” Adams said. “The joy that’s on their faces…. money can’t buy it. It’s just been amazing to me.

There’s so much joy that this choir gives to them. You have to be there. Come one time for 15 minutes, and you’ll feel it. It’s a real special place.”

A place to belong According to Ziemke, there are countless benefits to a dementia-friendly choir, but one of the biggest ones is simply offering people a chance to form new relationships in a safe space.

“We’ve seen friendships develop,” she said. “We’ve seen people say, ‘I needed to be here this week. I needed to come back because I needed the joy that it brings. I look forward to Thursday. It’s the best day of my week.’”

Cheryl Lamoureux and Kristi Krengel are a mother-daughter team who have been singing with the choir since its first season.

Krengel acts as caregiver to her mother, who is in the early stages of Alzheimer’s. They said they have both found a welcoming community that accepts them for who they are and what they bring.

“There’s a sense of community and freedom in knowing if you make a mistake, it’s okay,” Krengel said. “You don’t have to worry about messing up. It feels safe here.”

“You’re accepted for what you can bring,” Lamoureux agreed.

“There’s a feeling here of acceptance, love and affirmation with this group. I just love it. I look forward to this day every week.”

Adams has been volunteering with the chorus since it began. She said she has sung in choirs before and enjoyed it, but she has never enjoyed another choir as much as this one.

“When I walk in the door of our practice room, I just get this infusion of joy,” she said. “I’m bolstered all day and some of the next day when I go. There’s a big hole in my week if I can’t go.”

She explained volunteers help in many small ways, such as taking someone to the restroom if the caregiver is busy or finding someone’s place in the sheet music. But, she added, the biggest thing is just helping to “jolly them up,” which tends to go both ways once the music starts.

The School Sisters of Notre Dame Singing Hills Chorus is not the first time the School Sisters of Notre Dame in Mankato have worked towards supporting people living with Alzheimer’s and other dementias.

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The sisters were part of a pilot study that focused on aging, started by Dr. David Snowden in the late 1980’s. By the 1990’s, the doctor had expanded his study to include Alzheimer’s disease. The “Nun Study” opened to all School Sisters of Notre Dame provinces across the U.S.,

Adams is quick to share how the choir has taken care of her, too - such as last winter, when members banded together to drive her to and from practice after she slipped walking on icy pavement in the parking lot. She said from then on, a fellow member always calls to schedule a ride to practice, while another member takes her home afterwards.

“To have someone make the effort for me made me feel so honored and special, that someone would care enough about me to do that for me,” she said. “It’s not a real big thing, but it is to me.”

Their best yet When the Singing Hills Chorus began its winter concert, the audience had no clue that members hadn’t been able to practice much in the past month. Instead, each song the choir sang was clear, smooth = and joyful. The concert swung from a jolly Christmas medley to a mournful Celtic tune, with other classic songs such as “Our House,” “Stand by Me,” and “The Sound of Music.”

The joy was infectious, radiating off the chorus members and filling every person sitting in the audience. When the last note ended, it didn’t take long for people to rise for a standing ovation.

“It was the best concert we ever gave,” Adams said. “It couldn’t have been any better.”

Grace Brandt is a wandering reporter whose home base is Mankato. with a 66 percent participation rate. Sisters are evaluated yearly with memory tests and physical functioning assessments, among other things, and 98 percent of participants also agreed to donate their brains after they died. The study continues today, with three living sisters who are

still enrolled.

“I’m really amazed by the contributions that the sisters have made for Alzheimer’s disease research,” Lubrant said. “For them to say yes, come be here, and open their home to us, I love the energy.”

A man’s perspective

In Re: …

jonas Trent Jonas is a Twin Cities-based writer and divorced father of two. He is fascinated and frightened by women but is working through his issues.

I

recall memories from my own childhood, walking in the woods with my father, splashing in streams, rivers and flooded quarries with my brother. Remembering such recollections, I reflect on the last 18-1/2 years with my own children. My son will reach that exact mark on the non-existent date of February 31, just five days after my daughter turns 17.

Remembering all that I can about their childhoods and the time that I have spent with them has been much more a pastime during this year - my eldest child’s senior year of high school - than in previous years. And these memories are likely what has led to such reflexive reflection on my own childhood recently.

Receding, ragged memories of my own early years have been replaced by crystal-clear representations of those of my children, and I have no regrets about that. I rejoice that I am here and able to recount and refresh their own, sometimes-refracted recollections of those months and years.

Although I recently rebuked myself for

relaxing in my recordation — via photograph, video and even writing — of all the key instances, I realize that I really relished relaxing and living in those moments and relying on my own memory to recall them, rather than leaning on technology as a substitute. In fact, I realize, I will have plenty of time once the kids have left for college to reminisce and record my memories with them.

I reckon that sitting and recouping such recollections will offer some recompense to the reaction that I will feel to being away from both kids for so long for the first time. Recognizing that several months remain before I will be in such a position, I rejoice for the time we have left to relish in each other’s company.

Reading what I have thus far written, I feel that I have rendered a bit of a familiar refrain.

Respectfully, though, I have no reservations about recounting my own recognition of how much more rapidly time has receded since I became a parent. Raising resilience in the face of these recent realizations has been difficult. It is a relief to recount my reflections in these pages, and I really hope that it is relatively resonant for you, as well, dear reader.

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Functiona “I think [Raw Fusion] is one of the biggest, hippest events that Mankato puts on. It’s really, really fun. Every year I go to it, I think, ‘Holy smokes, I don’t think I can compete anymore.’ - Ginny Bergerson

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Ginny Bergerson with one the models at Raw Fusion.

I

By Grace Brandt n the grand hall of the Mankato Verizon Wireless Center, the audience waits restlessly for the show to begin. It’s the annual Raw Fusion Fashion Show, one of the biggest events in Mankato. The grand hall is packed; nearly every ticket is sold. In the middle of the room is a gleaming catwalk, opening up out of a giant pink castle. It fits with the

year’s “Candyland” theme.

Some people sit in roped-off sections surrounding the stage, while others mill around farther back, unwilling to pay for pricier, better seats.

As the music swells and the spotlight swings towards the catwalk, the first model appears. She struts down the

al Fashion stage, a giant lollipop in one hand. Her skirt is a kaleidoscope of colors, while her bodice is covered in mega-sized sweets like ice cream cones, cupcakes and candy canes. The outfit is undeniably attention-grabbing, but as audience members look closer, they see not everything is as it seems. That swishing skirt is made of PVC. The bodice is a mix of aluminum and expanded metal sheets. And that lollipop? The base is a steel tube.

The materials may sound odd, but they actual fit right in for this particular fashion show—which invites local businesses to create outfits for models using the materials they have on hand during their day-today work.

It’s fashionable. It’s functional. It’s Raw Fusion Fashion.

Starting something new

Raw Fusion Fashion began in 2010 as an idea of four women: Mary Kaus, Jamie Sorenson, Nicole Panko and Jen Swenson. The women were members of the Minnesota River Builders Association (MRBA), an area non-profit. According to Kaus, she and Panko saw a similar event in Minneapolis, which was hosted by the Interior Design Association, and they wanted to bring something like it to Mankato.

“It was so much fun, and the dresses were amazing,” Kaus said in an interview with SCENE Magazine in 2018. “We thought we needed some sort of creative outlet like this in Mankato.”

Kaus said it was challenging to start such an event because no one in the area really knew what to

think about it. In recent years, businesses rush to secure model spots and offer sponsorships, but the first year, organizers had difficulties finding participants and sponsors.

“Nobody knew what it was and what we were trying to do,” Kaus said. “We’d just cold-call companies and tell them our idea and ask them if they wanted to be involved. Sponsorships were a hard sell being that it was a new event. Now, we don’t have to really do any calls for sponsorships or models. People just come to us.”

In fact, the event has had to cap its models at 30, though in 2018, they let one more model

squeeze in.

The first year, about 300-400 people came to the show, Kaus said. Compare that to last o year, f you gw Fusion Fashio.mn. on May 10 I when 7p to : Ra / What Doors open ter in Manka at -fusion : n m/raw e nearly When : Verizon Ce ing on the s s://mnrba.co d p 1,500 Where aries depen ation: htt V m : r t s o Co inf people re o For m either participated or watched the event.

The growing audience is especially good news since every year, the show donates much of its proceeds to a different beneficiary. The first year was Habitat for Humanity, and last year was the Educare Foundation, which received $33,000 from the event. Other beneficiaries included CONTINUES ON PAGE 26 u u u

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Award-winning designs

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Ginny Bergerson has been involved with Raw Fusion Fashion since its first year - and her costumes have won awards in every show they’ve been featured.

