Victoria MN Newspaper

To the Editor:

The house you were raised in was built very similar to ours, which was built in 1954. Mom was expecting twins. She already had three, and they were living in a duplex. That's a bit small small living quarters. Our house was a 1 and 1/2 story, four bedrooms, 1 full bath, 2 half baths. It's been remodeled in 1972, 1988, and 2000, and then sold in 2004. The garage was built in 1958. Dad's blind Uncle Alex Meuwissen built both.

We had birch cupboards all over with a blond finish, plaster walls, real wood floors that were nailed in and no nail head showed. When the house was remodeled in 1972, a room was added to the kitchen and the basement was added on. I remember being seven years old, sitting in the kitchen, and the digging equipment digging in the ground in the backyard.

The house color was originally light blue with yellow trim. In 1988 it got new windows and gray siding and brown trim. The house is still gray and brown. Ten kids in that house. The master bedroom was above the kitchen. My brothers Jack and Greg and Dan slept there. It would be noisy with pillow fights, loud stereo blasting, BB gun blasting. Once there was a mattress fire. The boys had taken the lamp off the desk and stood it on the mattress when Mom wasn't home. It started to smoke and they shoved it out the window. At a cousins' wedding 25 years ago, the older brothers reminisced their mischief. and Mom said, "Ach, where was I? When was that?" I wasn't born yet or too young to remember.

When the brothers were roughhousing, Mom would send Dad to settle them down. He'd say, "Do I have to come upstairs? Sometimes he would stomp a foot on the steps to make it sound like he was coming upstairs. That made them quiet.

Dan, Jack, and Greg were hippies. Jack's ponytail was the longest. Greg and Dan didn't wear a ponytail. Larry, Alan, Dave, and Gerry didn't wear any long hair. It was groomed. They all had heinie haircuts done by Mom and the electric clippers. Mom trimmed us girls, trimming the bags with masking tape.

The '50's, '60's, and '70's seem like last week.

Kay Meuwissen

Chaska, Minnesota

To the Editor:

Xcel Energy is visually inspecting its electricity transmission lines in Minnesota and in eastern North Dakota and South Dakota by helicopter. The inspections are scheduled to last three to four weeks.

Transmission line inspections are part of Xcel Energy's ongoing system maintenance to ensure safe reliable service to customers.

Xcel Energy's transmission lines stretch across southern Minnesota from the Wisconsin border to the South Dakota borders, cross the central portion of the state from the Twin Cities to the St. Cloud area, and continue northwest to the North Dakota border, and span an area from the Twin Cities north to the Canadian border.

The helicopter flights enable crews to look for defects or loose fittings. Trouble spots that could cause power outages will be identified and later repaired.

The patrols, which began Sunday, May 4th, will occur during daylight hours, and the helicopter will fly within 50 feet of the lines or hover near a transmission structure if something needs a closer look. Typically, the flights are conducted at speeds of 30 to 45 miles per hour.

Data collected will help Xcel Energy reduce the number of equipment-related outages on its transmission lines. Xcel Energy maintains more than 7,200 miles of transmission lines in Minnesota and neighboring states. The helicopter flight schedule is dependent upon weather and other factors.

Thomas Hoen

Xcel Energy

Minneapolis, Minnesota

To the Editor:

Hi, Sue. We have lived in Victoria for 22 years and raised four kids in our great community. Our son, Joe Giambruno, a graduate of Chaska High School, is co-owner of Bad Weather Brewery, a local craft beer company. They have had some great success, and last weekend they won Brewers Best at the Rochester Craft Beer Show.

I thought since Bad Weather Brewery is owned by Joe, who grew up in Victoria, that it may be something to report on. Their website is badweatherbrewery.com and they have a great facebook.

Needless to say, we are proud of what they are doing and what they have accomplished thus far. I think you would find their story interesting. Thank you, Sue.

Steve Giambruno

Victoria, Minnesota

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