By Tim King We have bird feeders outside of two of our windows. They’re fairly popular with a range of bird species from the tiny seed-eating Gold Finches to the huge suet-devouring Pileated Woodpecker. There is also, occasionally a Barred Owl, attracted by the deer mice and cottontails who visit in search of apple pieces that get tossed out the door. Sometimes a Sharpshinned Hawk visits with hope of capturing one of those tiny, seed-eating finches. It can get crazy out there

South Haven carver creates art whittle by whittle By Karen Flaten “It’s like a gift shop,” said Nancy, Wayne Nicoloff’s wife, pointing to the living room area of their South Haven house. She was not wrong. The living room and adjacent areas of the house were filled with carved wooden figures – on shelves, on side tables, coffee tables, and – especially the larger carvings – hanging on the walls as one might hang a painting. Wayne Nicoloff of South Haven with a few of his carv

By Carrie Classon I’ve always known I was lucky when it came to family. I saw classmates who had impossible siblings, and I knew my curly-headed younger sister was a catch. I knew people who really hated spending time with their parents, and I always had fun with mine—and I still do. I grew up with 36 cousins, 34 of whom were on my mother’s side. It was a lot easier to keep track of my father’s side of the family, but I always felt somehow rich, having so many cousins spread

By Kelsey Wuff, Otter Tail County Master Gardener Ruth Stout was famous for her “No-Work” gardening method, a topic on which she wrote a few books in addition to several other gardening books. Rather than follow traditional methods of gardening, the basic idea of Ruth’s method is to cover your garden area with eight solid inches of mulch. Pull the mulch back to plant, then tuck the mulch back around the plants once they have established. As the mulch breaks down she would sim

By Stanley Musielewicz of Little Falls It was a beautiful, late spring day in early June. A few clouds drifted across sunny skies, and the temperature was comfortable. School was out, and my family was visiting my grandmother’s farm, which was farmed by my bachelor Uncle Joe. My Cousin Danny was about three years older than myself, going into his senior year of high school. He was a city boy, but spent a few weeks every summer helping our uncle with the farming. Danny and I w

By Carrie Classon I have become the treat lady again. Depending on where I’m walking, I either carry dog treats or I don’t. I used to carry them all the time, but when we moved to the city, I stopped carrying dog treats because I feared that the downtown dogs (or their owners) might not welcome my treats. Maybe they were on a diet (the dogs, I mean). Maybe they had allergies. Maybe they would be suspicious of a strange woman doling out treats. So I stopped carrying treats. My

By Nancy Leasman Neytiri has gone home to St. Paul (see February’s Work Out column). She was a quiet house guest for a month, required trail camera monitoring for her people to find her (behind the furnace), and caused a bit of a scuffle to be caught. Since then, she has settled in and seems to appreciate her surrounding, including her people. So, our house is petless. No cats, no dogs, no fish, or birds. The closest thing to a pet is the robotic vacuum cleaner. I named it Da

By Carrie Classon Last summer, Judy approached me one day when I was walking by an old church. “I see you walking by here every day!” she said. “Oh, yes. I need to walk!” I told her. Judy is an associate pastor at this Episcopal church. She did not appear intent on getting me to church, but she was excited because they were having silent meditation in the chapel. She wondered if I might like to join. “It’s open to anyone?” I asked. “Every Tuesday night from 6 to 7. Stay as lo

By Carl Gadow of Eagan The passage of days and nights is loud and clear, but decades slip by quietly—until something smacks you in the face like a frozen northern pike. That’s when you realize you still fish like it’s 1979—and that what once felt proudly “old school,” now edges closer to simply “old fool.” My own tail-fin-to-the-cheek moment arrived just before Christmas. I was sitting on my pail, patiently jigging for sunfish, when I glanced around at the handful of anglers

By Jim Palmer It started with a simple text from my youngest son, Easton, a sophomore in high school. “Can you answer some questions for me to get extra credit in math?” My first thought was... why would my son be asking me to answer questions for him for extra credit? He has always done well in math... and has always been a rule follower. After questioning his motives (in a joking way) he let me know that the assignment was for him to ask an adult to answer some math questio