Bergerson was working for the Mankato Free Press (and is now Southern Minn Regional Director of Magazines | Events) when she was asked if she wanted to enter a model in the first Raw Fusion show. She designed a wedding dress made out of newspapers, along with a groom’s outfit made out of business magazines (which a coworker constructed while she worked on the dress). Finishing the costume took about 40 hours and “hundreds” of newspapers—and it was no easy feat.

“Newspaper’s pretty difficult to sew on, so I had to make the paper sturdy enough that I could cut a pattern out of it,” Bergerson explained. “I adhered the newspaper to that clear contact paper for kitchen shelves, then I’d cut it and sew it.”

The hard work was worth it, though, since her design won Showstopper at the first fashion show. The next year, Bergerson won Showstopper again with a full-figured dress that incorporated newspapers and other office supplies. Then she won the “Shades of Shimmer” award with a pink butterfly costume made out of film and newspapers—and featuring eight-foot-tall wings. (“She was one of my favorites,” Bergerson recalls.) After that came a People’s Choice Award for her “Dark Forest” model, who was “kind of a tree” and featured an outfit made of law books and old wills (at this point, Bergerson was consulting for a local law firm).

Bergerson said she keeps her eyes open leading up to the show to find inspiration and ideas. “Whatever company I’m representing, I try to put that twist into the theme,” she said. “I also play with the product of the company. As far as the inspiration, I have a general idea of what the end vision is, but as I’m building it, it morphs into what it is.”

She added that it can definitely be difficult to work with unusual materials. Her hardest project was the butterfly costume, since the wings incorporated thousands of yards of fishing line, dipped in glitter and wrapped around the frame, which her husband had built so that the wings could be perfectly symmetrical. They wanted the harness to be aluminum so it would be lightweight, which meant finding a local implement dealer to weld it for them. The model frequently had to come back for fittings to make sure the frame and wings worked.

“I’ve got a whole new respect for the Victoria’s Secret models,” Bergerson said.

Besides entering models, Bergerson has also acted as a judge and helped design stage props with her husband. For the Candyland show, they created a 20foot tall tree that was wrapped in scraps of multicolored fabrics, with oversized candies hanging off it.

Bergerson said she isn’t sure if she’s going to enter a model this year or perhaps volunteer in some other way. But even if she doesn’t, she still wants to attend because she enjoys the show so much. “I think [Raw Fusion] is one of the biggest, hippest events that Mankato puts on,” she said. “It’s really, really fun.

Every year I go to it, I think, ‘Holy smokes, I don’t think I can compete anymore.’ These people have really outdone themselves with the automated things they’ve gotten costumes to do. The MRBA keeps finding new ways to twist it up and make it more fun than the previous year. Every year, they seem to find a way to make it better and better, so I wouldn’t be surprised if they do it again this year.”

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the Backpack Food Program, Greater Mankato Area United Way and Partners for Affordable Housing. So far, more than a total of $125,000 has been raised for local non-profits.

“It’s increased every year,” said MRBA Executive Director Amy Kolb. “We’re hoping that will continue.”

Keeping it fresh While this year marks the fashion show’s ninth year, that doesn’t mean spectators will just see the “same ol’, same ol’.” Kolb said the event’s organizational committee works hard to put on something new and different every year.

“The committee is always looking at ways to push the envelope and come up with new

creative ways,” Kolb said. “Our main goal is to give our audience a different experience every time, make it almost like a new event.

We always just want to keep it fresh and shake it up.”

One way the show stays fresh is how it has a different theme every year. Past themes have included Dark Forest, Cirque de Freak, “Are You Ready to Rock?” and Candyland. This year’s theme is “Mythology: Couture of Epic Inspiration.”

Kolb said the committee has been really trying to encourage entries to explore all the different mythologies, not simply stereotypical Greek or Roman stories. She reviews entries to make sure there aren’t any duplicates, and she has been impressed with the wide variety of costume ideas.

“This is a fun one,” Kolb said. “It’s very different. People are doing a really good job thinking outside the box and going beyond the typical mythologies.”

The theme plays into each year’s awards as well. Every year, a panel of judges chooses costumes for certain awards, from People’s Choice (audience members are encouraged to text their favorite choice to the judges) to Showstopper to Most Wearable. There is usually an award that goes with the theme, too, such as the “Shades of Shimmer” award during the 2013 “Shades of Shimmer” show.

In recent years, the show has also started

d. Jonaancer Fun n Zierdt C uring his time as a th a n Jo d n as ry is the mmunity is positio This ye w Fusion Fashion beneenficeciain the Mankatopco wn from h rney with o d d e p u ste r jo influ s Ra This year’ has been a major th, but he recently ly shared his cance s. t w ge id than Zierd ater Mankato Gro s. Zierdt has cand ce similar challen fa onorsi re CEO of G h a cancer diagno raging others who 017 as a d it Fund in 2 unched the u r w co ls ce n a n e e a f d C o t he es Zierd , they la d in the hop Jonathan uary 2018 d with cancer an Mankato lished the oundation. In Jan se b o a n d g st n e a ia d e n if o ts F rmati atien Area d his w Zierdt an d of the Mankato are designed for p ell as access to info d anticipates n n s w advised fu ox program. Boxe rt and comfort as . The JZ Cancer Fu B o rs JZ Caring s to provide supp ilies and caregive y, m m e fa it ir in e communit ta th , r. ts con a n e ye ti a Mankato is p e y th r e s th fo e th s x to e o rk B rc o ch aring resou es so mu d and the good w g 1,200 C n re and giv distributin inent figu ss to his cancer fu m ro p a warene n is such “Jonatha excited to bring a so so we’re said. do,” Kolb

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to include other types of entertainment, such as acrobats or live music. Kolb added that even the décor is heavily considered to make sure the “look” is different from year to year, whether that’s building a giant pink Candyland castle or an ominous tree that reaches to the ceiling to go with the Dark Forest theme.

“I hear people say, ‘You have to be there to experience it,’” she said. “It truly is a complete experience.”

Preparing for this year Kolb said work began on this year’s show in the fall of 2018. In fact, models had already signed up before Christmas. By the time of her interview with Girlfriends in early February, 27 models had signed up.

Putting on an event this large takes many, many volunteers. In addition to MRBA members, people from the community also volunteer their time,

and so do members of each year’s beneficiary. In fact, one of the requirements to be chosen is guaranteeing at least 12 volunteers to help at the event.

According to Kolb, the relationship often doesn’t stop after the beneficiaries receive their donations.

“We’ve got people who have been beneficiaries in other shows who still come back and help us, because they get that it’s such a unique and amazing event,” she said.

Besides the countless volunteers, MRBA also works with area professionals, from the staff at the Verizon Wireless Center to local photographer Daniel Dinsmore, to ensure that each year’s show goes off without a hitch.

“We knew from the beginning that we wanted to go all out,” Kolb said. “The production, the sound, the lighting… We’re using the same equipment as people who set up for the [area’s] biggest concerts. It’s that caliber. It has been from the beginning, and it’s really paid of in people experiencing this amazing event that you don’t necessarily see in other places.”

Grace Brandt is a wandering reporter whose home base is Mankato.

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Making Beauty out of

A

By Nancy Iglesias

n old red flyer wagon turned into a garden cart. Vintage funnels transformed into an eclectic pendent lighting fixture. An old bicycle wheel becomes a steampunk end table. We’ve all heard the phrase that one man’s trash is another’s treasure! Certainly, in today’s vintage re-purposed junk market, no truer words were ever spoken. Check out Pinterest and you will find an abundance of posts like “12 Clever Uses for an Old Ironing Board,” and “50 Brilliant Repurposing Ideas To Turn Old Kitchen Items into Exciting New Things” - think everything from birdfeeders to bent fork photo easels, mason jar lamps, repurposed pots and pans that have

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become a lovely fairy garden setting, and wine bottle chandeliers, to name just a few creative ideas.

With another summer just over the horizon, we thought it might be fun to take a little tour around southern Minnesota to take in some of the best trash-to-treasure markets, festivals and stores. This list is by no means exhaustive or all inclusive, but it’s a great start. Think of it as a “Re-purposed/ Junk Road Trip Treasure Hunting Teaser.”

At each market, the owners often refer you to another. While you are sure to enjoy all the re-purposed, upcycled and re-loved items that fill each of the stores and market, make sure you take a few moments to get to know the people behind the counters.

You might love them even more than their “junk!”

Pop-up weekend occasional markets are gaining in popularity. Here are two you will want to check out:

Mankato Vintage Market has a great selection of vintage furniture, barnwood furniture, hand crafted items and upcycled junk. Each item is a one-of-a-kind creation. Make sure you ask about the history of the building. Paul Rosenberg worked at the Bobber Shop while going to college and bought the business. He ran it for 15 years and then decided to sell the building. It didn’t sell very quickly, but that was great because he and his wife Kelly decided to use it to start selling the furniture that she had been painting. What a great story!

