Question: I enjoy reading your column in the weekly newspaper. I have a question I hope you can address. We’ve had some heavy fog recently and I get frustrated with the vehicles that do not have their lights on. Sometimes the headlights are on and the rear lights are not. What is the ...
My wife and I recently marked our 45th wedding anniversary. This is a mathematical impossibility as I feel as though I’m not a day over 40. But maybe that’s just my intractable immaturity talking. My wife was 22 and I was 23 when we were wed. Knowing what we know now, we know that we were too young to know what we didn’t know. Plus, it means that we’ve been married for two-thirds of our lives. Will that fraction keep creeping upward until it reaches 100%? Time will tell. I can’t help but feel that my wife and I are hopelessly out of style. Why? I’m ashamed to admit ...
As spring arrives in southwest Minnesota, it brings a welcome sense of renewal — and a moment to reflect on the work that strengthens our communities. Each year, United Way of Southwest Minnesota (UWSWMN) takes this season to thank our Community Partners and look ahead to the opportunities the next Community Impact Grant cycle will bring. UWSWMN’s community impact grants support programs that expand youth opportunities, build healthy communities, promote financial security, and strengthen community resilience. We extend our sincere appreciation to our 2025–26 community partners, ...
Last week’s warmth brought with it what I can only hope is the final melt of the season, despite knowing that Mother Nature always has a few wintry tricks up her sleeves, even well into May. For that reason, the Minnesota fishing opener always serves as the “safe point” on my calendar ...
We never seem to learn. During our nation's history, there have been quite a few times when war was chosen over peace. Of course, there are those wars that were needed to preserve the overall peace of the world, and to not allow one nation or one man to cover the world with revenge or hatred. World Wars 1 and 2 along with the American Civil War are examples of needed warfare. Naturally, they led to inhuman killings and untold trauma. What have we learned from those awful historical events? Looking at what's happening today in the Near East, I would say we still haven't learned to ...
When you write an occasional column, you think about words. I like words. I try to find the right ones whether I’m talking or writing. Sometimes I succeed. In my last piece, there was this line. “It is fast time our nation binds our wounds and heals.” The day it came out, a friend said there was a misprint. She thought it was supposed to be “It is past time.” No, I meant “It is fast time.” The nearest equivalent to saying, “It is fast time for something to happen” is “It is high time for that to happen.” In other words, it is due. That is slightly different ...
