Peggy Soucek sat in the living room of her Litchfield home last week with a copy of her book, “A Snowman’s Path.”
Peggy Soucek looks through the pages of her new book. Soucek said the brightly colored illustrations were the key to the book. She did the drawings several years ago and finally decided that she needed to find the words to go with the pictures, leading her to write “A Snowman’s Path.”
Peggy Soucek’s new children’s book combines Bible passages with accompanying pictures of “silly snowmen.”
It's good to challenge yourself. That's what 67-year-old Peggy Soucek of Litchfield did when she opted to publish her first children's book.
"A Snowman's Path" combines the author's sense of humor and love of God into one slim volume of 26 pages. Although its billed as a children's book, Soucek said adults would enjoy it, too, because "they are really funny and people get a kick out of the things these silly snowmen are doing."
"I never thought I'd ever do a book," she said. "I had these pictures that I drew and they were all the same. The snowmen were doing different things in life — flying a kite, riding a boat, swinging on a star, having a latte, you name it. Anything you do in life, these snowmen do, too."
Soucek had the watercolor pencil drawings of snowmen in a drawer for 6 1/2 years. It was this past December when she decided she couldn't stand it anymore. She had to do something with them.
"I got the inspiration from my granddaughter, Allison. When she would stay overnight, she'd grab the same book, 'The Mommy Book,'" Soucek said. "Each mommy was doing something like my snowmen. It was so simple that she could read it without knowing how to read. I wanted to do the same thing with my book with scripture, which is inspirational and get adults inspired to read more of scripture. That's how it came about, how I did it."
Soucek created the 22 snowmen pictures when she was still working as a dental assistant. It was a co-worker who suggested she should do a children's book.
"It was the first time I used watercolor pencil," she said. "I liked it very much. It flowed so easy for each snowman. They're pretty much the same but have different clothes, different expressions. It came so easy. It had to be God. I don't know if I could do it again. I would certainly try."
Once she committed to the project, it didn't take Soucek long to get the ball rolling. As a first-time author, she had to start from scratch. Once Christmas was over, she looked online for publishing options but was quickly overwhelmed. For help, she reached out to local author Heather Weseman who wrote “Nettie’s Garden.” Weseman recommended her publisher, Halo Publishing International.
"January was the month I really started working on it," Soucek said. "I was back and forth with the publisher, in touch almost every day in emails. How do I do this? They were very helpful and inspired me to keep going. I did everything with my smart phone and emails to them. They had to have all the pictures sent, page numbers, what each one was suppose to say. It took me awhile. When I look back, I couldn't believe how easy it was."
It was a special day when the books arrived the first week in March. Soucek dedicated the book to her inspiration: granddaughter Allison.
One of the benefits of being an artist is that Soucek can liven up her correspondence to family and friends with cartoons she draws on the back of the envelopes. Her granddaughter gets a kick out of it. Allison is in dance and gymnastics, so her grandmother might draw a stickman on a balance beam.
"She likes to laugh," Soucek said.
CHRISTIAN ROOTS
Soucek is a born-again Christian, so adding scripture to her snowmen drawings came naturally. She was born in Perham but grew up in the St. Cloud area. She raised her three children in Litchfield where she lived for more than 35 years. For a short hiatus she lived in Hutchinson for about five years, but she moved back to Litchfield where she has lived for more than 12 years.
“I had Christian parents and went to church every week,” she recalled. “When I was 26, I had a neighbor who invited me to a Bible study. What does it mean to be born again? I tried to figure it out. I couldn't understand. This lady mentored me. I went to Bible study with her for many years. I learned a lot about having a personal relationship with Jesus. It's stayed with me to this day. It's brought me through all kinds of hard things. My life changed then at 26. I was born again at age 26. Some people don't remember when and where they were saved. I know exactly where I was. It's like when Kennedy was shot. It was a turning point. You just remember. I always went to church and thought I was a believer, but you have to invite him in, and I've followed him from that day.”
It was after she was born again that she started playing guitar and writing songs. It grew into a lifelong passion. Prior to COVID-19, she could be found singing with her trio — Earth Angels — or performing as a solo artist at church and community events. She also participates in Bill Ward's music jam at the Dassel History Center.
This is the first year the couple didn't head to Mission, Texas, for the winter.
"I do music jams almost every day down there — rock 'n' roll jam, country jam and gospel jam. I do all three," she said. "We're very, very busy down there and I'm excited to go back."
Is there a second book in her future?
"I would have to be inspired," Soucek said. "I would have to think of something really cute that interests me. We'll see if God inspires me. It won't be a novel, probably another children's book. I would be open to experimenting with this."