Mankato Vintage Market is open the 2nd and 4th weekend of each month, Thursday-Saturday 10 am.–6 p.m., and Sunday 11 a.m.- 4 p.m. In November and December, the market is open every weekend until Christmas. It is located at 1640 North Riverfront Drive (formerly the Bobber Shop), Mankato. You can find information on Facebook: Mankato Vintage Market.

Rusty Bucket (Winona) - what began as an amazing annual yard sale turned (by popular request) into a monthly pop-up market. You will fall in love with this little shop and the women who host the sale. Creative mastermind Shayna Dias knows how to choose great items with wonderful seasonal appeal. The store is filled with a mix of antiques, lightly used items, refurnished and painted furniture and re-purposed seasonal home décor. Rusty Bucket is open the first full weekend of every month (unless that weekend falls on a holiday), Saturday 9 a.m.-4 p.m. and Sunday noon-4 p.m.

It is located at 175 East 3rd Street, Winona. Facebook information can be found under Shayna Dais (Rusty Bucket).

Here are two special annual events: If you would like to spend a day in the country, be sure to check out Junk Redefined by the Pfarkle Sisters in Fountain, Minn. The Pfarkle sisters’ family farm plays host to a variety

of vendors and junk enthusiasts. The three sisters - Diane, Janell and Sharon - would describe their event as a great gathering of repurposed items of farm country cottage, vintage and rusty in the rough. You must check out their Facebook page (Junk Redefined by the Pfarkle Sisters).

The picture of the 3 sisters is priceless— makes you just want to grab a tall glass of lemonade and sit down and visit with them.

And be sure to check out their very own She Shed, featured in the “Junk Beautiful She Sheds: Hundreds of Inspired Ideas for Your Backyard Retreat” book. This year’s sale is September 13 and 14, at 29452 County Road 11, Fountain, Minn.

Next stop - Lake City, Minn., for the Junk Crush Weekend, which is a celebration of all things vintage, antique, up-cycled and homemade, not to mention wine, food and music. Visitors can stroll through Patton Park September 15 and 16 and meet vendors and artisans. It’s the perfect way to enjoy a perfect fall weekend on beautiful Lake Pepin.

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CONTINUED FROM page 29 So, where do D.I.Y. up-cyclers go to get their materials? The answer is - a variety of places, including antique shops, dumpsters, yard sales, the side of the road and just about anywhere they can find something cheap and interesting.

But one of my favorite spots would be a Habitat for Humanity ReStore. Southern Minnesota Habitat Restores are in Austin, Mankato, Rochester, and Winona. ReStores are filled with new and gently used building supplies, cabinets, furniture, lighting fixtures and much more. All items in the ReStores have been donated by local businesses, contractors and individuals and are available to the general public for sale. Proceeds from the sale of goods are turned back to local Habitat for Humanity affiliates to build and repair homes for people in need.

Winona’s ReStore Manager and artist in her own right, Tove Wiggs, explained that in addition to their regular customers who come in looking for building materials, furniture or appliances she has several artists and re-purposers who come in looking for materials for their projects. Three special artists and ReStore treasure hunters came instantly to her mind.

Kaye Gonyer of KG Art Studio and Gallery paints and repurposes furniture. Gonyer said she is on the ReStore doorstep on Wednesdays at 10:00 am when they open the doors for the week. She loves painting landscapes and farms in acrylics, but also loves refurbish-

ing and repurposing unique pieces she picks up at the ReStore. Her furniture is sold in a couple of local shops and on-line.

Norb Thomes, who works in IT at Winona State University, watched his dad’s hobby of woodworking and furniture making with interest.

Almost every family member has a Thomes original piece. Now, Thomes spends his free-time in his basement workshop transforming doors he finds at the ReStore into furniture creations of his own.

He said, ”I find that there are several ways that I connect with just the right piece at the ReStore. Sometimes I go looking for something to fit a specific need, like the railing I used for a headboard, and other times the piece reaches out as I walk by, grabs my pants leg, and says ‘I want to be a [something].’ That was what happened with the bi-fold doors I bought last. They wanted to be a sofa table. I am looking forward to fulfilling their dream.”

Jamie Harper of Salvaged Medium uses hollow-core doors from the ReStore to paint his amazing art pieces. More than 15 years ago, Harper was serving as an AmeriCorps volunteer at a school and was tasked with helping students make Earth Day puppets. He used recycled latex paint and cardboard to make the birds, fish, turtles and butterfly puppets. His artistic style and the use of reclaimed materials has evolved over the years. Harper discovered that hollow-core doors were a large and inexpensive canvas on which to create. His art reflects his love for the river and is quite popular in and around Winona.

So, for some fun seeing new life that has been breathed into “old stuff,” pull out your calendar, google map and a few travel treats and plan out your first annual Road Trip.

Nancy Iglesias is a freelance writer and storyteller. She is a Mid-West girl through and through with roots and stories from Wisconsin, Illinois and Minnesota. During the week, Nancy works for Home Instead Senior Care, finding joy in assisting families as they seek the best options for their loved ones. On the weekends, she works with preschoolers at her church. Whether she‘s chatting with someone who is four or fourscore, she loves to hear their stories.

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Home Improvement

SPONSORED BY Sandy Flom, CPA, CFP® 414 Central Ave., STE A Faribault, MN 507.333.3973 Sandy@FaribaultCPA.com

N

ow is the time of year when people start looking around the house and determining which projects they want to accomplish this year. They’re thinking about redoing the deck; changing the landscaping; adding a room on to the house; or redoing the kitchen or bathroom. Not only will it usually help the resale value of the house, but you get to enjoy it, too. However, did you know that you need to keep all those receipts?

Anytime you make improvements to your home, you should keep the receipts. You should start a permanent file with all the receipts of all your home improvements, from the time you purchase your house until you sell it. Those costs will add to the cost basis of your house and when you sell it, you will have a smaller gain on which to pay taxes.

Under current federal tax law, the exclusion is $500,000 for a married couple and $250,000 if you’re single AND if you meet the other requirements: • It has been your Primary Residence for two of the last 5 years • You have NOT sold another residence and taken the exclusion in the last two years.

We may not have gains on our personal residence that are above those limits, but you know our government they may decide next year or in 10 years to take away this exclusion. Then we’ll go back to having to pay tax on the full gain of the property.

If you don’t save those receipts now, when you go

{ {

can help lower your taxes!

Original Purchase Price + Closing cost at purchase + Improvements - Depreciation deducted on a business + Closing cost at sale

COST BASIS

to sell—if you’re like me—you’ll underestimate the cost of a project, or you’ll completely forget about it.

Worse yet, if you give your home to your children while you are alive for estate planning purposes, the kids don’t get a step up in basis to the current fair market value of your house. They get your cost basis. If you don’t have the records, they’ll have no way to know what you spent improving your house all those years you lived there. If you’re still around, you can help them determine what your cost basis is with all your improvements. However, if you’re not and you don’t have the records for them to prove your expense, they will pay a lot more in taxes than they would have to if you had a permanent improvement file for your house.

There are several other circumstances that can apply to help lower your taxes when you sell your home. Besure to tell your tax preparer all the reasons for selling. Theyhey can then help you determine which exclusions may apply to you. If you need any other help, please feel free to contact our office.

Taxes, Investments, Business and maybe a little more Sandy Flom CPA, CFP® Investors should carefully consider the investment objectives, risks, fees and expenses before investing. For this and other important information please obtain the investment company fund prospectus and disclosure documents from your Rep/Advisor. Read this information carefully before investing. Registered Representative, Securities offered through Cambridge Investment Research Inc., a Broker/Dealer, Member FINRA/SIPC. Investment Advisor Representative, Cambridge Investment Research Advisors, Inc., a Registered Investment Advisor. Cambridge and Sandy Flom, LLC are not affiliated. Cambridge does not offer tax advice.

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Doug Klatt at SIFT located in Kenyon, MN. Photo by Terri Washburn.

Re-cycling, Re-purposing, Re-thinking

I

By Julie Buchwald Haley

moved back to Minnesota 2-1/2 years ago, leaving South Carolina with three dogs and three cats just hours ahead of Matthew, a Category 3 hurricane, blowing into town. The wind and rain significantly damaged the area and house I left behind and delayed the movers by nearly a month. While I had ordered a few things to be here when I arrived and borrowed a few things more from my parents, I also spent time in my local thrift stores finding inexpensive items to help tide me over.

The stores were treasure troves of items that I could recycle, re-purpose, afford, and also feel good that I was helping local communities and the environment.

