DigElogROCORI

BILL'S BITS - by Wild Bill Goede

Stores in Cold Spring, Minnesota that have changed:

When we first moved to Cold Spring in 1968, Fox Drug was located where the Cold Spring Laundrymat is now.  Where a new Drug Store or Pharmacy will be in the near future is a topic I'll relate to another time.

Smitty's Service was on the corner of RedRiver and HWY 23 and now is the home of SuperAmerica.
Smitty's was one I could count on to get me started in cold weather, because I had AAA.  He was good at fixing things on my usually old and failing cars.

Another long standing building and business was Peter's Food Market and
later to become Vogt's Food Market.
the approximate location of Peter's is
now home to Teal's Grocery Store.

The interesting fact to me is that in each case where former owners move on or retire, that business stays in the same retail
business.

I think that speaks well for the community support of these businesses and that their
loyalty to them keeps the business right in Cold Spring and its surrounding rural area.


TRIVIA-  A German fighter pilot managed to survive falling to the ground from his airplane in the middle of a gigantic hail-
storm.  He was coated in a layer of ice which
cushioned him when he landed.


Lanolin, an essential ingredient of many expensive cosmetics. In its natural form, it's
a foul-smelling, waxy, tarlike substance
extracted from the fleece of sheep's wool.


TITANIC TRIVIA-  When the Titanic anchored
in Queenstown, Ireland, to pick up passengers and mail, small boats followed
it out to sea to sell articles of tweeds and lace to the passengers.  On one of these boats,  Colonel John Jacob Astor bought an
$800 lace shawl for his wife.


LIGHTSIDE-  An exasperated salesman abandoned his car in a no-parking zone and left this note:  "I've circled this block 20 times.  I have an appointment and must keep it or lose my job.  Forgive us our trespasses."
Upon returning, he found this note:
"I've circled this block for 20 years.  If I
don't give you a ticket, I'll lose my job.
Lead us not into temptation."
             -Jolly Jokes For Older Folks-


"A graduation ceremony is where the commencement speaker tells 2,000 students dressed in identical caps and gowns that individuality is the key to success."     -Bob Phillips-


"It's a fact.  Women will never play football.

Imagine eleven women in public wearing    the same outfit."   -Anonymous-

WORDS FOR THE WEEK-

"My advice to you is not to inquire why or whither, but just enjoy the ice cream while it's on your plate."       -Thorton Wilder-

"Learning is the only thing which the mind can never exhaust... never fear... and never
dream of regretting."       -T. H. White-

"Genius without education is like silver in the mine."          -Benjamin Franklin-

"Good, better, best. Never let it rest.
Until your good is better and your
better best."  -Tim Duncan-


"Practice is a means of inviting the
perfection desired."   -Martha Graham-

"Whether you're a man or not comes from your heart, not how much hair you have on your head."      -Bruce Willis-

  
OLD BURMA-SHAVE SIGNS-

She eyed
His beard
And said,"no dice
The weddings off
I'll COOK the rice"
BURMA-SHAVE.


Until next week, please take good care
of yourself.    B. G.  
                                                       -END-
"wild bill"

DigElog ROCORI: We Appreciate Our Sponsors

As we reach this Thanksgiving season, DigElog ROCORI would like to thank all of our wonderful sponsors. Your support allows us to continue to grow and preserve all of the stories from the "Land of ROCORI."

DigElog ROCORI will continue featuring the DigEling pagest forall of our sponsors on our homepage. Click their icons to be directed to their pages. We'd like to thank them one more time for their tremendous support.

DigElog ROCORI Is Thankful For Our Sponsors

As we reach this Thanksgiving season, DigElog ROCORI would like to thank all of our wonderful sponsors. Your support allows us to continue to grow and preserve all of the stories from the "Land of ROCORI."

                                                            
Central Minnesota Federal Credit Union     

    
Legacy Advisors, LLC       

                                

Muggli, Jerome CPA

Tri-County Abstract and Title Guaranty, Inc.

For the next few days, DigElog ROCORI will be featuring the DigEling pagest forall of our sponsors on our homepage. Click their icons to be directed to their pages. We'd like to thank them one more time for their tremendous support.

Happy Thanksgiving

As we reach this Thanksgiving season, DigElog ROCORI would like to thank all of our wonderful sponsors. Your support allows us to continue to grow and preserve all of the stories from the "Land of ROCORI."

                                                           

Bauer Auto Service, Inc.

Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, Mitsubishi

Richmond Body Shop 

For the next few days, DigElog ROCORI will be featuring the DigEling pagest forall of our sponsors on our homepage. Click their icons to be directed to their pages. We'd like to thank them one more time for their tremendous support.

DigElog ROCORI Pick of the Month: "Green Day - 21st Century Breakdown"

Green Day - "21st Century Breakdown"

Green Day | MySpace Video

DigElog ROCORI introduces a new feature that we will run monthly, our pick of the month. This month DigElog ROCORI producer/videographer Dustin Williams chose Green Day's 21st Century Breakdown music video. The video is directed by Marc Webb.

"There are a number of reasons I chose this video. I love Green Day, love the new album, and this video rules. Watch it and truly see how powerful the music video still is... Even if you can't find them on t.v. anymore."

**********************

Dustin has been with DigElog ROCORI since 2007. Outside of his work, he enjoys being outdoors, watching films, and spending time with his new wife. When it comes to viewing videos on the internet, his tastes range from silly youtube sensations, to great sports highlights, to various music videos from his favorite bands. Too see more of Dustin's picks, become a friend of DigElog ROCORI on our facebook page.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DIGELOG ROCORI!

On September 1, 2009 DigElog ROCORI turned four years old! Over the years the DigElog Network (which now includes Sauk Rapids and Waite Park) has published over 1700 stories! This is truly a remarkable accomplishment. We would not be where we are today without our loyal audience, our dedicated sponsors, and our wonderful community. Thank you all for helping make DigElog ROCORI what it is today. We look forward to continuing to capture today’s stories so we may be able to preserve our legacy forever and ever.

To Duane, Bette and the community I serve,

Words can’t possibly express what DigElog means to me. Not only have I grown to love the company I work for, and even though I am an outsider to the Land of ROCORI, I view it as my second home. There are so many individuals and organizations that make this community great.  As somebody that walks the busy streets of Minneapolis regularly, I can’t begin to put a value on the friendly “hello” I am greeted with every time I walk past an individual in town. I am so blessed to be a part of the greatness that happens in this town on a daily basis, and it brings me tremendous satisfaction to preserve that greatness through the power of the stories we publish online.  Happy Birthday DigElog ROCORI!


Dustin Williams
DigElog ROCORI 

CLICK HERE TO VIEW ONE OF OUR FEATURE "BLOG" STORIES

CLICK HERE TO VIEW DIGELOG ROCORI'S SECOND BIRTHDAY STORY

CLICK HERE TO TAKE A TRIP BACK TO SEE WHERE IT ALL STARTED

Smile

Breakfast at McDonald's

This is a good story and is true, please read it all the way 
through until the end! (After the story, there are some very 
interesting facts!): I am a mother of three (ages 14, 12, 3) 
and have recently completed  my college degree.The last class 
I had to take was Sociology. The teacher was absolutely 
inspiring with the qualities that I wish every human being 
had been graced with. Her last project of the term was called, 
"Smile."
The class was asked to go out and smile at three people and 
document their reactions. I am a very friendly person and 
always smile at everyone and say hello anyway. So, I thought 
this would be a piece of cake, literally.

Soon after we were assigned the project, my husband, youngest 
son, and I went out to McDonald's one crisp March morning.
It was just our way of sharing special playtime with our son.
We were standing in line, waiting to be served, when all of a 
sudden everyone around us began to back away, and then even 
my husband did. I did not move an inch... an overwhelming 
feeling of panic welled up inside of me as I turned to see why
they had moved.  As I turned around I smelled a horrible 
"dirty body" smell, and there standing behind me were two 
poor homeless men. As I looked down at the short gentleman, 
close to me, he was "smiling". His beautiful sky blue eyes 
were full of God's Light as he searched for acceptance.
He said, "Good day" as he counted the few coins he had been 
clutching.The second man fumbled with his hands as he stood 
behind his friend. I realized the second man was mentally 
challenged and the blue-eyed gentleman was his salvation.
I held my tears as I stood there with them.

The young lady at the counter asked him what they wanted.
He said, "Coffee is all Miss" because that was all they could 
afford. (If they wanted to sit in the restaurant and warm up, 
they had to buy something. He just wanted to be warm).
Then I really felt it - the compulsion was so great I almost 
reached out and embraced the little man with the blue eyes.
That is when I noticed all eyes in the restaurant were set 
on me, judging my every action.

