November is National Diabetes Month, but it’s also the start of the holidays, and we all know what that means: Tempting treats are everywhere. This makes it extra challenging to make smart snack choices, which is especially important for the 23 million people with diabetes. Here are a few ...

I expect we’ve all heard that suggestion a few times during our lives but what does it mean to you? Think back to when someone said the sentence to you with an upward lilt in their voice. Then, think back to when someone said it with a downward lifting voice. It’s kind of the difference ...

Like many kids, I dreamed of flying. And like most kids, I longed to do things without interference from pesky authorities such as parents or the Federal Aviation Administration. My childhood aviation efforts were limited to paper airplanes (I learned how to construct three different types, ...

It’s almost like a switch turns off in my brain the second I settle in for a still hunt for deer, as was the case this opening weekend of the firearms season. The rammy, caffeine-fueled fidgeter checks out and some zen-like observer of the world settles down in place of my usual self anytime ...

We know there are very real emotional, mental and physical health risks that come with social isolation in seniors. It can lead to higher blood pressure levels, higher rates of mortality and a quicker cognitive decline. The debilitating consequences of this are only amplified when compounded ...

It was in 1837 that George Catlin, the famous traveler and Indian delineator, and an Englishman by the name of Robert Serril Wood, traveled through parts of Brown, Redwood and Lyon counties to visit his old friend Joseph LaFramboise’s fur trading post in the Lynd woods along the Redwood ...

Every year on Veterans Day, our nation honors the people who risk their lives to protect our country. Social Security’s disability program is an important part of our obligation to wounded warriors and their families. For military members who return home with injuries, Social Security is a ...

The planets Jupiter and Saturn have been putting on quite a show in the evening sky since mid-summer, shining among the retreating summer constellations Scorpius and Sagittarius. Unfortunately their performance is winding down. Jupiter is setting just after sunset and Saturn is not far behind ...

Several years ago, I joined Goodreads, a website where you can keep track of books you’ve read, ones you want to read, check out others’ reviews on books and my favorite, giveaways. When you enter a giveaway, you have to put it on your to-read list (that’s why I have 800+ books on my ...

The voice came from the back of the Marshall Area YMCA men’s locker room. “Did you read Rahm Emanuel’s column on medicare-for-all?” I was asked. Emanuel is the former Chicago mayor and White House chief of staff in the President Barack Obama administration. He wrote an op-ed that ...

Interest rates are still near historic lows, but those rates also may make it wise to refinance your car loan. Interest rates are still hovering near historic lows for mortgages, but did you know that those same super low rates also may make it wise to refinance your car loan? Here’s how ...

“The Widow Washington: The Life of Mary Washington,” by Martha Saxton, c 2019, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, paints a thorough picture of what it was like to live in Virginia in the 1700s. The first English colony in North American was Virginia, established in 1607. Mary Ball Washington was ...

On a recent extremely over-the-top horribly tree branch breaking windy day, I finished some yard work and decided to head indoors out of the blustery weather. Stepping into a sheltered spot I noticed what a pleasant day was being presented to me and I began to notice nature. It’s ...

“Stop trying to hit me … and hit me.” Morpheus’ command to Neo while sparring in a digitally generated kung-fu dojo in the genre-bending movie (and body-bending, as parodied in so many subsequent films) “The Matrix,” sums up my thoughts on shooting. Morpheus’ encouragement for ...

When you think of the golden age of mobsters, names like Dillinger or Bonnie and Clyde might spring to mind. You may envision such hotbeds of gangsterism as Chicago or New York. You probably won’t think of the sleepy little backwater settlement of Possum Trot, which is now commonly known ...

Time is one of our most valuable commodities. That’s why at Social Security, we are constantly improving our online resources to make doing business with us easier and faster. With a my Social Security account, those receiving benefits can change their address and direct deposit ...

Joseph LaFramboise, a trader in the employ of the American Fur Company, established a home in Lyon County in 1835. He built a home and a trading post in the Lynd woods along the Redwood River. LaFramboise was the first recorded white man to settle in the county, according to A.P.Rose, ...

The colder and longer Marshall nights of November are a stargazer’s paradise! The bright winter constellations are on the rise, but the best show this November is actually in the daytime. On Nov. 11 there’s going to be a transit of the planet Mercury across the face of the sun. With the ...

We were in the Rochester area this past weekend for the Land O’Lakes 2019 Fall District Convention in which Ross’ barbershop chorus was competing. Whitewater State Park is only a half-hour away from Rochester and was highly recommended by one of Ross’ fellow barbershoppers. It was a brisk ...

Before cold weather comes along, take time to insulate your home or apartment to help lower your heating bill and keep the winter chill outside. A single pane of glass can lose nearly 10 times as much heat as the same area of an insulated wall — and depending on when your home was built or ...