Municipal Solid Waste (“MSW”), also known as trash, is those items we throw away every day, including clothing, appliances, furniture, and much more. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Americans generated 262.4 million tons of

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MSW in 2015. That’s nearly 4.5 pounds per person per day. While we re-cycled and composted more than 34% of it, the impact of MSW on the environment has become critical, affecting air quality, soil fertility, health, climate change, and global warming.

Thrifting is one way to reduce the amount of trash going to landfills. It’s also a great way to save money. I stop by my favorite thrift store, SIFT, nearly every week to see its inventory and to visit with new friends and neighbors. SIFT, an acronym for Save It from Trash, is across the street from Kenyon Market on Red Wing Avenue in Kenyon. The building was originally a garage for Milo Peterson Ford, but the 10,000-square-foot space was repurposed in late 2015 for SIFT’s owners, Mary and Doug Klatt. The Klatts’ business model is simple: buy an estate, pack it up, and deliver it to SIFT for the items to be priced, displayed, and sold to interested customers. Doug says, “estate clients are so relieved to see that their family treasures aren’t going to the trash,” needlessly filling landfills, but instead are

“going to people who will love them too.” And those folks who buy the goods are “excited to find such good deals.” Nathan, a nearby farmer, recently bought several screwdrivers, a couple of wrenches and an extension cord for $7 – a price that keeps him coming back and the inventory moving for new items to be displayed each week.

Some things, like old TVs, mattresses, and scrap iron, are sold to local recyclers instead of being added to SIFT’s inventory. The TVs are retrofitted for digital, mattresses are refurbished and sold to colleges, and scrap iron is recycled. Items that aren’t sold in 12 weeks are given to charities and free stores whenever possible. Nothing goes to waste.

Thrift stores not only help reduce waste by recycling and repurposing items, but also often serve to benefit non-profits with monies going to help senior citizens and children.

The Used-ABit Shoppe in Riverpark Mall in Northfield is a nonprofit (501c3) benefitting 50North, a senior center in town. Items for sale in the shop have been donated Photo of clock at SIFT. Photo by Kim Boyum. and include everything but large appliances. Manager Dolores Kornkven says, “collectibles and mid-century modern items are popular now.” She enjoys seeing young adults coming in to find “good deals on pieces to help furnish” new homes and older customers who come in and find something they had as a child or that could have been found in the homes they grew up in.

Hands of Friendship on Koeper Avenue in New Prague is also a non-profit that benefits missions in Haiti and an orphanage there caring for 30 children. Manager Tracy Stepka is passionate about these kids and visits every other month, taking much-needed help and love. Items for sale at Hands are also donated, including clothing, furniture, and other miscellaneous. With 7,000 square feet of retail space, they are the largest thrift shop in the south metro and surrounding area. Tracy says she’s seeing “more customers wanting to upcycle,” more “new items that still have the original tags,” and “tons of clothing.” Tracy also sees “Pinterest people” (a website that generates ideas for upcycling and crafting) who “buy wool for mittens and hats and Scrabble games for the letters.”

If you are donating to a thrift store, it’s a good idea to clean items first. While some stores take pieces in any condition, others do not, so be sure you know what your store accepts. Thrift stores cannot resell items such as cribs, car seats, chemicals, and large appliances

and some furniture. Stores may also have special times or locations for donations, so check on that, too.

Another trend in thrifting in the last several years is the online thrift and consignment industry. Sites like eBay, Craigslist, Poshmark, and Facebook Marketplace are places most anyone can go to buy, sell, or trade most anything from antiques and collectibles to baby clothes and winter boots. This is also a great way to recycle, repurpose, save money, and minimize MSW. I started thrift store buying several years ago at the urging of my good friend Lisa. She sees it as a way to save money, the environment, and tradition. She knows there’s a “story behind each piece” even if she doesn’t know the details. She also knows that “sometimes a little TLC is all it takes to make something beautiful again.” For Lisa, part of the fun of upcycling is hunting for the perfect piece to give new life. As a Do-It-Yourself-er, thrift stores are gold mines.

With a little creativity, some paint and elbow grease, a dresser can become a mudroom organizer, a desk can become a TV stand, and an old lantern can become a holiday decoration.

Re-think how you shop, check out your local thrift stores, and re-cycle, re-purpose, and re-use. Happy hunting!

Julie Buchwald Haley is a freelance writer and PTSD survivor who works full-time, volunteers part-time, and is a pet parent to five. She recently returned to Minnesota after a 30+year absence to make new memories with her parents.

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A

By Carlienne A. Frisch

lthough Katie (Fogal) Mons did not have the opportunity to participate in Junior Achievement (JA) while growing up, she was well acquainted with the multi-facet program when she assumed the responsibilities of JA District Manager for Greater Mankato on February 1.

Mons worked for nearly two years as a JA District Program Coordinator, recruiting, training and managing 600 volunteers who served 10,000 students in the Greater Mankato area this year.

“I love the mission of Junior Achievement - to inspire and prepare young people to succeed in a global economy,” Mons said. “We are the world’s largest organization dedicated to educating students about college and career readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy through experiential, hands-on programs. It begins in

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kindergarten, when each student gets a piggy bank and learns what the word ‘save’ means. In second grade, for example, students learn about their community - businesses, volunteers, local government and elections.”

In her former position, Mons developed JA program opportunities for schools in St. Peter and Cleveland, as well as working with the program in schools in Mankato, North Mankato, Eagle Lake, St. Clair, Good Thunder, Mapleton, Lake Crystal and Minnesota Lake.

She worked with teachers, recruiting and training volunteers - many of them business professionals - for each classroom. She increased the number of volunteers and added 1,000 students to the number of those receiving JA opportunities.

Mons’ new responsibilities as the District Manager include leading JA’s efforts to secure funding for programs and services, as well as focusing on deepening and expanding partnerships and relationships with current and prospective donors. Financial support comes from donors, grants and fund-raising events, such as JA Big Bowl and

From kindergarten onward, Junior Achievement prepares students for

success JA Golf Marathon.

Mons now reports to a board of 20 volunteers, most of whom have a business background.

Mons graduated Magna Cum Laude from Minnesota State UniverKatie (Fogal) Mons sity, Mankato, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mass Communications, with a focus because he had on public relations. Before becoming involved to pay tax,” with JA, she spent several years at Rasmussen College in Mankato, she said. providing career services and as an adjunct instructor.

“I asked “This deepened my conviction that education is crucial to every where he person’s life and future. I know how important the Junior Achievehad learned ment program is to students,” she said. about sales tax, Although Mons learned much from the stories and anecdotes told and he told me by her JA colleagues over the past two years, the most important ‘Junior Achievement.’ affirmation came inadvertently from her son, who was in the thirdAs a parent, my son’s angrade JA program at the time. swer took this job to another “He had saved ten dollars, and as we walked up and down the toy aisles of a store, he said he knew he couldn’t spend it all

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CONTINUED FROM page 35

“I love the mission of Junior Achievement - to inspire and prepare young people to succeed in a global economy.

We are the world’s largest organization dedicated to educating students about college and career readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy through experiential, handson programs. It begins in kindergarten, when each student gets a piggy bank and learns what the word ‘save’ means. In second grade, for example, students learn about their community - businesses, volunteers, local government and elections.”

- Katie (Fogal) Mons

level for me, and I knew I had to work very hard to get Junior Achievement into as many classrooms and communities as possible.

“Junior Achievement teaches students in grades K-12 about money management, how to prepare for college and a career, and how to start businesses that create jobs and strengthen our economy,” Mons said. “Each year Junior Achievement partners locally with nearly 600 volunteers to teach its experiential and fun programs to students. Our volunteers inspire and prepare students to succeed in school and in life by serving as role models and by sharing their personal and professional experiences.”

JA volunteers are provided with a training session and all materials.

The classroom teacher and the volunteer decide together on the best time for the volunteer to come in.

“It’s a very flexible schedule,” Mons said. “I’m a volunteer myself, and I now help in my sons’ classrooms, in kindergarten, second and fifth grades.”

Area JA statistics reflect Mons’ passion for her work. This school year, more than 10,000 students will have participated in JA programs in nearly 30 public and private schools throughout the Greater Mankato area. Elementary students are learning how they can impact the world around them as individuals, workers and consumers. Middle school students focus on areas of financial literacy, entrepreneurship and career and work readiness. High school programs provide students with opportunities to form a start-up business with the intention of solving a community problem or filling a need in their community.

“It takes a village to support local Junior Achievement students,” Mons said. “There are many ways to support your local Junior Achievement organization, from volunteering, to participating in a fundraising event, such as JA Big Bowl or JA Golf Marathon, or with donations.”

