Pair of lifelong friends reminisce about the past through project
Jim Lindberg and Doniver Ahlm have been friends for over 60 years.
As one could imagine, they’ve done a lot together in life, and that includes having their names etched in Scandia softball history during their 10-year span of playing together.
Their latest endeavor has been just as physical, but in a different way: restoring an 1860s log cabin in Scandia. Lindberg, who lives next door, bought the adjoining property 12 years ago and started the project four years ago. There have been many people who’ve had their fingerprints on the cabin, but one stands out: Ahlm.
Lindberg, 77, and Ahlm, 73, got to know each other when Lindberg moved less than half a mile away from Ahlm around age 11. They’ve made a lifetime of memories since then and had an opportunity to reminisce about them the past several years during the project.
While the two have remained friends and stayed in contact during the years, life got busy. Lindberg, a 1964 Forest Lake grad, spent 43 years of his career at the Security State Bank of Marine, including 25 years as president. He remains the chairman of the board. Ahlm, a 1968 Forest Lake grad, taught middle school at North Branch for 36 years, then subbed for 12 years after that. So, they hadn’t seen each other as much as they had in the past.
But this project changed that.
“Since this happened,” Lindberg said, “we’ve probably been around [each other] more the last three years than we have for a long time.”
“This really kind of brought us [back] together,” Ahlm added. “It really did.”
An opportunity to revisit those old memories and create new ones.
“It was fun. It was entertaining. It was informative,” Ahlm said. “I learned so much. … We talked about old times. We talked about current times. We talked about softball, hunting.”
Lindberg added, “We talked about our kids and grandkids.”
Beyond their childhood memories of home run derbies, tackle football and apple fights, they didn’t have a shortage of memories during their softball careers, especially together. Lindberg and Ahlm, whose careers lasted around 25 years, played together on Scandia’s team for about 10 years, which included traveling to Canada and around the Midwest.
Lindberg and Ahlm accomplished a lot together as key pieces on Scandia’s team. They won the state championship together in 1971 through the Minnesota Sports Federation and then finished second in 1976, the year they played the state-record 26-inning game in regional play in Duluth. Lindberg pitched every inning in a game that is still etched in their memories.
Ahlm served as Lindberg’s catcher for the majority of the time they played together in Scandia. Decades later, they rave about each other’s talents on the field.
“He is the best defensive player that I have ever played with in my life,” Lindberg said of Ahlm. “So versatile, such a good arm … and he was good, smart behind the plate, [and] good at shortstop.”
Ahlm also had a front row seat to Lindberg’s pitching dominance.
“Jim, Greg and myself are probably the only three that I can think of, there may be others, that got to play with two of the best pitchers in Minnesota — Wayne Erickson and Jim,” Ahlm said.
Most importantly, Lindberg and Ahlm were inducted together into the Minnesota Softball Hall of Fame in October 2022. And now their teamwork and chemistry on the softball field has translated to restoring a log cabin that was completely torn down and rebuilt and making it what it is now: functional, livable and unique.
“Isn’t it just beautiful?” Lindberg’s wife, Kris, asked during their interview with The Times at the log cabin.
“It’s a peaceful spot,” Lindberg said, later adding, “People can’t believe it when they go in there.”
What Lindberg believes makes the place so special is the mistakes that were made.
“This house, there is nothing that is perfectly square here,” Lindberg said. “There is nothing that’s going to be perfect about it — so the imperfections are what make it so appealing. It’s so different. … We were making [mistakes] together [and] … all those combined mistakes turned out to be something pretty special.”
Ahlm says it’s very rewarding to see the finished product. And despite knowing each other for over 60 years, they still managed to learn more about each other when they thought they knew everything.
And, yes, Lindberg keeps getting asked the same question.
“People ask, ‘What are you going to do with it?’” he said. “We’re just enjoying it as our cabin.”
But the project isn’t over yet, as they’re still adding the final touches like landscaping and the interior loft area, and there will always be maintenance to do.
Which means more time spent together.
“You have friends. You have good friends. You have great friends. And I consider this a great friend,” Ahlm said. “We have a lot of the same interests, we have a lot of the same memories [and] a lot of the same friends.”
The log cabin is set to be featured in the Scandia Historic Homes Tour on Saturday, Oct. 12.
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