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Country School Kids – Verlane Willard Ross and Lois Willard Giles – Moving on from District 84

We have been learning about Verlane and Lois Willard growing up with their three sisters on their farm in Sodus Township, Lyon County and attending the District 84 country school. The sisters well-recalled the visits of the Lyon County Schools Superintendent to their school. (Both sisters) Jenny Frost! (Verlane) She would bring books. (Lois) Yes! She would come to our school and then you would pick (books); read them; and bring them back. Then she’d go on to another school. (Verlane) I think every six weeks she would bring a new box of books for us. She had a puppet, Felix the ...

On the Porch

Happy Valentine’s Day! Each year on February 14, Valentine’s Day is celebrated by many people throughout the world for the day is celebrated as a holiday in several countries. The norm is to exchange cards, candy, gifts, and flowers with a special “valentine” and loved ones. According to the History Channel website, approximately 150 million Valentine’s Day cards are exchanged annually, making Valentine’s Day the second most popular card-sending holiday after Christmas. According to the Greeting Card Association, women purchase approximately 85 percent of all ...

The place of morals in life

Morals and living a moral life are needed to have a successful life. Morals can be a strong contributor to making the best,correct decisions. What are morals? By the book, morals are what is right and what is wrong. It is an understanding of what is good or bad behavior. They contribute to living a healthy civilized life. If we all live a life that includes morals, maybe then we could live together productively and peacefully. Instead of fighting, we could be kind and honest with each other, and be useful contributors to society. How do psychologists tend to look at morals? ...

School officials lose trust over reductions

If a person were to attend, or watch on local TV the Marshall School District board meetings, one of the first items every time is an open forum. While the board specifically states that no action will be taken, they are there to “listen to what is brought up” during this open forum time. After watching the last two meetings, I am wondering why this item is even on the agenda? Indeed, they allow community members, staff, and others to present ideas, suggestions or maybe even dialog that they have had with the schools. Specifically in watching the last two meetings there have been ...

An ancestral surprise

The results of a recent genetic test shook me to the core. It seems that I’m not who I thought I was. Some years ago, I sent a spit sample to 23andMe. The test revealed, unsurprisingly, that I’m 100% Norwegian. All my ancestors came from Norway; the test simply confirmed that I’m the whitest guy on the planet. The folks at Ancestry.com recently ran a promotion for their genetic testing. I’ve been working on our family tree at Ancestry.com and thought it would be interesting to know if there were any hidden connections in my genetic past. My Viking ancestors spread their ...

Minnesota in center of the news universe

We spent time in southern California. I could write about walking along beaches, warm sunsets, and missing bitter cold back here. Perhaps I will. But today, I must join my voice to the resistance. What is happening to fellow human beings, sometimes for no offense other than having dark skin is horrific, indefensible, and wrong on a thousand levels. Much is being said and written. Perhaps it is prideful of me to think the voice of one old farmer in Brown County matters. For what it’s worth, I must join the protesters and say, “This is wrong.” “Obama deported people, too.” ...