New Carpet for the Library

There’s a big project coming up soon at the library - new carpet. As you can imagine, recarpeting a library is a major project, as it involves moving all those books. However, it needs to be done. The original carpeting was incorrectly installed and has become somewhat of a hazard, with loose patches creating a very uneven walking surface in spots. New carpeting has already been installed in the Sorenson Gallery and in the foyer to the theater - a great improvement.
The library will be closed Friday, December 17, through Tuesday, December 21, while this work is being completed. During that time, the McIntosh Library will have extended hours to provide service to Fosston Library users. It will be open Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

December at the Library Arts Center

With the landscape transformed into a winter wonderland by the recent snow, December is upon us, and Christmas will be here before we know it. Get into a holiday mood by attending a Christmas program at the Fosston Community Library Arts Center. On Sunday evening, December 5, at 7 p.m. Orland Aspen’s vocal students will present their Christmas recital with a variety of beautiful Yuletide tunes. The program is free, and refreshments will be served.
If you are looking ahead to the new year and are thinking you might like an opportunity to volunteer your time and talents, I have a suggestion for you. The FCLAA board will be needing four new members in January. This board supervises the various activities sponsored by the FCLAA - gallery, theater, music, and lectures, as well as helping to promote the Fosston Library. Meetings are held at 5:30 p.m. on the first Wednesday of each month. If you think you might be interested, contact me (435-6710) or Keri Mireault (435-6675) for more information.
The writers’ group did not meet in November because of the Thanksgiving holiday. However, it will meet on Thursday, December 2, at 7:30 p.m. in the Sorenson Gallery. New members are welcome, so if you have an interest in writing, whether for publication or just for your own enjoyment, come and check us out.
Other December activities at the library include some special after school children’s activities at 4 p.m. Wednesdays on the 8th and the 15th. These will be led by the library’s teenaged volunteers.
The Polk County Traveling Coffee Shop will make a stop at the Fosston Library on Monday, Dec. 20, 11:30 a.m.- 12:30 p.m. Parents are invited to have a free cup of coffee, latte or cappuccino and meet Sue Thompson, Community Facilitator for Parent Community Network and Chemical Free Polk County.
If you think your children are buying you a computer for Christmas, you may want to sign up for the free basic computer training at the library. The classes are offered on the second and fourth Monday of each month at 11 a.m. Call the library (435-1320) to pre-register.

As we move into November, the Fosston Community Library Arts Association has some exciting news: We will receive a $9,360 arts grant award from the Northwest Regional Development Commission. The money is designated for the purpose of setting up a music recording/studio training facility.
Music committee members Eric Olson and Mark Hendrickson had the vision to pursue this opportunity and will be working to implement it. The plan is to purchase a portable, lap-top based recording system,which uses Pro Tools software. It can then be used not just for our music students to make recordings, but also can be taken off-site. When the equipment is up and running, classes will be offered in its use, taught by Eric Olson, who says it can be used to record not only music, but also family stories and oral history and also pod casts. How exciting!
November is also National Gaming Month. Every Wednesday during November at 4 p.m., there will be an opportunity to play different games (no batteries required). The finale, on Nov. 24, will be a Twister tournament. There will also be a family gaming night on Thursday, Nov. 18, from 4-8 p.m. Choose from a variety of games, including card games, board games or dice games, or bring your own favorite game (non-electronic).
Free movies at the library continue in November with a kids’ matinee on Monday, Nov. 22, and a teen matinee on Tuesday, Nov. 23, both at 3:30 p.m.
The Polk County Traveling Coffee Shop comes to the library the third Monday of each month 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Enjoy a free cup of coffee, latte or cappuccino while learning about the various resources the county has for school-age children and their parents.
A Winter Wonderland family get-together is scheduled for 4 p.m. on Wednesday, December 1. The whole family is invited to make decorations, trim the tree, and drink cider.
The writers’ group will not meet in November because of Thanksgiving. However, they do plan to meet Thursday, Dec. 2, at 7:30 p.m. New members are welcome at any time, so if you want to write, come and join us.
The library will be closed on Thursday, November 11, in observance of Veterans Day, and on Thursday, November 25, for Thanksgiving Day.

The used book sale at the Fosston Library continues through the end of the month. For $5, you may purchase one of these reusable bags and as many books as it will hold. What a bargain!

New Furniture at the Fosston Library

The comfortable new chairs at the Fosston Library are complete with an attached desktop for one's laptop.

Trygve Olson at the Sorenson Gallery

Watercolors and editorial cartoons by Trygve Olson are currently on display at the Sorenson Gallery. Olson's work has been published in the Fargo Forum on a regular basis since 1984. This show will be at the Sorenson Gallery until mid-December.

Autumn Color

Shades of green give way to orange, gold and scarlet
As summer dies in a blaze of glory.
Soon those branches will be bare, stark against the horizon,
As nature enters the long sleep of winter.

But spring will come...

And once again the seemingly dead will be reborn
To grow and bloom for another season.
It must be so for man's life too -
The sleep of death -
Then comes the resurrection.
- Kay Carlsen

Dark Tales of Mystery and Intrigue

Dark Tales of Mystery and Intrigue will be explored at the Fosston Library on Tuesday, Oct. 5, at 7 p.m., by mentalist and magician Robert Halbrook. Using a number of relics and antiques from his personal collection, Halbrook will make connections with the lives and stories of such writers as Stephanie Meyer and Edgar Allan Poe. Magic, illusion, telekinesis, mind reading - they’re all part of the presentation, which includes audience participation.
The presentation is aimed towards teens 12 to 18, but my guess is it would be enjoyed by adults as well, especially anyone who enjoys a good spooky story.
The program is free and supported by funds from the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage fund.

