EMBRACING THE CREATIVE LIFE

I was with several other members of the senior class at Volga High School who had just finished eating lunch in the school cafeteria and were slowly drifting back to the study hall for a few minutes before our next class. It was Friday and, as usual, hard to concentrate on school work with the…

I’ve interviewed a lot of really smart people over the years managing to bluff my way through most of them by avoiding questions that might expose my stupidity. One that comes to mind is the late Buckminster Fuller. Fuller, who died in 1983, was an American engineer, author and inventor whose futuristic architectural designs, like…

Father..it’s been awhile since my last confession…er, ah..posting.  There are so many feelings I have about this pandemic…this political chaos..this racial upheaval  in America I just don’t know what to say that hasn’t been said  by others ad nauseam. So I thought I’d post something more pleasant and share a few fun memories..especially  about the…

Greetings from our corner of the corona 19 cease and desist order. It’s been awhile since we last chatted here so I’m not sure if my blog site is still active but here goes. Thank God I have Linda to share this little confinement area of ours. We co-exist pretty darn well. At least she…

Back in 1969, area AM radio stations pretty much focused on farmers, (WNAX) housewives (KSOO) and teens. (KISD). No one had thought of..or dared to try..cashing-in on the fast growing popularity of country music. No one until John Breece, that is. In February of that year, he exploded into the market with KXRB. It had…

Bzzzzzt! “My gosh, it still works,” I thought to myself as I waved my old coded  ID card in front of the little black box outside the KELOLAND parking lot and the gate slowly rose to let me in. I guess I’ve always been surprised that the gates of KELOLAND were ever opened to me…

If you’re allergic to corn, or are diabetic, stop reading now!  It’s about to get awfully corny and sugary sweet around here. As I close in on my 74th Christmas, I got to thinking about which ones have been the most memorable. The first Christmas I have any recollection of at all was in 1949…

Do you have trouble falling asleep at night? I have the answer..my dad’s home movies of Yellowstone National Park. Trouble is, I haven’t figured out how to market them to all you insomniacs out there yet. We made that family trip to Yellowstone in the summer of 1953, I believe. I just remember being car-sick…

“Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens Brown paper packages tied up with strings These are a few of my favorite things.” I haven’t seen the movie, “The Sound of Music” in years..so why is that song running over and over through my head? I like the tune…

Linda and I are just back from 12 days of togetherness; unavoidably..but still comfortably inseparable because we decided on a serious 36 hundred mile road trip in our new (to us) Big Red II Ford Explorer.   Our motivation to embark on such a long journey to Seneca, South Carolina, was the 50th anniversary surprise party…

It would be like Christmas without lefse (Norwegian version of a tortilla only made from potatoes) if I didn’t see at least a short fireworks display on the Fourth of July. So, again this year just before dark, I’ll try drag Linda, who doesn’t share my sentimentality about tradition, off to some public fireworks show.…

At the age of 35, my uncle,  Army Private  1st Class Raymond Lund, would have been considered the old man of his outfit, Company C. of the 357th infantry. Most of the soldiers who climbed over the side of their ship and down the rope ladder to waiting landing craft below on D-Day, were 10…

For the last 34 years, Linda and I have made it a point to celebrate our anniversary in June by taking a road trip somewhere. They’ve all been fun but some more memorable than others. For example, in 1987, we managed to talk our bosses into letting us have three whole weeks off at once so…

“I don’t trust anybody who doesn’t look me square in the eye.” We’ve all heard people say that because making eye contact with others as we speak or listen does suggest we’re being truthful in what we’re saying and interested in what we’re hearing. The trouble is, a lot of us Norwegians are naturally shy…

Well, I’m car shopping again. Okay, it’s been 17 years since last having said that. But now, Linda and I have no choice. You see, Big Red, our 2000 Lincoln town car which has served Linda and I so loyally for so long, has been brought to a humiliating end…by me. First, a little background.…

Every once in a while an individual graces this earth who touches the hearts of all he meets. Gary Randall was such a soul. Just writing his name in the past tense brings a tear to the eye. Gary died Saturday from the cancer he’s been fighting for a long time. He was not only…

Well, it’s going to be interesting again over the next couple weeks trying to figure out which day our humungous backyard maple tree will decide to let its leaves turn from green to yellow and then drop them all at once like a clumsy waiter. It happens just that quickly as if our maple is…

Add sweet cream butter to hot popcorn mix it up, wrap it up, buttercup is born.It’s delicious, so nutritious, it’s a taste delight It’s so munchy, crisp and crunchy, you’ll enjoy each bite. Eat Butter drenched Buttercup, popcorn at its best Served in a king sized cup. It beats all the rest. Okay, anybody else…

Of course I knew Dave Kranz. You can’t be in the same line of work in the same town for over twenty years without a knowledge of each other. The truth is…and I base this on nothing he ever said or done..I  didn’t think Dave thought much of me as a real journalist. He was…

It appears that we’re in for a few rainy cooler days as we start this downhill run to the end of June. That’s fine by me as I’ve not been terribly appreciative of this leap from Spring to swelter with very few sublimely perfect 70 degree sunshiny days in between. No, Iike the experience of…

It’s been such a nice day that I thought I’d leave the TV off and get a few things done. Number one was to give those pretty yellow flowers in the yard a second baptism of weed killer because the first one didn’t take. They must not be Lutheran dandelions. I have opened the back…

It was quite a weekend for this old scribe. Despite the inclement weather, the South Dakota Rock and Roll Music Association held its annual Hall of Fame induction ceremony at the Ramkota April 14th and it was my honor to be among those inductees as part my 15 year association with the Mogen’s Heroes band.…

So it was congregation participation day at our little country church (Springdale Lutheran) on this Palm Sunday. Everyone..not just the kids..was issued palm fronds to wave as we marched around the sanctuary and gathering room singing. Our return to the pews was followed by a stirring and meaningful number from the enthusiastic adult choir. Then…

I don’t dread Monday’s like some people do; never have really..except, maybe when I was in High School and Jay Ruckdaschel had promised a Monday biology test the preceding Friday. I suppose it’s because I didn’t dread my job at Keloland; especially since my work hours were such that I never had to set an…

What are you giving up for Lent? We Christians love to ask that question and compare the degrees of personal sacrifice and hardship we are willing to endure for a few weeks late winter..early Spring. Christian #1 “I’ve gone without chocolate for a month, thought I’d never get through it.” Christian #2 “Well, I haven’t had…

So, I’ve had a New Year’s resolution sort of forced upon me this January.  It turns out that my being officially classified as morbidly obese may not be the only reason for my lack of energy and shortness of breath at the slightest exertion. At the urging…nay, insistence, of my family, I finally went to…

1959 was perhaps the most interesting year of my life. I was 13 and it was a year of discovery..if you know what I mean. It got off to a rough start when less than two weeks after my birthday, we heard on the radio that Buddy Holly had been killed in a plane crash…

Happy anniversary to WNAX radio in Yankton, “Your Big Friend in the Midwest.” It’s been 95 years since WNAX signed on the air making it not only South Dakota’s first..but one of the very earliest and most powerful broadcast radio stations in the world.  It really put our little state on the map with a…

Well, it’s going to be interesting again over the next couple weeks trying to figure out which day our humongous backyard maple tree will decide to let its leaves turn from green to yellow and then drop them all at once like a clumsy waiter. It happens just that quickly as if our maple is…

Well, it’s that time of year again when, for some mysterious  reason, we feel the need to dress up in frightening costumes like monsters, ghosts and witches or Donald Trump…then go around trying to scare the crap out of people. We decorate our homes to look like cemeteries..we take down old glory and run up…

      Kelsey Hoffman is probably the biggest fan of Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood you’ll ever find yet even though she’s a Sioux Falls area girl, she won’t be seated in the audience at any of their 9 shows at the Sanford Premier center this week and next. No, she plans to actually…

    Bought your Powerball ticket yet? Don’t bother. That baby is mine..all 350 million dollars of it which is about what my check will be after getting my winnings in a lump sum. If I was younger I’d patiently wait for the whole half billion..but I”m not so…. I’ve been dreaming about this for…

“Hey Lund. I got a story for you that’s right up your alley,” said Keloland news director, Bill Avery, on a cold grey April morning  in 1976. “I got a call from a rancher near Winner who has a cow that just gave  birth to a two-headed calf,” he said. “But if you want to…

That noise you hear coming from the Keloland countryside these days is the sound of corn, soybeans and alfalfa growing. I’m told that on these stifling humid days,  you can actually go out and see and hear it happening.    But, I have enough trouble trying to explain to others how I enjoy spending my…

As Linda and I sat out on our new back deck July 4th, it was hot but not intolerable thanks to a couple of ice cold adult beverages.  It was quiet and peaceful because our neighbors, who often opt to mow when we’re sitting outside, must have been off celebrating Independence day by a lake…

One of the real joys of retirement is being able to wake up each morning naturally (or in my case by nature calling) without a screaming alarm clock jarring us into consciousness. Every morning except Monday, that is. Monday is the main garbage collection day and apparently everyone in our part of town subscribes to…

I love coffee. I love the aroma of a fresh pot brewing in the morning. I can hardly wait for that sound our Mr.Coffee pot makes when it’s nearly done. (Sort of like the noise from several people all at once trying to suck the last delicious drop of a milkshake through a straw.) I…

As I write this, it’s April Fools’ Day. Not my favorite day of the year. Why? I don’t like being played the fool, that’s why. (Especially by furry rodents as per last week’s blog and my ongoing backyard battle) Spraying shaving cream into my hand after nodding off..then tickling my nose with a feather, is…

“Mommy, who is that guy that looks like Santa Claus and is always standing under his tree putting seeds in those green things?   Honey, that’s the ‘Birdman of Walker Way’  I read about him on the internet. He’s always posting pictures of his hobby on Facebook. Oh so that’s Mr. Lalley? No, Honey, Mr. Lalley’s…

In the summer of 1965, one of my jobs at Cotton & Company grain elevator in  Volga was to stuff 100 pounds of fluffy oat hulls into burlap bags..stitch them shut with a huge suspended sewing machine..stack them up five high on a wooden cart and wheel them into the warehouse.  Next to scooping out moldy…

As I fired up the snowblower this morning to tackle the crusty mound of street snow piled high at the end of our driveway, I thought of Linda who flew off to sunny warm Arizona a week ago and felt a twinge of jealousy. All four of her sisters have gathered in Phoenix for a…

A former U.S. Presidential candidate from Sioux Falls has died. Robert L. Johnson passed away January 2nd  after a lengthy illness. He was 93. Wait..you don’t remember any Bob Johnson who made a bid for the White House? How about Johnson’s alter ego, Uncle Torvald? Johnson portrayed the exaggerated Norwegian buffoon character for some twenty…

Alright, the title should have a disclaimer; “Other than the birth of Jesus.” I see TBS is going to run one of my favorite movies of all time, A Christmas Story, 24 hours straight again beginning Christmas Eve. I’m glad. It’s become a tradition and I expect my family and I will find time after…

When Don South..owner of Strawbale Winery just west of Renner.. called recently inviting me and the Misses  to go for a nighttime helicopter ride over the city of Sioux Falls to see the lights, my first thought was.. is the helicopter big enough to safely lift my ample body aloft?  My second was, could I…

Well, I gotta tell ya, I checked out the celestial  light show last night and have to admit that I haven’t seen a moon that impressive and large since my nephew, Jay pointed his naked posterior out the open back window of a friend’s car while cruising the Sioux Falls loop in the 80’s.  (Jay..now…

As I sit here looking out my window watching the leaves finally giving up the ghost; letting go of their host branches to make a swirly..sometimes spectacular aerobatic flight to earth, I’m reminded that Halloween is neigh.  Now, I’m not as crazy about Autumn as some but I always loved Halloween..especially growing up in little,…

It’s been a while again, I know..but I’ve really had to think long and hard about whether or not I should offer up any political commentary here. Linda says..NO! Good god NO. I agree. Why alienate any of the remaining Lund at Large readers by taking sides in this..the weirdest and most polarizing election in…

By the time many of you read this, the skies will be crystal clear and me rambling on about summertime downpours and all-day soakers, will seem odd. But this September day has been a wet one mixed with extended periods of deluge and gentle raindrops falling on my head. To be honest, I love days…

Alright, I fully confess to being an emotional old softie. It goes totally against the grain of my genetic make-up, of course, which is 100 percent stoic Norwegian. But I broke with tradition recently at the wedding of our grandson, Taylor Smith to his lovely petite Spanish bride, Macarena Escondrillas Luna de Toledo where I…

Writing today’s blog is a painful experience: literally. I’m going to show you why..but be warned the image you’re about to see is not for the weak of stomach. In fact, I’m getting a little nauseous myself at…not only the site of it…but the memory of how it occurred. Are you ready?      …

Sorry for my extended absence from the blog. I have lots of reasons (excuses) for the hiatus but the main one is a total frustration at trying to come up with something witty and humorous at a time when this country of ours is in such a sorry state. It would seem almost insulting to…

It’s such a nice day that I thought I’d leave the TV off and get a few things done. Number one was to give those pretty yellow flowers in the yard a second baptism of weed killer because the first one didn’t take. They must not be Lutheran dandelions. I have opened the back door…

 “Hello, my name is Doug and I’m a tv-aholic.” “Hi Doug.” (responds the coffee-slurping crowd through clouds of cigarette smoke.)   There, it feels good to finally get that off my chest and fess up to a condition I’ve had since childhood…when dad brought home our very first television set a Caphart, (black and white, of course) in 1954.…

I’m a procrastinator. I don’t know why. I wish it were not so..but putting off until tomorrow what I could and should do today is part of  my DNA. It’s not a very encouraging characteristic for someone who made his career in television news where being late is not an option. I never missed an…

I don’t like beer all that much. Oh, on a hot day after mowing the yard or playing a round of golf, a beer is pretty refreshing..but usually, one or, if it’s really hot outside, two is enough.  I have lots of friends who really love beer and plenty of it but if I were…

I’m Norwegian. 100% Norsky which means I should have a genetic disposition for seafood, hard work and winter sports. Perhaps a DNA check is in order because I really don’t care for any of those things..except for maybe shrimp if it’s breaded or part of a Chinese stir-fry. I also don’t ski. Not a lot…

A few weeks ago, I blogged about a trip to the optometrist which confirmed my suspicions that the cloudiness of vision in my left eye wasn’t due to dirty glasses but a cataract.  Well, I’m writing this on the eve of surgery to correct the problem and don’t mind telling you that the idea of…

Sometimes when I have a hard time falling asleep, I close my eyes and imagine that I had just won the Powerball Lottery Jackpot and over 600 million dollars. Oh, man…what would I do with all that money? I know it’s not very Christian to have such fantasies, “the love of money being the root…

And..how was your Christmas? Ours was filled with cheer and challenges but..in the words of Yoda..survive we did. One of the major challenges for me was to make good on my promise to learn the guitar chords to “Ashokan Farewell” so that I could accompany my granddaughter, Zoey, when she made her annual holiday command…

Bless her. Linda has, once again, managed to give our little house a cozy..festive welcoming feel as we await the arrival of family and friends home for the Christmas holiday.  Notably missing this year, though, are poinsettia plants. They were usually provided by our daughter who worked in the floral department of Lewis. I don’t…

It was the middle of last summer when, after seeing so many full-page ads in the paper for hearing aids, I thought those companies must really be raking in the dough to afford such expensive self promotion. Then I did some checking on the high cost of today’s high tech devices for cranking up the…

Do you have trouble falling asleep at night? I have the answer; my dad’s home movies of Yellowstone National Park. Trouble is, I haven’t figured out how to market them to all you insomniacs out there yet. We made that family trip to Yellowstone in the summer of 1953, I believe. I just remember being car-sick…

Do you realize how close we came to experiencing a major old fashioned school-closing travel-banning blizzard this past week?  Had the temperature been five or six degrees colder Wednesday, all that rain would have been all that snow pushed around by two days of 50 mile an hour window-rattling winds. Never sure whether or not…

One of the reasons that Linda and I have, what most people would consider, a secure stress-free  relationship ( for the most part) is because we’re a multi-TV couple. I’m afraid if we had to watch the programs each of us like, there would be less harmony and more harrumphs. As it is, with three…

Well, it’s going to be interesting again over the next couple weeks trying to figure out which day our humungous backyard maple tree will decide to let its leaves turn from green to yellow and then drop them all at once like a clumsy waiter. It happens just that quickly as if our maple is…

“Raaarrrow.” (Meant to spell out what an angry cat sounds like.) That’s the noise Linda often makes when I wake up on the wrong side of the bed. Not literally but when I turn into a certifiable grump for no apparent reason. Her pointing out my surliness in such a playful way will usually do…

  (Coffee blog update:) I love coffee. I love the aroma of a fresh pot brewing in the morning. I can hardly wait for that sound our Mr.Coffee pot makes when it’s nearly done. (Sort of like the noise from several people all at once trying to suck the last delicious drop of a milkshake…

Green. It’s the color of money..envy..Ireland..Kremit THE frog..Robin Hood’s underpants..my face during a cruise without Dramamine AND the waters of Lake Hendricks 90% of the time. Okay Okay..the locals might dispute that..but it’s been my experience and an important reason for making what I’m about to report even more incredible.  But, let’s begin at the…

  Becky Otto is retiring from Keloland Television after 43 years of faithful service and I, for one, am not quite sure how the place is going to get along  without her. In fact, if you were to talk to every Keloland General Manager she’s been Administrative Assistant to over the years, you’d be surprised…

I’ll admit that I’m a pretty poor excuse for a Christian. My faith tends to run hot and cool depending on which family member or friend is sick. But even though a hypocrite I may be..and openly profess my doubt about “all the things that you’re liable to read in the Bible” not being necessarily…

Cancer. Would somebody somewhere just come up with a cure already? Two more people I know and admire were diagnosed in the last couple days. Cam Lind and Pastor, Dave Ellingson. Two others..including my nephew’s wife, Jodi Lund.. who  undergoes a double mastectomy this week. Her breast cancer came back after eleven years. And  popular…

No matter how hard he tries, our old friend and long time Keloland TV anchor, Steve Hemmingsen, just can’t resist sitting down to the nearest keyboard to record his observations…his spin..on things. For years, people figured his vision was focused primarily on news of the day and politics but those of us who’ve known Steve…

I’m not a hunter. Oh, in my younger days I gave pheasant hunting a shot.(See what I did there?) But I was really lousy at it and of the few ringnecks I did bring down, most were only wounded which meant I had to wring their neck; a ghastly procedure of spinning the poor creature…

I have the curtains drawn in my man-cave window which is kind of a pain because I’m used to sitting here at the computer each morning with a clear view as I continue to look for a flash of red in the crab apple tree just outside. But I haven’t laid an eye on that…

Yup.. It’s another Lund Travelogue. But instead of photos and descriptions from far off lands like the missus and I used to visit and post about when hosting tours, we are back to the real world of “Stay-cations” which, as you know, is a made-up word for not having the money for fancy schmancy globe…

Back by popular request (my own) I’m sharing a favorite blog first written five years ago. Yes, another summer re-run but offered with sincere hopes that you have a grand holiday and a request to be careful out there in your celebrating. I see that the fireworks stands are open for business again. It’s a…

After the recently completed Lund Family Reunion at Palmer Gulch in South Dakota’s Black Hills, I now know what it would REALLY be like to go back and live in the “good” old days..and it is both wonderful and extremely frustrating. First, the wonderful part; all the direct descendants of Harry and Gladys Lund (my…

Look out Black Hills..thar’s a whole herd a Lund’s a headin’ your way and we’re fixin’ to do up all the touristy things you can put in front of us. As I write this, it’s late on Friday night June 12th and I’m supposed to have Big Red’s trunk all packed and ready to go…

Well, I’ll be doggoned. As I write this, the Minnesota Twins..given little or no chance of being anything but an also-ran..kind of embarrassing..Major League team again this season, has caused fan’s jaws to drop as new Skipper and former Twins’ player, Paul Molitor, has lived up to his old nickname “The Ignitor” and lit a…

I’m not proud of it, but it appears that with advancing age, my attention span is becoming shorter and shorter. (No pun intended..oh wait, that was the last blog) I’ll sit down to this keyboard with every intention of writing something interesting and on schedule only to get hopelessly distracted searching the web for more…

  WARNING: THE FOLLOWING LUND AT LARGE BLOG CONTAINS MATURE SUBJECT MATTER; READER DISCRETION ADVISED.   Ha.. never thought I’d ever feel obliged to post a disclaimer on my scribblings here ..but then again, I don’t wish to alienate any of you good folks by publically discussing, without a heads up, (pun intended)  a subject…

  “What are you going to do today?” Linda yells from downstairs..barely audible over the din of the treadmill she fires up 4 mornings a week. “Research for the blog.” I yell back from my leather recliner in front of the Vizio HD with a HP notebook  in my lap and a distilled beverage close…

  Why in the world is Bob Schieffer  retiring from CBS? He’s still the sharpest knife in the network’s drawer. His political savvy and general news knowledge is unsurpassed by anybody in TV broadcasting. Bob Schieffer is just too important to leave. So why is he? Oh, that’s right. The man is 78 years old.…

I first heard the term “Norwegian Bachelor Farmer” when I fell head over heels in love with Garrison Keillor’s PBS radio show, “A Prairie Home Companion back in 1982.”  My favorite part of the program was..and is..Keillor’s “News from Lake Wobegon;”an account of the people and week’s events in the fictional little Minnesota town of…

I have a new state slogan idea for the South Dakota department of tourism: “Great Faces, Great Races.” That’s right folks, we admit there’s nothing in our state to see or savor between Sioux City and Fargo or Sioux Falls and Rapid City so we’ve jacked up the speed limit to 80 (which, as we…

Sitting in the doctor’s office the other day..I heard those words no patient ever wants to hear. “I’m sorry, Doug. Your condition is irreversible.” He went on to list my short list of options; both are scary to ponder but offer my only hope to end the pain. Okay, okay..enough with the theatrics; the doctor…

Gary Owens died the other day.  He was 80. I don’t know the exact cause of death but he’d suffered from diabetes for years.  In 2011,  as a member of the board of directors for the South Dakota Rock and Roll Music Association, I recommended we induct Owens into the Hall of Fame in the…

Knowing my predisposed propensity for being a clumsy oaf, especially as I grow older and wider, I should not be at all surprised that a relationship which began a year and a half ago and has grown from awkward curiosity to an indispensable part of my daily life, has come to a crashing halt; shattered…

Tiger’s in town..Tiger’s in town. And no, I won’t be seeing him in person. I did check to see if my Keloland ID was good enough to get me some sort of special credentials into the golf tournament but was quickly informed that all the media passes were long gone. (Because of Mr. Woods.) It’s…

After being nearly eaten alive by our Desert Daughter’s SUV last week, (see rear door incident previous blog) you wouldn’t think I’d have much of an appetite for wandering amongst any type of motor vehicles much less those with dangerous sounding names like Cobra, Sting Ray or Jaguar but how could I not when some…

Heh..heh..I figured that headline might get  your attention. No..the weather out here in the Arizona desert has been sunny and warm. I, on the other hand have been gloomy and ill almost since we arrived with a demonic cold that has nearly worn me out both physically and mentally. I have hesitated to say anything…

Unlike some people who vacation in warm climates while their dear friends and family are left to endure the rigors of a particularly evil period of cold and wind-driven snow that stings the cheeks and freezes snot, I was brought up not to gloat. So, during this month of January as Linda and I return…

