We’re well into the spring sports season, and still dealing with cancellations, reschedules, and shortened games because of all the cold, rainy, windy weather. I don’t recall a spring sports season that’s been quite so interrupted in many years.
Let’s explore some of the agencies serving our area and the resources they have available. Despite their metro location, HOME Line and Minnesota Elder Justice Center provide service and advocacy across the whole state. In addition to the direct services they provide described below, they also have educational webinars (details can be found on the web sites given below) on related topics. I’ve learned so much from them!
Mother’s Day is the one day a year when Mother gets to put her feet up and is waited on hand and foot by her minion. Father brings her an iced coffee, just the way she likes it. The children deliver the remote control, blankets, and a snack. Uninterrupted, Mother watches an entire episode of BBC-produced British period piece on PBS. It is pure bliss.
A staple of my time in journalism is apparently attending the Minnesota’s Machinery Museum annual meeting. In all of my history in newspapers around the area, the one event that I have attended each year that I was involved in newspapers has been this particular meeting.
Have you heard about the new pipeline projects being developed in southwest and west central Minnesota? If you haven’t, you’re not alone. Even Minnesotans who live, work, and own land in the communities where these pipelines will cross are just beginning to hear about them in drips and drops—maybe in a brief mention in the local paper or a bullet-point item in the minutes of a county board meeting. Or maybe you’ve heard the rumblings from farmers and communities on the other side of the Minnesota-Iowa border where resistance to these projects is growing. There are currently two pipeline projects on the horizon in Minnesota—one by Ames-based Summit Carbon Solutions called the Midwest Carbon Express and the other by Texas-based Navigator CO2 Ventures called the Heartland Greenway. These pipelines are part of the rapidly growing industry known as Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage (CCUS). If built, they will span thousands of miles of farmland and prairie carrying carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions “captured” from dozens of ethanol and fertilizer plants throughout the Midwest to “storage” sites in North Dakota and Illinois. Already, surveyors for the companies are out in Minnesota farm fields and farmers and landowners are being asked to sign voluntary easements to allow the pipelines across their property. This is all happening before any environmental assessments, community input, meaningful tribal consultation, or broad public discussions on CO2 pipelines have occurred.
Years ago when I directed a church high school singing group called One Accord, I set high, yet attainable expectations for these young people. My theory was if you didn’t expect much from an individual that might be exactly what they would produce. On the other hand, if you set high, yet attainable expectations, they would work hard to accomplish that goal – and were proud when they did!
Cinco de Mayo is, for those with a limited grasp of Spanish, just a date on the calendar. Don’t be alarmed. This is the one day of the year that is in the Spanish. Cinco de Mayo means, try to stay with me here… the Fifth of May. On this day, many Americans pile into authentic Mexican restaurants in America. They will tell you that Cinco de Mayo is Mexican Independence Day. Do not believe these people. They have been drinking. Some are even drunk. Mexican Independence Day is the 16th of September, which ironically starts at midnight on the 15th of September. Never heard of it? That’s because you’re American, you live in the United States of American, and you do not celebrate other countries independence from other, other countries. Unless they serve alcohol. Then perhaps you can make an exception. In fact, Cinco de Mayo is actually a magnifica American tradition where Americans order enormous margaritas at authentic Mexican restaurants to celebrate the Mexican victory, in 1862, of The Battle of Puebla against the French army. Oh, it was a gloriousa battle. You should have seen those Mexicans. They sent those French fries scurrying back to France. For Mexico, this was muy bueno. Right up until the French came back and took Puebla, and occupied Mexico, with the same effort they put into a cassoulet. For Mexico, this was muy triste.
The family of Mark Bakker: Lynette, Jarrod and Joshua, are pictured presenting the gun to current Firearm Safety Instructor Ron Bergman. Photo Submitted Mark Bakker’s family donated an engraved Henry Golden Boy rifle to the Youth Firearm Safety program in Granite Falls.
This week, I had the pleasure of interviewing Art Norby, an author and artist who resides in Arizona, but was raised in Montevideo. Mr. Norby has authored a number of books, and chooses his hometown of Montevideo to be the setting for them. He and I had a discussion about “serials”, and I’m sure he was quite surprised to know that I am a big fan of them. If you’ve never heard about “serials”, they’re really quite interesting.