September at the Arts Center

September - the leaves begin to change, school starts and summer comes to an end. At the Fosston Community Library Arts Center, things will be hopping, with music lessons resuming and plenty of activities scheduled for all ages.
If you or your child are interested in piano, voice, guitar or drum lessons, plan to come to the open house sign-up on Sunday, Sept. 12, from 6:00-8:00 p.m. Luke Dorman, who has taught guitar at the arts center the past few years, is student teaching this fall. Filling in for him will be Eric Olson of Bagley, who has played bass and guitar for 26 years and has been giving lessons for several years. Eric is the pastor of Grace Community Church in Bagley, as well as being the stay-at -home dad to four boys, ages two to eight. He moved to the area two years ago from Long Prairie. He and his wife have served as missionaries in London, working primarily with the Pakistani and Afghani population there. He also plays the sitar, which he will demonstrate at the open house. For more information about music lessons, you may call me at 435-6710.
Speaking of music, there is a wonderful opportunity to hear the 8th Street String Quartet at a free concert on Friday, Sept. 10, at 7 p.m. at the arts center theater. The quartet is the all-star ensemble of the principal string chairs of the Fargo-Moorhead Symphony. They perform music from the Classical and Romantic periods and well as more contemporary works. This concert is supported by the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage fund.
Another event made possible by that same fund is a genealogy workshop on Thursday, Sept. 16, from 10 a.m. - 12 noon. Rick Crume, a contributing editor for Family Tree magazine, will show how to use Heritage Quest and the library edition of Ancestry when researching your family tree. Pre-registration is required; please call the library (435-1320).
Grandparents’ Day is in September and in recognition of that event there will be a special story time for grandparents and their grandchildren on Friday, Sept. 10, at 10:30 a.m. Cookies, milk and coffee will be served, and there is a chance to register for prizes.
On Monday, Sept. 20, a traveling coffee shop will be at the library from 11:30-12:30. Sue Thompson, community facilitator for the Parent Community Network and Chemical Free Polk County, will be there to provide coffee, lattes, and cappuccino, along with information about resources available for parents of school-age children.
On Friday, Sept. 24, the second of the “Go, Hounds” game nights will help everyone get ready for the evening’s athletic contest. There will be face painting, banner making and all sorts of fun beginning at 3:30 p.m.
Other activities during September include after school movie matinees on the 20th and 21st at 3:30 p.m. and basic computer training on the second and fourth Mondays at 11 a.m.
September is Library Card Sign-up month, and first time card holders will be eligible for a prize drawing at the end of the month.
Lastly, there is a new part-time employee at the library. Michelle Johnson of Fosston replaces Joyce White, who will still be around as a sub. Watch for more information about Michelle.

On Turning 65

I guess I’m a senior citizen -
Now that I’ve turned 65.
Perhaps it’s soon time to jettison
The bonds of decorum that thrive.
I’ll say what I think-
I’ll do what I want;
I’ll dress all in pink
Or in purple.
I must make the best
Of the next 20 years -
Traveling from mountains to coast.
I’ll read all those books
And write all those poems;
I’ll play all the songs that I like the most.
And maybe I’ll even dance until dawn,
Or maybe I’ll stand on my head.
I’ll laugh and I’ll love, enjoying the time,
I’ll eat what I want every day,
Ice cream and chocolate, butter on corn,
All I must do while still in my prime.
For time is so fleeting, it flies by so fast.
Only a moment, a lifetime is past.
Kay Carlsen

August at the Fosston Community Library Arts Center

by Kay Carlsen
The summer is flying by. Can it really be August already? Yes, it is, and it will be an exciting month at the Fosston Community Library Arts Center.
This year’s summer theater production, The Matchmaker, is scheduled from August 18-22. Performances on Wednesday through Saturday are at 7:00 p.m. with a 2:00 p.m. matinee on Sunday, Aug. 22. Tickets are available at Generations (435-1676) beginning Wednesday, August 4. They will also be available at the door, assuming there are any left by that time.
Cast members are Mitch Berntson as Cornelius Hackl, Dawson Ehlke as Barnaby Tucker, Lezli Ehlke as Mrs. Dolly Levi, Abby Faldet as Irene Molloy, Leah Carlson as Minnie Fay, Phil Ehlke as Horace Vandergelder, Ray Miller as Malachi Stack, Mikayla Borud as Ermengarde, Tyler Christensen as Ambrose, Kemper, Beth Balstad as Miss Flora Van Huysen, Jamie Nesvold as Joe Scanlon/Cabman, Joyce White as Gertrude, Carol Larson as the Cook, Luke Juve as Rudolph, and Christian Landsverk as August. It should be great fun.
But, wait, there’s more. There are a number of other events coming up as well.
The summer reading program Splash Down Pool Party will be held Wednesday, Aug. 4, at the Fosston Civic Center. This year’s alternative to water ballooning the librarians will provide the opportunity for everyone to get wet, including, I presume, the library staff in attendance.
The teen summer reading program finale will be a concert featuring Attics to Eden, a Christian indie/alternative rock band led by Michael Fredrickson. Door prizes will be given away after the concert. Watch for more info on this one, as the date and time has yet to be determined.
On Tuesday, Aug. 24, local author J.L. Nesvold will be at the Fosston Library to sell and sign copies of his new book, The Greatest Food Fight of All Time. I’m sure you’ve heard him on the radio, where he goes by Jamie rather than J.L. Here’s your chance to pick up an autographed copy of a first edition.
Summer reading logs will be accepted through the end of the month. There are weekly prize drawings as well as some very nice grand prizes at the end of the summer.
There are a couple of other events tentatively scheduled for this month. On Wednesday, Aug. 25, at 4 p.m., storyteller/dancer Karla Nweje will be appearing at the library, and a documentary film based on Minnesota’s Greatest Generation will be shown at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 28. Watch for more information on these two events.