By Joel Johnson of Fargo In 1995, I started a new job at the Villa Maria Nursing Home in Fargo. I would go to work at 6 a.m. as part of the early morning floor care shift. My duty was to provide a healthy, sanitary environment in the building for the residents’ home. Elizabeth was one of the elderly residents of the home. One morning during my first week of employment, she was sitting in her wheelchair in the doorway of her room with a kind spirit about her. Elizabeth gave me

Today’s Wisdom: Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be. – Abraham Lincoln By Bill D. Ward Way back when I was about eight years old, I outgrew the little bicycle I had started out on. One would anticipate that my parents would have taken me to the hardware store and bought me a larger one. But in 1958, that wasn’t necessarily how things worked. Instead, we drove out to my grandparents’ farm and retrieved the rusted and dusty bike my mother had ridden

By Rachel Barduson For many, winter in Minnesota is just too unbearable to accept without some kind of refuge in a southern state or beach destination outside of the country. Spring break means planning – even if it’s the same destination year after year. During the winter of 2025, I was the arm-chair quarterback of winter travels as my sister and her husband went on their annual Mazatlán get-away. They went on the trip. I stayed home, but kinda went along, getting reports fr

By Carol Wenner of Alexandria This story shares my husband Bruce Wenner’s journey in woodworking, shaped by his father’s influence and the challenges of a modest upbringing. I’ve watched Bruce’s lifelong connection to nature, his achievements as a Minnesota Master Gardener, and his active participation in the Alexandria Garden Club have shaped his character and brought him joy. I’m proud to tell you how Bruce appreciates traditional woodworking techniques, treasures his uniq

By Marilyn Brinkman of Cold Spring Sometimes my brain thinks bigger than I can handle. Last week, I decided I needed shelving for my quilting fabrics so I could locate my fabrics in some type of order. When I moved to Cold Spring, I put all my fabrics into two large bins. I could barely lift them. I pulled and tugged, then had to practically stand on my head trying to locate the red fabric I needed. It was at the bottom of bin one. My new shelves. Contributed photo So, I wen

By Marc Milbradt of Slayton My first memories are of darkness all around but warmth above, which I was growing toward. A short time later, I broke through the earth and felt the sun on my leaf. I didn’t think anything could feel so good. I was wrong. There was rain, cool and pure, washing my leaves. And so the seasons went. Every season I grow taller and stronger. Life as viewed through a tree. Contributed image Then one spring I heard human footsteps and a small voice asking

The Weisel family of Glenwood recently took a trip down south, and Amanda Weisel of Glenwood brought back this eerie and beautiful photo. Spanish moss hangs from the trees in this foggy, mysterious swamp scene captured at a recent trip to New Orleans. A mother deer and her spotted fawn wander side-by-side through the tall greenery in this sweet wildlife moment. Joyce George Watts of Buffalo spotted the pair blending right into the leafy summer foliage. Mary Carlson of Mountai

This article was written and provided by Brooke Steckelberg, Au.D., CCC-A, at St. Cloud ENT. Why am I dizzy, and what should I do about it? Brooke Steckelberg, Au.D., CCC-A Contributed photo Our balance system is very complex and involves three main systems working together: the visual system, the vestibular (inner ear) system and the proprioceptive system (sensors in muscles, joints and tendons). Our brain integrates information from these systems to keep us upright and

Answers by Mitchell Gossman, MD, an ophthalmologist at Eye Associates of Central Minnesota, located in St. Cloud Can wearing glasses make my eyes seem worse? Usually not, in the sense that the health of the eyes cannot be harmed by wearing glasses. You could wear aunt’s thick prescription and it wouldn’t damage your eyes. However… For adults, your vision can not get worse because of the glasses you wear. But if you don’t get used to a new prescription within a couple of wee

Ex-Olympic biathlon athlete giving back to help kids find their (ski) paths By Carol Stender Battle Lake native Wynn Roberts is a helicopter pilot flying for both the ND National Guard and for Life Link III of Detroit Lakes, but there was another time he was flying high... with competitive energy and excitement. Roberts was an Olympian representing the U.S. in the biathlon at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada. Battle Lake native Wynn Roberts is an Olympian. He rep