One of my favorite TV programs, CBS Sunday Morning with Charles Osgood, must have spent a third of Sunday’s show acknowledging the passing of important people in the year 2014. Bernice Schultz was not among them although to my mind she should have been. Mrs. Schultz died at her home in Winter Park, Florida a…

(From Santa’s vault) I was awakened early this morning by a thumping noise coming from the basement followed by a faint sound that reminded me of the bell teacher’s ring to call kids in from recess. There has been a little criminal activity in our part of town lately and my first thought was, “there’s…

I probably will never require carpel tunnel surgery because of too much time spent at the keyboard writing blogs. But my digits do get a serious..perhaps syndrome-inducing work-out pushing buttons on the remote control changing TV channels or utilizing the DVR to its maximum capabilities. It’s one of the reasons..well, okay, the MAIN reason.. Linda…

I haven’t written a blog for awhile and after this one..it might just be my last..but here goes. This past week, as I discovered the names of many talented journalists at the Argus Leader who were getting canned in the company’s latest strategy move to keep afloat or relevant..or whatever… I also learned that the…

It’s true that us old farts have glommed on to Facebook making it uncool for kids to hang around much anymore  but I don’t give a rip. I’ve had great joy reconnecting socially with people from the past..especially those who passed through the Keloland newsroom on their way to bigger and better things. Many came…

Sorry kids..the Lund house will probably be dark on Halloween night. It’s not that we don’t love you, it’s just we’re too cheap to spring for candy.  Nah..that’s not really it either.  I suppose the main reason, for me anyway, is that Halloween hasn’t been the same without kids or grandkids around to take trick…

Every time I see or hear somebody going gaga over the puzzlingly popular “Duck Dynasty” TV reality series, I think back to an interview I did over 20 years ago with a Sioux Falls gentleman named Frank Heidelbauer who was in the same business as Phil Robertson (creator of Duck Commander duck calls) only he…

I had quite a scare the other day. After waking up from, what has become my regular afternoon siesta, I couldn’t remember the president’s first name.  I don’t know why I wanted to remember the president’s first name but apparently I did and  couldn’t.  (Please don’t read anything political into this.) Obama was no problem.…

Well, some interesting things since we last visited.  A potpourri of items to follow: First, I suppose, was the wake-up call/reality check from the Minnesota Vikings reminding me that they will always squish my foolish early optimism with humiliating defeats..and,  to make matters much worse, the team’s biggest star, Adrian Peterson, has fallen from the…

I finally got our yard mowed for the first time since my brother….. Nope, not going down that path again. It’s just that nearly everything that crosses my mind..while awake or asleep..has this common denominator of BD or AD (before Denny/after Denny) and I know it has to end..especially since I have been given pretty…

People die. That’s the law. I just wasn’t ready for my brother to die and that’s the truth. I suppose it’s because he’s bounced back from adversity so many times during his 72 years, we..his family and friends..just figured he wouldn’t let Parkinson’s, COPD, a heart that wouldn’t stay in rhythm, CREST Syndrome and a…

It’s been an emotional couple weeks in the Lund house which I’m going to go ahead and use as an excuse for my blog keyboard being quiet. That and there being no comments to the last effort which, for a sensitive writer like myself, causes considerable anxiety and self-doubt. Anyway, regular readers know that few…

I don’t mind telling you, this shooting down of a Malaysian airliner over the Ukraine killing nearly 300 people is not only an enormous tragedy to the victims and their families but it has raised some old personal fears about the possibility of nuking it out with the Russians that I haven’t felt in decades.…

  I’m Facebook friends with Steve Hartman. I doubt if  Steve is aware of that because he has tens of  thousands of friends and FANS.. not only on the internet but all over America thanks to his “On The Road” features aired each Friday on the CBS Evening News. His reports..mostly about ordinary people doing…

Yup..you read that right.  Ol Lund is watching hairs die and fall to the ground  quicker than an old fashioned Jackrabbit hunt. Okay..bad joke; misspelled hare. But look, I have to find something to smile about because one of the few things I’ve had going for me all these years is a full head of…

  Bright and sunny outside today but I’m not buyin’ it.  Even though the radar is echo free at present, I fully expect the skies to darken into faux night time again by early afternoon followed in order by that familiar rumble from above then endless relentless waves of rain creating rivers of water gushing…

Sports Radio guy, Dan Patrick, always asks his listeners to call-in to his show on Mondays with their best and worst of the weekend. The subject should be sports related; I suppose but if I’d have called this might qualify. AT&T stadium, the sports palace Jerry Jones built for his Dallas Cowboys, was filled to…

  I’ve been watching quite a few of the television documentaries about D-Day over the last few days, with more to come this week, I suppose, as we close-in on the 70th anniversary of the event next Friday June 6th.    Even 88 year old Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip, 92, who rarely travel these…

Ruth Ziolkowski…the beloved matriarch of the family responsible for carving the Crazy Horse monument out of a Black Hills mountain near Custer, has died just a month shy of her 88th birthday. She’s being eulogized by people not only in South Dakota but all over the world as an inspiration to millions; a living example…

Bill Gates, Microsoft founder and gazillionaire: “Hey, Terry, How long have we had Windows XP on line now?” Terry Myerson, Exec. VP Microsoft Operations: “Well, let’s see, going on 13 years now I guess.” Gates: “Geeze,  that long? Time to get rid of it don’t ya think? Myerson: “Well, sir, we tried that with Vista…

Did you ever think when the hearse rolls by That  you might be the next one to die? They wrap you up in a clean white sheet And bury you down about six feet deep. The worms crawl in the worms crawl out The worms play pinochle on your snout. They eat your clothes they…

Imagine Moses tapping you on the shoulder saying to follow him up Mount Sinai and bring along your hammer and chisel because he has a really important job requiring your engraving skills. This is Moses, for Heaven’s sake, so you obey without question and soon find yourself involved in the most important, history changing, event…

Greetings from the Lone Star state as the wandering foursome wind down their two week “swang” through Texas with a night on the town in Austin and a stop at Donn’s Depot to hear fellow South Dakotan, Chris Gage perform on stage. UPDATE: Great evening, Chris sounded fantastic. He even did a couple old Red…

  I have to admit, it was with a bit of snickering smugness that the four of us breezed out of Sioux Falls on Thursday rejoicing in our good fortune at having beat the big blizzard by a matter of hours as we pointed Big Red south where they actually know how to do spring…

In anticipation of our upcoming road trip to Texas, I’ve made a sizeable investment in Big Red. (For those new to Lund at Large, Big Red is our 14 year old Lincoln that is crowding 200 thousand miles but still looks and runs fine. Well..sorta.) For years, Big Red has growled at us for no…

Whenever I’m out and about, people ask how my old Keloland News sidekick, Steve Hemmingsen, is doing these days. Well, Steve popped over to the house the other day for a visit. We talked and laughed for a couple hours; mostly about the perils of obesity, our latest travels, (a lot of which involve trips…

I believe it was about a year ago on an unusually warm March day like this one that I snapped a couple photos of our flooded back yard as evidence that another miserable winter had given up the ghost said C’est la vie and I started daring to dream of golf games, convertible rides and…

I’ve always loved history and every once in a while my TV job allowed me the opportunity to have some close brushes with it. I was reminded of one such case this week on the 80th anniversary of John Dillinger’s unscheduled withdrawal from the Security National Bank at 9th and Dakota in Sioux Falls and…

Hardly a day goes by that there’s not news of another celebrity biting the dust. This morning it was Jim Lange who died of a heart attack in California at the age of 81.My first thought wasn’t so much about this St. Paul, Minnesota native whose claim to fame was as the longtime genteel host…

I sneezed this morning and there was no familiar “God bless you.” That’s when the realization hit me that my sweet Linda has left me.  Oh, don’t worry, she’ll be back in a fortnight. At least I hope she doesn’t find her stay in the Phoenix area with her sister Renee and our desert daughter,…

As is often the case, I find myself here at Dunn Brother’s Coffee which has historically been a pretty good source of inspiration when my writing idea light bulb seems to be set on dim. There is no reason for me to think this. Maybe I fancy myself to be one of those cerebral college…

When Jay Leno closes out his long career as host of the top rated Tonight Show, it also brings an end to a dream job for guy whose roots run deep in South Dakota.  But don’t feel too sorry for Tonight Show announcer, Wally Wingert, he’s still got as much work as his versatile  voice…

I don’t turn directly to the obituaries in the paper each morning..but I do tend to linger over them longer than I used to; probably because I’m astounded at the growing number of people younger than me who have met their demise. You can learn a lot about people in the obituaries..or very little..depending on…

My trusty old laptop is in the shop; a victim of my clumsy attempts to make her run better. A pox upon that British guy on Youtube and his quick fix video that resulted in me firing some longtime guardians he claimed were unnecessary and slowing me down. In following his instructions, I apparently left…

(It should be noted that this blog, like chicken, should be taken with a grain of salt) When you spend as much time as I do sitting in a big old recliner chair with a computer in your lap looking out the window waiting for the winter to end but not really caring all that…

Phil Everly died this past week and I’m devastated. There’s a medical name for what killed him but even his wife says he pretty much just smoked himself to death. I suppose we’re lucky to have had him as long as we did; 74 years..most of them puffin’ away.  In a brief statement about his…

Tick tock, tick, tock. It’s been over a week since I’ve been able to hear that familiar sound coming from our old Regulator wind-up clock that my dad found and restored so many years ago which hangs on our kitchen wall.   I must say, the silence is deafening; something Linda and I will have…

As with many regular series, Lund at Large has taken a week off for the Holidays but I’ve brought back a personal favorite and included updates since December 24th 2013 is a very special anniversary for Linda and Me. We both send all of you our wish for a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.…

The aroma wafting from the kitchen of our humble little abode is almost as intoxicating as the screwdriver I’m enjoying whilst sitting at my man cave computer. (Why did I write whilst? I never use that pompous-sounding old English version of “while.”  Perhaps I’ve OD’d on Charles Dickens this holiday season. Nah, you can never…

I suppose I shouldn’t use Lund at Large as a vehicle for confessing my shortcomings, but I’m Lutheran and sometimes we just need to get a few things out on the table without bothering the minister.  Don’t worry, I’m nearly 68 years old and there’s nothing too saucy about my existence that would require an…

Tried to jump start my Christmas Spirit last night by taking my bride for a ride to check out the lights; especially those at Falls Park.  I know Mayor Dave Munson took a lot of heat for his persistence in developing the Phillips to the Falls project but, honestly, as one who remembers when that…

  It’s been a few years since the Lund’s have come up on the family rotation list to host Thanksgiving but it is our turn this year and we’re actually looking forward to it. I am, anyway because I’m not the one who does the serious indoor house chores from the floors, bathrooms and dusting…

When news came out about these two Miami Dolphin linemen suddenly out of pro football..one quitting because his teammate kept bullying and threatening him, the other kicked out of the league for doing the bullying and threatening, brought to mind a similar story about a high school classmate of mine; Gene Vostad.  Gene was a…

I posted a comment on Facebook  the other day when the snow was coming down so heavy it looked like we’d be buried in it up to our armpits till April. I said “well, this will likely solve my problem of trying to find somebody to trim my trees and rake the leaves until spring”…

  I certainly hope the statute of limitations applies here because I’m about to confess to a crime from my youth that continues to haunt me more than any ghost or goblin ever could this time of year. I’m pretty sure it was in the fall of 1959 because I had reached that awkward age…

Halloween was always fun and exciting for me as a kid..well, except for that one year where some do-gooder in the church convinced my and most every other child’s parents that instead of going door to door trying to extort as much candy as possible, we should trick or treat for UNICEF. Thankfully, that only…

It was so nice to see Keloland’s Perry Groten along with assignment editor, Dexter Gronseth, on photographer duty, out to meet Linda and me at the airport upon our arrival home from Hawaii late Friday afternoon. I was only a little disappointed to learn that they weren’t actually there to put us on the news but to…

Having trouble getting and staying on-line here at our fabulous hotel resort on the Island of Kauai so while I have the chance I’m going to include some pictures with captions as quickly as possible especially for the families of the folks traveling with us who want to see just what mom and dad are…

Can you believe it? Sunshine and low 80’s is the forecast here on Waikiki beach, Honolulu Hawaii today. Jay Trobec might like the climate here but he’d be bored to tears working as a meteorologist in Hawaii. The weather doesn’t change much all year round except for an occasional tsunami warning which would scare the…

Like most every American, I’m really ticked off about this federal government shutdown. It’s an embarrassment to the country and an unnecessary hardship on hundreds of thousands..perhaps millions..of people caught in the middle.  But to be perfectly honest, I haven’t been directly affected by it at all until now; and I’m not going to get…

Greetings from the Bullock Hotel in Downtown Deadwood. Hey, we’re not just staying here, we’ve got the third floor left center room; the one that faces main street. The one that people use to center their camera shots when taking pictures of this historic building built by Seth Bullock back in the late 1800’s.  …

If I hear my doctor try talk me into having a colonoscopy one more time I’m going to ……I’m going to …..well, have one I guess. Yup, I finally relented when, during my last check up, he found my excuses to be especially flimsy IE: I think I’d be the first to know if something…

  I thought perhaps we could all use a shot of Brandy on this somber day.(September 11th) Brandy, in this case, is our granddog: a 9 year old Shih Tzu who comes under our care for a couple weeks each year and makes me go through these annual yearnings for a dog of our own.…

Even if it is a clear sign that winter can’t be far behind, I’m looking forward to the NFL season getting underway this week. Again, I have no high expectations for my Minnesota Vikings because the Vikings hierarchy apparently has no high expectations for the team either. While we have a semi-stellar defense and the…

How odd. I’m watching TV the last several nights and that familiar weather crawl comes scrolling across the bottom of the screen announcing school closings all across Keloland. What the heck is going on? Did I fall into some sort of  Rip Van Winkle-like slumber and suddenly its wintertime; with blizzards keeping our kids homebound?…

I’ve been a fan of auto racing since my dad took us to the races at some small dirt track near Lake Poinsett when I was a little kid. During my two years living in Pierre, I never missed a Sunday night at Oahe Speedway..even tried my hand at it ONCE. A guy I worked…

I was driving down to the Keloland studios this morning and couldn’t help but notice a couple things; Hoekness  produce stand on the Austad’s east 20th street parking lot had just received another big flatbed full of sweet corn and people in the right lane were making dangerous moves across the flow of traffic so…

I love cars; always have. No one was more anxious to turn 16 than me so that I could get a driver’s license.  Finally, when the day arrived, my mom took me to the Brookings Country Courthouse to put an end to my anxiety.  I zipped through the written test but, during the driving part,…

Our first day back home and it’s raining which seems odd since we just left some of the world’s traditional rainy spots, Ketchikan, Alaska, (which was sunny on both days of our visit) Vancouver, Canada and Seattle, Washington which both are undergoing one of the worst droughts in memory. In my recent blogs, I’ve been…

Sitting here on the outdoor balcony of a bar/restaurant in Ketchikan, Alaska. It has WiFi and a plug-in so I can bring you up to  speed on this vacation we’re on that absolutely defies description because of the weather we’ve had. We boarded Holland/America’s Volendam cruise ship Saturday afternoon in Skagway and set sail that…

Ufdah…no WiFi for three days. The wilderness and isolation up here in the Yukon is both exhilarating and frustrating but no worries other than being unable to post any of the pictures I’ve tried to capture of this incredible place and the people taking part in our Keloland/Holiday Vacations Alaska Adventure. Here are a few…

  I’m going to quickly run out of adjectives in attempting to describe our first four days in Alaska because even though this is Linda and my fourth tour here, we’ve never seen it like this before; bright sunshine and mild..even warm..temperatures.  Because the weather has been so beautiful, the state is showing off like…

I made a sort of half promise to myself before departing on this, our latest Keloland/Holiday Vacations tour to Alaska; quit complaining about the negative side of  air travel these days. And, to be honest, the flights that brought us here to Anchorage, were just fine. We were an hour late leaving Denver because of…

Thursday evening and I can hear the frustrated voice of Linda in the bedroom muttering under her breath; “These suitcases too damn full. We’ll probably be over the 50 pound limit and have to pay extra.” It’s the same song she sings every time we’re about to leave on another Keloland/Holiday Vacations tour..which we do…

First off, apologies for being so tardy this week. I finally went to a couple favorite places that usually clear my head and provide inspiration; the outside deck at Brandon Golf Course and Dunn Bros. Coffee. For some reason, though, my laptop wouldn’t connect to the WiFi networks at either place. After making doubly sure…

Received some sad news this week. Phillip James Ehret has died at his home in Las Vegas. If that name doesn’t ring a bell, I’m not surprised. It’s been well over twenty years since “Phil James” was synonymous with big band music and ballroom dancing throughout South Dakota, Minnesota and Iowa. Our paths first crossed…

For those of you who are smugly satisfied at Food Network Star, Paula Deen’s fall from grace after admitting she has used the “N”word in the past; fill in the blank of this little poem: “Eeny, meeny, miny, moe, catch a ………….. ” When I was a kid, we all used this counting rhyme every…

Just enjoyed a delicious stir fry with veggies picked from our own garden. Okay, it was just a green pepper from the one potted pepper plant on our back step but it couldn’t have been more fresh or tasty thanks to the creative efforts of God and Linda.  I’d show you a picture but it…

My usual sedentary lifestyle has taken a turn toward the wild side this week; two days of fishing for walleye on the Missouri River and a non-stop weekend of playing drums and singing with Mogen’s Heroes first for an event at Willow Run and then headed for Aberdeen for Saturday and Sunday shows at the…

Here we are in Lake Andes, South Dakota about to depart the Circle H motel for another day on Lake Francis Case in search of the  wylie Walleye, which, save for a couple of “dinks” that found my line, have managed to skip the nite crawler lunch I offer on my hook..opting instead for the…

Whenever I’m out and about which is, admittedly, not all that often, people come up and reminisce about my time on Keloland News and invariably ask about what Steve Hemmingsen is up to these days. Well, I can report that Steve is alive and well in his adoptive hometown of Hendricks, Minnesota living with his…

Okay, I get it. Stop being such a gloomy gus, Lund. Sheesch. Not easy to do when it’s primarily the weather that’s got you down in the first place and , once again as I write this, it’s dark as dusk outside with claps of thunder in the distance. So now the month of June…

Another dismal drippy dreary day as the month of May schlumps out the back door hopefully embarrassed at not having lived up to expectations once again. Saturday’s skies showed promise so Linda and I put the Camaro’s top down, cranked up the heater and headed north to Volga to decorate my folks’ gravesite. While at…

Just got back from a private showing of the hottest movie in the country, “Star Trek Into Darkness.” Well, practically private. I think there were about three others at the Tuesday 1pm matinee at Century theaters East.   I know it’s typical for me to pee and moan about the movies I see; too expensive, too…

It’s been interesting, this week, to see the cherry tree outside my window fill up with buds and birds, keeping a stiff upper limb pretending that last month’s devastating ice storm never happened. I made a rather feeble attempt to trim back some of the surviving branches to help it regain a sense of symmetry…

First of all, HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY to all of you who qualify. The upcoming holiday got me to thinking about a couple of classy broads who played a significant role in my TV career and who’ve recently celebrated significant birthdays. I know some of you might think the term “ classy broads”  may not be…

Believe me, I’m as sick and tired of showing you pictures of my back yard as you are seeing them but, since you’ve followed our sad saga thus far I figured you should see the final (at least I hope it’s the final) insult. Sometime during the night I was awakened by the familiar ticking sound…

GOING..    GOING.. GONE…..SORT OF..   The trillions of twigs that remain still need to be raked up and hauled away. I was just about to call the guy back to finish the job (which he couldn’t do then because of snow on the ground) but I better wait BECAUSE IT’S SNOWING AGAIN!   Like a…

Nothing more I can add to what everyone already knows about this modern day version of the Boston Massacre. Since the savages that commit these acts of insanity care nothing about life, including their own, there isn’t a whole lot of satisfaction when they’re eventually taken down like the dogs they are. But we owe…

It’s sorta fun, I guess, to see pictures on Facebook of people’s kids innocently and gleefully playing in the new fallen snow; oblivious to the disaster that has befallen the entire city of Sioux Falls and surrounding area in the form of an unprecedented downpour of ice from the heavens. Like waves of honey it…

Unlike this bear barreling out of his den following a deep winter’s sleep..skinny as a rail and hungry as a ..well..a bear, I have emerged from hibernation this spring even fatter than when I ducked into my man cave after last fall’s final round of golf only to poke my head out long enough to…

Anybody who reads these literary wanderings on a regular basis knows that I love history..all kinds of history but especially that of LOCAL people, places and events. When my daughters were little, they thought nothing of dad taking them to visit cemeteries..not for funerals or to decorate graves (Does anybody use that term anymore?) but…

Tim Johnson’s decision not to seek re-election must certainly go against every fiber of his being; after all there’s never been an election he hasn’t won. He clearly has enjoyed his time in congress and, for the most part, South Dakotans have appreciated his efforts on their behalf in dealing with the political quagmire that…

I was reminded this past week about one of the worst times of my life; when death by fire seemed imminent. It wasn’t only my own demise but everyone I knew. Hell, everybody in the world. It was 1962, I was 16, and President Kennedy was on TV showing grainy images of what he said…

For local TV stations, news days like Thursday don’t happen very often; days when there are so many important stories going on all at once it’s practically impossible to apply the usual pecking order  in deciding which one gets priority when going live or during the newscast. Here we had two people missing in the…

Thinking today about my broadcasting buddy, Grant Peterson, longtime radio personality at KBRK AM in Brookings and world famous spokesman for the NAANP ..the national association for the advancement of Norwegian people. (Okay, I might have made that up.) Grant has been an avid supporter of the South Dakota Rock and Roll music association hall of…

Welcome to Lund Lake..where there are still a few choice shore-line lots available. But hurry, both the deals and the lake itself may not last much longer. There was considerable concern at our house this weekend as Linda stood by our back door biting her nails as rain, and melting snow combined with the still…

The Cardinals are gathering again; both in Rome and my backyard. While, I have nothing to say about those old guys dressed in red gathering in the Sistine Chapel to choose a new old guy from amongst themselves to be the new pope taking over for the old old pope who broke pope precedent by…

God created the month of March to give people who don’t drink the chance to experience what a hangover feels like. (Garrison Keillor)  “My, where did February go? It seems to have just flown by.” I’m allowed to repeat clichés like that because I qualify for the senior discount at restaurants, theaters and motels. I’m…

As promised, I did watch the Oscars Sunday night but managed to get ‘er done in just over an hour thanks to my trusty DVR. I was able to fast forward through all the commercials, lame jokes by the host, long boring acceptance speeches and the annual tribute to those in the film business who…

I’m actually going to watch the Academy Awards Sunday night; something I haven’t done in several years mainly because I rarely have seen many of the movies nominated; mostly due to  my aversion to movie theaters. Don’t worry, this isn’t another rant complaining about the high price of admittance and popcorn or the deaf-inducing volume…

    To my great relief, nobody from the city has been by to perform a pop inspection of my sidewalks which, as I told you last week, remained unshoveled as my way of protesting the city’s refusal to scrape the snow off  the neighborhood streets.  It wasn’t much of a rebellion, though, knowing that…

  So far, I haven’t seen anybody outside my house dressed like city Gestapo agents checking the walkability of my sidewalks but I can imagine the scene if they did show up. Ding Dong. I open the door. “Yes, Mr. Lund,” the one wearing a monocle says, “are you avare zat zee city assorities have…

