Ruth E. Hetland

March 24, 2020

Mother Mason

One of my favorite books was “Song of Years” by Bess Streeter Aldrich. My mom had loved it when she was growing up and told me about it. Our library in our hometown had a copy and according to the library card my mom and I were the only ones who ever checked it out. […]
March 19, 2020

A Work in Progress

The last days have been a blur with all the news coverage and social media chatter about Covid-19. Life has turned upside down with schools, malls, restaurants, and businesses of all kinds closing or learning how to operate differently. On recommendation of the CDC and our bishop, our church has suspended in-person gatherings for the […]
March 15, 2020

#40 – Get a massage

#40 on the list of fifty things I want to do before I turn 50 was get a massage. I hadn’t had one since 2001 so I figured it wasn’t too frivolous a purchase. I asked around and got a referral to a masseuse in Detroit Lakes at https://stylesonwillow.wixsite.com/salon. Her name is Emily Milligan and […]
March 11, 2020

#28 – Eat Ten Different Kinds of Ice Cream

#28 – Eat Ten Different Kinds of Ice Cream I know, ambitious, right? After all the years I spent declining dessert while on some diet or another, I have some make-up work to do when it comes to consuming sweets. From around 1985-2010, if you asked me if I would like some ice cream, I […]
March 10, 2020

# 20 – Try a Cortado

I’ve always been a black coffee kind of person. It’s what I have first thing in the morning, it’s what I drink if I go out with friends. I never needed or even really thought about having other drinks with all sorts of added milk and sugar and flavor. But why NOT try all the […]
March 9, 2020

#3 Learn to make savory pies

#3 – Learn to make savory pies – when we were in New Zealand, every morning we enjoyed going to the bakery and trying different baked goods. It was fun to see not just donuts and muffins but other cakes and pies. We liked the lamingtons – which were square chocolate cakes covered with coconut; […]
March 8, 2020

#42 Learn a New Salad Recipe

I love vegetables but especially when I am traveling, I tend to eat mostly bread in some way, shape, or form. Scones, bagels, crackers – I love the carbs. So, now that we are back, I want to swing the pendulum back toward regularly eating vegetables. I went looking on the internet for some good […]
March 6, 2020

#15 – Write an Anti-Diet Manifesto

#15 – Write an Anti-Diet Manifesto You don’t get my kids, too. Too many years, you had all of me. I gave everything to you. All that wasted time and energy. For what? To fit in a smaller size? To fit in? To ‘feel good about myself?’ What if I had just skipped the self-hatred, […]
March 6, 2020

Small Catechism, Large Print!

I found this small catechism recently and I’m a big fan because it has nice, large print. In working with older parishioners, being able to see small print can be very hard. This little book is inexpensive and is easy on the eyes. If you are doing a Christian Education class or just want to […]
March 5, 2020

Three Treatises

Martin Luther posted the Ninety-five Theses in Wittenberg in 1517. In the years that followed, Luther defended his position in numerous writings. Chief among these are the three treatises from Luther’s Works. Included in this volume are his treatises on Baptism, Good Works, and the New Testament. It’s a key text for Lutheran studies. Check […]