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Leap Day rolls around every four years, and I was excited about this year’s Feb. 29. Similar to daylight saving time, when we push our clocks back an hour in the fall, I see the 2020 Leap Day as a 24-hour bonus because it occurred on a weekend. What would I do with a whole extra day? Not only that, but a day where temperatures were predicted to reach 50 degrees, an outdoor warmth we hadn’t…

Question: I see a lot of people that have their fog lights on, and when I am meeting them on the road, some are very bright and make seeing the road very difficult. Some of them appear to be out of alignment and are blinding. What is the law that covers this? Answer: If the fog lights are aimed too high and/or are too bright, they are illegal, even if they are in compliance with the rest of the…

So February is about in the books for another year. Even with an extra day it seemed to blow by. So to keep you up to speed on my 2020 bucket list accomplishments, here’s where I’m at after two months. First, just to refresh your memory, the list includes wash a load of clothes at the Laundry Room Laundromat; get at least one haircut at five different salons in Luverne; swim in The Lake; attend a…

“Sir?” a voice asked from the golf course. “Sir?” My husband and I were sitting with two friends under a canopy by a pool near a palm tree next to a fairway in Arizona. We all turned toward the voice, expecting to see a golfer asking if we’d seen where a ball landed. Instead, we saw five or six SWAT team members, ARs and handguns drawn, being dragged down the fairway by an enthusiastic German…

I enjoyed taste-testing chili last week at Schomackers Home Galleries where family members (who happen to be business partners) competed for bragging rights to the best recipe. Brothers Joe and Tony Schomacker and their dad, Randy, were chili cooks, and Sharon baked sweets to sell on the side. The whole thing raised money for local charity. To make it more interesting, the three crockpots of…

I’m in the process. And let me tell you, it’s been a real process.  If you haven’t heard, our “normal” Minnesota driver’s licenses will no longer qualify as adequate identification for boarding a domestic flight after Oct. 1. At least that’s how I understand it. When my driver’s license renewal notice arrived in December, I realized this was my chance to upgrade to my “real” ID.  I had two months…

Friday is Valentine’s Day. Truth be told, that is not one of my favorite days. Valentine’s Day puts undue pressure on me to be romantic — not one of my strong suits. I can be compassionate, caring and downright sentimental, but romantic not so much. To make matters worse, Mary will find herself sitting in the dentist’s chair to start her day. In the past, I’ve done the standard Valentine gift…

More than a year ago local readers were introduced to Ryan and Martha Tofteland. The young couple and their children, Finn and Liv, were visiting Ryan’s parents, Steve and Julie Tofteland, and his childhood home in rural Luverne for Thanksgiving 2018. It was a bittersweet visit for the young couple. Two years prior, in August 2016, Ryan was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or Lou…

A few weeks ago we published the salaries of city department heads and the increases they were going to receive. We do the same with county and school personnel. The fact that we publish such information was the topic a conversation one day at coffee. Most at the table found it important while others (just one) really felt it was unnecessary. The argument against publicizing the salaries was that…

I’ve spent most of my life trying to avoid exercise and I think I’ve been fairly successful.  The time that so many of you have spent running, walking, biking and hiking, I’ve spent trying to avoid exercise. I may have burned nearly the same number of calories. One of my favorite exercise memories is the time in high school my sister and I were going to “run around the section.” (That’s four…

My high school senior caught me off guard last fall with the announcement, “Mom, I’m playing hockey this year.” This from the kid who’s never played hockey … Not that he hasn’t wanted to; we just aren’t hockey people. By that I mean his mother had neither the will nor the means to keep up with our hockey friends on the road and in hotel rooms. I drove my child to open skate as often as he asked,…

The following appeared in The Rock County Herald on January 20, 1905.   To Save Our Shade Trees Danger From Scale Insects Remedy Recommended by Prof. Washburn Which Should be Applied While Trees are Bare I wish to call the attention of the city council, the owners of trees near the city hall and all others who are interested in the beautiful shade trees for which Luverne is noted, to the…

Before I closed the book on the past year, I went back and checked my first column of 2019 to see what words of wisdom I may have jotted down. As it turns out, I came up short in the wisdom category. My bold and optimistic look at 2019 included four major construction projects that would be well underway by year’s end. The four included tru Shrimp, Premium Iowa Pork, the National Guard Armory and…

“There’s a lot of psychology in that.”  That’s one of my favorite and most used sayings, at least according to my students and the coworkers that I eat lunch with. Paul Harvey had “the rest of the story.” Al Roker has “here’s what’s happening in your neck of the woods.” My signature saying, it seems, is “there’s a lot of psychology in that.” I’ve been teaching psychology for quite a few years now…

The following appeared in The Rock County Herald on January 13, 1905.   The committee in charge of the Modern Woodmen’s annual dance which is to be given next Thursday, January 19, have completed all arrangements in a very satisfactory manner and the indications are that the dance will be one of the most enjoyable entertainments of the kind ever given by the lodge. As previously announced the…

Question: I see many vehicles driving down the road with ice and snow coming off of them. What is the law about clearing ice and snow from your vehicle prior to driving? Answer: The law states that no vehicle shall be moved on a roadway, unless the load is secured to prevent any leaking, blowing, shifting or falling debris. Ice or snow that may fall from a vehicle could be considered an unsecured…