There’s a black pick-up truck that is regularly roaring by our house day and night with an exhaust system so loud it makes the windows and our nerves rattle. Its driver apparently takes great joy in revving the big engine up to about 5 thousand RPM’s and spinning his wheels on the still icy streets…

I was going to rail-on for a bit about how infuriating the last few days have been watching the price of gasoline go soaring as high as an Iranian space monkey; up to nearly $3.50 again after teasing us with the possibility of dropping below three bucks a gallon at the start of the year.  Industry…

What man hasn’t heard a woman say this? “You guys have no idea how lucky you are to never undergo the trauma and pain of childbirth.” Our comeback? “Well, you’ve never had to fight in a war.” I guess that argument doesn’t hold water anymore since all the big wigs with big stars on their…

“Lonely..I’m mister lonely..I got nobody..for my own”. (Bobby Vinton 1964) Missing Linda a little bit. Can you tell? She’s been in Arizona for the past week and a half (our longest separation in over 30 years) whooping it up in the desert sunshine with daughter Christy and sister, Renee leaving me here to fend off…

Well, once again, South Dakota public schools have, according to “Education Week” flunked the course and rank dead last among all the states in the country. Shame on us for intentionally neglecting our children’s education so. Or are we? Let’s take a closer look at the 6 criteria used in this condemnation of South Dakota…

A rough heart-wrenching few days on the gridiron for this old Norsky. At least my misery wasn’t prolonged. It became crystal clear within a matter of minutes that the Minnesota Vikings, (I can’t believe I’m saying this) WITHOUT Christian Ponder, had a prayer of advancing in the NFL playoffs against the Packers. I didn’t get…

Yay! The Minnesota Vikings are in the playoffs; okay maybe not beyond Saturday’s re-re match with the Packers but it’s safe to say that even the most loyal of Vikings fans didn’t see this one coming after that miserable mid season slump. Of course, all the national attention is on potential MVP, Adrian Peterson, one…

 A couple more runs to the airport to send our two warm weather offspring back to their coat-free comfortable climates and that will be it. Christmas is a wrap for another year. All in all, I’d say it was a good one. Our two youngest grandchildren, Zoey and Ella, seemed delighted with the bags of…

Well, we snuck by the end of the world projections on Friday. I must confess, I was sure the Mayan calendar was a bunch of hooey..but kept counting the hours until Saturday officially arrived all around the world. Come on..I’ll bet I’m not the only one. Anyway, it didn’t take long for the cartoonists to…

Try as I may, there’s no pretending that last Friday in Connecticut didn’t happen. It did. Now, as photographs of these precious little ones, who were slaughtered without mercy, appear on the internet, I just can’t look at them. Like many of you, I see my own children and grandchildren in their innocent faces and…

It’s just one minute after high noon on a Monday and I’m already on my second Bloody Mary. Now before you look up AA in the phone book (It’s toward the front) to forward me the number..or start planning for a Lund intervention..chill.  I’m retired, it’s below zero outside, and I don’t plan on leaving…

 “Good Golly Miss Molly,” Little Richard is now 80.  I thought that was a pretty clever line until I Googled Little Richard, in order to confiscate a recent picture of the rock and roll legend, only to find that lots of other writers had beaten me to it. That’s the thing about the internet; you…

Does anyone else wonder if Angus Jones..who plays Jake..on the popular TV series “Two and a half men” may be pulling the public’s leg with his comments this week that the show is filth and urged people not to watch? Or is the 19 year old, who has been on the series since its inception…

My dad had a lot in common with TV’s Archie Bunker. Oh, he wasn’t a bigot like Arch, but he did love his Hostess Twinkies and would voice his displeasure to mom if there weren’t any in the lunch box when the old man was working out of town. Archie called Twinkies “The white man’s soul…

What’s in your medicine cabinet? Do you ever wonder if guests peek in yours when they excuse themselves to the bathroom? Have YOU ever sneaked a peek in someone else’s? I remember a Seinfeld episode when Jerry couldn’t resist looking in his new girlfriend’s medicine chest and discovered a tube of fungicide there. Even though…

Linda has been on a mission of late; to rid our house of “stuff” that hasn’t seen the light of day in years. She goes on these tangents occasionally. They’re usually brought on by anger and frustration over having to move a mountain of boxes to get at something stored deep in the bowels of…

I guess I’m glad it snowed a little; covered up the reality of a yard buried in leaves..most of them imported from up or down the street depending on which way the hurricane force winds have been blowing. We’re usually the last ones in the neighborhood to get ours picked up because, like a nervous…

  Actually, I never felt like I knew George McGovern well enough to call him by his first name. He probably wouldn’t have minded if I did but my respect and admiration for the man on so many levels would make such a familiar greeting akin to addressing the pope as Benny.  I, like most…

October is National Bullying Prevention Month.  Of course it’s also National Breast Cancer Awareness month, National Black History Month and National Popcorn Poppin’ Month. The point is, I don’t pay a whole lot of attention to these designations aimed at calling my attention to some cause or event. But a TV anchor in Wisconsin has…

Soooooo. Who do ya think won the first presidential debate?   Don’t answer that. I mean REALLY don’t answer that because I really don’t want to know. There are plenty of political blogs out there for folks to fling feces back and forth; delighting in anonymous confrontations over which presidential candidate they believe has solutions…

So far this week out Holiday Vacations tour group has enjoyed exceptional weather for visiting all the tourist places; a bit of rain and wind but, hey, this is Ireland. Linda and I have, in a short time, grown to love it here. Our traveling companions are all top notch; our tour guide is wonderful…

Having a wonderful time..wish you were here. Okay, corny but true. Linda and I, along with 41 other fine folks on this Keloland/Holiday Vacations tour of Ireland (many of us “Plus Size”) unfolded from 8 and a half hours sitting in way too cramped airplane seats and hit the ground running in Dublin. I suppose…

Linda and I, along with about forty other Keloland viewers, are about to be “Enchanted” for the next nine days. We’re leaving on another “Holiday Vacations” adventure which, I’ll bet, has many of you “green” with envy. We’ll be spending 10 hours in airports and another 10 hours on airplanes before arriving in Dublin, Ireland,…

Finally..a gloomy, rainy, chilly day. I love it! Now, you might think a chronically depressed person such as I would assume the fetal position and cringe into the corner of a dark room when such a day occurs. But after months of excruciating heat, wind and drought, a wet cool respite (which once occurred at…

I’ve started several blogs in the past week but have stopped after a little voice in my head seemed to be saying, “Idiot..do you really want to go there?”  But, what the hey. The first has to do with that reverse sting by the Sioux Falls Police Department in which they placed an ad on…

“Hey, Lund..why don’t we ever see you out and about on the weekends anymore?” Some of my old musician pals often ask me that question. Linda does too, for that matter and it’s true, we used to go out on Friday or Saturday nights quite frequently to hear live bands but lately I just haven’t…

Great day for a motorcycle ride. Bike starts..bike stops. Install  new set of sparkplugs..(no easy chore) Bike starts..bike stops. Now it sits taking up space in the garage like a big lifeless black lump on wheels and I’m faced with the prospect of having it hauled off to the repair shop to be fixed for…

Well, my temporary return to playing drums with Mogen’s Heroes on Wednesday came off with no glaring errors. Oh, I did snag a drum stick on the snare ring while attempting a “dramatic” paradiddle. It went flying from my fingers but for some reason I managed to grab and catch the thing in mid air…

I stopped at my favorite sweet corn stand Thursday hoping the crop had improved from my last visit before we left for South Carolina. It hasn’t. Apparently, farms around Adrian, Minnesota haven’t had any rain either to speak of meaning a short harvest and short ears. I suppose it could be God’s way of telling…

It’s another beautiful day. Go on outside and look at your phone for a while.     What a whirlwind week! Linda and I managed to get re-routed home from South Carolina, and the Lund Brother’s family reunion, a day early after receiving news of her mother’s passing. But, of course, it was a lot…

Greetings from steamy South Carolinia and lovely lake Keowee..a 26 mile long man-made body of water which was designed for use to keep 3 reactors in the the nearby nuclear power plant cool. (And no, it’s not a concern.)The two dams on the lake also generate electricity the old fashioned way..using gravity to spin turbines. The…

Sorry it’s been awhile since my last entry. Just too hot to write. Wait..why would you have to go outside to put a few words together for a blog? Oh, alright..that’s just an excuse. It’s  laziness plain and simple plus a total lack of anything happening in my life that’s worthy of sharing. The heat…

I sure hope Heaven is my final destination because I couldn’t take the heat of Hell. It felt like Hell on the golf course Tuesday as I tried to tuff it out through the constantly rising temperatures. The same valley, from which this lovely lay-out was carved and helps to shelter players from the full…

As long as others in the entertainment business don’t have a problem presenting Summer re-runs, I thought I might drag out a  timely blog written a couple years ago; sharing some Fourth of July memories from my youth.  Enjoy and, hey, be careful out there. I see that the fireworks stands are open for business again.…

On “staycation” this week with our friends, Denny and Joanie.  To celebrate our shared anniversaries and Denny’s birthday in late June, the four of us usually head off on lengthy sojourns by car or plane to some distant destination. This year, though..in part because Linda’s mom isn’t doing so hot  but mostly as our way…

I receive lots of e-mails and Facebook entries that feature someone’s idea of fascinating subject matter whether it be pithy sayings, preposterous political propaganda, religious rhetoric, dirty jokes and cartoons or photographs..I’m sent lots of photographs. Some I cannot click DELETE  fast enough, others get a quick glance but one I received last week kept…

What has four legs and one arm?   A PIT-BULL!   “What are you gonna write about in your blog this week, Doug?” a friend asked the other day. “Well, I’ve been thinking about  weighing in on the debate over whether or not certain breeds of dogs, like Pit-bulls, Rottweilers and Dobermans, should be banned…

Sitting here at one of my favorite spots in the whole world; the club house patio overlooking hole number 18 of the Brandon Golf Course. There’s a day-long tournament going on so I can’t play but sitting here is just fine. It’s just a perfect place to find soothing solace if you’ve had a rough…

I used to dread answering the newsroom phones at Keloland during serious storms because 90 percent of the time those calling were upset about our weather guys cutting into their favorite programs to bring weather alerts. There would be nothing I could say that would calm them down, especially if they were not in the…

I don’t dread Monday’s like some people do; never have really..except, maybe when I was in High School and Jay Ruckdaschel had promised a Monday biology test the preceding Friday. I suppose it’s because I didn’t dread my job at Keloland; especially since my work hours were such that I never had to set an…

Hope you all had a pleasant Mother’s Day. I got to spend some time with my mom on Sunday. (Okay..Mother-in-LAW) Mary Trudeau, the matriarch of my wife’s clan, has had kind of a rough go of it in this, her 88th year. Her constant companion these days is an oxygen tank and a hose in…

Silly me. I thought if I dropped a few pounds the odds of me experiencing the debilitating excruciatingly painful episodes of my back going out of wack would decrease dramatically. Well, I have and it hasn’t. I made an innocent but apparently awkward body turn on Saturday and  felt that familiar twinge of pain like…

I’ll be the first to admit I had some doubts about the size of this year’s turnout for the South Dakota Music Association Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony and concert. We hadn’t arranged to have a big name headline act appear as in year’s past with such groups as Bobby Vee, The…

“Well I woke up Sunday morning with no way to hold my head that didn’t hurt..”  Replace Sunday with Wednesday and this old Johnny Cash tune describes my condition perfectly.  I really don’t believe that you can catch a cold from being cold..but after playing golf on yet another windy chilly day Tuesday, a major…

Note to the young lady in the bright yellow VW Beatle between Canton and Rock Valley Easter Sunday. That old guy in the big red Lincoln honking the horn at you was me. At first, Linda and I thought you were weaving all over the highway because you were drunk but after getting a closer…

I grew up in a Christian home.   Oh, there weren’t daily family devotions and we didn’t all hold hands while reciting grace around the supper  table. As I remember, grace was optional unless we had company; then it often fell upon me to impress the guests by reciting the Norwegian Table Prayer taught to me…

I was rummaging around in the garage the other day and took notice of my old drum set which has been stacked up against the wall covered in blankets since..geeze, I can’t remember the last time I played them. It got me to thinking about all the years and all the groups and all the…

  Excerpt from Lund at Large blog May 24th, 2011  “We have heard that grandson, Taylor, has already had a taste of battle in Afghanistan. I pray God will watch over him and his fellow Marines as they fight to rid the world of those who would have us live in terror.”  April 23rd 2012 …

Psssst, Hey buddy. Who..me? Yeah, come over here a sec. Wadda ya want? I gotta stash of Tide here I can let you have for half price. Tide..as in laundry detergent? You’re kiddin’ right? No I ain’t. Look, you in or not? Sure, I’ll take a couple gallons, I guess.  Did you hear on the…

It’s been a pretty good week. Our daughter, Suzan was home from Lincoln for a couple days and, while here, announced that even though the official mourning period for their recently departed cat, Spangles, isn’t quite over, they decided to visit a shelter (embarrassingly named The Cat House) just to look over the selection of…

A big day at our house as I say goodbye to a dear old friend. Our well-seasoned leather couch (or as I like to call it..my potato patch) has finally become so tattered from over use by me that Linda was embarrassed to have people come over anymore. So it’s going to wherever exhausted sofas wind…

I went down to the Keloland TV studios Monday morning to record promos for the latest Holiday Vacations tour Linda and I will be hosting to Ireland in September. It was my first experience being on High Definition, and not a pretty sight. Cameras with such scrutinizing eyes were not meant for such aging faces…

I ran into reporter, Shawn Neisteadt in the Keloland newsroom this morning and had to congratulate him on his story this week about the latest surge in gasoline prices. Most reports I’ve seen lately on the subject feature folks filling up at the pump who are South Dakota nice..meaning when asked how they feel about…

Good Lord. Kermit Staggers and De Knudson want back on the Sioux Falls City Council??     I’m beggin’ you (and you know who you are) get in this race before it’s too late. If you have a lick of intelligence, an unselfish desire to serve this community and share your ideas on how to help…

“Happy Valentine’s Day, Honey.” I said to Linda when we awoke from our slumber this morning. “Happy Valentine’s Day to you too,” she replied. This was followed by a shared, “I love you” and that was it. We decided long ago not to be slaves to this manufactured holiday created by florists, greeting card companies…

This is a historic day. For the first time in nearly 40 years of trying, I hit EVERY green light on East 10th from Sycamore Avenue to the West side of the viaduct and set a personal record of 6 minutes from my house to the TV station. And that’s without speeding. Well, not too…

I was never so glad to wake up as this morning; awful dreams..nightmares really. I can usually figure out what event or little observation during the day became implanted in the deep recesses of my brain waiting to jump into the forefront of my unconscious state but I’m at a loss as to what triggered…

I always thought that “Spangles” was a great name for a cat but it wasn’t until last night, on the eve of Spangles’ demise, that I found out how our daughter Suzan and her husband Joe came up with such a clever moniker  nearly 16 years ago. They were living and working in Georgia at…

As the doctor once told me just prior to snapping on his rubber glove for  my prostate exam, “You might feel some discomfort here, Doug.” I’ve got a couple comments on the proposed new South Dakota state flag and they’re sure to displease two of my favorite people who I admire greatly; South Dakota Magazine…

I have to tread carefully here because if it weren’t for television commercials I probably wouldn’t have had a career but if I see that helmet-wearing pig tearing down a zip line screaming wheeeee one more time, my eyes will roll back and I’ll go into convulsions sort of like that woman who claimed hearing…

My crippled crumpled back is finally feeling better which leaves me with a couple options: continue to rest until the healing process is complete..or man up and get out there on the golf course and play through the pain. I have chosen the latter and much to my surprise it went fine. In fact, the…

Are you suffering from Bill Janklow overload yet? It’s going to take a lot of air time and column space trying to summarize and analyze the life and career of Janklow who died Thursday only a few weeks after announcing that his quick demise was immanent. I just have a few comments from my personal…

I just got off the phone with my South Dakota golf buddies; not to gloat about being out here where the weather is sunny and warm (even though it is) but to see if they were still playing in this odd month of January. Sure enough, two groups of them were waiting to tee off…

Wow! Our first week in the desert and it’s been one non-stop party; visiting all the touristy places by day and all the hot night spots after sundown. Actually, that’s a bunch of bunk. I’m embarrassed to report that Linda and I have mostly been laying low trying to heal up. A few days before…

 Linda and I have officially slipped into Arizona adjustment mode. It happened on the final leg of our trip to Fountain Hills. We were cruising along Interstate 40 just outside of Holbrook, when we spotted, what appeared to be, a skinny German shepherd dog prancing alongside the highway. “Look,” she said, “ a Ky-OAT-ee!”  That’s…

And, all of a sudden, it’s time once again for the grand exodus from the Lund abode. My son-in-law, Joe, has been hauling up great stashes of luggage, Christmas presents and other odds and ends from downstairs (their home for the last several days) into the car and the journey back to Lincoln, Nebraska. There’s…

It is so much fun to listen to my cousin, Grouse, get completely out of character when he starts talking (gushing, really) about his first grandchild, Hannah. He was, and is, a good dad but for years I’ve been telling him about the special joys of grandparenthood. He, and wife Sandy, now totally understand and..with…

55 seems pretty darn young to be retiring from a career; especially a career that you’ve been very very good at. But that’s just what Steve Munk is doing after 31 years as Minnehaha County Extension agent. Long before the internet was around, we reporters at Keloland would use Steve as our “Google” whenever we…

I  brought my camera along to Wal-Mart today just in case I should spot somebody whose bizarre appearance in the shopping aisles would qualify them for  the People of Wal-Mart” website; candid photos of shoppers who, shall we say,  stand out from the crowd. Actually, I’d never do that no matter how strange others may…

“Are you guys headin’ South for the winter again?” Linda and I have been answering that question a lot lately and, since we haven’t missed a January in Phoenix for the last 16 years, the answer is yes..but just barely yes. Thanks to some unforeseen and unwarranted issues with Social Security, our annual sojourn to…

I love Chinese food; well, most of it anyway. I’ll leave the sea weed, rumaki (chicken livers) deep fried whole fish and chicken feet dishes to those with more adventurous palates. I realize that Asian cuisine offered in this country has been dumbed down for American sensibilities but that’s okay because I’m a sensible dumb American  I…

  I’m sitting in my favorite coffee shop, Dunn Bros. on East 10th..oops, excuse me, I guess it’s Arrowhead Parkway now. There’s nobody here named Dunn..but there is a nice lady (Doris) and her daughter (Emily) who own and operate the place. If you order the coffee of the day for a buck 65, and…

“Doug?” came Linda’s voice from just outside the front door. “Yes, my dear, what can I do for you on this lovely Thanksgiving morning?” “Get out here and help me haul in the paper.”  Oh, I might have made a little bit of that conversation up but only to dramatize the size of today’s Argus…

I just got back from doing the “voice of  Keloland” thingy and ran into longtime news photographer and colleague, Mike Simundson who is, perhaps, the most fervent Minnesota Vikings fan I know. He’s the one who gave me the foam brick to throw at the TV screen when they play. That poor brick is falling…

It’s rutting season; that time of year when male white tail deer go absolutely nuts with desire and the need to propagate. In order to impress the coy females, they’ll display all sorts of bizarre behavior like locking horns with other bucks, rolling around in the dirt or throwing caution to the wind by playing…

I haven’t always been in the South Dakota High School Activities Association’s corner when it comes to some of the decisions it’s made… but okaying the playoff system for football 30 years ago with the divisional champions crowned during one wild November weekend at the DakotaDome was a great idea from the get-go. And it…

I know of some writers who, when they get stumped for something to say, just start banging away on the keyboard until something worthwhile eventually pops up on the screen. I have been facing that dilemma all week; a self-imposed deadline has come and gone without a subject or topic to share with you good…

It’s always fun to read people’s comments whenever I post old Keloland TV photos on my blog or Facebook page. Most seem to enjoy those little jaunts down memory lane. I have lots of pictures and plenty of stories to go with them so expect a few more in the weeks and months ahead; including today.    …

“Honey, have you seen the tree in the neighbor’s yard across the street?” Linda  said this morning while pouring me a second cup of coffee.  “The house that’s for sale?” I said. “Yeah, come take a look. We’ve lived here for decades and I don’t ever remember those leaves turning such a beautiful color.” After…

There are a few special privileges granted to old Keloland TV relics like me; one of them was getting a sneak peak at the brand new broadcast studio especially designed for the transformation to all high definition Wednesday at five. I popped in just as they were rehearsing Midday in Keloland and was blown away…

I always found that one of the most difficult tasks for a reporter was trying to come up with something original to say when assigned to do a story about an event that happens every year. You know, like the craziness of early morning shoppers on the day after Thanksgiving..now called “Black Friday.”  Then there’s…

It probably isn’t all that uncommon, but I was somewhat surprised to find little packets of Kleenex placed in the pews of Bethel Christian Reformed Church in Sioux Center, Iowa last Friday. They might have been just for those of us seated in the family section but before the service was over everyone in that…

Baseball fans in  Boston and New York are probably blaming our New England tour group for jinxing their teams. Both lost their chance at a World Series birth on the days we were there.  At the end of this  last week, all 45 of us tired but happy explorers boarded our big Alaska-painted bus for one last…

Oooooh, Ahhhhhhh.. Sounds a bit like reactions to a 4th of July fireworks show here on the motor coach as we meander around the backroads of New Hampshire and Vermont on our New England Fall Foliage tour. Unfortunately, the sun, which makes the oak, birch and maple leaves look so dramatically bright  in blazing reds,…

There’s a blue mood in Beantown again. The curse that had been lifted for a couple seasons, has descended and enveloped Boston Red Sox fans (which includes this whole city) as the Sox blew a huge division lead and have been eliminated from the Major League Baseball playoffs and a shot at another world title.…

Don’t hate me. Even though I’m sitting here waiting for our ride to the airport for another ten day adventure hosting a Holiday Vacations tour group..this time to New England to look at all the pretty leaves. 45 Keloland TV viewers signed up for this trip which includes a lot more than observing Fall foliage;…

I’ve interviewed a lot of really smart people over the years managing to bluff my way through most of them by avoiding questions that might expose my stupidity. One that comes to mind is the late Buckminster Fuller. Fuller, who died in 1983, was an American engineer, author and inventor whose futuristic architectural designs, like…

Well, that vow didn’t last very long. I was determined not to fire up the furnace even though it was supposed to get a bit chilly overnight but when I stumbled into the kitchen this morning for my first cup of coffee, my toes curled under in self preservation mode as soon as I stepped off…

Much to my surprise, I have been watching many of the TV specials recounting the attacks on America ten years ago. Surprising because, until now, I just couldn’t bear to watch those planes slamming into the twin towers knowing that hundreds of people were suddenly obliterated from this earth..or worse yet, thousands more were to suffer…

Had a fine time at the South Dakota State Fair last week. I went to Huron to sing a few songs on the Freedom Stage with Mogen’s Heroes. A warm but fulfilling day..not only because the crowds were great but also had a chance to catch up with a couple old friends. Steve Hemmingsen read…

I have to admit, I was concerned that we were going to miss the prime sweet corn season while we were gallivanting around Alaska for two weeks. But I needn’t have worried. It turns out that our soggy chilly spring was good for one thing; it made for a late staggered start to planting season…