Junior Achievement of Greater Mankato is a part of Junior Achievement of the Upper Midwest, which originated in 1949 with two Twin Cities chapters, which merged in 1982. It now serves students in Minnesota, North Dakota and western Wisconsin, with more than 10,000 volunteers benefiting students with more than one million program hours.

Mankato writer and editor Carlienne Frisch enjoys hearing and telling other peoples’ stories.

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W

your garden this spring

By Kelsey Erwin

hether you’re a green thumb, or just starting out, it’s never too late to start gardening.

Adding a few plants to your front yard or patio will help knock out the winter blues and ease you into that happy springtime mood.

According to recent research, gardening not only keeps us fit and healthy, but it also clears our minds, improves our diets, and can increase our social lives. After surviving the polar vortex, we’re definitely itching to see fresh blooms and get our hands dirty.

With winter wavering, we spoke with Karl Struck, General Manager of the Traverse De Sioux Garden Center to get some key insights into how to kickstart your garden this spring.

Here are Struck’s top three tips for if you are a beginner or experienced springtime gardeners:

Start small Don’t feel the need to create a whole floral garden from Mary Poppins right off the bat. You’ll get overwhelmed. Picking out a few pots or nice window boxes can be a quick and easy way to brighten up an area, especially if cold weather is still lingering.

“It’s easier to plant a few pots or containers vs. the ground. You can control the environment more,” Struck said. “You can cover them or bring them inside if the weather drops suddenly.”

Utilize social sites for assistance All you need is a good WiFi connection.

Websites like YouTube provide a tremendous amount of gardening and DIY tips at your fingertips. Traverse De Sioux Garden Center also posts a lot of new tips and tricks on their social media sites.

“There’s a lot of help online to stay up on the latest tips,” Struck said. “With your research, you can bring in pictures to your local garden center to show them your latest plans. This helps us better assist you.”

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Don’t be afraid to ask questions (even if you’re new to gardening)!

“The best thing about gardeners is they love to share their knowledge. That’s what makes them happy,” Struck said.

Struck said the best plants were to work with in the early spring include Synod Daisies, pansies, and lettuces.

“If you missed the fall bulbs, look for various plants that can tolerate the cold well. Many plant lettuces and crops early because of this factor,” Struck said. “Pansies can add a lot of color and tolerate the cold well, which is what we need in Minnesota.”

Struck says that no matter your need, the Traverse De Sioux Garden Center will have something for you no matter the season.

The Traverse De Sioux Garden Center is a family-owned and operated business in St. Peter. Fred Struck started the center in the early ‘90’s with his wife. The couple had started two other garden centers in the ‘70’s and late ‘8;0s. The garden center is open year-round and also offers landscaping and fresh floral arrangements.

Winter hours are Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.. To learn more, call them at 507-931-6683 or visit their website, www. tdsgardencenter.com.

Kelsey Erwin is a Digital Marketer and freelance writer based in the Twin Cities. She has a Bachelor’s degree in advertising from Winona State University. Kelsey is a Winona native, and in her spare time enjoys storytelling and getting out on the Mississippi River every chance she gets.

By Brenda Fletcher

A

s winter turns to spring, many of us turn our thoughts to gardening. Many of us make plans to plant beautiful flowers or a vegetable garden.

We then plant seeds, water, pull weeds and watch things grow. We use vision and hard work and sit back and admire the beauty we created.

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I started my healing practice Beautiful Day Hypnosis, L.L.C. almost five years ago. In that time, I’ve been amazed by the things people can accomplish when they set their mind and their heart to it. When I work with people in a hypnosis session, I’m fortunate to help guide them to their focus. They do the work, it’s all in them! Whether the focus is on getting rid of weight, letting go of additions or getting rid of limiting beliefs, you can create the change you seek. The possibilities are limitless. Whatever the focus, we can achieve what we desire by going within our body, mind, heart and soul and allowing or giving ourselves permission to make those desired changes.

If it sounds easy, it is! Just as well as, if it sounds hard, it is.

Whatever we believe, we set in motion. Being kind and loving to ourselves does not have to be hard. But, changing habits and beliefs about oneself takes patience and practice. It takes focus, determination and more importantly self-love. And that can be as hard or EASY as we make it.

The biggest/longest relationship you will ever have will be with yourself. People come and go in our lives but were always with ourselves, that doesn’t change. We continually grow and reinvent ourselves, just like our gardens. Sometimes we need to stop and look at what is working and what is not. It’s time to clear out the weeds and watch the beauty from within grow.

Some people might question the investment. I would suggest that your sense of well-being is one of the most important investment you will ever have. It might surprise you to discover all you get in return. With all that we have coming at us in this information era, self-care becomes more of a necessity than a luxury.

Think about this. What seeds are you planting within yourself on a daily basis? Are you thinking good thoughts? Are you feeling good feelings? Are you doing things that help you reach the best version of yourself? As winter turns to spring, plant more than a beautiful garden, plant a great sense of well-being as you become a better you.

Zen Wellness offers a host of healing and empowering modalities to help you go within and care for yourself on a deep level. There are so many ways to take care of yourself. Zen Wellness offers reiki energy healing, sound therapy, intuitive readings, hypnosis, yoga, animal communication, development classes and so much more.

Check out Zen Wellness to find what fits the best version of you.

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j

Community and court system come together to aid in people’s

“A

By Beth Forkner Moe

single arrow is easily broken; a bundle of ten is not.” So goes a Japanese saying, referring to many people working together to become stronger. That might mean that they are coming together to become stronger together, or perhaps that the group is holding one person up, to help that individual become stronger.

One local women who could have been considered a “single arrow” just a couple years ago has been surrounded by an entire group of people who have helped her become stronger and a different

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person today.

When she was arrested in December 2016, Amber Brockmiller was an active drug user. Now, she’s has been sober for (at the time of this writing) almost 850 days, is the mom of 2 heatlhy children, working, going to college, preparing to buy a home and more.

This is thanks to the work she did and the care and guidance she received through Rice County Treatment Court (RCTC). A Treatment Court is a relatively new addition to the criminal justice system, one that works with people addicted to drugs and committing crimes related to that addiction. They are designed to work specifically with “high-risk, high-need” people with drug-related offenses. They are growing in popularity across the state and across the nation.

When a person has completed their time in Treatment Court,

e

they are much less likely to re-offend, much more likely to stay clean and sober, and more likely to be reunited with their children (often, offenders have lost custody of their children due to their crimes), be working, paying taxes, and generally leading a healthier life. Treatment Courts save significant money in a community. It’s costly to keep a person in jail or prison, instead of having them working and paying taxes. If children are removed from their parents and placed in foster care, that’s another huge cost to a community, both financially and societally.

When Amber Brockmiller entered Treatment Court in December 2016 after her arrest, she didn’t imagine all the support she would find. She began in the Steele County Treatment Court, then transferred to Rice County in May 2017. She graduated from RCTC in February 2018.

According to RCTC Coordinator Yvette Marthaler, Treatment Courts are intensive and involve a team of people working together with the participants to help in their treatment and their – hopeful – success. Rice County has had a Treatment Court since July 2014, with 47 participants (20 of them women) from its inception until the end of 2018. So far, four women have graduated – or “commenced” – from the Court.

Marthaler was the original Coordinator of RCTC and helped develop it. She left for a couple years but has been back since November 2017. She gives a lot of credit to now-retired Judge Thomas Neuville for gathering the community support to start the Court.

She explained that offenders are evaluated by a team of professionals and must be accepted as participants into the Treatment Court.

There are two teams, one that determines policies and one that works specifically with the participants. Some members serve on both teams.

The policy and steering team consists of professionals from Rice County departments - including Social Services, Community Corrections, Court Administration, Sheriff, and County Attorney – and members of chemical dependency/treatment providers (including Fountain Centers, Omada and West Hill Lodge), Judge John Cajacob, a member of Northfield’s Healthy Community Initiative, and a defense attorney. This team is responsible for overall administration of RCTC, overseeing its budget, policies, and more. If there are changes or decisions that need to be made, this team needs to approve them. They meet every couple months, or as needed.

The staffing team meets weekly and reviews the progress of participants. They make recommendations about incentives, sanctions, progression, and more to the judge, who is then responsible for implementing any of those. This team includes the Judge, a defense attorney, representative from the County Attorney’s office, two probation officers, representatives from the law enforcement community (Sheriff’s Department and Police Departments from Faribault and Northfield, who annually rotate terms on the team), the abovementioned treatment providers, Social Services, a psychologist, Rice County social workers (chemical health and child protection), and various mental health practitioners.

“It’s a real collaboration,” Marthaler said. She said they are fortunate to have two probation officers who work together, in seeing the participants and doing home visits to ensure participants are following the conditions of being in Court.