- Updated
Illustrated is an image showing the ultrastructural morphology of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), which was identified as the cause of an outbreak of respiratory illness now considered a worldwide pandemic.
Starting Monday, a host of coronavirus restrictions in Minnesota will relax to levels not seen in months, or in some cases, since before the pandemic.
Citing falling COVID-19 cases and rising vaccinations, Gov. Tim Walz on Friday morning released details of what amounts to the largest easing of restrictions since he began ordering them a year ago, loosening restrictions on social gatherings, fitness centers, hair salons, bars and restaurants, religious gatherings, and entertainment venues, including professional sports stadiums.
The easing, announced a year to the day after Walz declared a state of emergency, will come in phases, with the first starting Monday, successive easings taking effect in April, culminating with removing the work-from-home requirement April 15.
Mask wearing and physical distancing will still be required throughout society, and regular testing, especially for students, athletes and those who frequently interact with others, remains encouraged.
Walz discussed the matter live on the office’s YouTube channel. He began by describing the changes as “the next step as we win this battle with COVID-19 and take us on the next step toward normalcy.”
The following take effect at noon Monday, March 15.
GATHERINGS, SPORTS
- Social gatherings: Up to 50 people will be allowed to gather outdoors, or 15 people indoors, both without household limits.
- Youth sports: Pod size increases to 50 people for outdoor activities.
- Religious services: The occupancy limit will be removed, but social distancing required.
- Celebrations: Follow venue guidance.
DINING, LOCAL BUSINESSES
- Bars and restaurants: Occupancy increases to 75%, up from 50%, with a limit of 250 people. The limits apply separately indoors and outdoors. Bar seating increases to parties of four.
- Salons and barbers: The occupancy limit will be removed, but social distancing required.
- Gyms, fitness centers, pools: Occupancy to 50%, up from 25%. Outdoor classes can increase to 50 people. Masks will still be required.
- Entertainment venues: Occupancy increases to 50%, up from 25%, both indoors and outdoors, with a limit of 250.
APRIL 1: 10,000 AT TWINS GAMES
The following will take effect April 1.
- All venues can open at 50% capacity, up to 250 people. Venues with normal occupant capacity over 500 can add additional guests.
- Seated outdoor venues can add an additional 25% of their capacity over 500, with a limit of 10,000 people. This includes Target Field, where the Twins play baseball, and Allianz Stadium, where Minnesota United plays soccer.
- Non-seated outdoor venues can add an additional 15% of their capacity over 500, with a limit of 10,000 people.
- Seated indoor venues can add an additional 15% of their capacity over 500, with a limit of 3,000 people.
- Non-seated indoor venues can add an additional 10% of their capacity over 500, with a limit of 1,500 people.
WORK FROM HOME
Beginning April 15, the requirement that anyone who can work from home must do so will be lifted “but it will continue to be strongly recommended,” according to the announcement. “All employers should continue to accommodate employees who wish to work from home,” Walz’s statement reads.
GOP REACTION
Republican lawmakers, many of whom have been critical of Walz’s restrictions, applauded the news but called on Walz to go further.
“I am glad that (Gov. Walz) is finally loosening these restrictions, but he needs to go even further," Sen. Scott Newman, R-Hutchinson, said in a press release. "Businesses of all types and sizes should be completely open under the same standards as Home Depot or Walmart. Kids need to be back in a classroom, with their teachers, five days per week. There are a lot of people who are still struggling; we should be doing everything we can to help them safely get back on the job and back to normal.”
MAY AND BEYOND?
Friday morning’s announcement from the governor’s office didn’t mention the later spring or summer.
However, on Thursday, he indicated that he expects more restrictions will likely fall.
“I think that proms that happen into May and certainly graduations in June or wherever they’re looking at, I certainly envision that those will look pretty close to normal,” he said. “We’ll probably have folks gather, there may be a little distancing and masks, but there will certainly be larger crowds than we’ve seen … unless we see the variants come roaring back.”
MANAGING MORE RISK
Walz’s remarks carried an optimism unprecedented during the pandemic. “We’re winning, and this thing is coming to an end,” he said.
Nonetheless, the easing comes as cases, hospitalizations and deaths fall in Minnesota, but they also come as several variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus are spreading, creating what many epidemiologists have termed as a race between infections and injections of vaccines.
Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm acknowledged that the looser restrictions will inherently carry more risk of infection, most pointedly for those who have not been vaccinated or previously infected — a group that makes up the majority of Minnesotans.