I smiled and asked the young lady behind the counter to give 
me two more breakfast meals on a separate tray. I then walked 
around the corner to the table that the men had chosen as a
resting spot. I put the tray on the table and laid my hand 
on the blue-eyed gentleman's cold hand. He looked up at me, 
with tears in his eyes, and said, "Thank you." I leaned over, 
began to pat his hand and said, "I did not do this for you.
God is here working through me to give you hope."

I started to cry as I walked away to join my husband and son. 
When I sat down my husband smiled at me and said, "That is 
why God gave you to me, Honey, to give me hope."

We held hands for a moment and at that time, we knew that only  
because of
the Grace that we had been given were we able to give.
We are not church goers, but we are believers.That day showed 
me the pure Light of God's sweet love.

I returned to college, on the last evening of class, with this 
story in hand. I turned in "my project" and the instructor 
read it. Then she looked up at me and said, "Can I share this?"  
 I slowly nodded as she got the attention of the class.

She began to read and that is when I knew that we as human 
beings and being part of God! share t his need to heal people 
and to be healed.

In my own way I had touched the people at McDonald's, my son,  
instructor, and every soul that shared the classroom on the last  
night I spent as a college student..

I graduated with one of the biggest lessons I would ever learn:   
UNCONDITIONAL ACCEPTANCE.

Much love and compassion is sent to each and every person who may  
read this and learn how to
LOVE PEOPLE AND USE THINGS - NOT LOVE THINGS AND USE PEOPLE.

There is an Angel sent to watch over you.
In order for her to work, you must pass this on to the people you 
want watched over.

An Angel wrote:
Many people will walk in and out of your life, but only true 
friends will leave footprints in your heart.

To handle yourself, use your head.
To handle others, use your heart.

God Gives every bird it's food, but He does not throw it into 
its nest.

CORNER COPY... Cold Spring Record

Sometimes we hear conversations where the topic is how our world has changed . . . never would any from our generation have ever thought to take a gun to school, much less use it there. Never did we dare talk back to dad or mom . . . either way we dealt with dad. We would have never entered another person’s home (whether under construction or not) and take things that didn’t belong to us.

Today’s world seems much different. Why? Probably because when we were young and growing up there were morals and values distilled in us by our parents, grandparents, or anyone else who would qualify as being older than us.

We remember sitting together with our family and eating breakfast – every day – whether we had school, or not; whether we were off to church, or not; or if we had plans with friends, or not – we always sat at the table with our family for breakfast. When we were home for summer vacation we ALWAYS sat down at the dinner table for a meal with our family. Nearly everyday, the rest of the year, we sat down at a specific time to eat a meal with our family in the evening; some called this meal dinner, our family called it supper.

We ALWAYS said a prayer before EVERY meal, and every night before we went to sleep. We weren’t allowed a whole lot of television time before our homework was done – yep, we had homework – almost every day when school was in session.

We were given rules we had to live by. We were told when to be home; if we were late, we didn’t leave the yard for at least a week. We were expected to tell our parents where we were going when we left the house, who we’d be with, and what we were going to do.

If we ever got in trouble . . . of any sort, we knew we’d be dealing with one or both of our parents in answering for our actions. Yes, we were spanked. Mom didn’t have to do a lot of it, dad usually had the duty, but mom wasn’t afraid to raise her hand to our rear when it was necessary. We didn’t dare smoke cigarettes or drink alcohol because we knew we’d be in trouble if we did.

If we went out to eat at a restaurant with our family we didn’t dare leave our chair, or raise our voice. We knew better than to scream or run around the room because mom and dad would have never put up with it – why is today so different? We (our better half and ourself) went out to eat the other day while we were doing some shopping, and got stuck next to a table with three kids and three adults . . . the kids screamed the whole time we were there and the parents never said a word.

With all of that we learned to respect our parents . . . and anyone else who we considered an adult. That respect was there for our family and friends as well.

It’s true, we lived in a simpler time. There weren’t as many illegal drugs as there are today. Things that weren’t good for us, morally or otherwise, weren’t as easy to get our hands on as they are today. We’ll call this social decay . . . for lack of a better term. How did it happen? What follows might give you some answers.

DRUG PROBLEM

The other day someone at a store in a small town read that a methamphetamine lab had been found in an old farm house in the adjoining county, and he asked me a rhetorical question, “Why didn’t we have a drug problem when you and I were growing up?”