When Marthaler originally became interested in Treatment Court, she was (and still is) a chemical health worker. She saw, during her training and the development of the program, that Treatment Court is a good way for people to achieve success; it allows them to be in the community, with support, rather than sitting in jail or prison without that support. It’s a more effective way of keeping people sober.

“I worked with people who struggled with relapses,” she said.

“Treatment Court is a way for people to get support to make changes

(in their lives).”

When Brockmiller was arrested for and charged with first-degree possession – a felony - she was given the chance to participate in Treatment Court, or to potentially go to prison for five years. “I chose Treatment Court for the stability and what it can do (for a participant) instead of sitting (in prison,” she said. “It was an easy decision. I have kids. I wasn’t going to be away from them for five “I love year.”

Treatment Court.

Not that Treatment Court is easy, Brockmiller said. There Everybody was really is a lot of accountability and supportive and a lot of structured activities that participants must agree understanding. If to and stick with. If not, you need extra time, they can have sanctions, up to and including being terthey’re willing to help minated from Court and have you and work their jail or prison sentence put back in place. with you.”

There are several Phases of Treatment Court, Brockmiller explained, and it lasts 18 months or more, “So many people depending on an individual participant’s progress. In don’t know what Phase I, participants must (Treatment Court) attend six NA/AA meetings or counseling sessions a does or how much it week, attend court weekly, helps people. It’s nice have a 9 p.m. curfew, meet for people to (learn) with their probation officer regularly, and pass random what it does.” drug screens.

The team decides when a participant is ready to move onto the next Phase. Generally, after three successful months in Phase 1 in RCTC, a participant is al“My (probation lowed to move to Phase 2. officer) has really Phase 2 requires several NA/AA meetings or counhelped me through seling sessions a week, everything. She’s attending Court every two weeks, having a job definitely an all-star.” (although Brockmiller was - Amber Brockmiller exempt from that for a time, since her infant daughter was ill and not able to attend any daycare facilities), continued random drug screens, and meeting with the probation officer.

Phase 3 generally lasts about three or four months, with the participants required to attend several NA/AA meetings a week, appearing in Court every three weeks, meeting with their probation officer, holding a job and having a driver’s license, and gaining a GED if they didn’t have one. Brockmiller had graduated from high school and had her driver’s license. She began working after her infant was well.

According to Marthaler, RCTC met with several other area Treatment Courts last fall and made a few changes. One was to change RCTC from three Phases to five. “As people build recovery and make accomplishments in the community, we want to still help them in CONTINUES ON PAGE 42 u u u

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their sobriety,” she said. In the later Phases, participants come to Court and meet with their probation officer monthly and still have random drug tests, but they have continuing care from the team.

During all Phases and even after Commencement, the participants meet regularly with their probation officer. They are still on probation for a certain amount of time, as ruled by the Judge at the initial time of sentencing. In Brockmiller’s case, she will be on probation until March 2027, but can get discharged as early as March 2022, depending on how well she continues to do. Once she is successfully discharged from probation, the original charge will be dropped to a misdemeanor.

Brockmiller works at an area organization that helps people who need memory care. She and her children live with her parents, who – along with her sister – help her out with the children when she is working and attending South Central College. She is leaning toward getting an LPN (licensed practical nurse) or ADN (associate’s degree in nursing) degree and is currently taking two classes – psychology and interpersonal communications. She will be done with school in 2-1/2 to 3 years, and has a goal of buying her own home in about 2 years.

“It feels really good to be a year out (of Court),” she said. “A year ago, I wasn’t working and was not in school. I’ve completely turned it all around.”

“I know a few of the (Court) participants, and we talk once in awhile. I’ve made new friends. I’m able to be sober with new people,” she said.

For her future? “I’m definitely on a straight and narrow path. I don’t talk to any of the people I used with. I don’t go to the old places,” she said. “I have a happy and health future, for me and my kids. I don’t even think about my using days anymore; it feels like they’re not a

part of me anymore.”

According to Marthaler, the community is supportive of RCTC. “You can see it by the ongoing commitments from agencies, and we’re getting a positive response from the community,” she said. “It’s great that people are looking at Treatment Court as a positive change in the community. And families have been impacted by it, including parents and siblings. It’s good for them to see (their loved one” change after struggling for years.”

People are looking for alternatives for those who are in recovery and trying to stay crime-free, she said, and RCTC is one of those alternatives. She also said that by being careful about the eligibility and selection of participants, they account for public safety and a good utilitzation of public resources.

“The team is important, and contact with the Judge is important, but participants do the hard work,” Marthaler said. “It’s their success.

We give them a huge amount of credit, and we’re inspired by them.”

“I love Treatment Court,” Brockmiller said. “Everybody was really supportive and understanding. If you need extra time, they’re willing to help you and work with you.”

“So many people don’t know what (Treatment Court) does or how much it helps people,” she said. “It’s nice for people to (learn) what it does.”

And she has a shout-out for her probation officer, Trace Miner. “My (probation officer) has really helped me through everything. She’s definitely an all-star,” she said.

For those interested in helping RCTC, there is a recovery fund at Northfield’s Healthy Community Initiative. Donations are used for RCTC participant incentives, to help with the cost of GED classes, and to provide refreshments at Commencement ceremonies. For more information, call 507-664-3524 or e-mail info@northfieldhci.org.

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WELLNESS

W

By Rian Dicke-Michels

e’re now trudging along in 2019, and the question you might need to ask yourself is whether or not your New Year’s resolutions are underway. If your brain just cringed, it’s likely that you’ve been making excuses or telling yourself all the reasons you are currently under-achieving. It is really easy for folks to get fired up and positive in the moment before a slow crash-landing back into old patterns and routines.

Perhaps it was a promise to go to the gym or quit smoking, or maybe you’ve started and are looking to improve your output. All people desire positive changes, although the determination to bring that change into their lives is not always present. One of the most well-known quotes from Gandhi is, “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” It often requires effort to enact any sort of change: in yourself, in your life, in the community.

Therefore, if you’re willing to bring about change in yourself so that you have the space to grow, the only real thing holding you back is you. It’s time to re-up, refresh, and reestablish your routine.

Re-evaluate and Replace When the goal is to make healthier decisions for ourselves, you have to look around at your environment. It is too easy to stick to your patterns, because it is what you know,

and it is all too easy to fall back into them.

What needs to happen is a re-evaulation of what may be preventing you from reaching any milestones. Recently, I got an a minor certification in Ayurvedic studies and was approached by a good friend of mine who was looking to feel more energized, wean off a smoking habit, and take in less processed sugars. After looking at this person’s daily routine, my personalized suggestion was to start the morning with 32 oz, of water to wake up the body, have an apple instead of the morning cigarette on the way to work, and use honey to sweeten coffee, then do this every day for two weeks. The feedback was good, they chose to maintain this morning ritual that is healthier than where they began and can now move onto their next little milestones, like packing a nutritional lunch.

Release and Remove Another helpful tip is to eliminate the factors that get in your way. It is hard enough to create new patterns without becoming distracted by the old ones. What might need to happen is a total removal of obstacles. If your life isn’t going along smoothly, or you feel that a negative thought process is part of your struggle, you might have to remove yourself from toxic relationships or situations that lead to old patterns. For some, negative outbursts can cause a person to get in their own way. Rather than immediately reacting out of anger, frustration, or irritations, try closing your eyes and breathe deeply for one to five minutes. The more you do this, the more space you’ll create to think more clearly and be able to release negative thoughts. It may be difficult, but the change we seek is not fated to just fall into your lap. You also must put in the work.

Refresh and Reshape When nothing feels different, we’re more likely to fall back into old patterns. When you get a new hairstyle, a new outfit, or even a new planner/calendar, the usual response is to feel unstoppable. You’ll look in the mirror and feel more confident about conquering the day. The point here is to do something that will create that feeling daily without developing poor spending habits.

A new hairstyle is actually a great place to start! Another good suggestion is to do some spring cleaning that will facilitate the lifestyle you’d like to have. Perhaps instead of having the most comfortable furniture in front of the TV, you can move your favorite chair to a nice reading spot; maybe if you’re less comfy watching television, you’ll be less inclined to binge-watch or fall asleep in front of the TV. Feeling good about yourself or living space is going to give you more confidence in other realms of your life.

If you could just will our aspirations into a reality, though, more of us would have the lifestyles we idolize. Part of the human experience is struggle, and you can often become trapped in a little prison of your own making. Without devising a strategy or vehicle for personal growth, what good is coming up with a goal? The necessary ingredient to a recipe for success is determination, yes, but without the whole recipe, the likelihood of failure is significantly higher. In short, don’t give up on your New Year resolution or any lifestyle dreams you might have. Simply rethink your approach and re-start tomorrow.