Well, if that doesn’t post your toasties. I fell asleep on the couch last night with the TV blaring away just a few feet away from my head. That’s not unusual, as anybody who knows me will tell you, but my awakening was a bit odd. Those annoying foul mouthed kids from South Park jarred…

And, just like that, it’s over. 13 days of exploring the wilderness in climate controlled comfort have come to a close. I’m writing this from the lobby of The Hilton in downtown Anchorage. We’re about a half block away from 4th Avenue where the street sliced in two during the Good Friday earthquake in 1964.…

  “Bumpity Bump on the ALCAN highway.” They even have a song up here about the amazingly awful conditions of the famous road that stretches some 14 hundred miles through Yukon Territory to Delta Junction Alaska. It was built by U.S. Soldiers in less than a year during the early part of World War II…

Nearly five years of retirement has spoiled me. I don’t have to get up early in the morning anymore so I don’t. But sleeping in is not an option when your hosting a tour group of folks who have always been early risers. Besides, this tour of Alaska and the Yukon Territory demands that we…

And, “They’re off!” Linda and I, along with about 40 others from Keloland, have begun our 13 day trek into the wilderness of the Yukon Territory of Canada and the state of Alaska. Okay, it may be the wilderness but we’re not exactly roughin’ it.  I’m writing this from our spiffy 7th floor room of…

Yeah, I figured that headline might get your attention just as it got mine Sunday night as at least six TV channels (including Discovery, Science, Animal Planet and The Learning Channel) all simulcast the same program in Disovery’s “Curiosity” series. The premier episode was titled “Did God Create the Universe?”  In it, the man considered by…

Crisis averted; the United States is still going broke but congress and the president managed to strike a last minute deal that has bought us a little more time to get there. We’re raising the limit on the amount of money we can borrow by 2 1/2  TRILLION dollars.  I gotta be honest with you,…

When I step out of the house and my glasses fog over it’s too &%$#@ hot and humid. When the only time I care to venture out of my air conditioned comfort zone is to do my required yard chores or go to the grocery store, then I want to blame somebody. I could stand…

I know exactly where I was when the very first Space Shuttle, Columbia, completed its mission April 14th, 1981. I was sitting with a friend in the Red Lantern bar, right next to Kelo, looking at a TV set with one eye and at my brand new Casio quartz digital musical alarm watch with the other.…

As I’m writing this, our desert daughter, Christy, is jetting her way home from Phoenix at a speed of 555 miles an hour. It was 107 degrees when her plane lifted off but if she’s expecting any relief from the scorching Arizona sun, wait until she touches down here and gets a load of our…

Long time readers of these meanderings are more than familiar with the continuing saga of my 1990 Lincoln Town Car, fondly called White Lightnin’. In her 19years of faithful service, I witnessed, and recounted here, several examples of how she miraculously healed herself from numerous ailments including a leaky air suspension system and power steering…

So this buzzard carrying two dead raccoons tries to board an airplane but was stopped by a flight attendant who said, “Sorry sir, only one carrion per passenger.” (pa-dum-pum)   In 2005, my friend, Bernie Hunhoff, over at South Dakota Magazine, wrote a short story about the much maligned Turkey Vulture extolling some of its…

Well, that was simply the nicest 4th of July I can remember in a lifetime that’s included 65 of um. The weekend began on a rather ominous note, though. The weather was so nice Saturday I suggested to Linda that we take a spin in the Camaro with the top down. We tooled around town…

Sure.. no sooner am I convinced that Summer is going to take the whole summer off this year, along comes a day like Thursday when mercury in the thermometer shoots up like Old Faithful and sends everyone scrambling to find an air conditioner to hug. So what do I do on this brain boiling hot…

I’m not supposed to be here. Let me rephrase that. Linda and I were planning to be out of town over the weekend and part of this week on a mini vacation to the North Shore of Lake Superior and Northern Minnesota woodlands. But those plans changed after spending a little travel-planning time on the…

I see by some of my Facebook friends that Facebook is LOSING friends by the boatload. 7 million last month alone by some accounts. Don’t worry, there are still 700 million of us left. I suspect it’s mostly young people fleeing like deer from a forest fire because they’re tired of having their on-line party…

Linda and I recently shelled out 600 bucks to finally take care of some plumbing issues in the house which had progressed way beyond the point of denial and my poor power to find ingenious solutions with duct tape. Replacing the 40 year faucets in the bathtub, vanity and kitchen actually required a hole to be…

It’s usually around mid October when I first start complaining about the approach of another winter and all the problems and perils sub-zero cold and snowy weather presents.     I didn’t play golf last Tuesday because it was way too hot and windy for fat people to be out there risking heat stroke and possible death…

I lost an old friend over the weekend…a VERY OLD friend. Mylo Preheim gave up the ghost on Saturday just a few weeks after his 95th birthday..but, boy, did he ever pack a lot of living into those years!. He reminded me of that guy in the Dos Equis Beer commercials; one of the most…

Playing golf on Tuesday was like spending four hours strapped to the hood of a semi heading west on I-90 at 75 miles an hour.  The mighty wind made for horrific playing conditions in which shots lucky enough to find the greens had to be marked quickly before they blew OFF the greens. But, that’s…

I didn’t vote in the Sioux Falls school board election on Tuesday. Now before you begin wagging your finger at me and making tsk tsk sounds questioning my citizenship qualifications, hear me out.  I chose not to make a trip down to the polls because I didn’t give a rip about which of the two…

A “Flabbergasted” Judgement Day prognosticator, Harold Camping, finally popped his head out the door of his Alameda, California house Monday morning to say he wouldn’t be giving any interviews until he’s had a chance to contemplate what went wrong with his calculations that there was going to be a heavenly house cleaning on Saturday. No…

It’s been such a nice day that I thought I’d leave the TV off and get a few things done. Number one was to give those pretty yellow flowers in the yard a second baptism of weed killer because the first one didn’t take. They must not be Lutheran dandelions. I have opened the back…

(Cue music from The Godfather)  Thursday’s congressional hearing on the insane increases of fuel prices, in which the heads of the five major oil companies were summoned to justify their record high profits while continuing to receive taxpayer subsidies, reminded me of those federal hearings in the Godfather II movie in which a congressional committee was looking…

Maybe my brother was right when he warned that after the age of 65, your health has a tendency to go haywire in a hurry. Oh, I’m fine except for the first time in my life I have developed allergies…or a single allergy..I don’t know. Something is making my eyes water and setting me off…

Like many of you, I didn’t get a lot of sleep Sunday night after hearing news that the world’s most wanted criminal, Osama bin Laden, the mastermind of 9-11 and dozens of other terrorist acts across the world,  had been shot dead in a raid of his million dollar hide-out in Pakistan. The last thing…

  Here’s a short sample of a golf course conversation I had this past week.. “Well, Lund, I suppose you being an old newsman, you’ll be up early to watch the royal wedding, eh?” “Not hardly. To tell you the truth,  I can’t understand why everybody’s so amped-up and excited over this foreign future King’s…

Well, the Trumpster has been trumped.  Big shot billionaire with the big hair and head to match, Donald Trump, has turned up a losing hand in his claims that President Barack Obama isn’t a natural born U.S. Citizen and, presumably, not legally qualified to be president.   But this egomaniac, who has been dipping his…

“Douglas, come down here!” Whenever I hear those words uttered from the lips of my dear wife down in our basement..I shudder. First of all, it can’t be good if she uses my whole first name and if it IS bad news, there’s a 99% chance it has something to do with water. The only…

I don’t mean to put too fine a point on it but for someone who works at  and worries about finding  just the right words to describe things I have experienced, none seem adequate enough today to explain the thrilling sensation I..and about 15 hundred other fans of old time Rock and Roll..enjoyed at the…

I shelled out the most I’ve ever paid for a tank of gasoline last weekend in Minneapolis; $3.99.9 a gallon. How stupid do they think we are, to fall for that old penny pricing trick? “Yah, it’s high alright but at least it hasn’t gotten up to four bucks yet.”   Although I admit I once…

Other than the airport, Linda and I haven’t been to the Twin Cities in ages. We remedied that last weekend with a quick trip to attend the Northwest Broadcast News Association’s annual awards banquet. More about that in a minute.  We used to go there several times a year especially when our daughter, Suzan was…

The war in Iraq must be all but over since we don’t hear much about it on the nightly news any more. We still have about 40-thousand American troops over there but the main mission now appears to be propping up a shaky Iraqi army and government so we can clean up our mess and…

 Whew! Our long state nightmare is finally over. Valhalla has been returned to the people! To be honest, I didn’t know this governor’s getaway in the Black Hills even existed until about three years ago when democrats tried to have a political meeting at the cabin and were turned down flat by Republican Governor Mike…

 I had a rather surreal experience the other morning. One of the biggest names in Hollywood gave me a call on my cell. Nah, it wasn’t an offer to be in a movie or TV show..but to respectfully decline an invitation to come home and be present in person for his induction into the South…

 Never left the house Tuesday.  It was so windy  I saw white caps on the mud puddles left behind by thunder and lightening storms that came charging across Keloland all day. This morning it’s been snowing and the forecast is for below normal cold the rest of the week. Ah, March; just when you think she’s…

 I suppose I’m just going to have to give in and jump on the wind generator bandwagon as an alternative energy source now that the disaster in Japan has soured public opinion on Nuclear energy even more. Steve Hemmingsen, who lives in the shadow of a gazillion of those unsightly(my opinion) electric generating whirligigs spinning away…

Sure, no sooner do I finally shake this cold that’s been gobbling away at my energy and disposition for the last two weeks, than I come under attack from another virus. This one, though, was aimed at my computer..not my body. Ever since the terrible earthquake and tsunami in Japan, I, like most of you,…

I’m writing this from the front seat of Big Red parked in the lot of a well known fast food restaurant where I just downed a breakfast biscuit. I had to get out of the house this morning because A) Kelo called and needed me to come down and record a promo, B) I  was…

  I love coffee. I love the aroma of a fresh pot brewing in the morning. I can hardly wait for that sound our Mr.Coffee pot makes when it’s nearly done. (Sort of like the noise from several people all at once trying to suck the last delicious drop of a milkshake through a straw.)…

I received another jolt of reality over the weekend; a not so gentle reminder that time travels at warp speed once you reach a certain age..like mine.  When I heard that Duke Snider, one of the greatest major league baseball players in history and key member of my beloved Dodgers, had died, my mind  immediately transported…

I’m sitting in a quiet little corner of Ponds Bakery and Café just across the street from the newly renovated Goss Opera House in Watertown. I chose this little out of the way eatery because it said free WIFI in the window. Dining in the same place is a group of elderly ladies (some kind…

Can you stand one more blog about piano players?  This one is not about my feeble attempts as a kid to emulate Liberace. No, this time I’d like you to tell you about a South Dakota kid who really could be the next Liberace if he wanted..or President of the United States for that matter.…

I see that actor Michael Douglas, who is apparently back in good health after a battle with throat cancer, has been cast in a new movie about one of my childhood heroes, Liberace. Yup, I admit it, back in the fifties, the flamboyant pianist was a regular visitor into the Lund home on Thursday evenings…

  Standing at the gas pump the other morning, the only thing that kept me from boiling over with rage at the at the high price of fuel was the fact that a west wind was blowing and I felt colder than the other day when it was 2 below..yet sunny and calm. February is…

  I wish I’d taken a picture of my neighbor’s little dog this morning as he was standing next to the car his master was trying to get started. He kept lifting his front paws off the ground..first one for a few seconds..then the other..trying, I suppose, to keep them from permanently freezing right to…

zeal·ous –adjective full of, characterized by, or due to zeal; ardently active, devoted, or diligent. That word best describes the Nebraska highway patrolman I encountered on the final leg of our long  perilous journey home from Arizona.  After deciding to stay an extra night in our New Mexico Super 8 storm home..we cautiously coaxed Big…

Greetings from the “Land of Enchantment”..New Mexico where the state plant and the winter weather are both pronounced the same; “Yucca.” Left Fountain Hills, Arizona on Monday knowing full well we were probably going to encounter bad weather on our route home but the first several hundred miles were mostly dry roads and sunshine interrupted…

Realizing what the weather’s been like back home, I hesitate to mention this..but even the desert valley locals say this has been one of the nicest Januarys in recent memory.  Monday, though, we face the chilling reality that our time here has expired and we must press on home to Dakota. I’m already dreading those…

65! Okay..now this is serious. I sort of tip-toed into my sixties; not thinking too much about it because I’d long since gotten over the shock of being eligible for AARP membership..plus I was blinded by the excitement and apprehension of retiring from a job I had loved for over 30 years. Now, I’ve reached…

I am a hoarder.  Not to the extent that it could lead to an appearance on that television show with family members conducting a tearful intervention with me as trucks pull up to the back door to haul away room-clogging piles of useless junk that I’ve amassed from years of being a pack rat.  No…

Christy had the day off for MLK Day so she picked up Linda early this morning..well, okay it was 8 O’clock but still. I’m not quite sure where they’re going  or what their plans are but I wouldn’t be surprised if they call later from the nearby Ft. McDowell Indian casino to say they weren’t…

For those who couldn’t care less about golf, there’s only one thing more boring than watching it on television and that’s having to endure somebody writing about it on his blog. But please bear with me for a minute if only to allow a chance to vent my frustrations about this blasted game..the playing of which…

I wanted my 400th blog on Keloland.com to be something special and, as it turns out, that’s just what it is…even without me writing a word. I received a call from Executive Producer and my long-time colleague, Jaine Andrews, last week informing me that they were changing some things around on our web page and…

As I write this, an Arizona congresswoman, Gabrielle Giffords remains in critical condition after being shot in the head by a mad man outside a Tucson, Arizona grocery store Saturday..an attack that killed six people including a nine year old girl,  federal judge and a couple of elderly religious leaders. Briefing reporters, the local sheriff,…

No matter where we are in the country, it’s always fun to turn on the TV and see a familiar face anchoring the news. It’s happened several times this past year as Linda and I have had a chance to explore a wide swath of the good ol’ USA. Right here in Phoenix, Steve Irvin…

Well, I’ve been doing some math and even though I was terrible at arithmetic in school, my simple calculations have concluded that if Linda and I are to continue making these treks out West in January, it would make more economic sense to fly Allegiant and then rent a car for the month we’re here.…

And ‘Poof”, just like that Christmas is over and one by one our kids and grandkids give hugs and “I love you’s” then pile into their respective vehicles or board an airplane and take off for home.  Linda and I feel a little like Dorothy; frantically caught up in this huge tornado and then suddenly…

I hope you can handle one more story about Eureka, South Dakota’s Holly Hoffman, who survived the popular CBS reality show, “Survivor” finishing fourth out of all the contestants vying for a million dollar top prize.  Holly has since been pretty busy giving interviews and making personal appearances..including one at the Pizza Ranch in Hartford…

It’s real common this time of year for people to act like frosty the snowman and go thumpity, thump, thumping down memory lane ad nauseum. So, here I go too. I liked all of my aunts but my very favorite was  dad’s older sister, Leila. She was married in 1924 and widowed in 1944. By…

I’ve known quite a few “characters” in my life but none could match the outrageous, funny, tough, sentimental, kind-hearted personality of my friend, Dan Christopherson who died nearly 4 years ago when that same big heart of his gave out at just 53. Dan was a huge guy. He must have stood 6’4”.  When I…

Oh, my gosh..two weeks ‘till Xmas.  Okay now right there I’ve alienated many of you for daring to use the letter X to replace Christ in the word Christmas. If you really want to sap the peace-on-earth spirit right out of the season for some people, just send them a card with the word Xmas…

“Doug, did you see our “Keg” is closing?” Linda said after reading a story in the morning paper. “Oh, no,” came my reply in the same tone I would use at the loss of an old friend.   I’ve always liked fried chicken, I guess. But it wasn’t until I tasted “broasted” chicken from Ricky’s…

If there’s one thing I’ve learned in over 40 years of living here is that Sioux Falls residents do NOT want the city to take any shortcuts when it comes to  taking care of our streets (ALL of them) during (or preceding) winter weather..and they don’t give a rip what it costs.    Apparently our…

I see my friend, Greg Belfrage is taking a lot of heat for finally shoving his eternal loyalty for the Minnesota Vikings over the side and jumping on board with the Green Bay Packers.  My friend, Kerry Thill is discovering how much better things taste and smell after 47 days without a cigarette but still…

I don’t like beer all that much. Oh, on a hot day after mowing the yard or playing a round of golf, a beer is pretty refreshing..but usually, one or, if it’s really hot outside, two is enough.  I have lots of friends who really love beer and plenty of it but if I were…

I can count on one hand the number of times in 32 years at Keloland, that I missed work because I was sick. I mean, REALLY sick..not suffering from one of those mysterious 12 hour bugs which some people get. You know, those that show up at sunrise and disappear at sunset.  There were lots…

If you’ve ever taken that sad trip to the vet to have an ailing pet put to sleep..you’ll know how I felt this week.   White Lightnin’ our 1990 Lincoln Town Car, which I’ve had for 18 years and written about several times here, is gone. Her just reward for such long and faithful service…

I started writing a blog the other day and after a while I noticed that it seemed vaguely familiar.  So, I checked though my files and, sure enough, I’d blogged about the very same thing less than two years ago. It’s not the first time this has happened either. I suppose that, after nearly 400…

Went to see my doctor today fully expecting to be gently chewed out for not having lost any weight since our last visit and fearing that my lab results would reflect the lackadaisical lifestyle I have fallen into. But he was kind, sympathetic and helpful plus the tests of my bodily fluids and a physical…

“How would you guys like to go on a little road trip?” our friend, Joanie, said when she called. “Sure, where to?”  “Well, we thought it might be fun to check out the old South Dakota School for the Blind campus in Gary.”   “The what..where?” I said.  “Yeah, the place has been restored and turned…

Weather forecasting is not an exact science, but it’s getting pretty dang close. When I started in television, way back in the dark ages, forecasts were based, primarily, on barometric pressure readings. Our radar consisted of a black and white camera we had hooked up to the radar screen out at the National Weather Service.…

I love writing this blog..but sometimes, I can’t come up with one blasted idea that justifies an entire column. Oh, I could rattle on about the upcoming election and explain why I’m reluctantly going to leave the U.S. House race on the ballot blank. But anyone who, like me, gags every time another negative ad…

I hate when the phone rings after 11 pm. I know it’s either a wrong number or bad news. When Linda picked up at midnight last week, it was clear this wasn’t a wrong number. “Oh no, Steve..oh, no…” and she hands the phone to me. That’s when I first learned from my longtime Keloland…

Pigs are flying around in the Metrodome. Icicles are dangling off Satan’s nose because hell has frozen over. Randy Moss is a Minnesota Viking again. For some crazy reason, the New England Patriots have traded the premier but moody and self-serving wide receiver to the team where he got his start and became a superstar…

Sure….just when I decide that I might be watching too much TV, along comes a new season of network shows that I’m already addicted to. Well, not addicted yet but a few that I really like. First and foremost is Hawaii Five-0 (Mondays at 9pm on CBS)..a remake of the long running series from the…

Tap, tap.. tap..came the sound on my door . Seth, is that you?    Nope, just Linda who forgot her key. We’re holed up here in Deadwood Gulch at the Bullock Hotel fully expecting a visit from the owner, himself, before we leave..even though he’s been dead for nearly a hundred years. It’s safe to say…

“Honey, (My wife sometimes calls me honey..not because I’m so sweet but usually just before asking me to do something) why haven’t you ever blogged about Tara? You’ve written about all of our grandkids and their achievements but nothing about her. You know she might think you’re not as proud of her as the others.”…

Wow! Our bus went right by the site of that natural gas explosion South of San Francisco the day before it happened. Meanwhile, we were merrily on our way driving through some of the most beautiful scenery on earth; the Pacific Coast Highway. It’s often called the most spectacular meeting of land and sea in…

The drive from Lake Tahoe to San Francisco is a beautiful one; first through the eastern Sierras then  fertile irrigated farm valleys to the stunning Pacific Bay.   Just don’t try make that 200 mile drive on Labor Day!  The holiday traffic jams began just outside of Tahoe and didn’t let up much until well past…

Okay, I admit to having a few reservations about Amtrak before we began this latest Keloland/Holiday Vacations tour west; I’d heard I might find it  boring, cramped, noisy and uncomfortable. But over the past few days, those apprehensions have melted into an affection for trains and an appreciation for the nostalgic experience we’ve just been…

Greetings one and all from Beautiful downtown Denver..home of the Big Blue Bear.  To be honest, I’m not finding Denver to be all that beautiful.  Oh, the mountains in the distance are nice..but on the way here from the airport (which is so far away they should book separate flights) we drove past a few…

“We aren’t certain about the exact cause of Dad’s death,” said Lee Magnuson when I called this morning to express my sympathy over his father’s passing. “Even though he was 89, dad was so darn busy all the time people forgot that he had heart by-pass 23 years ago and wore a pacemaker..so we figure…

I haven’t been hearing too much lately about newspapers around the country having to fold up operations under pressure from the internet.  It may still be happening, I just haven’t noticed. I’ve never really bought into the claims that newspapers and local TV newscasts would eventually be put out to pasture because people will be…

Can’t sleep. It’s four o’clock in the morning and I’m as excited as a kid on Christmas Eve. That’s because in less than an hour, I’m going to begin another chapter in my long association with Keloland Television.  The recorded voice you’ll be hearing from now on introducing all the news and weathercasts, as well…

Ugh… Another morning where the humidity is so high that our windows look like the bathroom mirror after a hot shower. I got up early to make coffee and found another earwig bug in the sink which I promptly dispatched. I thought Linda had successfully eliminated them from the planet several weeks ago with her…

I have always been fascinated by The Civil War. I’m not so much interested in the precise battle strategies or exact dates, times and locations of each engagement but rather in the mind set of those men who did the actual fighting. How could they be convinced to take up arms and fire upon a…

Geeze, am I  becoming one of “those guys?” You know, a typical man who has reached the age where we feel we can say or do outlandish things and don’t give a hoot what anybody thinks about it? Well, maybe.,.because I’m afraid, as I follow the U.S. House of Representatives race..I have a hard time…

I come from a long line of seafaring folks. Well, you have to go pretty far back in my lineage to find them but I AM full blown Norwegian so it seems only logical that my ancestors spent a good amount of time on the water whether it be floating down a fjord fishing for…

I’ve been shopping at Sunshine on east 10th ever since my daughters were young enough to still want a ride on the rocking horse machine inside every store entrance. “Daddy, let’s go to the store with the horsy.” Back in the early 70’s, my cousin, Grouse, wrote a TV commercial for Sunshine featuring that kiddie…

My gosh..two weeks have flown by and WE’LL soon be flying back to South Dakota  where Noah has apparently been gathering up animals two by two.        Out here on the tundra, we’ve been hearing reports of the big rains around Sioux Falls and Linda has been fretting about our basement but friend and house watcher,…

Yes, the Alcan Highway is rough and bouncy. Yes, the mosquitoes are the size of hungry hummingbirds. Yes, the weather changes more often than Lori Line on tour. But the Yukon Territory and Alaska also contain some of the most stunningly majestic mountains and wondrously remote wilderness areas on earth. We’ve managed to see a…

“Ooga Ooga Mooska” from the Great White North! Have arrived in Whitehorse, the capital of Yukon Territory CANADA! It seems like we’ve spent more time in Canada so far on this journey than in Alaska..but we’re getting there. This is the first time since Seattle, we’ve had access to free internet..but civilization ends tonight when…

