Opinion

On Saturday evening, I was finally able to enjoy a night off from all various jobs duties and so we decided that it would be lovely to go for a dip in the cold spring, enjoy a dinner out of town, and take in a movie. The heat and humidity made the dip in the cold spring lovely, and having the chance to dine out somewhere we don’t get to very often was also lovely.

So far this summer, the few fishing adventures I’ve managed to be able to fit into the schedule have involved mostly catching small, not very strong fish. That was not the case last week, attempting to fish near the dam in Granite Falls. Instead, I fought multiple very large fish, with not a heavy enough line to do so.

Goodness gracious. Got up at 5 to 83 degrees. Unbelievable.

The energy in the auditorium was already electric. Every single act in the middle school variety show received thunderous applause, a standing ovation. It was the last day of school and the audience was determined to love everything. Then the next act brought out a T-shirt gun.

Rain. And then, RAIN. And more in the forecast for the coming weeks. Uff. There have been whitecaps on the “puddles” in my soybean field. I’m thinking the drought in western Minnesota has been erased. I know.

Conversations with your adult children are so different than conversations with your young children. Although when my middle child calls, we are both typically involved in house-cleaning while talking, which is how typically some of the longest conversations used to take place when we lived in the same house, they’re now more involved with cleaning tips and trading stress baking war stories, rather than me getting to hear all the middle/high school drama.

I want to formally go on record declaring my commitment to the foundational principles of civilization. Chief among them is the notion of private property. From an early age, we are taught to distinguish between mine and yours—meum and tuum. This delineation is not merely practical; it is moral. It forms the basis for trust and the social contract itself. To transgress this boundary—to steal—is a violation of that contract. Put simply, stealing is wrong.

Another beautiful weather week in Wonderful Western Minnesota. A little sun, a little rain, a few clouds and very few bugs. What more could I ask for?

Last week, the first edition under the new format arrived on news stands and in mailboxes. As we work through the process of learning the new ropes, there are still a few things that we’re figuring out. So it may be that for one week, something that regularly is a part of our weekly newspaper won’t necessarily be included, as we become more accustomed to the placement and workings of the new design.

I don’t mean to brag or anything. I mean, really, I’m just a guy. I put my pants on one leg at a time. In many ways, I’m human—just like you.