Rian Dicke-Michels is a highly independent MSU-Mankato graduate, a 200-hour certified yoga instructor, and the loving mother of two children - a daughter and a son. Her goals in life are saturated with health, wellness, and loving oneself. “As a yogi,” she says, “I want to share this journey with you.”

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S

pring is a time of rebirth, growth and new beginnings. It is a wonderful time to recharge with warmer weather, beautiful flowers and plans for summer. But spring can also be a wonderful time to re-connect, re-commit and re-energize our mind, body and spirit.

Often the cabin fever is at an all-time high and we’re all waiting on pins and needles for our tax returns. It’s a time of high stress and there are several ways to relieve the pressure and keep moving forward with the goals you set out at the beginning of the year.

1

Get prepared. When we prep for the next day or next week in advance it is really difficult for the unplanned to throw curveballs. I personally adore planners and calendars the whole family has access to for events and reminders. Google calendars that sync with multiple people are helpful, but I also use a paper planner by Danielle LaPorte that helps me to outline my goals for the week and month.

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pain and improving mood. So go ahead and laugh with abandon.

6

Be touched. Physical touch is another way to improve mood, boost bonding and improve our self-esteem. Massage is one option, but taking time to really hug someone you care about for 20 seconds will release oxytocin, the bonding hormone and improve feelings of love and commitment and communication. Research also shows that when we hug our children 12 to 20 times per day, their IQs increase. So hug all the people.

7

Be grateful. Take time to identify at least one good thing that happened during the day.

You’ll find that if this becomes a daily practice, you will be able to name more than just one and over time, it will literally rewire your brain to be more positive.

2

Listen to music. New research confirms that listening to slow or meditative music can help us to calm down. I love my Pandora app for this very reason! You can add a meditative station and it will cycle through all sorts of wonderful tunes and you can just breathe, relax, and hide from the kids in the closet.

3

Switch to cash. The biggest stressor for myself and my husband are finances. It seems that we just can’t catch a break, but when we started using this little technique we weren’t feeling so tapped out. By switching to cash and not pulling out plastic (debit or credit) we were more in tune with our spending and more thoughtful about it as well. We also have found the time to sit down and budget together weekly. We love the You Need a Budget program that has both free and paid versions, that sync with your phone so you can enter expenditures immediately.

4

Technology blackouts. I know that in the dead of winter it is hard to want to go outside and do anything adventurous and Netflix or Amazon Prime is waiting at our fingertips, but when we cut off access to our email, phone, and television at a certain time every day, we sleep better, communicate more, and have less stress. In fact, if we limit our children’s screen time, they are calmer and more verbal at earlier times.

5

Laugh. Research has shown that when we laugh we have higher levels of endorphins which reduce stress and inflammation, decreasing

8

Be faithful to you. Lastly, stress can derail and cause us to drop the very things that are the most effective at helping to reduce our stress.

So stay faithful to your self-care (even if it seems selfish) no matter what. If that is your weekly workout, adjustment, acupuncture session, reiki, or bubble bath, keep up with it. Your body, mind and spirit will thank you.

I hope these eight tips will help you to reignite, recharge and reconnect with yourself in this season of growth and transformation.

From the left clockwise: Rebecca Moore, Katie Glaser, Kristin Haberman, Ryan Gillespie, and Judge Karen Duncan reflect on the impact the Owatonna Business Women organization has had in its 100-year life. The women agree that mission to educate and empower women is among the top most important priorities that the nonprofit advocates for. (Annie Granlund/People’s Press)

100 years of empowering

women

By Annie Granlund

I

This first ran in the Owatonna People’s Press.

n 1919, women had big hats, short hair, and long coats.

In 1919, women worked as nurses, teachers, and seamstresses if they did not enter into jobs that had been vacated by men who went off to fight in World War I. In 1919, women had designated roles as guardians of morality that were tied to good behavior, sobriety, and fidelity.

And in 1919, a group women in Owatonna came together for the first time in July to advocate for their right to vote.

The Owatonna chapter of the national Business and Professional Women was one of the first in the state of Minnesota. It was founded that first year by the wife of an Owatonna Methodist minister and advocated on issues of

OBW celebrates a century of coming together importance to women, such as the suffrage movement, and sent delegates to the district and state board meetings. The club was active and social with the theme, “Better Business Women for a Better Business World.”

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A few short months after BPW was formed in Owatonna, the Minnesota Legislature ratified the 19th Amendment, granting women the right to vote. The process took about 30 minutes, but the path started by the group of women fighting for equal rights was only just the very beginning of a 100-year journey.

“Now our focus is on educating and empowering women,” said Kristin Haberman, a past president and long-time member of what is now known as Owatonna Business Women. “We went from fighting for women’s rights to fighting the glass ceiling.”

The Owatonna Business Women, or OBW, is celebrating its 100-year anniversary this year. This significant milestone was highlighted during the 47th annual Woman of Achievement event on in early March, where the organization honored a local woman with its top honor, as well as presenting the Young Careerist award and the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Leading up to the event, however, OBW members took a moment to reflect back on the impact the nonprofit organization has had in the community for the last 100 years.

“We provide so much value by creating a safe place for women

“I think back on why we have lasted 100 years, and it’s because we evolved and continued to meet the needs of working women. Working women have different needs than what they did 100 years ago, so I think the organization will continue to evolve.”

- Kristen Haberman

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to go and test out new skills and leadership roles,” Gillespie said.

“I was awarded the Young Careerist two years ago and I was just baffled, but it was a reminder that I can do good and great things.”

“I think as women we tend to keep our heads down,” said Judge Karen Duncan, a long-time OBW member and past Woman of Achievement recipient, as she described one of the many programs the organizations provides to members to help them grow professionally and personally. “In general, women have been socialized to community different, in ways we probably don’t even realize. But at OBW we can bring in skill building programs that help us recognize how we talk and impact we can have on being heard.”

The purpose of OBW is to educate members regarding topics of interest relating to the personal growth, professional development, and political awareness of issues relating to women. While the group is “proudly nonpartisan” when it comes to political issues, long-time member Katie Glaser said that creating a place of inclusiveness and education for all views is what truly defines OBW. “I think that’s the real testament on where we’re come in the last 100 years,” said Glaser, who is a past president of OBW. “We can have all these different views, but still come together to have lunch once a month and share about these different ideas and how someone can get involved. We are inclusive of whoever and can educate on the process instead of not being a part of the process at all.”

Vice President and Chair of Publicity for OBW Rebecca Moore agreed that being seen, heard, and respected are important aspects of the organization, but added that the opportunity to give scholarships is just as vital.

“We provide scholarships for high school seniors and to women who are taking maybe a more non-traditional route with their education,” Moore said. “We are directly empowering the next generation of business women with that money we give.”

With empowering being a top priority for OBW, Glaser said that it all comes back to self-assurance and the work they can do

MOTIVATION is what gets you started HABIT is what keeps you going

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to build one another up.

“This organization teaches us confidence and that it doesn’t really matter — male or female — you got this, you can do this,” Glaser said. “We don’t have to feel like there are roles we can’t take because we can do it.”

“When I first joined my family had just moved to town,” Duncan said about her early years with OBW, noting that she traveled for work and always worried if she was doing the right by her children. “These women taught me that I’m not just my job and I’m not just a mom, but a full person.”

Looking forward to the next 100 years, the five women laughed as they tried to envision how the organization would continue to evolve. Glaser said she hopes that the members in 2119 will look at today’s problems such as the glass-ceiling as a complete non-issue, similar how people today view women once not being allowed to drive as a non-issue.

All of them agreed that the most important thing will be that the organization continues to advance.

“I think back on why we have lasted 100 years, and it’s because we evolved and continued to meet the needs of working women,” Haberman said. “Working women have different needs than what they did 100 years ago, so I think the organization will continue to evolve.”

“This organization teaches us confidence and that it doesn’t really matter — male or female — you got this, you can do this. We don’t have to feel like there are roles we can’t take because we can do it.”

- Katie Glaser

“Because of how the world works, it takes a long time for things to get better,” Gillespie said. “Sometimes I think we still feel a little bit of the run-off of how things used to be. There are organizations in town that less than 40 years ago women weren’t allowed to be members in, and I might be the president of one of those organizations today.”

“That will be a distant memory then,” Gillespie continued. “So I think it’s only going to continue to get better.”

Southern Minn

NOW OPEN Ask about our Move-In Special!

Girlfriends

Our mid-May issue will be about FUN! We’ll share all kinds of stories about “Exploring the Art of Adventure.”

Deadline to advertise is April 12 To ADVERTISE:

Contact Pam DeMorett by email at pdemorett@faribault.com or call 507-333-3117

da o t r Tou

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Premier Senior Living • Fresh approach to aging Studio | 1 bedroom | 2 bedroom apartments Independent | Assisted | Memory Care Amenities: Library, Pub, Movie Theatre, Fitness Center, Indoor parking & more!