I responded that we did have a drug problem when we were kids growing up on the farm or in the city. I had a drug problem when I was young:

I was drug to church on Sunday morning.
I was drug to church for weddings and funerals.
I was drug to family reunions and community socials no matter what the weather.
I was drug by my ears when I was disrespectful to adults.
I was also drug to the woodshed when I disobeyed my parents, told a lie, brought home a bad report card, did not speak with respect, spoke ill of the teacher or preacher, or if I didn’t put forth my best effort in everything that was asked of me.
I was drug to the kitchen sink if I uttered a profane four letter word. (I know what lye soap tastes like.)
I was drug out to pull weeds in Mom’s garden and flower beds and cockleburs out of Dad’s fields.
I was drug to the homes of family, friends and neighbors to help out some poor soul who had no one to mow the yard, repair the clothesline or chop some fire wood, and if my mother had even known that I took a single dime as a tip for this kindness, she would have drug me back to the woodshed.

Those drugs are still in my veins; and they affect my behavior in everything I do, say, and think. They are stronger than cocaine, crack or heroin, and if today’s children had this kind of drug problem, America might be a better place today. If you have children who don’t seem to behave, give this piece some thought  . . . if YOU don’t give them a “drug” problem, there’s a good chance they’ll find one of their own.

Have A Good Week!
Mike Austreng

CORNER COPY... Cold Spring Record

Voters once again have said a resounding “NO” to giving our school system more money. We can’t say we were too surprised when we consider the fact that this isn’t the first time. We’ve been asked several times “what do they (the voters) want?”

The obvious answer is “no more taxes”.

Another question that’s been repeated to us is “what went wrong?”

We’ve spent time thinking about that one and it might have more than one answer. First we are living in a time of war – that has effects on our economy. Then there are the natural disasters that, although many miles from here, have had an effect on our own pocketbooks with higher prices for things like gasoline, food – well, this list could go on, but let’s just say we’re paying more for nearly everything because it either costs more to deliver it, or there’s a short supply. Then there’s the news that our heating costs will be MUCH higher this winter. These are probably too many negatives facing everyone being asked to approve an increase in property taxes.

Another thought might be that voters were being asked too many questions. Maybe one or two might have had a better chance, but not three. Yes, we could pick and choose with three questions, but when people added all three together it might not have been a good picture. Obviously it wasn’t. Although the votes weren’t far apart, the nays prevailed – again.

To be honest, we wouldn’t want to be faced with the problems our school system will face in the coming months. There are serious issues with building maintenance, rising costs, and we can’t forget the space concerns. Are there answers – there always are, but what the failure to get more money is going to mean to the school system is that eventually programs are going to be cut. And class sizes will increase. Fees may have to be added for what’s been offered at little or no cost to those participating in extra-curricular activities.

At some point the school is going to need more money; if not for a new school, at least to keep operating. If not, things will have to change in what’s offered to our students. Maybe one answer would be to go to full-time schooling – utilize the building space that sits empty three months of the year. That too could mean higher costs (we don’t think we could expect students and teachers to attend school in the summer heat without air conditioning; teachers would have a year-round job and would have to be paid more). But, year-round school could help with space problems.

Something has to happen with our school system budget. This area has grown tremendously in the past several years – one of the reasons is the reputation of our school system. It’s a reputation worth protecting.

****

They come out at night . . . climbing out from the rock they live under . . . they’re slime, and come in different colors and shapes. What are they? Nope, they’re not slugs, not snakes, nor are they any other bug God created, they are thieves!

As we’ve mentioned before, we are in the process of building a home in Cold Spring. For reasons we won’t take the time to explain, we decided to finish sheetrocking the few walls that were left when the delivery of a couple bathtubs took longer than expected – not a problem generated by anyone local, the manufacturer ran out of gel-coat.

We knew this would take us a few evenings to complete and would gain us two or three days toward the completion of the home because the sheetrockers were busy with other things and couldn’t get back at ours soon enough.

The Thursday night before the deer hunting opener was spent hanging a few sheets – we decided we’d leave the tools needed at the house. Sunday we went back to finish and discovered our front door open, and tools missing. Almost $600 worth (replacement cost).

We were not happy. It wasn’t so much the $600, but it meant we had to take time to go to St. Cloud to get more tools so we could finish since the tapers were coming back Monday expecting the sheetrocking to be done. This is important because there are things we intend to do in the finishing of our home, and we gave our notice to our landlord that we’d be moving out before the first of the year.

It also irritated us because we felt violated. Some scum entered our home and took the few things of value that were there. We know we aren’t the only ones this happens to. While at the store we were told by an employee we were the second that day, and the sixth that week that had things stolen from a construction site.