New Jersey, New York

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When my friend Chris Alpine and I began planning a visit to New York City I envisioned landing in an exotic sounding airport like La Guardia or JFK. But Chris suggested Newark International Airport as a hub - because Newark is cheaper to fly into. He suggested that we take the New Jersey Transit Authority train from the airport to Penn Station, then the New York subway to lower Manhattan - because it’s much cheaper than a taxi. We’d already agreed to sublet a friend’s apartment - because New York hotels are way too expensive.

But flying into Newark, New Jersey? Isn’t Newark a city populated by people with thick necks, hairy backs and eyebrows? Don’t most of the citizens of Newark exist on a diet of root crops and garlic?

The reality is that Newark is populated mainly by immigrants from Pakistan. The original inhabitants of Newark have all moved to New York City. The shine of the Big Apple has lured them across the Hudson to stake claim to their slice of the Big Apple pie. As for the immigrants from the Pakistan, the industrial wasteland that is Newark probably looks pretty good compared to Lahore.

There is plenty for the tourist to see in New York City - the Empire State Building, Times Square, and the Statue of Liberty. We saw it all. But much of real New York happens below ground in the subway tunnels that web the city– aspiring entertainers singing old Cole Porter tunes and passing the hat, panhandlers telling tales of hard luck and misfortune while shaking plastic cups full of change, the subway rats who seem content to scurry from shadow to shadow searching for bagel crumbs.

Then there was Victor Ramon, Psychic Phenomenon Plus (Extraordinary) or at least that’s what the business card he handed Chris read. He insisted on giving Chris a psychic reading right there at the West 42^nd street subway platform. He wore a battered blue sport coat and gravy stained necktie drawn tightly around his thick neck. He spoke in a heavy New Jersey accent, and paused only briefly to consult the spirits contained in the pint bottle he carried in his hip pocket. The smell of alcohol barely concealed the garlic on his breath.

I’m not sure if Chris received any prophetic messages from beyond. Just the typical stuff you might get from the “Spirits of Fermented Fruit”. When Victor Ramon finished with his reading, he insisted that Chris not pay him for his services since his gift was derived from a higher power. It was a request that Chris was more than happy to honor.

Dale Larsen

The current exhibit at the Sorenson Gallery is entitled "The New Rules of Femininity: A Show for My Daughter." Alice Blessing paints without brushes, using her fingertips and wearing latex gloves. The paintings are intended to present honest portrayals of women.

July at the Arts Center

Summertime is here and with it come lots of exciting new opportunities at the Fosston Community Library Arts Center.
The new display in the Sorenson Gallery, scheduled to open early this month and to be up for the rest of the summer, has paintings by Bemidji artist Alice Blessing. Blessing takes fingerpainting to a whole new level, wearing latex gloves and using acrylic paints to create portraits of people and pets that are nothing short of amazing. Check out her Web site at www.aliceblessing.com and then stop in and see her work.
This year’s summer theater production will be Thornton Wilder’s The Matchmaker, from which the musical Hello, Dolly!, was adapted. Rehearsals will begin Sunday, July 18, for the August 18th-22nd performances. Anyone interested in having a part in this production, either on stage or behind the scenes, should contact director Whitney Stuckey at 218-230-5507 or e-mail her at whitney@gerla.net
On Tuesday, July 20, at 7 p.m., the film Food, Inc., an Academy Award nominee for Best Documentary Feature, will be shown at the arts center. Learn surprising truths about what we eat and how it’s produced. Free tickets are available, both at the library and at the Fosston Farmers Market.
The “Make a Splash - READ!” summer reading program is continuing with more special programs each Wednesday in July. On July 7, staff from the Headwaters Science Center of Bemidji will do a demonstration on the unique properties of water, and on July 14, Itasca Park staff will present a program about boat building on the Mississippi, then give the kids a chance to build their own boat using natural materials. There will be a movie on July 21, and on July 28, Cheryl Winkelman will be there to help everyone try watermelon sculpting. All these programs are at 1:30 p.m.
Another special program, A Splash of Magic, is scheduled for Thursday, July 22, at 6:30 p.m. Aimed at preschoolers through fifth graders, this 45-minute magic show helps kids explore the wonderful world of water. There is lots of audience participation and you may get a little wet. It should be fun.
Fosston Crazy Days will be July 30-31. During that time, the library will get into the act by having a used book sale in the front entry of the library and on the sidewalk. Stop by - there’s sure to be some great bargains.
Writers’ group continues to meet the fourth Thursday of each month at 7:30 p.m. New members are always welcome

Summer Theater Production

The FCLAA is pleased to announce this year’s summer theater production will be The Matchmaker by Thorton Wilder. The performance dates will be August 18-22 with rehearsals to begin Sunday, July 18. Whitney Stuckey, who directed last year’s successful 1940’s Radio Hour, is coming back to work with this summer’s play as well.
The Matchmaker is a comedy, and if you’re not familiar with it, you may remember the musical adapted from it. It was called Hello, Dolly! and it ran on Broadway for years, as well as being made into a movie. The cast requires eight men and six women.
If you are interested in acting in the play or helping out with sets, costumes, lighting, etc., please contact Whitney Stuckey at 218-230-5507 or whitney@gerla.net as soon as possible.