Get more information & view photos on our website 1520 17th Street NW Faribault, MN 55021 507-497-2011 • millcityseniorliving.com

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Unexpected CaregiveR

Re-vamping Your Life Through De-cluttering

Berit Kari Berit, author of The Unexpected Caregiver, is a keynote speaker who will help everyone better take care while caring for another. Follow her at www.KariBerit.net

A

s one of my friends was downsizing after her husband’s death, she said to me, “My goal is to serve humankind.

How does stuff support me in that goal?”

I admire my friend. Instead of letting her children deal with her stuff after she dies, she’s making time to choose which of her things, if any, fit with her new life purpose. She’s facing her aging self—knowing she will not live forever—and taking the difficult step of going through and letting go of years of saved memories.

I was married to a hoarder. Not only did we spend money on collecting things that didn’t get used, but it took a lot of money in therapy to work through what the accumulation of unused stuff was doing to us as a couple.

As my mom became more debilitated from Huntington’s disease, leaving the house less and less, she started filling her home with stuffed animals, music boxes of all styles, and a myriad of Norwegian knick-knacks. I had to clear out the house after her death and let go of a lot of things in order to move to a smaller place after my divorce. Both experiences left me wanting less stuff.

Fast forward to three years later and I’m back to accumulating stuff, but with a

Call us today!

507-835-2540 CallConnors.com

Let us help modify the home you love to make aging in place a reality!!

Nine out of 10 people want to age in there home.

More people call Connors for plumbing, heating, air and drain needs than any other company in our area...you should too!

Complete clean-up of the work area • Live person answers calls 24/7 • On time arrival for appointments • Professional techs • Same day service • Upfront pricing

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consciousness that I didn’t have back then. I focus on re-using, second-hand, and trading.

When I bring new clothes items in, I remove ones I haven’t worn. I’ll share with you three ‘M’ words that my friend uses and that can help you out when facing the prospect of revamping and de-cluttering your life.

Mindfulness Are your things taking up space and energy that could be used for other activities in your life? I notice this especially when I have to move certain items to reach things I’ve tucked away. Or when I can’t decide on what to wear because I have so many options.

Meaning — meaningfulness or meaninglessness If you’re holding on to things for no good reason, they hold very little meaning for you.

I often look around at pictures I have sitting on my desk and shelves and ask myself, “Does this picture make me smile?” If it does, I keep it and if not, I repurpose or donate the frame.

Maintenance As we age, we not only have to maintain our bodies, but if we have a lot of things, we also need to maintain those. Freedom comes when we have less to keep up.

Time spent with people and a life filled with experiences often provide the best memories and the richest life.

As we grow older, our homes need to be updated to accommodate our age.

• Walk in shower with a multi-function handshower and slidebar • Shower seats • Taller toilets with safety rails • Storage and cabinets that are easy to access • Non slip mats and slip resistant floor surfaces • Grab bars for stability and ease of getting back to your feet • Main floor laundry • Entry way modifications and ramps

Enjoy your home safely, independently and comfortably, call us to learn more about aging in place services all in once place!

Southern Minn

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shows off her winning baking style Southern Minn

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Girlfriends Chef Guy Klinzing’s

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in a woMan’S life

A women’s motorcyle club, female EMT’s and racecar drivers, bloggers and so much more.

Recipes Page 32

Michelle Redman

leads Southern Minnesota Big Brothers Big Sisters to national recognition

Southern Minn Girlfriends magazine has been inspiring, entertaining and educating local women for TEN years. Your business can leverage the strength of our audience and their loyalty to our brand with a targeted, cost-effective marketing campaign in 2019!

southernminngirlfriends.com

To ADVERTISE: Contact Pam DeMorett by email at pdemorett@faribault.com or call 507-333-3117

Our mid-May issue will be about FUN! We’ll share all kinds of stories about “Exploring the Art of Adventure.”

Articles will include: • Unexpected Caregiver • Man’s Viewpoint • Wellness • Book review • New restaurants • Cannon Valley Trail • Northfield Arts Guild • Schools – acting/improve, how to be a clown • Summer activities and adventures • (Safely) challenging your inner “wild side” • Health Finders – keeping our communities healthy and whole • Working with “the boys” (local women in traditionally male career fields) ...and more

Southern Minn

MAY/JUN ISSUE DEADLINE IS APRIL 12TH Have an idea or suggestion?

Girlfriends

Contact Beth Forkner Moe at bfmoe@southernminn.com

To ADVERTISE:

Contact Pam DeMorett by email at pdemorett@faribault.com or call 507-333-3117

EARLY SPRING 2019

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DIRECTORY

Financial Resources Castle Rock Bank

The Castle Rock Bank has been serving the women in this community for 96 years. To answer the question, “What do women want in banking?” We believe the answer is, “To be heard, understood, respected and valued.” 27925 Danville Ave Castle Rock, 507-645-7751 www.castlerockbank.net.

EVENT RENTAL SPACE PILLSBURY COLLEGE PREP

Hold your next event at the historical campus of Camp Pillsbury. Large auditorium, dining hall, conference rooms, ample meeting space and dormitory sleeping quarters that hold up to 750 overnight guests. Perfect for corporate events, weddings, concerts, leadership retreats, youth development retreats and more. 507-214-2200.

Health & Wellness Millstream Commons Assisted Living

Millstream Commons Assisted Living is located in downtown Northfield. 44 Assisted Living apartments (studio, 1 and 2 BR) featuring three meals a day, supportive nursing care, respite care, & life enrichment activities. Pets allowed. Licensed Housing with Services provider. Part of the Three Links Community. Member of Aging Services of Minnesota. 210 8th St W, Northfield, 507-650-9627, threelinks.org.

Northfield Urgent Care

Simon Bros Cement Co.

Northfield Retirement Community

SUMMER CAMP

Tired of waiting to see your doctor for simple problems like sore throats and earaches?

We provide walk-in medical care for all ages, from infants to adults. We are open 7 days per week and no appointment is needed!

Quick, easy and efficient! 2014 Jefferson Rd Suite C, Northfield, MN 55057, 507-664-9999, northfieldurgentcare.com.

Situated on a 30-acre, beautifully landscaped campus, NRC was established in 1969 to provide housing and services specifically designed to meet the physical, social, psychological and spiritual needs of older adults. Housing options include apartments with a minimal level of services, as well as other home settings that make increasing levels of service readily available. Options include rental and owner-occupied living spaces. Units are available for both income-sensitive and market-rate income levels. NRC also provides a fully-staffed care center for those who desire a more traditional nursing home setting. 900 Cannon Valley Drive, Northfield, 507-645-9511, northfieldretirement.org.

Home & Garden Judy’s Floral Design

Whether your wedding is black tie/ ballroom or barefoot on the beach or somewhere in between! Beautiful, quality flowers and great ideas start with Judy Smith. “Specializing in fresh creative and affordable blooms for all the flower moments of your life” 507-645-0008, 1951 Division St. S., Northfield, judysfloraldesign.com.

WANT TO BE LISTED ON THE GF DIRECTORY?

507-333-3117 pdemorett@faribault.com

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Simon Bros Cement Co. has been serving the Northfield area since 1969. We specialize in quality concrete and masonry including foundations, driveways, epoxy garage floors.

Call for a free estimate. We will look at your project and use 40+ years of experience to share ideas and advice. Call Ray 612-328-4591.

CAMP PILLSBURY

Camp Pillsbury is a unique day and sleepaway summer camp, offering over 100 activities! Flying trapeze, circus arts, musical theater, sports, magic, horseback, gymnastics, dance, technology, musical instruments and waterski– all in the same day. So many activities to choose from!

Camppillsbury.com 507-214-2200.

Transportation Northfield Lines, Inc.

Have your group arrive in style when you pull up in one of our luxurious motor or mini coaches. Single or multi-day sightseeing trips, shopping, girlfriend getaways, dining, concerts, weddings, receptions, casino visits – you name the event and we will get your group there safely and on time.

32611 Northfield Blvd, Northfield, 800-944-2190, www.northfieldlines.com.

Assisted Living in Downtown Northfield

Honoring individuals and their interests Millstream Commons, 210 W 8th Street, Northfield 507-650-0141 · threelinks.org

Women’s Health Healthcare for women by women Women’s health services are designed specifically to meet the unique needs of your body through every stage of your life, from adolescence through menopause and beyond.

• Gynecology • Pregnancy Care • Breast Care • Nutrition & Dietetics Counseling • Physical Therapy for Women

Women’s Health Center

507-646-1478 EARLY SPRING 2019

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