The last time I had any commentary on my occasional instances of doing harm to myself was from one of my children. I had slipped and chipped two front teeth as I was climbing onto one of my tractors on the farm. “Look,” one of The Young Girls said to me—(and they’re not that young anymore)—“We’ll… Read More

To the Editor, In a recent response to my letter to the editor, the writer made some statements which I need to address.  Especially so when affronted by still displayed Trump flags/signs and worse. Also, by the ridiculous claim that Trump somehow “will rise” to the Presidency on March 4th. And, sadly, perpetuating the “Big Lie”… Read More

I have in the past written about how to best kill an apple tree. Let’s clear that up. Should you want an apple tree to survive, you must: Select an apple tree correct for this growing zone; support it with posts and ties to keep the wind from shaking the soil loose around the roots; protect… Read More

Someone told me the other day that we do not have four seasons here in Minnesota, that we actually have five. “And they are,” I asked him? To which he replied: Summer, winter, fall, spring, and mud. That’s hard to argue with, because like a lot of people around here who live in the country on gravel… Read More

To the Editor, Now don’t get me wrong.  If you were around me when I stub my toe or break a favorite plate, your ears may wither a bit.  Profanity has its time and place throughout our society.   Comedians use it, screenwriters use it, some singers use it, authors use it, and almost everyone in their… Read More

To the Editor, A house on Main Ave. S. is flying a very profane flag below the American flag. Once the initial shock of seeing a large expletive waving in the wind wore off, I realized the owners are not accomplishing what they intended.   I’m sure they thought they were “owning the Dems,” as Republicans like… Read More

By Tucker Henderson Special to the Dispatch They say that you should write what you know. Well, I have heard a lot of stories about my Great Grandma Lorraine (Perala) Olsen’s childhood. She used to tell me rich stories about when she was a kid living in the country west of town. Her memory of early events… Read More

To the Editor, I believe in Free Speech, but I also believe that there are lines that should not be crossed. In America it has never been appropriate, ethical, or acceptable to display the F-word for everyone including our children and grandchildren to see. (I don’t care who’s name is under it, it’s still wrong) I… Read More

I suppose that if, back in the fifties when all heck was breaking loose, which we’ll get to in a minute, if we had had something like the internet or tweeting like we have now, we’d have been more worked up over stuff going on. Maybe. Hard to say. But there was a lot going on…. Read More

We up here in the north are watching with no small amount of glee the helplessness of southern states as they get a couple inches of snow, a bit of freezing rain, and “below freezing” temperatures. I particularly like that expression: “Below freezing.” “Below freezing,” which, compared to “below zero,” really sounds pretty attractive to… Read More