Columns

On New Year’s Day my sister sent me a video of our 86-year-old father ripping down the driveway on his new Honda Monkey. The big bike was getting to be a little much, so Dad thought it wise to downsize. He’s usually a safety guy, but in the video Dad – with no helmet – spins his baseball cap around backward and tears off the farm yard. The video records my sister giggling and saying, “There…

When is the last time you saw an animal or other creature that you may have never seen or at least haven’t seen for a very long time? This happened to me last winter and again just a few weeks ago. I was rambling around in Nobles County and saw a river otter. He/she was sitting on the ice near an area of open water. My passing on the road immediately sent it into the deep, and even though I…

My dad in the 1970s sold O’s Gold Seed Corn and often wore a bright orange windbreaker and cap to advertise his farming side-gig. As a little girl I didn’t give much thought to seed corn, but I could always spot Dad in a crowd in his orange cap. Today, it’s not just the ag salesmen wearing the labels. It seems everyone who buys feed, seed, chemicals, tools or machinery has a matching wardrobe…

There are always a few of those “changing over to the New Year” tasks that need our attention. Getting used to writing 2025 on checks usually takes a check or two to get in the swing of the New Year. I know you’re probably thinking, “Who writes checks anymore?” I probably write two, maybe three checks a month. We get about eight different weekly newspapers at the office. All eight are from…

I started out the new year with a spearing trip to northeast South Dakota. I was looking to do a little pike spearing, and southern Minnesota is not the greatest place to do that. For one, we only have a few lakes that have a decent pike population and even fewer lakes that have water clear enough to make spearing enjoyable. Some of only decent pike lakes had frozen out two years ago, and even…

So, how many of you reading this column today know what the North American model of conservation is? If you don’t know, don’t feel bad. I would guess that 80 percent of the general public has never heard of this term before. After a little explanation most of you will say that you have heard bits and pieces of it and generally understand its principles after all. The way that game fish and…

Amid the excitement of this spring’s NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament, I purchased matching “You break it, you own it” Nike T-shirts for my 6-year-old Iowa granddaughter and me to wear. The slogan was a nod to Caitlin Clark’s record-breaking basketball season. Neither of us is a diehard basketball fan — we just appreciate Clark’s athleticism and love of the game. An added bonus is that Clark…

Question: Hello, I am looking at getting my kids an e-scooter for Christmas. I was just curious before making the purchase what are the laws and rules for these things. Answer: Motorized foot scooters (also termed “electric scooters” or “e-scooters”) have seen a marked increase in use recently, primarily due to their introduction in fleets of shared rental offerings in cities throughout the…

Our Kentucky granddaughters told us their “Other Grandparents” are taking them on a Disney cruise. They’ve been promised day spas and swimming with dolphins, carnival shows, island expeditions and food served from mile-long buffets. Grandpa and I were spending last week with the two girls, ages 7 and 9, when we learned about the cruise. Their parents were off galivanting at a tropical resort…

Christmas on a Wednesday followed by New Year’s Day just a week later are not ideal days for those of us in the paper business. Early deadlines set forth by our printer and postal deadlines make for a very chaotic two weeks. A big thank you to our advertisers for their understanding and willingness to get us copy for their ads well ahead of normal deadlines. To the staff at the Star Herald,…

The calendar says our Dec. 19 edition of the Star Herald is the final publication before Christmas. Next week’s paper is Dec. 26, at which point we’ll be working on our year-in-review coverage and moving on to 2025. That means on Dec. 15 — a good 10 days away from Christmas — I found myself considering a column about Christmas. Which I wasn’t ready for. Again. It’s not that I’m a scrooge. I…

With about 10 days before the big Christmas holiday, I suppose I should start to think about those on my Christmas list. I never fail in this department, but I won’t fight the crowds on Black Friday or any weekend day, for the most part. I really try hard not to buy gift cards. Sure, they work and get the job done, but they do show limited effort to match a gift to the recipient. So, I made up…

Results from last month’s general election may have surprised many, but no one was more surprised than I was. Come January, my oldest son, Andrew, will be sworn in as the mayor in Lismore, and I couldn’t be more proud as he steps into a local government leadership role. He said that when he received his mail-in ballot, no candidate was listed for Lismore mayor. Concerned, he started asking…

It’s been just a little over two months since the Rock County Star Herald introduced you to Star Media, our way to expand our presence beyond the printed page. Star Media aired its first podcast in late September and in relatively short order produced 20 different podcasts resulting in over 4,000 downloads. Just in case you have no idea what Star Media is, take a moment and crawl out from under…

Question: Every once in a while, I notice some vehicles stop in the road at the railroad tracks when nothing is coming. Can I pass them when they do this? Answer: Some vehicles, such as passenger vans, buses, and larger trucks, are required to stop at all railroad tracks, whether or not a train is present. Do not pass these vehicles. It is illegal to pass any vehicle within 100 feet of a…

It was early on a Friday morning and still dark in Luverne, Minnesota. Six a.m. was too early for even the sun to be up. It was so dark they called it “Black Friday.” I was snuggled into my fluffy winter bathrobe, sipping my first cup of organic, fresh roasted Honduran coffee with heavy whipping cream when Mr. Romantic interrupted the solace. “Wanna go to Bomgaars with me? Everything is 20…