 I’ve always been a George McGovern fan.  Even though we sometimes differ politically,  I think he’s one of the smartest and most accommodating people I’ve ever met.  He’s my version of a 20th century Thomas Jefferson. From the time when he piloted 35 missions in a B-24 during World War II, to his many years…

“Hey, we could go through Louisville if we want to. Anybody interested in visiting Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby Museum?” I said from behind the wheel of Big Red as we motored east. “Sure,” came the reply from Linda and Joanie in the back seat. “Absolutely,” Denny said as he reached for the GPS…

Linda and I had a big dose of Brandy over the weekend. Now, before you reach for the phone book and, for our own good, look up the number to Alcoholics Anonymous (It’s towards the front) let me explain. This is Brandy.   It’s our daughter and son-in-law’s doggie and since they were going to be…

Does anybody else find it astounding how much money companies like Progressive, and Geico spend on advertising? I looked it up and it’s close to a BILLION dollars a year each. In fact, I’ve seen three insurance spots for Progressive in the last half hour. They’re everywhere on every channel; running so often that I…

Aside from me backing out of the shower, nothing strikes terror into the heart of my dear wife, Linda, more than the sight of a spider. She is president of the arachnophobia club. So, of course, she’s always the first one to spot a spider crawling out from behind a counter or flower pot or…

I see that the fireworks stands are open for business again. It’s a pretty short season for those guys to sell their inventories and make a few bucks and I hope they have a bang up year but I’m afraid I won’t be one of their customers. I’ve already seen too much of my money…

Shortcuts are sometimes too long. I came as close as I have losing it on Friday all because of my own bone head decision to save some miles by taking a highway that angles from North Carolina to Dayton, Ohio instead of driving the interstate. The road turned out to be loaded with towns and…

Okay, when someone more knowledgeable than you about the South says, “June, July and August are not most ideal months to be visiting Dixie,” they speak the truth. It was already 85 degrees at 8:30 Wednesday morning when we left the motel for our city tour of Charleston, South Carolina. I wised-up this time, though;…

Hey, Y’all from sunny Savannah, Georgia. We arrived here after an uneventful five hour drive through canyons of South Carolina trees that tend to make wide-open-spaces-Midwesterners like us feel a little claustrophobic and pining for an occasional clearing to clear our heads and get our bearings. It was sad to leave Lake Keowee and the…

Well, hopefully, the saga of the overheating Lincoln is finally over. My brother lined me up with a radiator specialist here in Seneca, S.C. and by the time we’d finished our golf game, the car was done.  The guy told me the cooling system was really in need of a thorough flushing which he did…

Update on the Lund vacation…day four. 22 miles from our destination and big red, fed up with the heat, decides to boil over in downtown Pickens, South Carolina. It’s 95 degrees and stop lights every 100 yards or so which the car dislikes and manifests that displeasure by leaving us stranded on a street corner…

Glub, blub…. It’s not just Keloland dealing with torrential rains. We’ve been seeing the same guy with the long white beard  gathering up animals two by two all through Iowa, Missouri, Illinois and Kentucky as we continue our trek to the east coast. There was a  break in the storms long enough for us to…

And, they’re off! Linda and I, along with our friends, Denny and Joanie, will say a little prayer then all climb aboard the big red Lincoln and head for a two week journey to the deep South; Charleston, South Carolina to be exact..with a stop for a long weekend at my brother’s house by the…

Went into panic mode this week when, while doing my usual rigorous daily exercise routine (on the couch surfing favorite websites) a strange but very official looking window popped up on my laptop. It warned that my computer was vulnerable to several viruses and advised me to click to scan.  Ah..but I was wise to…

I, like thousands of other subscribers, anxiously await the arrival of my South Dakota Magazine every other month. It’s been that way ever since the magazine first hit the stands 25 years ago. On many occasions, I’ve stolen ideas from its pages for Lund at Large stories; a fact I have confessed to owner/publisher, Bernie…

Well, I finally got Big Red’s overheating problem repaired but not before having to endure the trappings of another garage whose employees lie like rugs. (Big Red, for those unfamiliar with my fleet of old vehicles, is our ten year old high mileage Town Car that must still look nice enough for mechanics to figure…

Take a look at me and it’s obvious; I love to eat. It gives me great pleasure and comfort but it also brings profound distress because the price of that pleasure is having to shop at the big and tall men’s stores for awful looking clothes that scream “loser.” Anyway, one of my favorite programs…

Well, I’ll be darned; Art Linkletter has died.
I was just thinking about him the other day and wondered how he was doing because I knew he was well into his 90’s.
97 as it turns out.
I even went to Youtube to watch a few clips from his popular daily TV show in the 50’s and 60’s; Art Linkletter’s House Party…especially the hilarious segments where he interviews the kids.
As a broadcaster, I always admired Linkletter’s great skills as an emcee and interviewer with a special gift for ad libbing.
I told him as much when he was in Sioux Falls several years ago to be the featured speaker at some huge conference on aging.
Through my job, I’ve had the privilege of meeting and talking with lots of celebrities and am often asked what they’re really like when the cameras and microphones were off.
Well, I can assure you that Art Linkletter was the real deal; as genial, enthusiastic and funny as he was on radio and TV.
Not like Tony Randall who stormed out on an interview with Steve Hemmingsen (probably at that same aging conference) because Steve asked him a question about Felix Unger from The Odd Couple when Randall specifically told him not to.
Anyway, after my interview with Art Linkletter I mentioned that I do a lot of feature stories on Keloland TV and wondered if he’d share a couple of his secrets to making people..especially children..feel at ease and “Say the darndest things.”
“Don’t ever talk down to kids,” he said. “They understand a lot more than most people give them credit for.” “Also, try avoid any question in which they can respond with a simple yes or no answer.
“Basically, though, he said., LISTEN to what people are saying. A lot of guys can talk but paying attention is hard for some to do. Oh, and be nice. Usually, folks will relax and be nice right back.”
Art Linketter was often asked about his favorite comment from a child he was interviewing. But there were just too many to choose from.
One of my favorites was when a little boy revealed that his daddy was a policeman who arrested a lot of burglars. Linkletter asked if his mother ever worried about the risks. “Naw, she thinks it’s great,” he answered. “He brings home rings and bracelets and jewelry almost every week.”
There’s a wonderful interview with Linkletter done just last year when he was about to enter the final year of his life.
You can check it out here.

P.S. A reminder that with our new blog system I have to approve your comment…but only once. So I hope a lot of you regular readers will respond so I can get you checked off. I love your responses both positive and creatively critical.

Warning: To avoid serious burns, possible blindness and severe humiliation, do not open radiator cap when engine is hot. Oh, come on..I thought to myself, they always present the worst case scenario in these automotive cautions. Like when’s the last time a battery actually exploded because somebody didn’t hook up the connections correctly? Besides, I…

  When the sun finally came out Saturday I knew there would be no more excuses; I had to lift my ample posterior up off the couch and out in the garage to fire up the lawn mower. The grass had gotten so high I wasn’t sure the old machine had enough power to wack…

 Steve Hemmingsen stopped by the house one day last week. He was in the neighborhood and could only stay a minute. A couple hours and a few drinks later (Coke for him, vodka for me) he left for home in his giant new pick-up truck that saves gas by burning 85 percent ethanol and a…

  I admit that I don’t follow the news as closely as I used to but how in the world did I miss this one? Minneahaha County Commissioners, according to the Argus Leader, are considering options to sell the Sioux Empire fairgrounds and maybe relocate the event! W.T.H.?? Where did this come from? I’ve seen…

Dentist this morning. I have a lovely young lady that takes the x-rays and cleans my teeth. She’s pretty gentle with me and the experience is more annoying than painful. It’s just an uncomfortable hour of sitting there hoping my stomach doesn’t growl and that the three brushings  I did with cinnamon flavored Crest was…

Way back in the dark ages (1975) I was called into the office of Keloland TV president, Evans Nord. It had been just a few weeks since I’d been chosen to co-anchor the Big News at Ten with Steve Hemmingsen. Oh, god..I thought..this is it, he’s going to fire me. “How ya doin’ Doug? Have…

As most of you who read these scribblings know, it was my privilege to emcee the 2nd annual Rock and Roll Music Association Hall of Fame induction ceremony and concert this past weekend. It was a magical night as the Ramkota Exhibit Hall was filled to capacity with fans of this special era of rock…

  When the doorbell rings at 7:30 in the morning at our house..followed by a rapid knock on the door..my first instinct is that something is very wrong; there’s been an accident or the house is on fire..something like that. Usually, I’m just waking up at that hour but this morning I had to go…

Ah ha…I’ll bet you thought by the title that this was going to be about that heavily tattooed motorcycle building  TV Daredevil Jesse James who somehow wound up as the husband of beautiful superstar,  Sandra Bullock, only to cheat on her with a variety of shadowy tattooed babes..while she was off making Oscar award winning…

“Hi, Doug, this is Marilyn from Doug Amen’s office. We have your taxes done.” That annual phone call is usually like money in the bank because it means a refund will be coming our way. Not this time, though. For a variety of reasons, we have to pay in this year; only a couple hundred…

I’m having a bit of a dilemma as I sit here thinking about writing a comment or two concerning the upcoming election in Sioux Falls; especially the mayor’s race. Just by saying who I’d like to win will surely alienate and infuriate a lot of you who favor another candidate and think I must be…

It’s early Tuesday morning and I’m sitting here in the dark with only the light of my computer screen offering up a soft blue glow to the room. Blue describes my feelings too because I can hear it raining outside and the wind is supposed to start howling again which means no golf with the guys…

I was about 12, I suppose, when our Boy Scout troop took a field trip to Brookings and the home of Arne B. Larson to see his collection of musical instruments from all over the world. I don’ know if you’ve seen the TV show “Hoarders” but they have nothing on Arne B. I remember…

STP What comes to your mind when you see those three letters together or hear them spoken? I picture a motor oil additive that, for years, was the primary sponsor on the racing cars of Richard Petty and Mario Andretti. My grown-up kids, on the other hand, are more likely to associate STP with a…

I’ve never had to be admitted to the hospital. (Excuse me a sec while I search for a hunk of wood to knock on.)  I realize how remarkable that is considering my advanced age and history of treating my body more like a Shriner’s temple than the Lord’s temple..but, aside from a physical every two or…

Can you stand one more story about my old Lincoln..fondly dubbed, “White Lightning”? When the air shock absorber system failed last Fall, it was the last straw; 900 bucks to fix. With the rust growing like melanoma on a mission, a finicky heater, faulty driver-side window, leaky power steering unit and 188 thousand miles, she…

Tell me..what was your first thought when you received a letter from the U.S. Census Bureau urging you to be sure and fill out and return your 2010 census form which will be arriving in a week or so? I believe Linda’s words were “I wonder how they can justify sending out all those letters…

Up until a couple weeks ago, Mary Josephine Ray had been planning her own birthday party but after hanging around this earth for 114 years 294 days, Mary finally gave up the ghost at a Westmoreland, New Hampshire nursing home on Sunday.Mary Josephine RayHer granddaughter says she was a vigorous woman who enjoyed life and active…

Breakfast, according to all the health and nutrition experts, is the most important meal of the day. But not just any breakfast; you need fresh fruits, whole grains, skim milk or yogurt and honey in order to charge out of the starting gate each morning ready to face the new day with a smile and…

I can understand why the post office may be cutting off Saturday mail delivery: it’s losing nine billion dollars a year. No real secret why; if people want to communicate these days they do it electronically rather than spend 50 cents to send a letter by snail mail. Same with bills: I’m probably one of the few who still…

I’ve always been fascinated by history..especially the history of the company where I worked for 32 years. If anybody had a question..or needed information about the station’s background or its early celebrities, I was the go-to guy. I first started rummaging through the Keloland archives in 1978 when I was asked to put together the…

I’ve always been fascinated by history..especially the history of the company where I worked for 32 years. If anybody had a question..or needed information about the station’s background or its early celebrities, I was the go-to guy. I first started rummaging through the Keloland archives in 1978 when I was asked to put together the…

Linda and I are going on an adventure this afternoon…something we’ve never done before…and NO it has nothing to do with a trip to Annabelle’s first..sheesh! What could it be, then, Doug..you ask..tubing at Great Bear? (Not likely since Linda is already medicating to prevent brittle bones and that snap, crackle, pop I hear each…

Every time we visit our desert daughter in Phoenix we make sure to bring along a few Twin Bing candy bars. Bing bars, made in Sioux City, were a favorite of Christy’s as a kid but she can’t find them for sale anywhere in Arizona..which makes her crave them all the more.  I’ve never cared…

Linda Lee Lund..My favorite Valentine Now and Always! LINDA’S SMILE   WAS IT LOVE AT FIRST SITE? I REALLY COULDN’T SAY. I WAS AWESTRUCK BY HER LOVLINESS AND TRULY SWEPT AWAY. BUT BEAUTY IS A FLEETING THING. IT ONLY LASTS AWHILE WHAT WON MY HEART THEN..AND HOLDS IT STILL IS THE LIGHT IN LINDA’S SMILE.…

Wow! Senator Tim Johnson has managed to pull a few strings and direct 200 thousand dollars from a “Save America’s Treasures” grant program towards the on-going restoration of the 84 year old State Theater. It’s a long way from the overall 5.2 million dollar estimated cost..but still. The first movie I remember going to at…

Funny, it was one of those Super Bowl games that I couldn’t care less which team won. When New Orleans finally did pull off the victory, I sort of felt bad for the Colts..but then I’m always doing that: hating to see the stunned and saddened faces of fans, players and coaches. That’s what rooting…

What is the worst song ever recorded? I got to thinking about that the other day as I was driving up to Watertown by myself and scanning the AM radio dial in search of some music instead of sports talk for a change. (Every sports talk radio host can only go about five minutes these…

I’ve had lots of awkward and embarrassing moments in my lifetime. One in particular occurred many years ago when, after a golf game, my two brothers, a friend and I stopped at the Brookings Dairy Queen for refreshments. I, of course, was elected to go up to the window to place our order. (No drive-thru…

Whew! Linda and I are finally back home after our abbreviated sojourn to Arizona. We were very fortunate to have excellent roads all the way..even into Iowa and South Dakota where dozens of vehicles were still sitting abandoned in the ditch and median after trying to negotiate blizzard conditions that existed only hours before.  …

So long, pal.

Build an Ark in Arizona?Noah, Noah,Who’d build an ark in Arizona?Brother Noah built the ark. In came the animals two by two,A couple Gila monsters and a Javelina too.In came the animals three by three,a pair of rattle snakes and a Ky-oat-tee. Yes, folks of Keloland..Arizona is in official panic mode after receiving a couple…

Well, we knew it couldn’t be sunshine and 70 degrees everyday out here in the Arizona desert..and this morning the heavens opened with a rather meaningful rain: a rain that just might hang around all week; bad for my golfing plans but the locals are grateful for any moisture that falls if for no other…

It’s so quiet in our neighborhood here in Fountain Hills that a MOURNING DOVE woke me up today. Actually it was a whole flock of mourning doves perched outside my window singing that mournful rhythmic woo..woo, woo-woo-woo song.I used to be able to configure my hands in such a way that all I had to do…

Sunday was another magnificent day here in the desert; a few low clouds and about 70 degrees outside yet I spent most of it INSIDE. We had daughter Christy over to the condo to share a delicious dinner Linda had prepared then we all plopped down on the couch to digest and watch the NFL…

Received the above from a friend in Sioux Falls this morning which made me laugh out loud. Yes, we are counting our blessings at missing the record snow and cold back home while our biggest concern here is whether or not we need to take a jacket to the golf course. Well, that’s not entirely…

Even though we’re supposedly on vacation, I can’t resist firing up the computer each morning to check out the web sites of Keloland and the Argus to find out what’s going on in our absence back home; and the news just isn’t very good is it? Not only are you facing another round of snow…

A couple weeks ago, I sort of scolded a Facebook friend who was born and raised in my South Dakota hometown, but now lives in Tampa. He was going on and on about how great the weather was there in Florida and how he’d been spending lazy days swimming in the ocean or the pool…

Hello from Gallup, New Mexico! What a day it’s been; four states covered as we continue this year’s frazzled attempt to motor west to Phoenix. A few miles out of Dodge City, this morning we suddenly encounter the remnants of an overnight snowfall that didn’t amount to more than three inches but literally put the…

Well, here we are in Dodge City. Marshall Dillon, Miss Kitty and Festus are no where to be found, though. Linda and I feel like a couple of drovers who’ve been rode hard and put up wet after following the suggestion of my golf buddies to take the short cut through Kansas on our trip…

When I read in the paper this morning that Al Schock had died I nearly fell off the toilet. Now, Al would have liked that joke although he may have considered it a bit too risqué for inclusion in any of his joke or toastmaster books. I’m not surprised he made it to age 89.…

Well, it sure took its sweet time getting here but the Christmas spirit finally showed up at my door Wednesday night. I’ve been more grumpy than usual lately. It’s more than the minute by minute reminders of the big blizzard that’s keeping so many families apart, including mine, this year. I woke up Monday morning…

This is going to be a quickie..but Oh, My Gosh I just realized that all I need is one more entry to post my 300th Lund at Large blog. I need to get it on line before Hemmingsen..who is one post shy of an amazing 800! I’m so grateful to Keloland for this opportunity to…

I’m saying goodbye to an old friend today. “White Lightning,” our 1990 Lincoln Town Car has finally grown tired of being resuscitated and forced me into pulling the plug so she can drift off to wherever big ol’ gas guzzling clunkers go when the cost of filling the empty fuel tank exceeds the appraised value of…

I’m growing a moustache..or at least attempting to.   Now, wait..before you all race to make comments like, good grief Lund don’t you know they went out in the 80’s? Only porn stars and cops wear moustaches anymore…..hear me out.   I’ve never been able to grow facial hair worth a darn. A few patches…

Linda and I have a pretty laid back life in our retirement. She loves to read and I love to be on the computer and watch TV.  A perfect marriage. Last night, we had a dinner date…. without leaving our cozy little house. She fixed a couple steaks and we snuggled up on the couch…

Let’s be honest, shall we?  Christmas to a child is all about the toys.  Oh, I know..your kids are different because you’ve made darn sure that they understand and appreciate the true reason for the season and all that, but once they see those  brightly wrapped boxes under the tree with their name on it..well,…

Ever since H.G. Wells wrote about it, people have been fascinated by the concept of time travel. I, too have dreamed about stepping through a portal to the past to experience first hand what life was really like untainted by faulty memories and flattering recollections.. Well, I’m here to tell you such a place “does”…

We received a lovely gift from our daughter on Thanksgiving this past week..a beautiful bright red poinsettia plant which Linda is convinced she’ll somehow manage to kill off before the family gets a chance to see it when they come home for Christmas.  I don’t know about you but both Linda and I have always pronounced…

I found it somewhat satisfying when, a couple of weeks ago, my pal and fellow Norwegian (although he only claims about a half a pint of Norskie blood) Steve Hemmingsen, wrote a blog which included pictures of a lutefisk feed he attended in Astoria. He actually seemed to enjoy himself and the lye-cured cod fish…

“What in the world are you laughing at?” Linda shouted from the other room. “A commercial,” I hollered back. “Commercial?…you haven’t watched a commercial since we got the DVR.” “I know..but this is too hilarious to skip over. It’s an ad for a new piece of exercise equipment called a shake weight that’s supposed to…

I was brought up believing that if you help out or do something nice for somebody..just do it and shut up about it. So, I’m sort of going against my raisin’ here by mentioning that Linda and I joined with other members of our church last week serving at The Banquet in Sioux Falls. I…

I’m sure a lot of you can appreciate how lucky I’ve been to have had Dave Dedrick as a friend for 35 plus years. After all, I grew up with him on television too..both as a Kelo personality and, of course, as Captain 11. Because of that, many people, who know that Dave has been in…

It seems only fitting that Art Wollmann’s funeral be held on Veterans Day because he was not only a gallant World War II veteran but a hero in every sense of the word. I am one who believes that the word “hero” has been applied a bit too freely in recent years diminishing its meaning. …

Well, wadda ya know..there’s going to be a bit of Indian Summer after all. My old colleague, Gary Weckwerth recently commented on Facebook about the political correctness of using that term to describe a burst of Autumn warmth..but nobody’s ever accused me of being too politically correct anyway so I’ll take my lumps if some…

I fully intended to post this blog on Monday but had to delay because of a phone call I received. It was from Digger calling to say some of the boys were gathering at the Brandon Golf Course for, what could be our last chance to play this season. So, at 12:30, four of us…

I’m watching flocks of robins outside my window pane Gobbling up sun dried berries and shivering  in the rain. Their instinct says it’s time to leave as they fuel up for the trip The branches swaying to and fro offering very little grip.   I love it when robins come each spring but hate it…

Well, it’s that time of year again when, for some mysterious reason, we feel the need to dress up in frightening costumes like monsters, ghosts and witches or George W. Bush…then go around trying to scare the crap out of people. We decorate our homes to look like cemeteries..we take down old glory and run up a…

Looking out my window has me struggling to describe the feelings these gloomy days conjure up. There are the usual ones, of course; dreary, dank, dark, glum, depressing, dismal, despairing, dejected, disappointing and melancholy. But, I think what I feel most is ticked off. My reasons are purely selfish. My golf game was finally starting…

“This could be the last nice day we have for awhile, I’m not going to waste it sitting in the house,” Linda announced as I poured my second cup of coffee and headed for the computer room. “I’ll be out in the back putting the deck furniture away and winterize the plants.” That’s where I’m…

I certainly hope the statute of limitations applies here because I’m about to confess to a crime from my youth that continues to haunt me more than any ghost or goblin ever could this time of year. I’m pretty sure it was in the fall of 1959 because I had reached that awkward age of…

Last Spring around the time of Dave Dedrick’s 81st birthday, he and his lovely wife, Marjean, came down to Skelly’s to hear Mogen’s Heroes play for the big St. Patrick’s Day celebration  that always packs the place. When I got up to sing a couple songs, I mentioned that my old pal Captain 11 was…

It’s supposed to snow in Minneapolis after midnight Friday. Temperatures for the weekend are forecast in the mid forties with nighttime lows around 30. Cold, snowy weather is just as common as Indian Summer in these parts this time of year which is why I’m awfully glad Minneapolis has a dome in which to play…

A couple years ago, Linda’s mom..Mother Mary..gave  me a very special Christmas gift..one that keeps on giving year round. She had noticed how much I enjoyed reading her Reminisce Magazine every time we visited her house in Alcester so she got me a subscription which I really look forward to receiving every couple months because…

“What are you guys doing this weekend?” said our friends the Graves when they called. “Nothing much,” we replied. “For our anniversary, our kids got us a free night’s stay at the Ameristar in Omaha,” they said, “Wanna go along?” “Well sure,” we said. “That was mighty nice of your kids to spring for two…

If the commenter in my last blog was repulsed by references to phlegm ..wait till he (or she) gets a load of this. Linda and I are at war; not with each other..but with a devilish little foe that invaded our home while we were gone for ten days. Behold the enemy!   Okay, I admit that this picture…

 I’m sitting here coughing like a bunch of teenage boys getting their first sports physical. A cold that began prior to our vacation and which I thought was finally going away has returned with a vengeance. Linda is sick too only her affliction presents itself with sneezing, watery eyes, a runny nose and a voice that sounds…