Writers' Group

Ephemera
Spring is the season for flowering bushes and trees.
The lilacs’ sweet, perfumed blossoms linger
for a bit,
But the blooms of apple trees - and cherries, too, I’m told-
Open and fall all too quickly.
In a brief burst of beauty, the flowering crab
Becomes a pink cloud that takes one’s breath away.
A few days and the flowers are gone
To be replaced by fruit that grows no larger than a marble
And can be found still littering the sidewalk
When next year’s blooms appear.
Why must that beauty be so fleeting?
Couldn’t it last a little longer?
Perhaps if it did, it might not be as precious,
Nor would it be a reminder of our own mortality.
- Kay Carlsen

Writers' Group

The Library Ghost

There’s a ghost in the library.
I hear it sometimes.
It sounds as if books are being shuffled around
Right there on the shelves.
There’s no one there and nothing to see,
Only that sound --
As if someone were sliding books out
And shoving them back in.
But who could it be?
Some long-dead librarian unable to rest
Until every shelf is in perfect order?
Or perhaps a disgruntled library patron,
Who after death is still trying to prove that an overdue book
Really has been returned and truly is back on the shelves,
Not hidden under a sofa cushion or
Gathering dust under a bed somewhere.
I don’t really know, but I will tell you this:
There is a ghost in the library.

--Kay Carlsen

June at the Fosston Library Arts Center

June is here. Let’s hope it’s as beautiful as the last two week of May have been.
The big news at the Fosston Library is the summer reading program. Kids of all ages are invited to “Make a Splash - READ!” with the splash-off week beginning Tuesday, June 1, and ending Friday, June 4, A special splash beach party bash was scheduled for Wednesday, June 2, at 1:30 p.m. at the library.
Every child who reads 15 hours or completes 15 books and submits a completed reading log will receive a prize and will be eligible for weekly prize drawings, as well as the grand prize drawings to be held in August. Preschoolers can participate in the Read-to-Me portion of the program. There will also be a Sizzlin’ Summer Reads program for adults, so don’t feel left out if you’ve left your childhood behind.
In conjunction with the summer reading program, there will be special events every Wednesday at 1:30 p.m.
On June 9, Cheryl Winkelmann will help kids make soap and play with bubbles in a tub. Cheryl does some type of activity for the reading program almost every summer, and everyone always has fun.
Children’s author Patrick Mader will do a presentation and book signing on June 16. Mader, who is an elementary teacher in south central Minnesota, grew up on a dairy farm near St. Bonifacius. His books, Opa & Oma, Oma Finds a Miracle, and Big Brother Has Wheels, have rural settings and positive messages..
June 23’s program will be Make a Splash with MinnAqua. Interns with the DNR’s MinnAqua program will help the kids learn about Minnesota’s fish and fish habitats.
Emily Giese, intern at the Rydell National Wildlife Refuge, will be at the library on June 30. She will be talking about animal homes on water with a hands-on presentation allowing the kids to examine various building materials and feel the pelts of some of Minnesota’s wetland creatures.
Not part of the summer reading program, but a special treat nonetheless, on Friday, June 25, at 2 p.m., Dr. Dawn Duncan, a Concordia College professor, will perform her one-woman show, “Clara Dillon Darrow: Pioneering Woman,” about an historical Red River Valley region woman in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Duncan will follow the half-hour play with a discussion of that era and will also discuss how to use the library to research material for inclusion in writing.
Speaking of writing - remember the writers’ group continues to meet the fourth Thursday each month at 7:30 p.m.

May at the Library Arts Center

It’s May, we’ve had a few April showers, and my tulips are in bloom. At the Fosston Library Arts Center, there is music in the air. On Monday, May 10, there will be a concert by the Canadian Tenors, the same quartet that sang at the Olympics and appeared on Oprah and Dr. Phil. Apparently they have a free day between concerts in Michigan and Anoka, and they’ll be bring their unique blend of classical and pop music right here to Fosston. Tickets are already sold out - good for the arts association, bad for those of you who didn’t get any.
If you have to miss the Canadian Tenors, there are still some musical events you will be able to take in. On Saturday, May 15, at 7:30, there will be a free concert by Nirmala Rajasekar, a renowned performer of Carnatic music, a classical music system which has its origins in South India. She plays the veena, an Indian stringed instrument) and also sings, as well as explaining the type of music she is performing. There will also be two piano recitals coming up - my students will be performing on Sunday, May 9, at 7 p.m., and LoraLee Saeter’s students will have their recital on Sunday, May 16, at 4 p.m. Admission is free, and refreshments will be served.
Children’s Book Week is May 10-16, and on Wednesday, May 12, at 1:30 p.m. there will be a special story time with Daisy Duck (aka Jane Simmons) there in person. There will also be games and coloring. If you have young children in your life, you’ll want to bring them, and don’t forget your camera.
And speaking of cameras - the new exhibition in the Sorenson Gallery features photographs by Ilane Rue. A variety of pictures taken locally and also in Norway, they all merit a closer look. If you want one, they are for sale, at quite reasonable prices. Stop in and see them.
Also coming this month, May 10-22, in the upper gallery will be a display of paintings by Sara Mercil, a high school student from Fertile who has been working with Ric Sorenson under a mentorship program funded by a grant from the McKnight Foundation through the Northwest Regional Development Commission.
The children’s summer reading program will begin June 1. This year’s theme is “Make a Splash at Your Library.” Watch for more information.
The writers’ group continues to meet the fourth Thursday of each month. You may find occasional postings from some of the members on the blog. If you’re interested in joining the group, you may simply show up at 7:30 p.m. in the gallery on May 27.

