Minnesota state parks and recreation areas have a variety of camping and lodging options for an unforgettable overnight stay this winter. Whether people are looking to ski in and out of a cabin, wake up to frost-covered forests, or simply enjoy the peace of a crackling fire, Minnesota state parks offer the ultimate winter escape.
Yellow Medicine County Sheriff’s Office
Saturday, January 25th: Granite Falls Chamber of Commerce Mid-Winter Community Celebration at…
This week my great aunt stopped by for a visit as she does, and of course, had to share some of her wisdom. She did scold me gently for not yet having a passport with my eldest child nearing departure for a new duty station in Germany, but also because she just couldn’t wrap her head around that I didn’t just already have one. The other bit of wisdom was a new saying that she offered that is maybe both a little comical and a little depressing.
For the first time in living memory, I was the only passenger in a TSA security line at a major airport — Tucson, noon on a Friday, a time you’d expect Arizonans to be heading for Nome or Juneau for a weekend of darkness, but no. I wended back and forth in the maze of barriers and the guy at the conveyor seemed happy to see me. I zipped on through and counted 15 uniformed men and women defending the country against one octogenarian liberal who’s never owned a gun, hasn’t fired an explosive in fifty years and then only a few bottle rockets, and arrived at my gate two hours early, and celebrated by buying a latte at a coffee stand that offers tables and chairs.
“One bad apple spoils the whole barrel.” I’ve heard that saying since I was a kid. Of course, when I was a kid, I thought it only applied to apples in a bushel basket. But I’ve learned since that it certainly applies to pears, potatoes, raspberries, strawberries, and more! Oh, and lettuce in the fridge! You really can’t leave things that are rotting next to the good stuff. In the case of apples, a spoiled apple releases ethylene gas, which speeds up the ripening process. This process is called a chain reaction that can spread to other apples.
Shameless plug: if you’ve admired my mother-in-law Mary Taylor’s pressed-flower cards and ornaments in our gift shop, you too can soon learn to make them. We went over for pizza the other night, and she was excited to share that GAAC asked her to do a workshop at the gallery this spring. “The cards? They’re easy!” she said. The process involves a glue stick and gravity. The ornaments: apparently less so, but yet she persists, as must we all. (Details on when: coming soon.)
Now is a great time to prune or cut oaks without the risk of oak wilt infection, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Winter is also the safest time to remove infected oaks.
Funding is available in West Central MN counties to support “brick and mortar” climate mitigation, adaptation and regenerative on-farm initiatives and projects. Small grants will be awarded through a competitive process for projects that provide farmer support, sustainability and show impact.
University of Minnesota Extension Southwest and Central Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships (RSDP) invite small farms in the regions to apply for new funding available through The Margaret A. Cargill Foundation Fund at the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation. The funding will support on-farm projects that address climate change and build resilience.