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A major mower malfunction

It was sad to see her go. We’d been together for so long — nearly twenty years — that she had come to seem like a member of the family. Time had clearly taken its toll; she didn’t have nearly the same levels of vim and vigor as in her younger days. But I still very much enjoyed her company, especially when I rode her on balmy summer afternoons. I was with her the other day when she began to hiccup uncontrollably. This was deeply concerning. But then, a few seconds later, she stopped and would move no more. Something deep inside me told me that something was deeply wrong with ...

Dogging it

With the turn of the calendar page into September, the dog days of summer will soon be behind us, and the real dog days of fall can begin. With grouse openers in mid-September, primary waterfowl seasons starting later in the month, and pheasant season kicking off in October, those hunting seasons where our canine friends shine are just around the corner. Being prepared for those outings and expecting the unexpected is key in keeping hunting dogs at their peak for the entire fall. Move it Just like people need a little pre-season training to get into shape for fall hunting, ...

Where is it?

It was so comforting to feel the feeling. In all honesty, I do like my alone moments. Perhaps it’s my introspective leaning personality, but those times to collect, sort and arrange thoughts are very important to me. It’s my hope you have periods of peace, too. However and obviously, there is another element of life all of us need and that is the presence of other people. Presence is a powerful time for us to build relationships, to discover and to hang onto the past. In a bit of time, our family will be coming together to celebrate the presence of each other. ...

Looking at empathy

The word empathy is used a lot. Sometimes it is confused with sympathy, but they are different. When you feel sympathy for somebody those are your feelings, experienced by you. Sympathy involves what you feel when you witness another person’s suffering or terrible misfortune. You may feel compassion, pity, sadness, or sorrow for him or her. So what is empathy? Empathy is your ability to understand someone else’s feelings. In a way, it is something like putting yourself in the other person’s shoes. It involves recognizing, understanding, responding to, sharing, or even ...

Wildfire smoke signals growing climate crisis

Recently, a number of Republican members of Congress, including Minnesota Representatives Tom Emmer, Brad Finstad, Michelle Fischbach and Pete Stauber, sent a letter to the Canadian government, alleging that its poor forest management practices are responsible for out-of-control wildfires and for this summer’s air quality problems in the Midwest and Northeast. Notably, the letter fails to mention climate change. However, although fire-management practices can play a role in these megafires, climate change also has a profound impact. In the words of Natural Resources Canada: ...

If you try to decide on the most popular movie of all time, a good choice would be The Wizard of Oz. Almost everyone has been “off to see the wizard” more than once. I think I’ve seen it about 10 times, starting when the Marshall movie theater had special showings in the 1970s. That was more than 30 years after it first premiered. This month Boulder Estates has about a half dozen events structured around a Wizard of Oz theme. It’s a good subject to highlight. Even someone who’s not much of a movie fan knows the characters and the story. At first I feared the Wicked Witch. ...