And, just like that..it’s over. 10 days romping around some of the most beautiful places on earth and we’re about to board an airplane and return to the reality of a world where bills are due, a lawn is in desperate need of mowing, there’s laundry to do and we have doctor and dentist appointments…

I’m just going to admit this right up front: I simply don’t have enough adjectives to describe what Linda and I along with 44 other Kelolanders have experienced over the last several days on our Railroading In The Rockies Tour. Sunday morning found us boarding the Rocky  Mountaineer Train for our two day journey from…

Lord, my tootsies are tired. I haven’t walked this much since….well, I’ve never walked this much. But it’s not like I can’t use the exercise. We’re having a wee of a time, though, and seeing some incredible things…including Butchart Gardens on the island of Victoria, BC.  I admit that the idea of strolling around for…

At the risk of boring you to tears like when a relative drags out the home movies..I’m going to post a few pictures from our tour and offer a comment or two…so bear with me. We are currently in Victoria..one of the most beautiful cities we’ve ever seen. We ferried across from Port Angeles, Washington  aboard…

Greetings from the Emerald City. Yes we made it to Seattle on the first leg of our Holiday Vacations journey through the great North American North West.  But our adventure had a rather auspicious start. “It’s 3:30 a.m.….my god, we’re late!”                                                   That was how I awoke Tuesday morning.Linda’s voice pierced the darkness when she discovered that…

I wrapped up my Mogen’s Heroes summer tour with a performance at the South Dakota State Fair in Huron this past week. I retired from playing in the band several years ago but for some reason, John Mogen keeps inviting me back to sing with the guys at their fair gigs; The Sioux Empire, Turner County,…

It was finally chilly enough the other day that I decided to wear one of my Minnesota Vikings sweatshirts (I have two) as I ran a few errands around town. I obviously wasn’t thinking because it was like walking around with a blinking billboard saying “Ask me about Brett Favre.”  Ugh.  “Well..how’d you like your…

Well, here we go..I’m on yet another diet. This time, it’s one that’s worked better for me than any of the others in the past; Nutrisystem. I know..that prepackaged stuff ain’t the real world, but I’ve got to do something before that day arrives when I’m standing in the kitchen scooping out a dish of…

Sure..no sooner do Linda and I come back into the fold by joining the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America after many years absence..than the church gets itself all boiled up in controversy as big wigs of the ELCA get together in Minneapoils..take a vote and  decide it’s okay for homosexuals to become Lutheran ministers..just so…

Jolted awake again this morning by loud noises and roaring engines coming from outside the house. Not garbage trucks this time, though. It’s our neighborhood’s turn to have the streets resurfaced..so the big contraption that dispenses little waterfalls of tar (or whatever that black sticky stuff is) mixed with sand on our avenue..got fired up…

I started feeling a little homesick on Friday which is odd since I haven’t lived in my ancestral home since 1965. I’ve been back to Volga many times since then, of course, but I’ve never really made time to check out some of the places that were such a major part of my life as…

Dang! Les Paul has died.  Okay, he was 94 and in pretty good health and playing music right up to the end..but it’s still sad to have yet another legend leave us. My personal connection to Les Paul is in a guitar that bears his name which I’ve had for over 40 years.  There’s quite a…

Saturday  afternoon and the summer everybody’s been waiting for finally showed up.. along with humidity high enough to bring on flop sweats by simply bending over to tie your shoes. Linda and I along with our friends, the Graves, had planned to have a picnic where we could enjoy a bit of wine..cheese and a…

Just ask Linda; the last thing I need is an excuse to spend more time at the computer. But, thanks to Facebook, that’s just what I’m doing.  I know, I know..Facebook is nothing new but I figured it was mostly for kids to interact on the internet until my daughter got me hooked up a…

Well, it’s come down to this. My creativity lapse has led me to stealing ideas from other writers. At least I’m swiping from one of the best; James Lileks. One of his recent columns in the Star Tribune featured a kid named Adam who had come up with, what he thought was, the coolest new…

Wow..what a writing slump I’m in! I’ve tried to scribble a few things together over the past few days but then decide its all redundant tripe or just plain crapola..so I give it up… hoping that something better pops into my head or in the headlines that’s worth a comment or two here. But lately..nothing.…

rac·ism AC_FL_RunContent = 0; var interfaceflash = new LEXICOFlashObject ( “http://cache.lexico.com/d/g/speaker.swf”, “speaker”, “17”, “15”, “”, “6”);interfaceflash.addParam(“loop”, “false”);interfaceflash.addParam(“quality”, “high”);interfaceflash.addParam(“menu”, “false”);interfaceflash.addParam(“salign”, “t”);interfaceflash.addParam(“FlashVars”, “soundUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fcache.lexico.com%2Fdictionary%2Faudio%2Fahd4%2FR%2FR0007100.mp3&clkLogProxyUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fdictionary.reference.com%2Fwhatzup.html&t=a&d=d&s=di&c=a&ti=1&ai=51359&l=dir&o=0&sv=00000000&ip=d06b2594&u=audio”); interfaceflash.addParam(‘wmode’,’transparent’);interfaceflash.write();   (ra’siz’?m)     The belief that race accounts for differences in human character or ability and that a particular race is superior to others. Discrimination or prejudice based on race. Come on..let’s be…

Lund At Large My heart is broken and I’m disappointed to the point of gloom…all over a game of golf. But not just any game of golf..this was the  British Open, considered by most to be the most prestigious golf tournament in the world.     Many figured this year’s event in Scotland would be…

That noise you hear coming from the Keloland countryside is the sound of corn, soybeans and alfalfa growing. I know that some farmers have suffered hail and wind damage because of all the storms passing through over the last several weeks but in the fields that have been spared, I don’t remember ever seeing such…

I used to love going to movies. Now, not so much. I’ve written here before about how my desire to see a new film has been tempered by the actual movie-going experience.   First, the cost of tickets and treats causes my jaw to drop from sticker shock. Then, despite, pleas from the theater management…

Shhhhhhh….don’t say it out loud or you might jinx it..but after many..many attempts it appears our talented Keloland webmaster, Jonathan, has figured a way to get rid of  most of  that spam that’s been infesting our blog world. I’m not talking about that mystery meat they pulverize and squeeze into square tin cans at a…

It usually doesn’t take me long to zip through the Argus Leader each morning. I guess I’m not all that interested in the things the Argus thinks I should be like the latest medical acquisitions of our illustrious billionaire banker, Denny Sanford. But something on the front page this morning nearly caused me to fall…

Just back from another mini vacation..or “stay-cation” as some might call it. The cell phone stays in the glove compartment and the computer remains in the case…okay, I did have it along but only fired it up once. I’ve written here before how much Linda and I enjoy our annual summer sojourns to Watertown..me for…

Now would be an excellent time for congress and the president to get things done in Washington without a lot of media scrutiny. The death of Michael Jackson has news operations putting just about everything else on hold..and that will likely be the case until Jacko is planted.   The many faces of Michael Jackson. Which one…

One of the real joys of retirement is being able to wake up each morning naturally (or in my case by nature calling) without a screaming alarm clock jarring us into consciousness. Every morning except Monday, that is. Monday is garbage collection day and apparently everyone in our part of town subscribes to a different…

I caught a whiff of cigarette smoke on the golf course the other day and it immediately triggered memories of my father. Dad was only 70 when he died 32 years ago. I say ONLY 70 because as I get closer to that age it doesn’t seem so old and by today’s life expectancy standards,…

Linda and I are babysitting today..well, Linda is babysitting..I’m sitting here writing about it offering to do my part as soon as I’m finished which is why I may be dawdling some. But it really is great to have a little kid running around the house again looking for the toys and music boxes she…

    I don’t know how in the world I ever got to sleep at night before television. While most people require absolute quiet and darkness to achieve a proper night’s rest, I have to have a little light and a little noise to lull me into slumber. I’m not sure if it’s a basic…

Our desert daughter, Christy, arrived here last Sunday evening from Phoenix.  Linda and I went to pick her up at the airport and sat double parked outside the baggage claim..waiting. (It’s great that Allegient offers non-stop flights in and out of Sioux Falls..but they really should figure a way to speed up the process of…

Seeing that nice young man from Mission, South Dakota hit the big Powerball jackpot reminded me of a story I wrote a couple years ago after another big money prize had been claimed. Since we’re in to Summer re-runs (or REPEATS as we used to call them) I thought I’d  do a REPOST for those who…

“Hey, Doug..you and Linda want to join Joanie and me at the Alpine for a drink?” said my pal Denny Graves when he called one evening a few days ago. We usually get together with the Graves’ at least once a week, but I could tell there was a different tone in his voice this time..almost…

Sorry, it’s been awhile since my last entry. I’ve started several blogs in the last couple days concerning a few issues that I find troubling but then had to ask myself, “Do you really want to go there?” So I’ll try to be brief. Monday, General Motors finally filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy. Usually, that…

  Like manna falling from heaven kept the desert-roving Israelites from starving to death in the old testament, Linda and I have just received a blessing from on high too; a pair of Social Security bonus checks totaling 500 dollars for…well, I guess I don’t know why. Perhaps it’s just a little something from Barack…

To be honest, I wasn’t sure how many would actually show up at the Shrine Mosque in Sioux Falls Sunday evening for the very first South Dakota Rock and Roll Music Association hall of fame induction ceremony and dance. (whew, such a long title..gotta do something about that) After all, it was Memorial Day weekend..plus…

After 33 years of interviewing people FOR Keloland News..I’M the one who’s being interviewed BY Keloland News this time. My old pal and colleague, Perry Groten, has me up with the roosters Saturday morning to talk about the South Dakota Rock and Roll Music Association Hall of Fame induction ceremony at the Shrine Mosque (Formerly…

“Alright, Douglas,” said the nice policeman, (nobody calls me Douglas anymore except for Linda when she’s torqued at me about something) “just sign here and you can be on your way.”   On my way with a careless driving citation in my hand after sitting in the front seat of his Crown Vic for an…

I don’t know about you but hardly a day goes by that I’m not reminded of that September morning in 2001 when terrorists crashed 2 hijacked airliners full of passengers into the World Trade Center..causing the twin towers to come down as the world watched in horror on television. Every time I see a program…

Whether it’s an aroma..a sight..or a sound..our senses are sometimes able to trigger a memory that’s so real it’s as if time travel was actually possible.  For many of the baby-boomer generation, all that’s needed is to hear a song from the early days of rock and roll to be transported to a ballroom somewhere..…

Just think..fifty or so years from now, a little farm girl in Kansas may get a nasty bump on her head from a flying door during a tornado and slip off into a parallel universe where her only desire will be to get back home to her Auntie Em..short for Emma or maybe Emily.  Dorothy just…

“Mr. Lund,” said the always cheery voice of Becky Otto when she called me from KELO a few weeks ago, “ Jay was wondering if you could stop down and see him at the station when you have a chance.” Jay is Jay Huizenga..the President and General Manager of Keloland. My ample stomach immediately began…

As the weeks wind down to the South Dakota Rock and Roll Music Association’s Hall of Fame induction ceremony May 24th at the Shrine Mosque (formerly Arkota Ballroom) in Sioux Falls, here’s a closer look at two more of the groups who were selected to be included into the first group of inductees. In the late 1950’s,…

I was startled out of sleep early this morning by the sound of slamming car doors and the shrill voices of women talking rather loudly as they walked by just a few feet away from my window. Okay it was 8 o’clock..but still..when you’re a retired guy who desperately needs all the beauty sleep he can…

    Little GTO, you’re really lookin’ fine Three deuces and a four-speed and a 389 Listen to her tachin’ up now, listen to her why-ee-eye-ine C’mon and turn it on, wind it up, blow it out GTO. I never owned a GTO like Ronnie and the Daytonas sang about in the their 1964 hit…

Keloland Television’s Captain Eleven may have been the only man with the power to control time..but those of us involved in the newly formed South Dakota Rock and Roll Music Association are making an effort to rock back the clock to the roots of rock and roll music in South Dakota. Seven bands who played a…

How does a former Mitchell, South Dakota cop, earning less than 20 bucks an hour, end up deciding how to spend the multi billion dollar fortune of New York’s notorious “queen of mean,” Leona Helmsley?   Well, it’s one of the perks of being the late hotelier’s grandson. 32 year old Walter Panzirer is one of four…

I guess one of the sure signs that you’ve crossed the line from middle age to geezer-dom is when people keep sending you e-mails about it. For instance, here’s a list someone sent me just the other day:You start saving nuts, bolts, nails and screws in little glass jars. You keep more food in the…

I was 15 when Alan B. Shepard became the first American to fly in space. I remember being a bit disappointed that his flight was intended to only last 15 minutes and not to actually go into orbit like the Russian cosmonaut had already done.  We had to wait until John Glenn’s mission in February of…

  Aside from church and the Brandon Golf Course, I don’t belong to any clubs or organizations like the Rotary, Lions or Optimists. I did, however, accept an invitation last year to become a member of theSouth Dakota Rock and Roll Music Association board of directors. Being an old rock ‘n roller myself, I have a…

Depending on the moon’s cycle, Easter can fall anywhere between late March to late April. Unfortunately, this year it has fallen on the same Sunday as the final round of the Masters Golf Tournament..which means I’ll be sharing my celebration of Jesus’ resurrection with Phil Mickelson’s birdie putts on the tricky greens of Augusta National.  I’m already…

Every year around this time, I think about one of the most fascinating interviews I ever did for Keloland News. It was with a Dr. John Jackson..who took part in that famous scientific examination of the Shroud of Turin in 1978.  Jackson, along with 40 other scientists, were granted permission by Catholic Church leaders to carefully conduct…

I’ll be the first to admit that I know little or nothing about insurance..other than I’m required by law to have some of it on my house and car. To me, insurance salesmen have always ranked right up there with Jehovah Witnesses on my “duck around the corner when I seem ‘em coming list.”  I…

People of the world UNITE! Shut off all your lights and electrical appliances Saturday evening between 8 and 9pm local time (or 8:30 to 9:30 depending on who you ask) because it’s EARTH HOUR. Just think, if you hadn’t checked out Lund at Large today, you might have missed your chance to participate in this…

In the summer of 1965, one of my jobs at Cotton & Company grain elevator was to stuff 100 pounds of fluffy oat hulls into burlap bags..stitch them shut with a sewing machine..stack them up five high on a wooden cart and wheel them into the warehouse.  Next to scooping out moldy grain from underneath the…

WOW! South Dakota State University 90Texas Christian University       55 Apparently I wasn’t the only one who missed a good portion of the South Dakota State Women’s incredible debut in the NCAA tournament Sunday night. We were under the impression their game against TCU in Buddy Holly’s hometown of Lubbock Texas was going to be televised by…

Best as I can figure, I’ve owned just 16 cars in my lifetime and still have four of them. I’ve told you before about my inability to part with vehicles until they’ve lost all trade-in value and are in such bad shape they could be written off as totaled if the gas tank is about empty.…

I used to enjoy going to the grocery store. Now..not so much. I just get mad.  Food shopping has gotten like buying gasoline last summer: you know you’re getting ripped off but there’s not a dang thing you can do about it. When the cost of food shot through the roof last year, we were told it…

Snow..cold..gusty Northwest winds..blechhh.It’s March so what did you expect..sunny, mild, bird-song singin’ zip ah dee do dah days until we slip gently into Spring? I don’t think so..not around here anyway. No, the month of March is like Lucy holding the football for Charley Brown to kick. He knows she’s probably going to pull it away at…

Well, unless Governor Rounds pulls a fast one like he did on the abortion ban, smoking in every public place..except a couple cigar bars..will be banned as of July 1st.   Thank god. The wishes of the many have triumphed over the rights of the few.Now people can stop worrying about catching cancer or having a heart attack…

(I don’t intend to make a habit out of doing blog re-runs but someone the other day asked me about this one I wrote a couple years ago so I decided to give it a second go around.)  What are you giving up for Lent? We Christians love to ask that question and compare the degrees of personal sacrifice…

It’s a long drive between Sioux Falls and Phoenix..lots of time to spend listening to the radio.  For some reason, (I can’t imagine why) Linda and I enjoy the oldies stations best. We must not be the only ones because no sooner would we drive out of one station’s signal range than we’d press the scan button…

It’s Tuesday already and I’m still in a quandary over what say in the blog.   I suppose it would make more sense, then,  to just not write anything at all rather than ramble on. But I have found that rambling does sometimes lead to an occasional idea or two. I know what I’d “like” to…

I don’t get that many calls. The only time I’m sure the phone will ring is at home when I’m in the bathroom or in church on Sunday right in the middle of the pastor’s sermon where he’s just about to explain a crucial element of sanctification by grace. Brrrrring..Brrrrrring..”Oh, dear lord,” I say to myself while…

It doesn’t take much, these days, to send me drifting off into some trance-like state where even forty year old memories can pop into my mind as fresh as the smell of this morning’s coffee.  Everybody daydreams, I suppose, but these journeys of mine are like self hypnosis. It happened the other day as I…

  There should be lots of you reading the blog today as you sit huddled at home afraid to leave the house because it’s…well, you know, FRIDAY THE 13TH. I’ll probably stick close to home too but it has nothing to do with being superstitious, I just don’t have anywhere to go.  That’s not to say…

I watched some of President Obama’s news conference last night and quickly realized I should have paid more attention to the teacher during high school economics and bookkeeping classes because nothing he was saying sounded familiar.  I kept thinking, isn’t this like a guy in debt up to his eyeballs, trying to get a few more…

Bzzzzzt! “My gosh, it still works,” I thought to myself as I waved my old coded  ID card in front of the little black box outside the Keloland parking lot and the gate slowly rose to let me in. It had been a few months since I’d paid a visit to the TV station where I spent so many…

I know, I know, this is a day late..but in the spirit of Hemmingsen’s National Day of Apology, I would like to extend a belated “I’m sorry” to the Arizona Cardinals football team..its fans and everyone who lost money wagering on the Super Bowl.Kurt’s obviously not superstitious but I am It’s all my fault; the…

Alas, the time has come for us to point the big ol’ Lincoln Northeast and head back where we belong; the land of cold and ice and snow. This vacation has been wonderful but there’s something unnatural about two South Dakota marshmallows dodging all the responsibilities of winter in order to wallow in the warmth…

If you’ve just finished eating or are about to start..I apologize in advance for the following: I was reminded this week of an old joke about a Norwegian gentleman using an outdoor toilet. As he was pulling up his pants, some change fell out of the pockets and down the hole. He then took a five…

I suppose some of you might be wondering if I have anything to say about the torch being passed in Washington on Tuesday or if I’m just going to continue writing about cats. Probably cats. Reporters and commentators have pretty much exhausted the English language trying to come up with just the right superlatives to…

    Well, that was a startling start to the morning. As I stumbled into the kitchen in my bare feet, I accidentally stepped on one of the cat’s tails and in a fraction of a second all of her feline genetic juices kicked in. Her ears instinctively went back tight to her head..she fell…

  I always hated it when people would travel to warm places for their winter vacations and send back postcards of bronze women in bikinis dipping their toes in the tepid blue-green waters of a tropical ocean. Or of guys in short sleeve shirts and plaid Bermuda shorts playing January golf on a stunningly beautiful…

  There have been a few changes in this beautiful town of Fountain Hills, Arizona in the year since we’ve been here. Oh, the air is still much purer than in the valley below and the community still doesn’t allow street lights so the stars shine gloriously bright in the night sky. The local residents,…

Whew! It was getting’ a little rough over there at that other blog; kinda personal too. Let’s try starting fresh here. I always expect a certain number of readers to get their undies in a bunch whenever I post something political but the one on Al Franken being certified winner of Minnesota’s tight U.S.Senate race…

  “Saturday Night Live” will probably be remembered more for the catch phrases that came out of the show than the belly laughs it generated. Ie: “Never mind", "Isn’t that special," "I live in a van down by the river," "We just want to pump you up," "Yeah, that’s the ticket, " "Schhhwingg," I"’m getting…

    Is it ever okay to tell a lie?   I certainly hope so otherwise, Linda and I had better get fitted for asbestos underwear because we’ve been unloading some whoppers for the last several weeks.   As I mentioned in an earlier blog, our desert daughter, Christy, couldn’t make it home for Christmas…

  I’m not big on making resolutions.   The times I have vowed to start doing something or stop doing something at the beginning of the New Year usually lead to self loathing by the first of February. So I simply choose not to set myself up for failure and disappointment.   Instead of New…

In the immortal words of Ronald Reagan, “Well, there you go again.” After an 0-2 start to the season, I had no illusions that the Minnesota Vikings would have the power to suck me back into the fold, especially with that Jackson guy as quarterback. But little rays of hope did return when he was pulled…

When John Gruseth first stepped off the ship’s gangway onto solid ground once again he still had his sea legs and felt a bit wobbly. It had been a long rough voyage across the Atlantic in late December and he was mighty glad to be standing here at Trondheim Harbor on Christmas Eve day 1906. As he…

If you’re allergic to corn, or are diabetic, stop reading now!It’s about to get awfully corny and sugary sweet around here. As I close in on my 62nd Christmas, I got to thinking about which ones have been the most memorable. The first Christmas I have any recollection of at all was in 1949 when…

Call it Karma, fate, coincidence or irony but no sooner do I write about the patience and perseverance of our pioneer ancestors during the long winter of 1880-81 than my own winter survival ability is put to the test. The story actually began a couple weeks ago when I received a letter from Midcontinent Communications which…

Sorry.It’s been a while since my last entry and I have no excuses other than..well, let’s see, I’ll blame the weather. Nothing dulls my senses or freezes-up the creative juices more than a few days of skin-cracking cold with snow and a 35 mile an hour north wind thrown in for good measure.We’ve been living like…

Whenever I’m out and about (which isn’t that often these days) invariably, someone will ask if I ever see Captain 11 (A.K.A., Dave Dedrick) anymore.  Well, the answer, I’m ashamed to admit, is “no.”   Linda and I drove by their house a few times this past summer hoping to spot Dave and Marjean sitting out…

Oh no! Barack Obama still sneaks a cigarette from time to time. Am I one of the few people who had no idea that the President Elect has smoked cigarettes most of his adult life and that recent attempts to quit have, by his own admission, not been entirely successful? I’ll bet if my golfing…

Even though I don’t have to punch a clock anymore (figuratively speaking, of course,) I’m still not a big fan of Mondays. Especially Mondays like this one; cold, grey and cloudy with snow in the forecast. What really got me in a grumpy mood, though, was not so much the weather but discovering that the…

I was getting worried.Just three weeks before Christmas and I still wasn’t in the Christmas Spirit. Back when I was a kid, all it took was a slight stimulation of any of the 5 senses; “hearing” Gene Autry singing about Rudolph the red nosed reindeer during Ray Loftesness’ Holiday Inn program on KSOO Radio. “Seeing”…

I’m just now starting to thaw out from spending the better part of an hour blowing the 1.5 inches of snow from my walk and driveway..along with some of my neighbor’s sidewalks. It’s times like this when I’m reminded of my Norwegian heritage; not because of my stout hardiness in cold weather but for being too…

“I know you but you don’t know me.” I still hear that a lot when people bump into me at a restaurant, bar, some social function or when we’re traveling.   After 33 years of exposure on Keloland TV, folks have always figured they know me well enough to come over and say Hi..and I love it. The…

It was six a.m. when Linda and I staggered groggily into the kitchen to get things going for the Thanksgiving meal which we and 25 others would be sitting down to in 6 and a half hours. First things first; get a strong pot of coffee started while the oven is heating up to 350.…