Festival of Tables

The Festival of Tables on Saturday, April 17, was another successful fund-raiser for the FCLAA with 16 beautifully set tables, great food, piano music by Leandra Dalen, and a sell-out crowd.

April at the Arts Center

We seem to have spring, with warmer temperatures, birds singing, and (Dare I write this?) all the snow gone. If the proverbial April showers come, we may even have some green grass before long. If those same April showers keep you indoors, don’t worry - events at the Fosston Community Library Arts Center will go on as scheduled.
There’s a great concert coming up on Thursday, April 8, at 7 p.m. when the Minneapolis Guitar Quartet will appear in the arts center auditorium. Founded in 1986, the MGQ has performed throughout the United States with a repertoire ranging from Renaissance and Baroque to Spanish, Latin American and Romantic music. I have not heard them, but I did talk to someone who had been to their performances in Bemidji and in Minneapolis, and he said they were excellent. Admission is free, and the programming is supported in part by the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.
Another wonderful event coming up on April 17 is the ninth annual Festival of Tables luncheon. Held at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, the festival is a fundraiser to benefit the FCLAA. The doors will open at 11:30 a.m. so those in attendance have a chance to view the 15 creatively set tables before the noon luncheon. There are raffles and door prizes - it’s always an enjoyable spring outing. Tickets ($20) are available at the Fosston Library (435-1320) or by calling Kim (435-6753) or Joan (435-6986).
The Hot Reads for Cold Nights adult reading program is over. Of course, you can still keep reading - you just won’t win any prizes for doing so. Prize winners were Erin Green, Betty Syverson, Desiree Jevning, Christian Green, Delores Syverson, Beverlee Ostenaa, Dianne Christopherson, Jenny Illies, Sarah Lawton, Diane Vasilakes, Sheryl Magelssen, Arlene Brinkman, Marion Handy, Diane Omundson, Jeanie Stout, Michele Schoenborn, Ella Nordstrom, Gloria Illies, Lorelee O’Keefe, Melinda Larson, Cindy Green, Kari Keller and Paul Magelssen.
The Hope for Haiti benefit was an enjoyable evening that raised $948.89 to benefit Haiti earthquake victims. Thanks a bunch.
The writers’ group continues to meet the fourth Thursday of each month at 7:30 p.m. New members are welcome.

Writers' Group

RESURRECTION

A maple tree next door kept its leaves last fall.
Now, at February’s end, they still hang on -
Shriveled, but bravely burnt-orange against the white snow.
Perhaps a botanist could explain why,
Or maybe that tree just likes the way it looks in autumn.
It’s found the style that suits it and it’s sticking to it
Despite all its neighbors’ bare branchy winter silhouettes.
Maybe, like most of us, it doesn’t like change,
And having gone from green to orange,
It’s taken a stand and said, “That’s enough -
No more changes for me, thank you.”
One hopes though, that in the next few months,
Those leaves will finally drop for new green to appear.
Before new life, a death must sometimes come.
--Kay Carlsen

Sorenson Gallery

The current display in the Sorenson Gallery features watercolors from several different artists: Phyllis Kalliokoski, Jane Freeman, Ivy Bailie, LaVonne Forseberg, Mary Therese Peterson and Judith Selby. The bright colors are just what we all need as we think spring.

Seek His Face, Volume I
Contentment
by alison mellgren

“For just as we have many members in one body and all the members
do not have the same function…” Romans 12:4

It seems to me our relationships tell us who we are. We define ourselves by them. As do others. Sometimes they define us by the lack of them. You cannot watch a movie, read a book or chat with a friend and not be exposed to someone’s opinion on relationships. The overriding consensus seems to be we should not be alone.

I am a single Christian. Single is not a disease which needs a cure as some people seem to think. It is simply one of many adjectives which describe me. The world has a lot to say about relationships especially if you are single. So do many dating or married Christians who unwittingly convey through words or actions; that if you are a Christian and single you have not realized your full potential yet. This can be such a discouragement to singles in the body of Christ.

“For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. And since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let each exercise them accordingly…” Romans 12:4-6a.

Being single is not a condition nor is being married. Both are a commitment and we all share the same condition: sinful, fallen man. Recently I discussed this “single” scenario with my siblings. For the first time our conversation became more than venting our frustration regarding a viewpoint which appears to celebrate being in a relationship, more than not being in one.
Through our discussion the Lord began to reveal to us that whether we are single, married and struggling to start a family, on the brink of a divorce or a careworn single parent, at times we all share the innate frustration of feeling we are entirely alone.

