So much for those well-meaning New Year’s resolutions. It’s too cold outdoors to be cross-country skiing or take the dog for a brisk walk. Buddy, my beagle pal, dashes in and out in record time for his potty breaks. I haven’t seen anybody walking in my neighborhood for days. It’s too easy in this inclement weather to escape to mindless surfing the television or Internet. Today’s newspaper had an article on a research report that the average American spends more than 24 hours

#Minnesota #Wildlife #Decemberphotos #Photos #weather

#Minnesota #October #PhotoGallery

The Wild West holds a special place in American history, as it does at the Dan and Teri Winter ranch near Spring Hill. They love the Old West and have captured its essence on their 75-acre ranch, which they’ve named Bog Creek Ranch. Dan Winter with some of his long-horned friends at the Bog Creek Ranch. He opted to have long horned cattle because that’s the west, they’re cheaper than regular beef cattle, and, he said, nobody wants them except him. “They’re the perfect setting

I read recently that a party travelling from St. Paul to Moorhead during the winter of 1870 – ’71 was able to travel by train from St. Paul to Benson. Benson was the end of the rail line that winter, so those travelers had to disembark and finish their journey in ox-drawn carts. I expect it was viewed as an improvement in transport that they could get to Benson by train but the last leg of the journey was no doubt a chilly business. One hundred years later, in April 1970, my

Once pushed to the brink of extinction, the bald eagle has made a powerful comeback since the pesticide DDT was banned in the early 1970s. Minnesota has more bald eagles than any other state in the lower 48 states. The Minnesota DNR, for the third year in a row, is streaming a live video of a bald eagle next in the Twins Cities metro area. It is believed it the same pair of eagles that has nested here in previous years. This year there are again three eggs in the nest. The fi

#FebruaryPhotoGallery #Minnesota

Sibley County group completes special homework assignment The idea for the book originated with Harriet Traxler, who was active in the Sibley County Historical Society. She was an avid photographer and published author of several books, including one that featured the Barns of Sibley County. Although she got the project rolling, she didn’t live to see it completed, having died in 2013. But the book committee consisting of Sibley County Historical Society officers and voluntee

Online venture designed to connect local producers with local consumers. Local Harvest Market is a regional food hub, formed by a group of west central Minnesota producers and consumers, primarily to build a market bridge between local farmers and local consumers. Luetmer is quick to explain that Local Harvest Market is a majority-producer-owned business, and the producers are the real heart of the organization. Any producer who uses sustainable agricultural practices can bec

“What do you do as a judge?”  I’ve been asked this question on numerous occasions.  The answer is “many different things.” District judges preside over cases and trials of many types: criminal, family, civil, probate, and juvenile.  I often refer to the wide variety of criminal cases we hear as “misdemeanors to murders.”  For example, in recent weeks, I heard criminal cases involving domestic violence, murder, leaving the scene of an accident, terroristic threats, assault, th

Prisoners from WWII employed at Olivia seed company Italian POWs with American foreman, George Taylor in the middle. Photo courtesy of Dorothy Steinbeisser Some of the Italian, German and Japanese prisoners (called Axis) who were captured by the allies during World War II found themselves eventually harvesting seed corn for Rogers Bros. Seed Company in Olivia, and amazingly, the POWs got paid to do the work. In America’s backyards and farm fields and even dining rooms is wher

“Quality care, caring people.” “We are all working on our mission to provide the best quality of life for those seniors entrusted to our care,” said John J. Hoefs, administrator/CEO of Mother of Mercy. “We accomplish this mission by maintaining high standards of care for all who live here by addressing each individual’s physical, emotional and spiritual needs.” When people think of Mother of Mercy, they often think of it as just a nursing home. And while the nursing home (als

Minnesota-based call center will be one source for consumers seeking answers about health coverage through the MNsure insurance marketplace “With the opening of the MNsure Contact Center, we make it easy for Minnesotans to get help from trained service representatives, to learn more about the choices they have for quality health insurance, and to choose the plan that is right for themselves and their families,” said Todd-Malmlov. “This opening realizes an important milestone

Minnesota joins national observance of Falls Prevention Awareness Day Sept. 22 Governor Mark Dayton has declared Sept. 22 as Falls Prevention Awareness Day in Minnesota, making Minnesota among 47 states joining the national Falls Free® Initiative to raise awareness of falls, on the first day of fall, and ways to prevent falls in the older adult population. “Communities, families and individuals can use many strategies to help prevent falls,” said Don Samuelson, chair of the M

Country boy T.A. Erickson’s impact felt 100+ years later T.A. “Dad” Erickson, the son of Swedish immigrants, was a teacher and later superintendent of schools for Douglas County. He also developed a school fair idea that flourished in outstate Minnesota. Contributed photo The name T.A. “Dad” Erickson is prominently displayed on one of the pavilions at the Douglas County Fair. Have you ever wondered who this is and why the name is an important one? The organization of 4-H has

This weeks featured pet is Peanut a tabby – brown/domestic short hair mix cat available for adoption at the Heart of Minnesota Animal Shelter of McLeod County in Hutchinson, MN. A little about Peanut It’s no surprise that all of our pictures of Peanut are in the same spot – she loves to look out the window at all of the birds and squirrels around the shelter’s bird feeders. She’s a sweet younger gal who is looking for a couch and window of her own. She gets along OK with oth

How much do you know about our court system? Many often pass by the courthouse in their town, yet know little about what goes on inside unless they’ve been sued, summoned to a criminal case, or called to serve on a jury. The courts usually don’t make a lot of daily headlines in the media, unlike the other two branches, the legislative and executive. Our state has three levels of courts. The District Court is the trial court level and is the first step of the judicial process.

To increase seniors’ access to nutritious foods, the Minnesota Department of Human Services today announced the launch of a new one-page application for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) for Minnesotans age 60 and older. At the end of 2012, only 50.5 percent of seniors eligible for SNAP were accessing it. Currently, more than 500,000 Minnesotans are on SNAP. Stemming from the recommendation of the Nutritious Food Coalition, launched by Lt. Gov. Yvonne Prett