“The only reason we’re able to make this forward progress today is because we know how to manage the risk,” Malcolm said, referring not only to hospital care but to the bedrock of dealing with the virus: keeping our distance from each other and wearing masks when indoors or close together with strangers or the unvaccinated.
Malcolm and Walz emphasized the need to continue distancing and mask wearing and said that the next three to four weeks would be telling as some 40,000 Minnesotans are vaccinated each day while the variants circulate.
Using a football analogy, Malcolm said the state was on the 20-yard line, driving toward the end zone.
"Let’s not fumble the ball now,” she said.
- Updated
It’s a volunteer group effort to chisel garbage from the frozen lake. Pictured from left, are, Collin Noyes, Susan Noyes, and Carter Hausladen, standing. A total of three 13-pound bags of garbage were collected during the effort on March 6.
Collin Noyes of Hutchinson, kneeling, is chiseling garbage out of the ice at Lake Erie for his Eagle Scout service project of picking up litter at local lakes. He and his group of volunteers, including Carter Hausladen, who is looking on, cleaned up at Washington, Erie and Bell on March 6.
Thanks to the efforts of Collin Noyes, local lakes Washington, Erie and Belle are cleaner.
As his Eagle Scout project, Noyes, 16, with the help of two Scout volunteers and parents took, on the task of cleaning up three area lakes at the conclusion of Minnesota's ice fishing season.
He chose Washington, Erie and Belle because he was looking for a cluster of lakes where a lot of work could be done in a short amount of time. They headed out on March 6 using a 4-wheeler to travel to ice house clusters and then fanned out from there and walked toward the shoreline, picking up litter and debris as they went.
Remarkably, after 5 1/2 hours of work and walking a total of 6 miles, the group ended up with three 13-gallon bags of garbage. The most interesting find was a gas can. Otherwise, it was food wrappers, pop bottles and a bag of human waste.
"It was much easier than I thought it would be," Collin said. "I thought there would be a lot more garbage."
One of the reasons for the small amount of garbage his dad suggested was due to the shorter ice fishing season this year. As a result, there wasn't so much garbage left on the lakes. Another thought was that anglers are getting more responsible and picking up and hauling their trash away rather than leaving it on the ice.
As far as Eagle Scout service projects go, Noyes' was low cost due to volunteers and donations. Businesses gave him permission to deposit the bags of garbage in their dumpsters.
"It was a gorgeous day," said Susan Noyes, Collin's mother. "I enjoyed it. I'm not an ice fisherman, so I don't enjoy being on the ice, but I had a good time."
PLANNING A PROJECT
The Hutchinson High School sophomore started working on his Eagle Scout project in January. As a hunting and fishing enthusiast, he knew that if debris was left on the lakes, it would pollute the area during the spring thaw.
"Clean lakes are important to everyone," he wrote in his project proposal. "Winter ice fishing can be a big contributor to pollution."
The Hutchinson native joined Cub Scouts in first grade, following in the footsteps of his parents. His dad, Jeremy, was a Boy Scout for a short time and his mom, Susan, was a Girl Scout.
Noyes has stuck with it because of "great leadership."
"You definitely find people who have the same interests," he said. "We do things as a group and have shared goals."
Following through to earn his Eagle Scout rank was a natural progression for him. While it's important to come up with a service project idea, there's a lot more to it than that. You have to execute it to a successful conclusion, which means Noyes had to get organized, doing everything from recruiting volunteers to collecting supplies.
The Dassel Boy Scout Troop had made it a tradition to clean up Lake Washington. Noyes reached out to them for advice. They told him not to push too hard due to the typically cold weather at that time of year. With Noyes focusing on Washington, Erie and Bell, the Dassel group tackled Lake Stella. Thanks to their collaboration, four lakes were cleaned up by Hutchinson and Dassel volunteers.
The best advice the Dassel Scouts gave Noyes was to take a chisel along to pry garbage frozen in the ice. Although Saturday was a picture-perfect day with the mercury hitting almost 60 degrees above zero, there was still about 20 inches of ice on area lakes.
Next up for Noyes is completing the requirements for his Eagle Scout rank. To do this, he'll need to assemble and submit a binder documenting his project, and then he'll go before a board of review to be interviewed about what he has done, what he has learned and how he has enjoyed the Scouting program. Once everything is approved and signed off, his achievement will be recognized during an Eagle Court of Honor ceremony, which if all goes well is expected to be later this year.
"At first I wanted to do it because it looks great on job applications," Noyes said. "Now I want to do it as an achievement for myself."