There are times in our lives when this loneliness is felt more keenly. These periods are not necessarily contingent on social and familial relationships or the lack of them. When the children of God lose sight of the one relationship which matters most—the one with our Savior— we begin to feel our aloneness. Our fallen state accentuates this loneliness.

Whenever I read the psalms of David I marvel. I do not have to wonder how he is feeling about his relationship with his Lord. He praises fluently or cries out in bold anguish. His impassioned pleas appear to fall on deaf ears while he laments his circumstances repeatedly, with a fervor which almost seems to offend. Yet in the next verse David can revert to unabashed, effervescent tribute.

What the Lord desires from us is communion which is unashamed and unafraid. King David pursued this kind of communal relationship with the Lord throughout his life. Yet even the man after God’s own heart struggled with the act of putting his relationship with his Lord first.
Every time I read a psalm of David I admire and appreciate his simple, child-like trust. This trust allows him to express himself without reservation. Whatever his circumstance whether dire or joyful, his trust reveals he knows the source of his contentment.

Any relationship issue is really one about contentment. Can we be content where we are? Can we be content with what the Lord has given us? Do we grumble about what we still do not have? Do we sulk about what we had to give up? Do we begin to orchestrate circumstances to provide what it is we think we need?

Apart from Christ we are truly alone. Even those of us who are born again experience this loneliness not because Christ has left us, but because we have left Him— in our hearts and by our actions.

Maybe our day gets busy and we neglect our personal devotions thinking tomorrow we will have more time. Maybe we turn aside to do “good” things, letting our works become an effort at righteousness. Maybe we shun the simple resting at His feet like Martha, thinking later we will have more time. We have made tomorrow our apology and later a justifiable excuse for someday.

Isaiah 30:15 describes very well what God considers contentment. “This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel says: In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength.”

In the body of Christ we all serve a purpose. Let us build up our fellow believers encouraging and supporting them in the role the Lord has called them to fulfill. I urge you to pursue with diligence the relationship which matters the most. Believers, make someday today.

this is an exerpt from my published work, Seek His Face, Volume I

Shadowborn

Ever will the heart of man
Seek to guard the dark within
Crushing what the light would show
Denying freedom to the soul

Avarice, hate, deceit, and strife
All lead to everlasting night
Oh can the darkened heart of man
Fulfill the laws demands

There is a god inside of me
Thriving on dark apart from Thee
Shaping my hopeless destiny
Condemning my soul eternally

This endless struggle we endure
For we are not what we were
Redemption waits, errant child
To pierce the dark cleanse the vile

Oh son of man would you be saved
One bled freely death He gave
Immanuel and Prince of Peace
Sacrificed to grant release

There is a god inside of me
Thriving on dark apart from Thee
Shaping my hopeless destiny
Condemning my soul eternally

Hope lies not in strength of man
Where souls toil on in barren land
The heart of wrath can be remade
Sin atoned judgement paid

Relinquish will self and pride
The gods within must all die
Embrace the death light demands
Claim redemption fallen man

Now this God inside of me
Fulfilled the law on Calvary
Granting release from slavery
He shapes my life my destiny

Ah, March - it seems to be coming in like a lamb - here’s hoping it will go out the same way, as the Fosston Community Library Arts Association has a big event scheduled for Saturday, March 27. Plans are under way for Hope for Haiti: A Musical Benefit. A number of area musicians are donating their time and talents, including Dale Branstner, Neil Bursheim, Mark Hendrickson, Luke Dorman, Stacy Juntenun and more. There will be music in the auditorium and also in the gallery, which will double as a coffeehouse for the evening, with refreshments available. The program on the main state will begin at 7:00, but things will be percolating in the coffeehouse by 6:30. All proceeds will be directed to Haiti relief.
The 2010 theme for LARL Youth Services is “Read Every Day,” certainly good advice for all of us, young, old, and in the middle. In observance of the “Read Every Day” campaign, the Fosston Library will have a Dr. Seuss story time on March 12 and show the movie In Search of Dr. Seuss at 11 a.m. on Saturday, March 13.
If you’ve read this year’s community read selection, Nothing by Trouble by Minnesota author Susan May Warren, you won’t want to miss a chance to hear her speak at the library on Tuesday, March 23, at 7 p.m. Warren, a former missionary to Russia, is the award-winning author of 17 novels and novellas. She currently lives in Grand Marais and writes full-time. If you haven’t read her book, there is still time before she comes, and while you’re at it, read three more books and sign up for the Hot Reads adult reading program. The grand prize drawing will be held after Warren’s presentation, and of course, refreshments will be served.
March also brings us St. Patrick’s Day, when we all pretend to be Irish. On Wednesday, March 17, there will be a family celebration from 4-6 p.m. at the library. Hear the story of St. Patrick, stay for games, a treasure hunt and green refreshments (probably not spinach).
There is a colorful new show in the Sorenson Gallery with a number of watercolors and collages by several different artists. There are works by Phyllis Kalliokoski of East Grand Forks, Jane Freeman, Judith Selby and Mary Therese Peterson, all of Bemidji, Ivy Bailie of Fosston, and LaVonne Forseberg of Thief River Falls, Be sure to stop by and see it.
Movies at the library from the month of March are Darby O’Gill and the Little People on Monday, March 15, at 3:30 p.m. and Star Trek on Tuesday, March 16, also at 3:30.

