Alan Linda Freelance Writer It was just before July 4, 1969, up by the DMZ in Vietnam, and Tex—a fellow draftee from, well—and I had just been assigned to sandbag duty. You see, I had come up with a fairly undefined idea to make a rocket from gunpowder with which to celebrate the 4th. “Fairly… Read More

By Tucker Henderson Special to the Dispatch They say when an elderly person dies, it is akin to a library burning down. Well, a great wealth of knowledge was lost this past week when my grandmother, Lynnette (Menze) Henderson, passed away. I feel as if I just wrote a history column as I just finished her obituary… Read More

By Bev Johnson Master Gardener Actually, these trees and shrubs are misnamed.  They aren’t ashes, they are actually related to apples.  If you look closely, you will notice the resemblance to a very small apple. Kashmir Rowan grows in the Himalayan mountains.  She blooms in the early spring, April or May.  The flower clusters are white, or… Read More

Now We’re Cookin’ Barbie Porter Delaware was the first state of the union as of Dec. 7, 1787, as it was the first to ratify the federal constitution. The state had about 60,000 residents at the time. Now, the second smallest state of the country has about 990,000 residents.   Dover is the capital of Delaware,… Read More

To the Editor, To prevent further spread of the coronavirus, we should require everyone to get fully vaccinated (including a possible third dose)—unless exempted by a sincerely held religious belief or medical condition.  We should write to our legislators and executives at all levels of government. Alvin Blake New York Mills

Ask a Trooper Sgt. Jesse Grabow Question: I have a question for you with harvest season going on. Is it legal for a vehicle with a slow moving sign to drive over 30 mph? Answer: A towed implement of husbandry that is empty and not self-propelled may be towed at lawful speeds greater than 30 miles per hour… Read More

By Bev Johnson Master Gardener If you are looking for a smallish tree that is attractive all year, check out some of the Mountain Ash trees. In the spring they are covered with lacy, umbels of white. The leaves are long, medium green and lacy. A mature tree will be oval or a broad pyramidal shape… Read More

Alan Linda Freelance Writer “I know you don’t ignore me on purpose,” said a woman to me. It was some time ago, and I’ve mostly repressed this conversation due to deep psychological failings. (These are failings common to man; failings completely invisible to women.) Saying something like me ignoring her is like throwing a soft… Read More

Chad Koenen Publisher I don’t know if there were more than a handful of times my family purchased an actual Halloween costume for me for Halloween. There were a few purchased costumes, like a football player with shoulder pads none-the-less and some ninja costume with a sword, but most of my costumes growing up were… Read More

By Tucker Henderson Reporter I recently received a copy of the new book ‘Lost Songs of the Suomi Synod’ by Jonathan Rundman. The 116 page book is a compilation of historic hymns from the Suomi Synod (now a part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) which have been modernized to restore them back to congregational… Read More