  About 42 million turkeys, which, let’s face it, aren’t the most beautiful bird in the world with a head like a vulture and body of a peacock, will be elevated to the rank of superstardom this week as they are sacrificed, stripped clean, brined, baked, broasted or deep fried and proudly presented before family and friends to…

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Linda and I did something yesterday we haven’t done in a long, long time.  (Oh, please, clean it up!) We went for an afternoon ride in the car. Not just any car..but our old white Lincoln..the same one I used to haul leaves in a couple weeks ago.    I’m sure this will sound strange…

One of the great luxuries in my life is the DVR (digital video recorder) that’s part of my cable TV package. Because of it, I’m able to record programs like NASCAR racing in high definition and zip through all the boring parts of a four hour race in about an hour. Believe me, there are…

As most anyone who knows me is well aware, I’m a charter member of the procrastinator’s club. So writing a story about a veteran on the day AFTER Veterans’ Day would be totally in character for me..Lund’s late again. But the truth is, this time I waited on purpose in hopes of giving this particular vet some…

I was back on television over the weekend! No, KELO didn’t call and ask me to fill-in on the news or anything like that. In fact, I never had to leave the house. Our son, James, as promised, sent us one of those little high definition cameras to hook up to our computer. After a…

Oh my God, Linda…I have a Charlie horse in my thumb! That’s what woke me up this morning; the painful sight of  watching my left thumb curling up like a rattle snake about to strike. Then, as I was rubbing the inside of my left hand I noticed I could hardly open and close EITHER hand.…

Forget the headline..today’s entry really has nothing to do with comments on Sunday’s football games..well, nothing other than the Vikings managed to make me yell at the TV again  as they tried their very best to  give away a 14 point lead. But they didn’t and the Colts beat New England last night so all…

Halloween was always fun and exciting for me as a kid..well, except for that one year where some do-gooder in the church convinced my and most every other child’s parents that instead of going door to door trying to extort as much candy as possible, we should trick or treat for UNICEF.  Thankfully, that only…

By the time some of you read this..the cold, rainy, windy, snowy 2008 World Series may mercifully be over. If the  Tampa Bay Rays lose they’re probably just glad the thing ended so they could shake off the biting chill of  late October baseball in Pennsylvania and fly back home to the healing warmth of…

“It’s just too hard to skate with you, Doug,  you’re too short..sorry.” I still remember the sting  of those words from Bethany Anundson..a girl from our  neighborhood in Volga who was a year ahead of me in school.  She was also an excellent roller skater and had agreed to help teach me the basics at…

Bulletin:  Hog farmers in Minnehaha County were shocked to discover that their pigs had suddenly sprouted wings and taken flight. Bulletin: Word from the nether region is that the fires of damnation have been extinguished and Hades is now enveloped in ice. Bulletin: The Sioux Falls City Council has UNANIMOUSLY agreed on something. Okay, now…

As I sit here looking out my window, I see the trees bending over in the cold October wind..trying unsuccessfully to hang on to their dying leaves just a while longer. There’s a steady rain beating against the house. It makes a tapping sound and the droplets are sticking to the glass which can only mean…

I know it’s not as important today but when I was young one of the key requirements to finding success in broadcasting was to have a great voice. One of the finest radio and television voices that I ever heard fell silent this past weekend when Tony Dean (DeChandt)  died way too young at his…

I have to admit that I wasn’t too thrilled when, on November 7th, 1992, our daughter Brenda and her husband Dale announced that they’d decided to name their newborn son, “Tucker.” I was worried that insensitive classmates would one day tease him..using words..one in particular..that rhyme with it.By November 9th, though, Tucker’s name was the least…

“Hey Doug, you’re the trivia master,” our friend Alona said when she called this week, “Who sang the song Be my baby?” (She’s right, Hemmingsen and I used to be pretty darn good Trivial Pursuit players. In fact, when the board game first came out in the 80’s; our Keloland team usually scored high at…

I took some more political heat from my golfing buddies Thursday; buddies who are still dumbfounded at the notion of my still intending to vote for Obama next month.  “You gonna watch the debate tonight?” Bob said. “Yeah, I suppose.” “You just wait, Palin’s gonna kick Biden’s butt.” (only he didn’t say butt and from…

Okay, Wild Bill, I’ll get out of DeadwoodThe vote was unanimous; on our annual excursion to the Black Hills this autumn, Linda and me along with our traveling companions, Denny and Joanie Graves, were going to get off the beaten path and go places and do things we hadn’t done in years or never at…

  Well, Linda and I have been off an another of our cost-saving “stay-cations.”  We and our traveling partners, Denny and Joanie Graves are on our annual pilgrimage to the Black Hills..allegedly to drink in the beauty of the season..and it IS beautiful..but in reality it’s to drink up the local wine and to give…

Ever since I watched Hal Holbrook’s incredible portrayal of Mark Twain on a CBS television special in 1967, the idea of seeing his performance in person has been on my bucket list; you know, things you want to do before you kick the bucket. Well, I can now scratch that one from the list thanks…

My dad was one of the million or so guys who suffered a broken arm trying to crank start a Model T Ford. Long before cars had electric starters, the only way to fire up the four cylinder engine was to turn it over manually using the crank provided in front. Trouble was if the…

I’ve been a fan of Garrison Keillor’s “A Prairie Home Companion” since 1982. I used to plan my Saturday’s around the two hour public radio show, especially the weekly monologues in which he rambles on for 20-30 minutes about life in the fictitious small town of his youth, Lake Wobegon, Minnesota. It wasn’t until Keillor…

Funny the interesting things one can discover when one leaves the house to do something besides play golf. Such was the case on our recent weekend in Lincoln, Nebraska. Our daughter, Suzan had taken Friday afternoon off so that we could pick-up granddaughter Zoey from her new school, Cavett Elementary,  and perhaps arrive early enough…

As November 4th inches ever closer It dawned on me that we’re about to have the twelfth new president in my lifetime. I decided to share some thoughts and memories with you about the first eleven. Harry S. Truman (The “S” didn’t stand for anything) I was born several months after Truman inherited the presidency…

I put on my Minnesota Vikings sweatshirt last night, popped a can of diet cream soda and settled-in on the couch in front of the TV to watch the Vikes finally put a can of wop-ass on the Green Bay Packers. Instead it was another case of Childress confusion as the head coach spent the…

It was not a fight, really, Linda and I don’t have many of those, thank God.  But when one of us does something wrong..okay ME..things tend to get real quiet in our house. Such was the case Friday morning as we approached the scheduled departure time for our weekend in Lincoln. I had promised, the…

Bill Connor died this week and I was shocked at the news. I just knew that even though the leukemia he fought off before had returned, he would lick it again. I first met Bill Connor 8 or 9 years ago. He called me at Kelo wondering if I’d be interested in featuring his new…

“Sanford emergency.” “Yes, this is Linda Lund.  I think my husband needs an ambulance.” “What’s wrong?” “Well, I’d rather not say.” “Please..we have to know the nature of his affliction.” “It’s kind of embarrassing.” “What do you mean?” “Well, we were watching America’s Funniest Home Videos and when a fat lady tried to break a…

Linda and I were out with some friends the other night and a couple people, who recognized me from my TV days, stopped over at our table to say hi. As I approach two years of retirement, that sort of thing happens less and less these days. I’m fine with that but I’d be lying if I…

My mom sounded a little like one of those carnival sideshow barkers as she opened the bedroom door to wake my brothers and me from our slumber; “hurry, hurry, hurry, come on boys..time to get up and a movin’. We don’t want to be late for the fair.” It was still dark outside but my dad…

                                                                                                                                                                                  I was born to trod the boards to hear the roar of the crowd to have the smell of  greasepaint in my nostrils. The only ones who knew how talented an actor I was, though, were the friends I played with as a kid.  They would marvel at the site of me swimming around the dock in front…

It had been a restless night; up every two hours to do what a lot of old guys have to do..especially if they consume a beverage or two before bedtime. My last call of nature was at 6:30a.m. so I just decided to stay up..make some coffee and read the paper. An hour later I’m on…

I talked with two of my granddaughters in Lincoln, Nebraska on Sunday to wish them well on their first day of school this week. 6 year old Zoey is starting the first grade while 18 year old Allison is one of the fresh new freshmen at the University of Nebraska. She arrived on campus over the…

When John Mogen called me about playing drums and singing in his band, Mogen’s Heroes, back in 1988, I hesitated…unsure of being up to the task. I’d have to fill the shoes of Scott Klaverkamp who’d been Mogen’s Heroes’ first and only drummer and who could sing all the high notes. I’d heard the group…

Years ago our Aberdeen bureau reporter for Keloland was reprimanded for what might be considered to be multi-tasking to the extreme. A viewer spotted him in the news vehicle on his way to cover a story.Not only was our guy speeding but he was also smoking a cigarette, drinking a cup of coffee and had the newspaper…

As I sit here at the computer this morning, my still ample-size stomach is growling away like Ol’ Yeller at the end of the movie just before they shot him. I’m hungry. I’m also angry. For some reason, the Atkins experiment has become the Atkins discouragement. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not giving up on…

Lund at Large My back is really aching after playing golf every day this past week. It’s not that I want to play so much, you understand, I’m retired and it’s the law. On several occasions recently, my friend Denny Graves and I have teed ‘em up. We play to about the same handicap and have tested…

Linda absolutely loves the summertime. In fact, she starts fretting about it being over on the very first day it begins because the summer solstice means that days will start getting shorter again and before you know it..bam..it’ll be time to unpack the bulk knit sweaters and start planning Christmas dinner. For me, the sure…

The first time I ever set foot into the Keloland building in downtown Sioux Falls, where I would eventually spend so much of my life, was…I think…in 1961. My cousin and I were there to audition for a locally produced program called Okoboji Varieties. I don’t remember too much about the show except it featured…

Linda dared to invaded my little corner of the house this morning;  it’s where  you can find me most any time of the day when I’m not on the golf course or in front of the TV. It used to be Christy’s room but since she hasn’t lived here for 13 years, I decided, after…

As my friend and I were riding home from the golf course a couple weeks ago, we were tuned in to Rick Knobe’s program on KSOO radio. Rick was doing an interview with Senator Tim Johnson. It was a very difficult thing to listen to. The senator, as everyone knows, nearly died from a brain…

I’m not sure if it was guilt over my anti-wind generator rant here earlier this week…or just a natural curiosity..but I rode my motorcycle over to Falls Park on Wednesday to check out the arrival of sun-powered cars taking part in the North American Solar Challenge race from Texas to Calgary. (they spell race r-a-y-c-e..like…

Brrrrrrrrring! “Good afternoon, Keloland news.” “Uh, hi. This is Doug Lund, could I speak to the general manager please?” “Doug who?” “Lund..I used to work there.” “Okay, Mr. Lind, I’ll connect you.”   “No, it’s Lun….” “Hello, this is Jay.” “Jay..it’s Doug.” “Doug……ahhhh?“Lund!” “Oh, yes, Doug. What’s up?” “We’ll I’ve watching the marathon coverage on…

    I watched the movie “Giant” the other night.  Hadn’t seen it since I was a kid when I thought it was just about the greatest movie ever. It starred Rock Hudson as Bick Benedict, an early 20th century Texas cattle baron who believed that cows were a better more respectable way to earn…

The grass is always greener….in somebody else’s yard. As I write this, a young lady from the South Dakota Extension Service is circling our house taking pictures of my sad looking lawn.During the spring, Green 4 Ever sent soil samples to SDSU for analysis to try figure out why..with an irrigation system to take care…

Did you ever think when the hearse rolls byThat  you might be the next one to die?They wrap you up in a clean white sheetAnd bury you down about six feet deep. The worms crawl in the worms crawl outThe worms play pinochle on your snout. They eat your clothes they eat your hatThey crawl…

Doug, what I try to do is begin each story with a sentence or two that will get people’s attention; arouse their curiosity so they’ll want to read on. I like to end a story the same way, perhaps with a turned phrase or touch of irony that will leave the reader with a smile…

Okay..after another 14 percent drop in the stock market last week I’m really thinking about pulling out what little money Linda and I have left in our shrinking retirement fund and putting it into something that might keep us from having to move in with our kids. (I’m not sure if they’d take both of…

I got used to seeing a lot of dead bodies at a very early age. My aunt, Leila, was married to longtime Volga mortician and Brookings County coroner, Conrad Lee. He was in charge of picking up the person who had died, making arrangements with the families and embalming the bodies. She handled the job…

Sorry it’s been so long since my last scribbling here but Linda and I have been on vacationwith our friends the Graves. I know what you’re thinking..you’re retired..your whole “life” is a vacation. That may be true but we sure enjoy our getaways each June with Denny and Joan. We made good on our threat to invade…

I’ll be getting my new ATM card in the mail within a few days. I drove up to make a withdrawal from a machine this past week and discovered that it was no longer in amongst my other cards and cash that I always carry in my front pocket. At first a little panic came…

When author Thomas Wolfe titled his final book, “You Can’t go Home Again,” he didn’t mean it literally, of course, because that’s just what my brother, Denny, and I did this past weekend for the annual Volga “Old Timer’s Day” celebration.  Way back when, there must have been a younger member of the city council who…

I was pretty nervous the first time I met Linda’s Dad, Len Trudeau, at a family picnic in Alcester 28 years ago. I’m sure the fact that his second-born daughter was dating the likes of me..a twice divorced Norwegian Lutheran..caused him more than a little concern. But he knew who I was from watching me…

Les Paul turned 93 this week. I’m guessing a lot of you..especially those of you under 40..haven’t the remotest idea of who Les Paul is. That’s too bad because he changed music forever. In 1941, Les Paul pioneered development of the solid body electric guitar which made rock and roll possible. He also invented the 8…

I can’t believe it..Summer begins in just a few days and I keep waiting for Spring to get started. Each Sunday, Pastor Haugrud, at our little rural church called Springdale, offers up prayers that God will grant favorable weather for the farmers in our midst. It’s not very often around these parts that the Almighty…

Stop touching me.You stop touching me. I’m not. You are too. (pinch) Ouch! (pinch back) Stop it Dumbo ears. Make me.. upside down ears. (shove, pinch, hit..wailing cry) That’s usually when my red faced Dad would hit the brakes, pull our 1953 Mercury over to the side of the road turn around to my older brother and me in the…

Ah, yes..another rainy Monday.  Looks like golf is out again. I knew I should have mowed the yard yesterday. Dang! It’s on days like this that I get lost on the internet. It’s called surfing, I guess, but it’s more like one thing leading to another. I’ll see something about Harmon Killebrew and google his…

Ugh!   May used to be my favorite month of the year but after having a fourth straight golf outing called off because of weather..either too cold, too wet, too windy or a combination of all three, I’ve about given up on it. As I was sitting here feeling sorry for myself, I got to…

Well, it’s been a month on the Atkins low carb diet for me now and I haven’t thrown myself in front of a moving pickup truck yet or snuck off to the B&G Milky Way for a large blackraspberry malt. I’m getting used to apologizing in public for my stomach which is constantly growling like a…

We had just seen our granddaughter, Allison, at her graduation open house a few hours earlier but as all 529 Washingon High School seniors slowly marched onto the Arena floor to the familiar melody of Pomp and Circumstance, a whole row of proud family members, including Linda and me, were on our feet straining to…

For the last 23 years, Linda and I have made it a point to celebrate our anniversary in late June by taking a road trip somewhere. They’ve all been fun but some more memorable than others. For example, in 1987, we managed to talk our bosses into letting us have three whole weeks off at once…

It’s been a pretty busy week for this old retired guy.Wednesday Linda and I went to the retirement party for three Patrick Henry teachers, including our longtime friend and music mate, John Mogen.John has been teaching your kids to sing and to play an instrument for 32 years from Parkston to Lennox to Sioux Falls.…

Sometimes it’s best to keep your opinions to yourself. I didn’t and it appears to have cost me the respect of my golfing buddies. (As if I had any in the first place.)   Our Tuesday golf outing at Brandon had to be cut short after just nine holes “again” because of cold and rain and…

Psssst..hey buddy, I’ll give you fifty bucks for that beautiful brown caramel roll. Do you know where I can score some potatoes? How about a few lines of powdered sugar?   Yup, you guessed it. I’m on the Atkins Diet again and after just one week I’d crawl across the street in my underwear for anything made…

"Geeze, it sure would be nice if we could hear how we sounded," my cousin said after a 1961 practice session at our house. With our electric guitars cranked high, we’d spend hours trying to figure out the right chords and correct Everly Brothers harmony for the latest rock and roll hit songs. "I hear Larsen’s Music…

It wasn’t meant to be a Kentucky Derby party. Our friends, Denny and Joanie came over  Saturday to help us hang a ceiling fan in my computer room.  By "help" I mean Denny actually does the work. It turns out, though,  we didn’t have the proper bracket so it’s a job that will have to wait…

Dear Readers. A few weeks ago, I wrote about a former Keloland co-worker I identified only as "J." After suffering a stroke 15 years ago she was left unable to speak or move below the neck. "J" had made a conscious decision to end her life. I can tell you now that her actual name is…

  Remember that robotic voice you’d hear when the National Weather Service would break-in radio or television programming to issue severe weather warnings? No, I’m not talking about Jay Trobec. This voice had..and maybe still does have.. an androgynous monotone not unlike the Conehead characters when they say, “we’re from France.” Thanks to advances in…

"What’s the patient’s name please?" "America..U.S. America." "Is that with a K or a C?" "That would be a C." "Okay, what seems to be the trouble with America?" "Well, she just hasn’t been herself lately, doc. She used to be so beautiful…inside and out.  In fact, that’s what we called her, America the beautiful. She…

“Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittensBright copper kettles and warm woolen mittensBrown paper packages tied up with stringsThese are a few of my favorite things." I haven’t seen the movie, "The Sound of Music" in years..so why is that song running over and over through my head? I like the tune okay but can’t possibily…

I suppose a headline like that could get me kicked right out of Springdale Lutheran Church just a week after joining. But get your minds out of the gutter, people, I’m talking about women who are involved in motorsports..not as trophy girls but drivers. 26 year old Danica Patrick would be welcome as a trophy…

Even though I’ve been away from it for a while now, I still read the web sites and blogs that focus on the business of television news and what I’m reading a lot about these days is the inescapable conclusion that the expensive Katie Couric experiment on the CBS evening news has been a magnificent failure…

  “Hi Dad..good to hear from you,” my daughter, Suzan, said when I called Saturday. “How are you doin’? I asked. “Well, I’m a little frazzled, she said,  because I haven’t gotten our taxes done yet.” “You haven’t? You’re getting money back aren’t you..why wait until the last minute to file?” “Daaaaad..you’re a fine one…

  I saw a strange sight today; a robin just outside my window..shivering in the icy wind and as she surveyed her frigid white surroundings, there was a look of disgust on her face. She actually seemed on the verge of speech. “I told him it was too early to go back to South Dakota..but…

I detest tests. Always have.   I do okay at crossword puzzles or games like Trivial Pursuit which challenge one’s basic knowledge, but when it comes down to the real deal for important stuff, like a driver’s license exam or applying for membership in the Mensa Society (kidding)  I freeze up like a raccoon in…

  Well, here it is..Monday. The city election is tomorrow and I still haven’t decided who I’m going to vote for. Or is it whom? Ah, whom gives a darn?   Linda and I live in the Northeast district which has had a real growth spurt in recent years..more of a growth gusher, actually. Unlike…

  This is one of my favorite Normal Rockwell illustrations. It shows that even the greats can occasionally run out of ideas. I’m certainly not comparing myself to Rockwell, but it’s good to know that he’d get stumped once in a while too when faced with a deadline…real or self made. As I was looking…

  I received a letter from an old friend today; a letter that left me stunned at first..then angry then terribly sad because it would be the last time I’d ever hear from her again. In the e-mail, sent to several former colleagues, J. said she has decided to end her own life. And I,…

In his blog, Hemmingsen Weighs In, Steve has written about Captain 11, Dave Dedrick’s, 80th birthday bash at Champs Friday night. The following are some photos from the party.Happy Birthday, Pal!"I thought we were just going out for burgers," said Dedrick upon entering the surprise party room with wife MarjeanLongtime friends Ray (brown sweater) and…

Sounds like Linda and I could be moving.   She saw the story in the paper this week about the Van Epps mansion being up for grabs and she would love to grab it.   We’ve lived in the same neighborhood in our same little ranch house since we got married ah..let’s see…twenty…ah…twenty four?…yeah, 24…

Its okay for me to occasionally bad mouth a member of my family but when someone else does it, well, they’re in for a fight.   A year or so ago, the people who make decisions at Keloland TV invited some of South Dakota’s better known political bloggers to present their various points of view…

“God created the month of March to give people who don’t drink a chance to feel what a hangover is like.”Garrison Keillor Another dreary cloud-filled March day here in the part of our world we like to call Keloland. Like a lot of you, I’ve accepted the reality that March is going to be windy,…

"Hello, my name is Doug and I’m a tv-aholic." "Hi Doug." (responds the coffee-slurping crowd through clouds of cigarette smoke.)   There, it feels good to finally get that off my chest and fess up to a condition I’ve had since childhood…when dad brought home our very first television set (a Caphart, black and white of course) in 1953. …

In the summertime most homeowners follow a strict code of conduct as to how early in the morning you are allowed to fire-up the lawn mower or any other noisy yard-care equipment so as not to disturb those who live around you.  After 9:00 a.m. is okay, any time before that is just being..well, unneighborly.…

(Sung to the tune of "On Wisconsin")   Onward Volga, onward Volga, you’re the school for me. When we battle (fill in name of opposing town here) high school, happy we will be. Onward Volga, onward Volga, fight them for your fame. So fight, fellas fight, fight, fight to win this game.   I’ve had…

I’ve been perpetuating my own reputation as a procrastinator this week by not making any blog entries for a few days. The truth is, I’ve started quite a few then decided to take some time to cool off before writing something I’d regret later. A lot of things in the news this week, though, have got…

“Hey Doug, you gotta come over to the studio and do a story on this guy from Lemmon…you won’t believe it.”   That was a call I got nine years ago from Will Prines who operates “Creative Communications” in Sioux Falls and who has produced and recorded the music of many very talented people since…

The internet never ceases to amaze me…or get me into trouble with the little woman. I start out most every morning telling Linda I’m going to my computer to come up with some ideas for my next blog. Before I realize it, though, I’m engrossed in one thing..which will lead me to check out another…

“I don’t trust anybody who doesn’t look me square in the eye.” We’ve all heard people say that because making eye contact with others as we speak or listen does show that we’re being truthful in what we’re saying and interested in what we’re hearing. The trouble is, a lot of us Norwegians are naturally…

I’ve been having real weird dreams lately. It usually involves me being late for something. Now, Linda might say, well, that’s not a dream it’s how I really am and she’s right, I do procrastinate. In fact, I’m the poster boy for putting things off until tomorrow what I could have done today. It drives…

In the last few days, two well known institutions of higher learning in South Dakota have taken on a new look…a leaner, meaner appearance that, according to the image makers, will not only boost the pride factor at each respective school but also strike fear into the hearts of their rivals on the field of…

  “Boy it sure got cold last night.” “How cold was it?” “It was so cold that the town flasher ran up to a woman and described himself.”   As I sit here at my computer desk looking out the window, it’s hard to realize that on the other side of the glass, just a…