Musical Benefit for Haiti planned

The Fosston Community Library Arts Association has announced plans for a musical event on Saturday, March 27, at 7 p.m. at the Fosston Library Arts Center. A number of area musician will donate their time and talent in an effort to raise money for relief of earthquake victims in Haiti. There will be a variety of musical instruments and styles represented, including a old-time bluegrass group assembled just for this concert. Mark your calendars and watch for more information.

The Outhouse

By Dale Larsen

When I first moved to northern Minnesota, I dug an outhouse behind the plumbing-less shack I bought south of town. At the time all my neighbors had outhouses, so it seemed like the thing to do. One neighbor openly pondered the eccentricities of people who lived in town and didn’t have outhouses. He’d often shake his head and say, “Seems like townsfolk enjoy crappin’ in their houses and eatin’ their supper out on the lawn.”

My own newly dug outhouse wasn’t the first I’d ever used. Growing up in rural Wisconsin, my family boasted a two-holer. I never quite understood why adults built outhouses with two holes, since all the adults I knew seemed to believe using the outhouse was a solitary activity. But back when I was six and my older brother, Lynn, was eight, we’d often occupy a hole each while engaged in the same activity. My dad kept a metal bucket filled with wood ashes next to a stack of Sears catalogues and old magazines. Once the ashes were spread down the hole, the air took on a pleasant earthy smell. And on hot summer days, it was often cooler inside the outhouse than under our best shade tree. Lynn and I were never in a hurry to leave.

One August afternoon, Lynn finished before me and stood leaning against the wall of the outhouse, practicing a James Dean imitation he’d been working on. He was also casually spinning the elastic band of his underwear around his raised index finger in his own patented way of showing off. “Go ahead and ask me any question,” he said. “I know how everything works.”

At first I didn’t believe him, so I asked him a tough one. “So, what makes trains go?”

He raised an eyebrow, as if it was a silly question, one that everyone knew. “Why, the wheels make it go, of course,” he answered.

Lynn had an answer for everything, and he was my hero because if it.

Suddenly, his white briefs flew from his finger and sailed down the vacant hole. It was a perfect shot, passing through the polished wooden rim without so much as touching an edge. We both stared silently at the open hole for a few seconds wondering what this meant. The only sound was our breathing, and mother’s wringer washing machine chugging in the back yard.

Lynn quickly realized this meant trouble, and that trouble was best shared with a little brother. “I did that on purpose,” he said. “I bet you can’t do it.” I wasn’t convinced, so he offered me proof by sending one of his socks down the hole with an arching wrist shot. Not to be outdone, I peeled off my tee shirt, wadded it in a ball, and took my own best shot.

Maybe smart people wouldn’t have done what we did that afternoon, but a challenge skillfully applied between two young boys can be a powerful thing. One challenge let to another and in a matter of minutes, we managed to send all our clothing down into the dark unknown.

My mother, being a Christian woman, believed that sparing the rod would spoil a child. When we presented ourselves back at the house buck naked, we paid dearly. Spankings without pants were always the worst kind.

Soon summer ended and winter arrived, bringing with it the long, cold, and dark nights of December. Our trips to the outhouse became shorter, more purposeful, with fewer distractions. The Christmas season provided plenty of distractions inside the warm walls of our house. Christmas never yielded many gifts, and any new possession that entered our simple world held a great deal of fascination.

Lynn was particularly fascinated by a picture book of classic Hollywood monsters, given to him by our uncle. I was pretty taken with it too. I’d never seen Dracula or Frankenstein on the big screen. But visions of these menacing creatures created an elevated security risk to my just-before-bedtime walk to the outhouse. But when I asked Lynn to go along with me, he said, “No.” I cried and my mother took me instead.

The night was moonless, but the path was dimly lit by a canopy of stars spilling across the night sky like diamonds against a jeweler’s felt. Mother took my hand as we started out. She told me that I didn’t need to be afraid of going out alone at night. Looking up at the sky, she said there was an angel behind every star, each one carefully watching down over me.

At six years old, I lived in a world of possibilities, a world void of the cynicism that I would later armor myself with as a teenager. I could easily picture these angels, looking down at me, protecting me. With my mother’s warm hand around mine, I wondered why they needed to be there watching now.

I don’t have an outhouse anymore, and my brother and I buried my mother years ago. But I still sometimes step outside to look up at the stars at night. Sometimes I cry.

Writers' Group

Some Random Thoughts (or Questions) about Facebook

By Kay Carlsen
Having recently opened a Facebook account only because of a request from a high school classmate who wanted to start an alumni group of our graduating class, and being new to the social networking scene, I have a few observations.

If I spend a lot of time on Facebook, will I be capable of anything other than random thoughts?

How much information do I really want about other people’s minor illnesses? Do you suppose I could contract the stomach flu through Facebook? I sure hope not, but it seems to be making the rounds.

How do people who have 946 friends keep up with all of them? I have 34 right at the moment, and occasionally that seems like more than enough.

What’s the idea of poking someone? I always thought that wasn’t very polite. I must admit, I don’t quite get it, but I obviously don’t have everything figured out yet. That includes the chat feature, although I have used it a couple of times.

The number of people I know on Facebook is quite amazing, and they include people of all ages - from my 15-year-old granddaughters to my 80-something-year-old aunt.

Is there anything very interesting about what games people have been playing and what their score was? I have a hard enough time being interested in what the Vikings are doing, or not doing, as the case may be.

