For my review of “The Dutch House” by Ann Patchett, c 2019, I am using the tools I learned as an English major in college. My assignment: tell your Books & Beyond readers about characters, setting, plot, point of view, theme, and style. There are two main characters — Maeve and ...

Question: Can a vehicle with a Minnesota collector plate be driven legally in Arizona? Is it legal to drive it too and from both states? Answer: The general rule is states honor the registered vehicle and registration laws from the state the vehicle is registered. So as long as you’re legal ...

Why are things so confusing? I know that’s a very simple, yet complex, statement, but darn it, why/who makes things so darn confusing? All I wanted to do was talk to someone about my Internet service and it became this ridiculous dance with the company’s website. I’m not entirely ...

I can recall the sun rising over the eastern waters of Devils Lake as I headed to the hotel to meet my parents for a weekend of early spring fishing on the just-opened channels of the north end of the sprawling lake. The rays shimmered on the lightly rippled bay and dulled as they fell nearer ...

At this time of the year, most people are ready for winter to be over. Winter has become like an old college buddy who dropped by unexpectedly and ended up staying for several months. It was fun at first. Getting reacquainted, recalling those adrenalin-charged sled rides down Busted ...

Part V Pastor Guttormsson was also a good singer, he could play the organ, and he had a wonderful sense of humor. He did not pressure his parishioners. One time when Joe Peterson and I were discussing him, he said, ‘Pastor Guttormsson was the nicest fellow who ever came down the pike, but he ...

District manager In March, our nation celebrates Women’s History Month. Today, more women work, pay Social Security taxes, and earn credit toward monthly retirement income than at any other time in our nation’s history. Social Security has served a vital role in the lives of ...

We have many special celestial happenings this month, but even without them March is fantastic for stargazing! It’s not as cold as January and February overall, but the same great winter constellations are still available and ready to enjoy! The vernal equinox, the astronomical beginning of ...

Question: I heard DWI arrests are declining, is this true? What about non-alcohol related DWI arrests? Answer: While alcohol-related DWI incidents have dropped over the past 10 years in Minnesota, controlled substance-related DWI incidents have increased over the past 30 years. Controlled ...

Hello TheraBand, my old friend, You’ve come to torment me again. Anyone who has been afflicted by physical therapy is probably intimately acquainted with the TheraBand. It’s basically a huge chunk of elastic and not, as its name might imply, a therapeutic musical group. I say ...

Reunions are always interesting. After a lengthy period apart, there’s always that anxious feeling of seeing everyone again. This holds true for family reunions as well as for a bunch of friends getting back together. Why are these events anxiety filled? Because, you’re never quite ...

The rating on a box of shotgun shells reads 1,180, 1,205 or more than 1,300 feet per second, the speed at which the pellets are disbursed in pursuit of a thrown clay or an incoming goose. The bent coil at the base of a tip-up flag is precariously held in place by the notch in the T-bar at the ...

Plastic materials are probably some of the most difficult things to recycle. This is because wherever you go and whatever you buy, plastic seems to be involved. There is so much of it. There are seven different kinds of plastic and we can only reliably recycle three of the seven plastic ...

District manager This year, America Saves Week (ASW) runs from Feb. 24-29. The week is an opportunity for organizations to promote good financial habits. It’s also a great time for people to assess their own saving status, as planning and saving are key to a successful ...

Part IV Bjorn Gislason gave the land for the cemetery unofficially, but there was actually no deed executed until after World War II, when it was signed by J.B. Gislason. That is when we formally organized the cemetery association. Up to then there had been very little money for care, and I ...

In my years of writing for the Marshall Independent I’ve never written a column about how useful and fun binoculars are for stargazing. Well, it’s about time. While I certainly don’t consider myself a binoculars expert I’ve sure made a lot of use of them. Overall they don’t have as ...

Farmers must accept and work with the weather in any growing season. Early snow melt and dry conditions for planting. timely rains and sufficient sunshine and warm days during the growing season, and dry conditions for harvest combine to make a good year. But if any one of these variables is ...

When it comes to personal finance, what works for one person doesn’t necessarily work for another. That’s why money misconceptions can be so dangerous. Here are four common money myths you may have heard — and perhaps even believe — that need to be put to rest. Myth #1: All debt is ...

“Governor Marshall appointed a few county officers and vested them with power to begin county government. It was proposed to organize in December 1869, but owing to the absence of two of the county commissioners it had to be postponed, and the machinery of county government was not set in ...

“Growing Pains” is an autobiography written by Emily Carr, a Canadian artist, first published in 1946 by Oxford University Press. She died in 1945 at the age of 74. Her editor was Ira Dilworth, and at the beginning of the autobiography he writes a wonderful foreword, which ends with “Life ...