One last “Letter from home”

For this emotional farewell, a beloved voice returns.

Joy Nordby is back…20 years later…with one last “Letter from home.” Her words don’t just reflect on the past; they transport you there. Back to the days when small-town life filled every page. When the newspaper was more than just ink and paper, but rather the heartbeat of the community.

Joy’s letter captures the spirit of the “old days”perfectly. It’s warm, it’s real and it’s everything we loved about the era when newspapers truly thrived.

Dear folks,

Here I am, after more than a 20-year lapse. The “Letter from home” title will probably be foreign to anyone under age 40. I’m among the few Grygla residents my age still alive and taking nourishment.

The Grygla Eagle occupied a large part of my life for about 30 years. I started in those prehistoric days before cell phones, digital cameras, personal computers and the internet. Communication was a little different back in the early 70s. Before texting and social media, people talked in person - face to face. It’s hard to imagine.

The 70s were fascinating years for the Eagle and I was glad to be a part of it. Many new things were happening in Grygla: the new high school, new businesses, new streets and many other new endeavors. Clubs like Lions and Jaycees were formed and worked for progress. There was always something new and exciting going on.

By nature, I’m an introvert, but my experiences with the Eagle forced me to get out and meet and mix with people. After being a stay-at-home mom for about 15 years (and six kids), I had almost lost my ability to talk to grown-ups. I appreciated all the help, encouragement, and positive comments I received.

My personal column started out as “Round and About.” We had no office in Grygla then and I traveled round and about with a two-year-old son (known as “the kid with a grape juice mustache”), and a two-year-old beagle who considered my Chrysler as her home. 

The column changed to “Letter from home,” after I realized that about half of the subscriptions went to former Grygla residents who had migrated to other places (including my parents) but still wanted to keep tabs on what was happening at home.

I was only threatened with a law suit once. From that experience I made a note to “never write anything negative about someone who is likely to get even with me.” I learned a lot of things in my first years. Dick Richard gave me pointers on black and white photography, stressing contrasts. I learned the hard way when I had to go back and retake photos, and I made a note to “never photograph Nigerians against a dark background.” All you could see in the first photo was the whites of their eyes.

I’m an outdoors person. I loved running up and down the football field with the team. Sitting at a desk was something I had to force myself to do. I was always in my element when I could get outside on some adventure. 

I have memories of getting stuck on a muddy trail out in the forest and walking in wet clay until my shoes grew to twice their size. The memories of standing out in a swamp at daylight, along with reporters and photographers from all over Minnesota and North Dakota, during the elk round-up fiasco is still vivid in my memory.

I recall sitting hunched down in a duck blind on the Thief Lake Refuge, hoping to get good photos of waterfowl. The ducks and geese avoided me entirely, and when I heard all the noise they were making, I envisioned them saying “get a load of that goofy creature with a duck blind on her back. Who does she think she’s kidding.”

When the DNR started investigating the mysterious moose decline, I couldn’t help but feel a bit guilty about my part in it. I would never purposely kill any animal, but I accidentally killed two moose (in one blow) with my Crysler in the 70s. It wasn’t all bad. I got a new car with cruise control and the Lion’s club put on a free wild game feed.

I’m not going to mention any of the goofy mistakes (typos) I made; I leave that to my “kids” who love to laugh themselves silly about my embarrassing newspaper blunders.

Like all old people, the memories of things past are much clearer to me than recent happenings. In my mind’s eye, I’m picturing many fun events that I covered for the Eagle, all discontinued now. I’m picturing  Lawrence Neuschwander’s Norwegian snowmobile in the Sno Fest Parade (a pot-bellied stove mounted on skis). I can still picture Karl Sundberg, a judge in a black gown and white wig, pronouncing judgement in a kangaroo court. I can still see Kim McClean as the first winner in the Miss Grygla contest. Couples enjoying a basket social in Sadie Hawkins Day costumes. Ralph Rundell in a bikini for a (fake) Mrs. Grygla contest. Elmer Newhouse winning a Mr. Grygla talent contest by wiggling his ears. Fiddler’s contests. Don Rindahl giving predictions as the Crystal Bald. Watermelon seed-spitting contests. Grown men riding trikes through mud puddles in a marathon.Various characters in the Lioness dinner theater.

Some of us will mourn the loss of our hometown newspaper. But times are changing and we have to keep up with the times.  

Best of luck to Kari in her new endeavor!

Joy Nordby, former Eagle Editor