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Stearns

To know us is to love us.

Dark Shadows Blue

Dark Shadows Blue

Coffee Klatsch, Memories, Oh Ja, StearnsJuly 1, 2026

Collinwood, home to the Collins family, features gothic architecture and many candles in Dark Shadows Blue.

Listening for the Weather

Listening for the Weather

Coffee Klatsch, Memories, StearnsMarch 23, 2026

Minnesotans understand a funnel cloud, a menacing sky, the gusts of wind that mean business.

Laurie K and The Naturals

Laurie K and The Naturals

Coffee Klatsch, Cuisine, Memories, Oh Ja, Stearns, Wobegon TrailJanuary 10, 2026

May we cherish those we love, and remember those with whom we’ve shared happy winter times.

The Year That Santa Forgot

The Year That Santa Forgot

Coffee Klatsch, Memories, Occasions, StearnsDecember 22, 2025

When you have many children, it’s easy to forget one at Christmas. It hurts if you’re the forgotten one.

Only At Christmas

Only At Christmas

Coffee Klatsch, Cuisine, Memories, Occasions, StearnsDecember 15, 2025

No one ever fought over the ribbon candy. But when I crumbled its sugary bones between my tongue and the roof of my mouth, I found it good.

Halloween Candy Tastes

Halloween Candy Tastes

Memories, Occasions, StearnsOctober 21, 2025

All I can say is that times have changed in Minnesota.

Avon Ghost Story

Avon Ghost Story

Coffee Klatsch, Memories, Oh Ja, Stearns, Wobegon TrailOctober 18, 2025

It’s almost Halloween. Almost All Soul’s Day. Time for a ghost story. A true story.

For Mary and Sue and Sue

For Mary and Sue and Sue

Memories, StearnsSeptember 25, 2025

You’d be crazy to cross Mr Smith’s garden. But one night I had to.

Living Dolls

Living Dolls

Coffee Klatsch, Oh Ja, StearnsJune 10, 2025

Mannequins are freaky and sometimes disturbing. I see them everywhere and can’t help photographing them.

Memorial Day Remembrance

Memorial Day Remembrance

Coffee Klatsch, Memories, Occasions, Oh Ja, Stearns, Wobegon TrailMay 20, 2025

May 27 is a good day to spend at cemeteries, tidying the graves of veterans and other loved ones, and sharing family stories.

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The LenaMina Record

Join to receive our secret MN recipes, bullcrap, and Stearns style news. Enjoy it over a little lunch. Or something. Sometimes.

We of Wobegon

Lena and Mina were my grandmothers – Stearns County, Minnesota women who grew up and raised families in small towns around the Lake Wobegon Trail. Born in the USA, they spoke German and had German accents. As did my parents, who spoke only German until they went to school. As do some of my cousins, who have never lived anywhere but Stearns County. We’re quirky folks, like those in Garrison Keillor’s fictional Stearns town of Lake Wobegon. I’m Laurie Hilsgen, and if you’re reading this, you might be Wobegonian, too. Let’s celebrate our loony ways. Oh ja!

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Featured Posts

  • Deer Flies & Their WaysJuly 15, 2026

  • Dark Shadows BlueJuly 1, 2026

  • The Secret Under the HouseJune 13, 2026

  • Beautiful LinesJune 1, 2026

  • Listening for the WeatherMarch 23, 2026