I was with several other members of the senior class at Volga High School who had just finished eating lunch in the school cafeteria and were slowly drifting back to the study hall for a few minutes before our next class. It was Friday and, as usual, hard to concentrate on school work with the…

All my life, I’ve had this thing about cats; I don’t like them all that much. It’s not that cats are particularly evil or anything it’s just that they seem to have this superiority complex and condescending attitude that I find annoying and, yes, intimidating. When I was a boy, I remember a stray cat…

Howdy folks..   Ah bet y’all were fixin’ to call out the police figerin’ that yer trusty ol’ blogger had been abducted  by aliens around Roswell,  New Mexico or had ventured a mite too close to the Mexican border at Juarez  and wound up in the back of a truck headed off to an avocado…

I’ve been looking around trying to spot some of the hundreds of celebrities that are in Phoenix for the Super Bowl and the FBR pro golf tournament but haven’t seen a one. Perhaps that’s because Linda and I rarely leave the peace and tranquility of this lovely town called Fountain Hills. Located a dozen or…

We South Dakotans may have to put up with pesky disease carrying mosquitoes and those annoyingly noisy cicadas that screech from the treetops each summer. We may have to live in constant fear that a deer or raccoon will decide to end it all by scampering out onto the road directly front of our car.But…

Alzheimers  has claimed another victim..an old friend and fellow broadcaster, Ken Hirsch. This awful disease started attacking Ken’s brain several years ago stealing away the Ken we all knew..little by little until he no longer knew us.   My first exposure to Ken Hirsch was watching him doing sports and weather on the brand new…

When he was the popular Keloland weatherman,  Dave Dedrick could get by with saying a lot of things on the air that no one else could… then or now. I loved it when he would say stuff like, “It’s going to get cold tonight.”  Then Hemmingsen, Burt and me would all respond off camera in…

Hillary stopped by the other day. She showed up fashionably late for a rally at a Phoenix high school talking about health care and the need for America to start setting goals again. That disappointed many in the crowd of 10 thousand who wanted some answers on the mortgage crisis which is blamed for about…

Wednesday: Lincoln, Nebraska to Kearny, Nebraska..our first day out.  13 degrees, snow, 40 mile an hour wind..near blizzard conditions at times but we press on. Thursday: Sterling, Colorado. Six below zero. It’s coldest weather I’ve experienced in years. Car groans to a reluctant start in motel parking lot. (Thought I’d write something for the blog…

CAN’T WAIT TO TRY OUT MY NEW "TREE" WOOD ON VACATION.  YEAH, THAT’S ME WITH A BUTT FULL OF PINE NEEDLES.Just in the nick of time, the Lund’s (without a new dog) are scootin’ Southwest for our own little exodus to the Arizona desert.   Linda has been packing and repacking for several days now…

“Honey, what would you say about us getting a dog?”  “I’d say you need to open the garage door if you’re going to run the motorcycle in the wintertime.The fumes seem to have affected your thinking.""No, come on, I’m serious.  Now that we’re retired and home a lot, wouldn’t it be kind of fun to have…

My brother, Denny, and I look an awful lot alike. But that’s pretty much where the similarity ends. He’s always looked for the opportunities and challenges of life. I’ve always been reluctant to take risks. When I started being recognized from television, people would often mistake him for me..which, I would imagine, became rather annoying.…

"I, Angelique,Take you, Michael,To be my husbandTo have and to hold,From this day forward,For better, for worse,For richer, for poorer,In sickness and in health,To love and to cherish,’Till death do us part."     Linda and I were among those sitting in church that day, in 1994, when her niece, Angie, said those words as…

I was always amazed at which stories would get the greatest response from Keloland viewers. I once did a Lund at Large about the little things in life that drive me crazy. One of those frustrations was trying to separate a single filter from the stack of filters so I could brew up my  morning pot…

“What should we do tonight? I asked Linda. “I don’t know, what do you wanna do?” “It’s New Year’s Eve, I suppose we should celebrate somehow.”   For most of my adult life there was never a question about what I would be doing the last night of December. I’d be playing drums with the…

So I went ahead and shelled out an extra $3.50 a month to Midco Cable in order to get the NFL channel back and be able to see all those important football games at home instead of the bar. Now I find out the NFL has caved-in and will not only allow Saturday’s big game…

1959 was perhaps the most interesting year of my life. I was 13 and it was a year of discovery..if you know what I mean.   It got off to a rough start when less than two weeks after my birthday, we heard on the radio that Buddy Holly had been killed in a plane…

I see TBS is going to run one of my favorite movies of all time, A Christmas Story, 24 hours straight again..that’s 12 times non-stop beginning Christmas Eve.   I was one of those who actually went to see the film when it first came out in theaters in 1983 and have seen it at…

I’m just dreading the next trip to the doctor for my two to five year annual check-up.   It’s not the snap of the latex glove and instructions to bend over that has me worried. It’s the look on his face when he checks my chart and says, “Do you know how much weight you’ve…

Linda and I have a mixed marriage.   She was raised Catholic and I, of course, grew up in the one true faith..Lutheranism.   Alright, don’t get your choir robes all in a bunch..I’m just kidding.   I appreciate the traditions of all denominations but some of them can get pretty tight which, among other…

There have been two times in my life that I was truly afraid this country was done for. The first was in October of 1962 when President Kennedy had ordered a naval blockade to stop Soviet ships that were carrying nuclear weapons into Cuba. The two great superpowers had finally brought the world to the…

"December 7th, 1941. A date which will live in infamy."

“Just when I think I’m out they pull me back in.” *Michael Corleone, Godfather III   It’s probably not a good idea to compare myself to a mobster..even if it’s a movie mafia mobster… but I know exactly how Michael Corleone felt when, in spite of his best efforts at going straight, he just couldn’t…

I feel like an ostrich lately: burying my head in the sand to shut out the world. I know, I know, ostriches really don’t stick their head in the ground to escape things but..they do sometimes duck into the bushes to hide or just lie down and wrap their useless wings around their body..apparently trying…

In my 32 years at Keloland I guess I did stories on just about every kind of collection you can imagine. From caps, cars, tractors, (both real and toy) beer cans, dolls, Elvis, Avon, trains (both real and toy)McDonalds stuff, Vikings stuff, Packers stuff, clocks, dishes, pheasant feathers, outhouses, barbed wire and hundreds of other…

I was awakened early this morning by a thumping noise coming from the basement followed by a faint sound that reminded me of the bell that teachers use to call kids in from recess. There has been a little criminal activity in our part of town lately and my first thought was, “there’s a burglar…

Besides gorging on fantastic food to the point of explosion, Thanksgiving Day in my youth was always exciting because after the feasting, there was a chance the adults would choose me to be one of  the kids to pull on the turkey wishbone and maybe..just maybe.. have the larger section snap off on my side…

“Honey..do you care if I drive up to Brookings for the day?”   “What’s in Brookings?”   “Well, I’d like to spend some time with Kim Ode…a gal I’ve had a crush on for 25 years.”   “Oh, well go ahead then.”   That’s sort of how the conversation went between Linda and me last…

Do you have trouble falling asleep at night? I have the answer; my dad’s home movies of Yellowstone National Park. Trouble is, I haven’t figured out how to market them to all you insomniacs out there yet.   We made that family trip to Yellowstone in the summer of 1956, I believe. I just remember being…

One of my favorite TV shows growing up in the fifties was “The Millionaire.” It wasn’t a reality show like today but a half hour drama series that ran for six years. Each week an eccentric billionaire, John Beresford Tipton, would give a total stranger a cashier’s check for a million dollars..tax free. Tipton apparently…

Thank you!

I love going to cemeteries. Not for funerals but just to hang out. On a nice summer day I can spend hours in the peace and quiet of a cemetery walking amongst the tombstones, especially the real old ones, reading the names and dates trying to figure out the stories of those who lie a…

  I’ve learned a couple things during my first year of retirement.   1)      Playing a lot of golf has not made me a better golfer. 2)      Living on a fixed income is a pain in the place where I sit down.   The comment Linda and I always used to make when faced with…

I was a pretty good shoe salesman in my day. Yes, for those who don’t know, I was the real Al Bundy for about three years prior to worming my way into broadcasting.   I actually enjoyed it because I had a good product to sell, a good selection from which to choose and a…

  I’ve never been influenced much by national month designations. Oh, I might eat a little more ice cream in June because it’s dairy month..or at least that’s my excuse for eating more ice cream. But I don’t spend a lot of time in March contemplating women because it’s women’s history month. I don’t need…

My favorite neighbor has died.   “The Neighbor Lady,” Wynn Speece, never lived within 100 miles of my house in Volga but she showed up every day anyway …on the radio.. and was a constant companion to my mom and thousands of other homemakers and farm wives.  “Hello good friends” was her on-air greeting for 64…

In all my years at Keloland, I only got royally chewed-out by my bosses a couple of times..and both had to do with comments I made on the air about so-called works of art. The first was after I had been sent to cover the unveiling of a new water fountain in the center court…

When my bosses at Keloland decided to allow me the opportunity to write this blog, I hadn’t planned on letting it get as personal as it has occasionally become. But I’ve found that telling you stuff that has absolutely nothing to do with my years on Keloland news is not only enjoyable for me but,…

There’s something about three days of cold rainy weather that can really put you in a bad mood. So bad that even a surprise victory by the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday can’t shake it entirely. Linda got up this morning..took one look out the window..muttered something about building a big boat and then decided to…

“How are ya doin’ sonnybuck?”   That was the usual greeting I’d get every time my first father-in-law saw me..which was quite often in my  years of marriage to his step-daughter from 1965 to 1972.   Byron was one of the best-natured people I ever knew. He had a huge smile that stretched from ear…

I know a lot of you fall in love with fall…but not me.   You can romanticize all you want about this time of year calling it “Autumn” but it’s still Fall and plants are dying, birds are leaving, it’s getting cold out and I find it all depressing.   While others point to the…

I know where I get my love for cars..from my dad.   After retiring from a career in construction, dad shocked a lot of us when he started scouring shelterbelts and attending auctions to find parts for Model T Fords. Then in our tiny garage, he spent hours and hours restoring and reassembling them. Everybody…

I’ve had a couple of seemingly sure-bet investment opportunities in my lifetime..opportunities that could have taken a lot of the financial stress out of early retirement had I found the money to follow through on them.   The first was about 11 years ago when our daughter Christy first moved to Phoenix. She along with…

A couple weeks ago, Grant Peterson interviewed Dave Dedrick, Steve Hemmingsen and me for his radio program. We had a great time talking about our years together in broadcasting at Keloland TV.Grant has made audio of the program available on his Brookings Radio website.Here’s the address: Click here to listen in. If you listen..be sure…

I try to understand other people’s point of view..I really do. But this latest attempt at creating an uproar over the state’s 2 million dollar purchase of an 8 year old airplane to replace a 29 year old airplane really has me scratching my increasingly grey-haired head.   Many, including a political poster on this…

  “Vegetarian is an old Indian word meaning lousy hunter.” Red Green   Alright..alright..you vegetarians don’t get your rutabagas in a stew, it’s  only a joke.   Here’s another joke that I read the other day and thought was pretty funny: “Eating less meat could help slow global warming by reducing the number of livestock…

Okay, I admit it from the start..I’ve never been a fan of Dan Rather..even before he decided to bite the CBS hands that fed him with a 70 million dollar lawsuit claiming he was made a “scapegoat” in the news story that led to his departure from the network.   I never felt he was…

Every time I see my proudly Norwegian cousin Marty Gruseth Erickson, she asks if I’ve read “Giants in the Earth” yet and gets a little frustrated every time I have to tell her “No I haven’t.” It’s the famous novel written in the late 20’s by Ole Rolvaag about Norwegians coming to America and enduring…

                         Does the long arm of the law finally have a head lock on O.J. Simpson? It would appear so after the former football star’s latest demonstration of his belief that the law doesn’t apply to him. This time, O.J. got caught on audio tape as he and a couple of other thugs went to retrieve some O.J.…

No matter what Brookings Radio host, Grant Peterson says, I do not put myself in the category of “legend” in the broadcasting business..but I know and worked with a few people who are and on Friday we got a chance to sit together in the sunshine sharing stories, laughter and all the Nick’s hamburgers we…

Look out world, the Big News Team is on the loose and on the air..one more time!   Ever since I retired..gosh, nearly a year ago already, Grant Peterson, a longtime broadcaster himself, has been after Steve Hemmingsen, Dave Dedrick and me to come on his radio program and reminisce about our years together at…

Well, here it is another Patriot Day. What does the government think I should I be doing to commemorate 9-11..the reason Patriot Day was created?  Should I pause a moment to remember the three thousand killed by terrorists six years ago? I don’t need anybody to tell me to do that. Should I make sure…

Shhhhh.  Can you keep a secret?   There’s a beautiful little out-of-the way spot just east of Sioux Falls where you can go for a picnic, a quiet walk, or do some historic exploration. The best part? It’s free and hardly anybody goes there or even knows it exists! You’ll have the place pretty much…

Ever heard of “global dimming?”   Neither had I until I watched  “NOVA” on PBS last night.   I thought it might be about the sun running out of gas or something but the science program was actually pointing out that  tiny airborne pieces of  soot, sulphur and ash along with thin clouds from airplane…

One of Sioux Falls most popular eating establishments just won’t be the same after next February. Carolyn Downs, executive director of “The Banquet” for the past 20 years, is retiring.   Keloland’s Lou Raguse did a nice story on her the other day but it’s hard to sum up the career of a person like…

Kevin and Tina didn’t have to use a computer dating service to find out if they were right for each other, they knew as soon as they met a year and a half ago on the campus of South Dakota State University…probably at the fitness center. Sports was their common denominator and both were already…

  Sometimes when I have a hard time falling asleep, I close my eyes and imagine that I had just won the Powerball Lottery Jackpot and 300 million dollars. Oh, man…what would I do with all that money? I know it’s not very Christian to have such fantasies, “the love of money being the root…

It couldn’t have happened at a better time. My kid brother, Tom, and his wife from New Jersey (ya gotta problem with that?) were coming back to South Dakota for 9 whole days. That would mean lots of time for lots of golf..and I was ready. My older brother, Denny, is just starting to heal…

Alarm clocks that had sat silent since late last May, suddenly rang to life early this morning jarring kids out of a deep slumber and forcing them to face the reality that their three month period of hibernation has ended It’s back to pencils, books and teacher’s dirty looks. In a few homes, the start…

Aside from being from South Dakota, what does former senator, George McGovern have in common with Pat O’Brien, Cheryl Ladd, Catherine Bach, Mary Hart, Tom Brokaw and Captain 11? Give up? Well, hold onto your hats folks, McGovern is soon to be immortalized as a bobblehead. On Wednesday evening at the Sioux Falls Canaries baseball…

Well, maybe not “animal”..but I have been spent the last couple weekends on the party circuit.   Pretty tame ones, though, no loud music or heavy drinking and most everybody kept all of their clothes on. The first was the annual Phil and Roberta Trooien lawn party at their farm a few miles west of…

What is it hey? Why it’s Buttercup..popcorn.Add sweet cream butter to hot popcornmix it up, wrap it up, buttercup is born.It’s delicious, so nutritious, it’s a taste delightIt’s so munchy, crisp and crunchy, you’ll enjoy each bite.Eat Butter drenched Buttercup, popcorn at its bestServed in a king sized cup.It beats all the rest.Okay, anybody else…

“How’s my miracle lady today?”   That’s been the cheery greeting from the doctor this week as she enters my Mother-in-Law’s hospital room at Avera Mckennan ..a room that  Mother Mary will be vacating later today.   That’s right! Two weeks after the family had been called together in the intensive care unit to consider…

It was one of those surreal moments when I first saw the breaking news from Minneapolis last evening of the I-35 W. bridge collapse. It’s so close to home and a structure most of us have been over hundreds of times. Knowing how busy that highway is, especially at rush hour, my first thought was…

“People have tried and tried but sex is not better than sweet corn” (Garrison Keillor, “A Prairie Home Companion”)   I don’t know if I’d go that far, but I certainly have to agree with the bard from Lake Wobegon, that dining on fresh sweet corn with butter and salt is about as pleasurable experience…

Aside from worring that the Russians could start a nuclear war at any minute and blow us all to kingdom come, the fifties was a great time to be a kid..especially a kid who loved baseball. If we weren’t playing the game on some makeshift ball diamond, we were thinking about it. Back then, most…

Last Friday, another family that’s been spending a lot of time in the Avera Mckennan ICU waiting room got the bad news that their loved one..a young man in his early 20’s, had lost his battle with leukemia. Amid their sorrow…just a few feet away..our family was rejoicing after the doctor for  my 83 year old…

It’s a real privilege that Keloland allows me this space on the website to share some of my thoughts and memories with you. I hadn’t planned on it being used for daily updates on my mother-in-law’s condition but so many people have indicated that they keep checking the blog for news. Many of you don’t…

Dear Lord..please grant me patience…and grant it to me NOW.   That’s an old joke I probably read in a book of church humor somewhere but there certainly is some truth to it..in my case anyway.   Most of you have gone through what we are going through now: waiting..and waiting..and waiting in the hospital…

As most of you probably know, I’ve been married before. Well, okay, twice before. Lucky for me, Linda has stuck with me for 23 years now..and we both figure it will probably work out.I only bring  this up  because, contrary to what comedians like to joke about, I have gotten along great with all my mothers-in-law…espcially Linda’s…

I had a blog all written out earlier this week containing some personal thoughts on the upcoming execution of Elijah Page. I write these things out on the computer and was in a hurry as I was copying it over to the Keloland web site and somehow hit a wrong button and the entire column…

When I used to go on CBS promotional junkets for Keloland TV to places like New York and Los Angeles, it gave me a chance to meet representatives of other network affiliate stations from around the country. Invariably the conversation would get around to ratings. Most were delighted if  their local newscasts could muster a…

It would be like Christmas without lefse (Norwegian version of a tortilla only made from potatoes) if I didn’t see at least a short fireworks display on the Fourth of July. So, tonight just before dark, I’ll try drag Linda, who doesn’t share my sentimentality about tradition, off to some public fireworks show. A few…

After longtime CBS news anchor, Walter Cronkite returned from a trip to Vietnam in 1968 and reported his observations on the air, many people began to change their minds about that war. Cronkite concluded that our military leaders were not telling us the whole story and U.S. involvement in Vietnam, in his view, could no…

On the road again, like a band of gypsies we go down the highway.We’re the best of friends, insisting that the world keeps turning our way.Willie Nelson Big motel disappointment while on family vacation in the fifties….no indoor toilet.   Big motel disappointment while on family vacation in the sixties…no TV.   Big motel disappointment…

Do you believe in miracles?   Well, I’m here to tell you that Linda and I witnessed one first hand last night and we’re still reeling from the experience.   We don’t see our good friends, Dave and Marjean Dedrick as often as we should. It’s always a fun time when we get together, especially…

He wasn’t daddy or papa or pop or father..just Dad.   Harry Lund would have been 101 this year and it’s 30 years since he died but I still think of him every day and see his face every morning in the mirror.   Like most boys of his era, Dad left school after the…

Mention the word "wizard" today and kids automatically think of Harry Potter and his magic wand-toting pals at Hogwarts.But in my generation there was only one Mr.Wizard and he made Saturday morning television magical in millions of homes across America in the 50’s and 60’s.Don Herbert was born in Waconia, Minnesota but went to college in LaCrosse, Wisconsin…

Hindsight really is 20-20…or maybe 20-60. But the fact is, I see things about my growing up years a whole lot clearer now than when I lived them.   As a kid, I remember thinking how my parents, dad especially, seemed to favor my two brothers over me. I was the middle son..not the first-born…

At the age of 35, my uncle, Private  1st Class Raymond Lund, would have been considered the old man of his outfit, Company C. of the 357th infantry. Most of the soldiers who climbed over the side of their ship and down the rope ladder to waiting landing craft below on D-Day, were 10 to…

I can see the headline now..   “Former Keloland News anchor, Doug Lund, jailed for watering violation.”   “I couldn’t figure out how to program the dumb automatic sprinkler controls,” Lund was quoted as saying as he was being lead off across his beautiful green lawn in handcuffs early Saturday morning. “He’ll have plenty of…

  “So, how’s retirement going there then?”  Are you “enjoyin’ all that free time you have now-ah days?”   “Do you wish you were still on the TV? Bet you’re glad to be done with those crazy hours, huh?”   “Retirement must be treatin’ you right..looks like you haven’t been missing any meals..ha, ha, ha.”…

    When it was first conceived after the Civil War, Memorial Day..or Decoration Day as it was called for the next 100 years, was supposed to be a time for paying tribute to Americans killed in war. In my lifetime, though, it’s come to mean honoring “all” who have died by making trips to…

(Two Norwegians on their first visit to South Dakota)   “Doss da vind alvays blow dis vay?” “No, I hear dat sometimes it blows da odder vay.” I know, I know, windy days are all part of the great South Dakota living experience but, like me, it’s getting old. I’m tired of worring about the huge…

Taylor.. Dale.. Smith. They called out the name of our oldest grandson and in a matter of seconds he walked across the stage, received his high school diploma and turned his tassel over all as Linda and I sat in the crowd at the West Central gym sort of stunned wondering where in the world…

Happy Independence Day!   I know, it sounds like I’m posting this a little (several weeks) early but if you happen to have a few pints of Norwegian blood running through your veins, you know that the 17th of May is Syttende Mai..celebrating the day in 1814 when Norwegians drew up a constitution and declaration…

“FORTY SIX DOLLARS AND FIFTY SIX CENTS!”   That’s what it cost to fill-up yesterday and it made me so angry that I wanted to lash out at somebody.  Linda was in the car but…it was Mother’s Day. There was the young girl working at the Canton convenience store (where the crime took place) who…

  “Why do you always have to wait until the last minute to get things done?”   Although she died over 11 years ago, I can still hear my mother’s voice scolding me again for that flaw in my character.  It’s a flaw I’ve never been able to shake even as I sit here trying…

 When I read that former astronaut, Wally Schirra, died of a heart attack this past week, my thoughts immediately took me back about 15 years ago when I was chauffer to this American space pioneer.   Schirra was one of our original seven astronauts and the only one to fly in all three manned space…

I’m fat   There I said it.   I believe some people, including me, are predisposed to be fat. That’s not an excuse, just an observation that I’m sure Jaine Andrews could confirm from some of her Healthbeat reports..especially her on-going saga of Patrick Deuel, the Valentine, Nebraska man who came out of the chute fat…

Some exciting moments at our house this past weekend…over rabbits!. First, on Friday, my wife noticed that those (expletive-deleted) backyard bunnies have been feasting away at the bark of our lilac bush. She’s okay with rabbits taking up winter quarters under our deck but not if it means they’re going to kill off our favorite…

I confess, I’ve been living a lie for the past couple years. Remember all those times Jay Trobec and Angela Kennecke would tease me on the air about how the weather might affect my golf game or that I should play hooky from work to indulge my passion for the sport? Well, the truth is…

    There are a few certainties in life; the sun will come up in the morning, the Vikings will never win a Super Bowl and Ratt Reno will be live on the air every day playing traditional country music at KXRB Radio. Ooops..forget about that last one.  At 67, my old friend and broadcast…

  Those of us who spent a long time in the news business would always cringe whenever we heard a reporter say, “A parent’s worst nightmare.” It has become one of those overused phrases like “an accident waiting to happen” or “lucky to be alive.”  Yet, in the aftermath of what has occurred this week,…