By Jim Palmer In February, the country’s most popular groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, saw his shadow, meaning we are in for another six weeks of winter. Mark March 15 on your calendar. That is when spring will officially arrive this year. Of course, this old folklore, which dates back to settlers in the 1700s, has not ever been considered an accurate tool in our meteorologic toolbox. It’s been correct only about 40 percent of the time. The groundhog’s prediction also gears us u

Today’s Wisdom: “No day shall erase you from the memory of time.” –Virgil By Bill D. Ward Most of our readers are finding themselves in the late half of their lives. We have run the good race, done most of our great accomplishments, and made our most impact on those around us. We are now slowing down, cruising to the finish. We still have our roles, and we still are busy. But for many of us, the big stuff is back in that 70-year chunk of time we have already lived, not in the

By Jan Stadtherr Spring is the long-awaited season between snow shovels and mosquitoes. By the time spring arrives, most of us are emotionally prepared for it long before Mother Nature gets around to it. Spring is that hopeful time of year when we look out the window, see a patch of bare ground, and announce with confidence, “Winter is over.” This statement is usually followed within 48 hours by a blizzard, but optimism is part of the tradition. When we were young, spring mea

By Rhea Eblen of Belgrade My mom and dad were married in the 1930s. I don’t know how they met. After they were dead, I asked my mom’s sister how my mom and dad met. “Why didn’t you ask them when they were alive?” she said. My mom died when I was eight or nine – couldn’t ask her. My dad worked so hard, doing his best to raise a daughter all alone. Then I was growing up and not interested at the time. I knew my mom was raised on a farm. It was in Iowa. They moved two or three t

By Gary Schafer of Gibbon Back in the days of 1960-1961, a group of young men/ boys in Buffalo Lake and Hector, Minn. formed a car club. Those were the days of the loud mufflers, drag racing and “squealing tires.” They called the club “Turtles,” as S. Reuber had a ‘52 green Chevy that wasn’t the fastest car “on the block.” Thus, the “Turtle” became the logo for the club. The club had 10 members, many of whom were brothers, cousins or just guys in town who loved cars. They wer

You are going to love the February editions of Senior Perspective. Select the area, or check out the stories from other parts of Minnesota and North Dakota. All the great local advertisers can be in these full papers, along with the puzzle, jokes, recipes, and more for you and your friends to enjoy. Lindbergh Edition All around Mille Lacs Lake and specially tailored to the areas near Brainerd, St. Cloud, Little Falls, Princeton. Freezin’ for a reason; Honoring Jackson. Prairi

Winter is a beautiful season if you can get through all of the snow. Kristie Flachmeyer of Litchfield, Minn. shared this photo of pine tree branches dusted with fresh-fallen snow with a winter-white church in the background. Here is a stunning photo of the Nan Lian garden’s golden pavilion and red bridge in Hong Kong. Taken by Muriel Coulter of Tracy, Minn. while on her Japan trip. Steve Boogaard of Marshall, Minn. was on an Alaska trip with family and captured many photos to

Columnist publishes first novel at age 63 By Jillian Kellerman Carrie Classon of St. Paul has changed gears a few times in her life and has not been afraid to try new things. Her most recent venture has been publishing a novel. Contributed photo You may recognize the name Carrie Classon, as we publish her column, The Postscript , here in the pages of Sr. Perspective . Carrie started out self-syndicating her column before it was picked up by Andrews McMeel Universal. The Posts

Woman and son jump in icy waters each winter for Special Olympics By Bill Vossler Lisa is just hitting the water in a recent Polar Plunge. Also gives a sense of other people lined up to do the plunge shortly. Contributed photo When Lisa Edelbrock of St. Cloud steps up to a large hole in the ice, wearing a two-piece bikini, leggings, and sandals, feeling the sharp January wind whip at her--for the 18th consecutive year, again she thinks, “What am I doing here?” What she is doi

Clinton man, 100, passes on woodworking skills to granddaughter By Scott Thoma In 2018, instead of jewelry or candy as a present for her birthday and Christmas from her husband, Gary, Missy Sigler of rural Clinton got exactly what she wanted. In order to follow in her grandfather’s footsteps, she received a table scroll saw for her November birthday and a drill press the following month for Christmas. Missy Sigler and her grandfather, Bud deNeui, with a tri-fold nativity scen

