Category: Consider This

By Ellen Snortland Grandma Edna, my mom’s mom, was introverted. A shy and quiet farm wife, she was a champion at food growing, gathering, preserving and serving. In contrast, Grandma Aline, dad’s mom, was talkative and bold. Why...

By Ellen Snortland Dear mom, It’s hard to believe you’ve been dead since 2003; that’s 18 years now. I think you would have loved your memorial. We held it at the Stave Kirke in Rapid City, South Dakota. Honoring your love of...

By Ellen Snortland When I visited Norway, my “mother country,” as far as ancestry goes, I had many memorable experiences — and a wake-up call. The city streets in Oslo and Bergen are extraordinary because of what they don’t...

By Ellen Snortland “Aging is not for sissies” is an overused cliché; however, consider that clichés exist because there is a common-sense truth to them. In the United States, there’s much that requires bravery as we all deal...

By Ellen Snortland Leo Tolstoy said, “Spring is the time for plans and projects.” This year, American women all over the country are making plans to remove hair that has enjoyed a hirsute hiatus during lockdown. Many of us are...

By Ellen Snortland News flash: The Easter Bunny is a girl… and is not a bunny! Now that I have your attention, many of us who were raised as Christians forget the biblical Last Supper was actually a Seder. Anti-Semites...

By Ellen Snortland Dad died in 1998. I’ll never forget the man who came up to me at the funeral and said, “I am a janitor at Prairie States Life. I’m here because your dad always had a kind word for me and knew my name. Yes, he...

By Ellen Snortland Black History Month is very important — especially for white people with a history like mine. Growing up in Colorado and South Dakota, I barely knew that Black people existed. The first Black person I met was...

Screenplays, anyone? By Ellen Snortland   Gazing into my crystal ball, I ask it, “How am I supposed to write a relevant column today, when it’s a week before the inauguration — but readers will receive it the day after?!” The...

A column about very little By Ellen Snortland   Column writing is not for the timid. It requires ideas! Constant ideas! Interesting ideas! Wheelbarrows of ideas! I sit in my office chair daydreaming and staring out the window,...