It would be fun to catch these predators . . . proper punishment might be to require they finish the job they interrupt. Then they should try finding an honest way to make a living, rather than being scavengers and taking advantage of people who tend to trust others.

We know it could have been worse, there are things this individual (or more) could have done while they were inside the home, but that doesn’t make this any less irritating. Maybe someday they’ll grow up and mature enough to hold a regular job.

Have A Good Week!
Mike Austreng

For more comments on why the referendum failed and to share your own opinion check out:
WHY DID THE REFERENDUM FAIL?

CORNER COPY... Cold Spring Record

It seems we’ve made a mistake . . . we printed a letter without a
signature. Now people aren’t happy about it. We’re not sure if they are
more concerned with who wrote the letter, or what the letter said.
It’s been a long-standing policy to not print letters that are not
signed by the writer. In the past 20 years we can recall twice that we
decided to wave the policy. One was when a mother wanted to address
some bullying issues with her child and feared retaliation if anyone
knew who wrote the letter – the message was extremely important and we
certainly understood her concerns. The other was the letter from a
couple weeks ago about the police issue in Richmond.

When we received the letter we really would have preferred a signature
. . . our first intent was to toss the letter in the garbage and wait
for a phone call from the writer, questioning why the letter didn’t
appear. Fact is, we dug the letter out of the garbage and read it
again, thinking we could use the jest of it in this column. Then we
changed our mind and decided the message was strong enough to let
others read it.

Our first, and strongest, feeling about the letter was that there was a
good message – Cold Spring and Richmond worked together on something.
And accomplished something for the general good of the people.
We’re not sure how long the Cold Spring/Richmond discontent has
existed. We don’t even know for sure what started the alleged squabbles
. . . on a personal level we’ve never had any problems with any
Richmond people. From our corner of the world we’ve gotten along with
those to our west rather well. There will always be those who don’t
agree with some things we say in this column . . . we’ve known that to
be true of ALL our readers, not just those living in Richmond.

Fact is, in the construction of our home we contracted with a Richmond
plumber for our plumbing; a Richmond company for our heating and air
conditioning; and we ordered our appliances from a Richmond hardware
store. We do some banking in Richmond, eat out in Richmond, and in the
past have purchased several boats in Richmond. We’ve had a Richmond
company do landscape work for us; we buy gas there . . . this list
could go on. Not that we don’t spend our share of money in Cold Spring,
the point is that we think it’s important to patronize our customers
everywhere we can, and Richmond is one of those places where we do
business.

To us the most important part of the letter that apparently has people
talking is that our two towns were working together. That what was
done, did some good, and that at least some people are happy about it.
For those upset about the letter, take a second to consider the
positive. Because the city of Richmond and the city of Cold Spring
worked together to get more police presence in Richmond, there are
nearly 9 pounds of marijuana (about $50,000 worth) that will not be on
the streets. That’s a lot of pot that won’t work its way into our
schools and homes. There are also two individuals facing jail time.
We had hoped that part of the letter would have been the main focus,
but apparently it isn’t.

In the letter the writer complained about a lack of police presence. In
defense of the Richmond police department we’ll say this. Having your
own police department is very important to a small town. It’s also very
expensive and difficult to hire enough people to man the department. To
our knowledge Richmond has two officers. Those two can’t be everywhere
all the time. With just two police officers the town has to have times
when there isn’t an officer on duty. There will be times when that officer is busy
with something and cannot return calls immediately (in cases of
emergency the officer would contact the sheriff’s department for
assistance).

Police work involves a tremendous amount of paperwork as well.
Paperwork takes the officer off the street and puts him (her) behind a
desk; sometimes for hours at a time.

In a town with just two officers there are going to be circumstances
that leave the town without an on-duty policeman. Just the fact that
two people cannot provide on-duty time 24 hours a day/7 days a week is
something to be considered. Add to that vacation time, illness, and
personal matters, and you’ll have more off-duty time.

If you think there is a problem with police protection, or any other
issue concerning the city, talk to your city council. They are the
people responsible for the day-to-day issues of the city. This is true
in any city.

As far as we’re concerned we hope the cooperation between the cities of
Cold Spring and Richmond continues.

****

From the phone calls and what we’ve heard of the talk going around,
we’ve learned that there are a lot of others who would prefer letters
were signed so they know where they come from. That is still our policy
. . . we promise we’ll do everything we can to not waiver.

Have A Good Week!

Mike Austreng
Cold Spring Record Publisher