Website launched by family, other advocates, to honor those lost to suicide By Nikki Rajala When Jackson Roeder, 25, died by suicide on Feb. 17, 2017, the family’s grief was acute, each person reacting differently. His parents, Scott and Reyne, were overwhelmed and thought of him every minute. They couldn’t move forward. They wondered where to get mental health help. When the family attended support groups and counseling, they found they weren’t alone — and not being isolated

Menahga man shares childhood adventures with the next generation in the form of storybooks By Vivian (Makela) Sazama Grandkids like to gather around Eugene to hear his fascinating stories about the way things were like when he was their age. Contributed photo For Eugene Kumpula of Menahga, childhood experiences close to his heart turned into a collection of seven children’s storybooks. “These are not just any books; they are a blend of fun, true stories from my own childhood,

Answers by Crystal Marvan, Director of Nursing at Guardian In Home Health in Glencoe, Minn. Crystal Marvan, Director of Nursing at Guardian. Contributed photo As more seniors choose to remain in their own homes, home care has become an essential support for maintaining independence, safety, and quality of life. Still, many older adults and their families have questions about what home care includes and how it works in Minnesota. Below, a home care expert answers the most fre

Answers by Mitchell Gossman, MD, an ophthalmologist at Eye Associates of Central Minnesota, located in St. Cloud How do I know if I have dry eyes? Let’s start with some background info. The eyes are bathed by tears constantly, but with two systems for the body to deliver tears to your eyes. The most important system is the “accessory lacrimal glands.” There are several of them in the eyelids, and their purpose is to deliver tears continually, all day and all night. The surfac

By Rachel Barduson It was the winter of 1966 that dad brought home a flying saucer for my sister and I. It was the newest thing in “sliding” – as in sliding down our hill in the pasture. It was a round disc, made of shiny, sleek aluminum, and could go down a snow-covered hill faster than the ancient and traditional toboggan sled that stood next to the house. Maybe dad caught us using the shovel (not a snow shovel – just your one farm shovel of the era) as we tried to use it a

By Cheryl (Rostad) Barry of Underwood Prior to a knee replacement in 2018, I purchased a cane at a local thrift store. After surgery I went to a rehab facility for a few days. I was required to label my belongings, including my cane. Fast forward to 2025, I had my other knee replaced. On occasion I used my cane for added support. In July, I visited my brother in Kodiak, Alaska. On my return trip, I had a six-hour layover in Anchorage. To bide my time I read, made phone calls,

By Jan Stadtherr I’m very thankful that I don’t have to learn English again! When my husband and I took a river cruise a few years ago, we visited the countries of the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, and Hungary. I was amazed how many of the citizens of these countries spoke English fairly well. There were many sighs of relief when we were able to converse with them as we didn’t know their languages. But they know ours, at least to a point that we could converse. There are ove

Today’s Wisdom: A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him. –David Brinkley By Bill D. Ward I recently got to spend some time catching up with a bunch of college friends and roommates. Some I hadn’t seen in 53 years. A lot had happened in everyone’s lives since the early ‘70s. There was no shortage of stories of the old days. Some were familiar because I was there. Others were new to me. Thankfully I had been elsewhere the

By Tim King “You can’t go home.” That’s what Mike Tuomala told me a half a century ago. Mr. Tuomala was my supervisor on a 10 day U.S. Forest Service job in the late summer of 1971. We spent our days in the deeply physical work of clearing and repairing portage trails in the Boundary Waters. Mr. Tuomala taught me, and two other young fellows, how to lay a stepping stone staircase on the down-hill slope of a forest trail so that it prevented erosion and so it looked as though

By Nancy Leasman We’ve had a house guest for nearly three weeks. One whom we’ve never seen. She’s been reclusive, elusive and stealthy. She’s left signs of her passing but has spoken not one word. Child #7 and her fiancé live in St. Paul. They have two cats. Then a third one appeared outside their patio door. They fed it. As the weather turned cold, they took pity on it. They made a shelter but she refused it. One cold morning, they brought her in. That process wasn’t without