What is it that compels me to log unto Facebook every time I get a e-mail message telling me what someone has posted on my wall or commented about one of my posts? After all, the e-mail tells what they said. Then once I’m on there I spend 15 minutes checking on other people to see what someone else may have written to them.

What is truly interesting to me is seeing the web of relationships that connect us all. I know a certain number of people, and they know a certain number of people, who in turn, know even more people. As the English divine John Donne wrote nearly 400 years ago, “No man is an island entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main.” While in a sense it is true that all this technology can isolate us, it can certainly be used as a tool to keep us more connected with our relatives, friends and acquaintances around the world. Who knows what old friend or acquaintance I may discover tomorrow? While I suspect John Donne had no inkling of how we’d be communicating in 2010, I think he might have approved.

February at the Art Center

February is here, and with it comes some great news - the Fosston Library is regaining its Saturday hours. Beginning February 6, the library will be open every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Open hours during the rest of the week have not been cut.
Here’s some more good news - the basement is looking better and better after last spring’s flood damage. The floor was painted during Christmas break, thanks to some volunteer help, and carpeting has been installed in the entry off the ramp entrance.
The Fosston Community Library Arts Association held its annual meeting January 13. Paula Swanson was elected to the board to replace Mark Hendrickson, was term was finished. Betsy Anderson, Ric Sorenson and Scott Wilson all agreed to serve for another term and were re-elected. Bonnie Stewart was elected as our new president, with vice-president Scott Wilson, secretary Keri Mireault and treasurer Betsy Anderson all agreeing to serve for another term. Other board members include Orland Aspen, Carol Hagen and Kay Carlsen.
Paula Swanson, our newest board member, has lived in Fosston from nearly 17 years, but she is originally from Duluth, where she grew up and worked as a nurse for several years. Her husband Darren is a doctor at our local clinic, and she has three teenaged children - Sam, Ellen and Libby. Her hobbies include reading, knitting, quilting, travel, and outdoor activities. She says she wants to be involved and more active in promoting the library and the arts center. We welcome Paula to the .
A big thank you to Mark Hendrickson for sharing his time and talents with us, and also to Lori Balstad, who has served on the board for a number of years, and who was one of the members who were instrumental in getting the new library built. Lori is also stepping down. We really appreciate everything she has done
` The Hot Reads for Cold Nights program is in full swing with 43 participants signed up so far. The first weekly prize winners were Arlene Brinkman and Donna Storrusten. It’s not too late to sign up. Remember, to qualify for the prize drawings, all you need to do is read four books - no book reports required.
If you think you might like to join Facebook, but are unsure how to go about it, there will be a special help session on Tuesday, Feb. 9, at 2 p.m. at the library. Learn how to set up an account, upload photos and send messages. I recently joined Facebook myself, and I’m finding it pretty interesting. Do you know there’s Dogbook and Catbook, too? I didn’t until our daughter-in-law put their dog on Dogbook.
One more item of note - the library has tax forms available.

Good News!

It appears that the Saturday hours at the library will be restored some time in February. Watch for an official announcement.

Auction for the Arts

If you missed the Auction for the Arts, you can still see what the refreshment table and the stage set looked like.

Sorenson Gallery

Here are a few of the woodcuts currently on display at the Sorenson Gallery. Artists who created these works are Jean Gumpper and Gordon Mortensen.

January at the Arts Center

While it seems to be just a year or two since people were all in a dither about the calendar turning over to the year 2000, here we are in 2010. There’s been a lot of happenings, both good and bad, in the last ten years, and there continues to be a lot of things going on at the Fosston Community Library Arts Center.
In the Sorenson Gallery, the current show, which will be on display through Feb. 5, is Woodcuts & Engravings. Assembled by James O’Rourke, director of the Rourke Art Museum in Moorhead, this exhibition includes works by Gordon Morensen, Deborah Mae Broad, Charles Beck, Jean Gumpper, and James O’Rourke. There’s some wonderful pieces in this show, and many of them are available for purchase, if you received a Christmas bonus that’s burning a hole in your pocket. If not, just come in and admire them - there’s no charge for that.
The Daisy Hagen Auction for the Arts, held on mid-December, was once again a huge success, raising about $10,000 for the FCLAA. All the volunteers who worked on this event deserve a huge thank you, as do all those who donated items to be auctioned off and those who purchased them. (And if anyone did all three - there will definitely be stars in your crown!)
Now that the holidays are over and the cold weather seems to have settled in, it’s time to check out a book or two and participate in Hot Reads for Cold Nights, the adult winter reading program, which began Monday, Jan. 4. Pick up an entry form at the library and for every four books you read, you’ll have a chance to win some great prizes.
If you’re wondering what to read, here’s a suggestion: Nothing by Trouble by Susan May Warren is the featured selection for this year’s community read event. Warren lives in Grand Marais and writes Christian romance/suspense. Some of here earlier books include Happily Ever After and In Sheep’s Clothing.
Wednesdays from 4-5:30 p.m. will be Family Fun Time at the library, now through Feb. 10. There will be board games, puzzles, crafts, and movies - activities for all ages. It should be fun.
The annual meeting of the FCLAA is scheduled for Wednesday, January 13, at 7 p.m. All FCLAA members are welcome - come and find out what the FCLAA has been doing this past year. There will be coffee and goodies.
The writer’s group took a break in December but will resume now in January. The plan is to meet the third Thursday of each month. For more information, you may contact Alison Melgren at 218-289-4969.