It never made me enter the state of horripilation. It was never macabre to me. There was never anything scary about it. Just a whole lot of fun! In case you don’t understand what the heck I’m talking about, and, just in case you haven’t noticed, it’s Halloween time! It’s a time ...

The roaring winds of Saturday dipped only slightly on Sunday morning as we made our way into the field to close out a weekend of pheasant hunting. Along with the slight decrease in the northwest gusts came a drop in temperature and the dashboard readout on the truck posted 22 degrees. It was ...

Most of us Nelson siblings have a birthmark. Mine is a pea-sized, perfectly circular, scarlet dot on the inside arch of my right foot. I was pulling on my socks the other day when I said to my wife, “When I was a little kid, I thought that everyone had a mark like this to help them remember ...

Ghosts, goblins, and assorted other demons of the dark will be lurking this week amongst us with and without costumes, especially this Thursday. There’ll be airborne spooks as well. No doubt we’ll also hear of stealth flying broomsticks being piloted by not so attractive characters with ...

Harvest time was approaching when I sat across Doug Albin at his kitchen island inside his Clarkfield farmhouse as he described the decision process on whether to plant or not to plant. “I sat down at the kitchen table here and I had seven spread sheets laid out of different scenarios if we ...

Noblesse oblige: The unwritten obligation of people with a noble ancestry to act graciously and generously to others. I don’t think too many of us commoners can claim noble ancestry. If you can, I hope you act with noblesse oblige to the rest of us non-nobles and, in doing so, fulfill ...

The beginning of fall and the start of archery hunting for deer is an interesting time. It’s great to be out, sitting in the stand watching the last of summer (and the mosquitoes) fade away while deer begin to make their moves as the mornings and evenings cool off and patterns change. Sits ...

I have had many opportunities to talk to all generations of residents living in Lyon County about recycling and many more topics on the environment. While it is true that we can get more information than what we know what to do with on the Internet, there is nothing like having a simple ...

Part III Land O’ Lakes Creamery, or the Elmer Swanson Dairy, was located on North Fourth Street and West Main Street (near the present site of the former Norwest Bank which is now Wells Fargo). At this dairy, milk and cream were bottled. They specialized in large containers of butter sold ...

One of the great constellations of the Marshall autumn sky is Pegasus the winged horse, along with its next-door neighbor Andromeda the Princess. They’re easy to find. The first thing to look for is what’s called the square of Pegasus, although this time of year the square is orientated ...

"How much time have you spent studying the U.S. Constitution?” That question was asked of me by a college history instructor. It’s a good question during these times of history in the making involving the impeachment inquiry by the U.S. House of Representatives. In the heated debate back ...

Every fall it seems like our quest to see fall colors while taking a hike has mixed results. We lucked out on Leaf Days last September in Maplewood State Park where some of the reds were on display. I joined a couple of Facebook pages a couple of years ago, one being North Shore Tribe, where ...

Not all pork cuts are created equal, but they can all be part of a heart-healthy diet. Here’s what you need to know. The lean side According to the National Pork Board, the pork that’s available today is 16 percent leaner and 27 percent lower in saturated fat than it was 25-plus years ...

I woke up and went outside to see what was happening and discovered a whole lot was happening. Looking to the west, I was greeted by a magnificent silver white disc smiling at me which we know as the moon. It was awesome — full, bright and shining! Looking to the east, I was greeted by a ...

Question: Minnesota just recently enacted a hands-free while driving law, but many states do not have such a law. How is this enforced when people from out of state are traveling on our interstate highways? I have not seen any signs go up stating that Minnesota is Hands-Free. Would violators ...

With the forecast in mind on Tuesday, my wife and I packed all of our lawn furniture in storage under the deck, broke out a bag of chicken wings and the last of summer’s hamburger patties and ambivalently celebrated and mourned under 80-degree evening heat the end of the warm-weather season. ...

If Cinderella were to visit our garden in the hopes of finding transportation to Prince Charming’s little soiree, she would be deeply disappointed. This isn’t because there wouldn’t be any mice to be magically transformed into a team of studly horses. It’s entirely possible that there ...

Part II Marshall Dairy had a dairy located 3 miles south of Marshall. They started with two dairy cows at $32 each. They started milking in 1932 and began to sell and deliver raw milk in Marshall up until 1937. Evelyn Reese Hand was the first delivery person in the area. Shortly after, they ...

Marriage is a tradition that exists on every continent and in nearly every country. Having a partner not only means creating a family unit, it means sharing things like a home and other property. Understanding how your future retirement might affect your spouse is important. When you’re ...

Another full moon is upon us this week, whitewashing the Southwestern Minnesota night sky and making it tough on stargazers. We’re also getting into the time of year when the full moon makes a higher arc across the sky as it rises at sunset and sets at sunrise. Don’t get me wrong. I love ...