I am not a big dessert guy. I rarely order them when I go out to dine, and putting a nice cake together isn’t a bug I get too often. Baking in general has never been my strong suit. I blame that only on myself. I have never spent as much time working on it as I do perfecting other …
I’ve written a two-part series about winter camping at the Elkhorn Ranch Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park for Dakota Country magazine. Here’s the first part. The Elkhorn Ranch Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park is a tiny 218-acre island in a vast million acre sea of Bad Lands, broken prairies, scoria roads, cattle ranches and oil development. The fact that even …
Well, hell, the Golden Retriever caught the Chevy. In less than a month, an unqualified senior citizen playboy, wife collector and renowned sex offender will become president of the United States. And I thought Millard Fillmore stuck in my craw. Russians playing games in our business won’t matter. It’s still going to happen. Obama is meting out punishment, but Trump, …
The University of North Dakota women’s basketball team won its Big Sky Conference opener Thursday night in Betty Engelstad Sioux Center by defeating Portland State University 65-61 before 1,435 fans. The Fighting Hawks (6-6) were led by Makailah Dyer, who scored a team-high 18 points. Joining her in double figures for UND was Fallyn Freije with 13 points and a career-high-tying …
Kids today just don’t realize how easy they’ve got it. When my generation was young, we even had to make our own noise! This revelation struck me midway through Christmas Eve, as the little Woman of the Year presided from within the eye of a hurricane of childish babble, squawks and beeping. She didn’t say a word, and won’t for …
Express Scripts is the Medicare provider for the North Dakota retiree program. It’s a great company, and the state’s program is excellent. Sometimes, because of the size of companies like Express Scripts, the little guy has to take it in the shorts. But they don’t have to like it. In late December 2016, just before Christmas, I and other participants …
“Hi, Orv!” chirps Stan. “What did you get for Christmas? Another 10,000 acres of dirt? Hair plugs? Personality injections?” “What’s it to you, Marxist boy?” hisses Orville, as he takes another sip of his vodka gimlet. “Are you 10 years old or something?” He mimics the voice of a small boy. “What did you get for Christmas? Geez Louise.” Stanley thinks …
One of the businesses in our local mall in Bloomington, Minn., is a Wellness Center offering a holiday special for new clients: $59 for a 60-minute introductory massage, a perfect Christmas gift for “the woman in your life.” So, I checked with the woman in my life. She thanked me but passed on the opportunity. Since then, I’ve noticed advertisements …
Are you up for some uplifting music this Christmas morn? How about a little “Gladiolus Rag,”a middle-period classic rag by Scott Joplin, considered by many to be his best. Here it is performed by The Country Scribe, Eric Bergeson.
Eric Bergeson, The Country Scribe, offers his take on the classic Robert Frost poem, “Stopping By Woods On Snowy Evening.” Imagery, personification and repetition are prominent in the work, written in 1922 and published in 1923, by one of the most celebrated poets in America.
Friends of ours, Mark and Kitty Westin, came up with a lovely Christmas card tradition for themselves a couple of years ago. Each year, they discover and repurpose a classic Christmas card from another era, sending them “back out into the world!” As they visit antique stores throughout the year, they find interesting, vintage Christmas cards that they repurpose, usually by copying the front …
Just this once, don’t listen to your mother. Go ahead and take her picture at Christmas. Take lots of pictures — neat or disheveled, busy or at rest, with or without grandkids or cats. Do it openly or, if she’s especially camera shy, go ahead and sneak up on her. Pay no attention to her protests. Ignore her attempts to …
No holiday celebration would be complete without finger food. And one that you might find on a lot of snack tables is the traditional party mix made with Wheat, Corn and Rice Chex cereals, mixed nuts, Cheerios and other crunchy goodies. We always had a good supply of party mix when I was growing up. Mom used to make a couple …
I’d be lying if I said James W. Foley was one of my favorite poets. Hokey might be the best word to describe him (but kind of wonderfully hokey). Foley, North Dakota’s longtime Poet Laureate — way before current Laureate Larry Woiwode — has been dead 75 years now, but there’s a renewed interest in his work, as evidenced by a series …
The Ocean Peace Talking Points Meeting (Shortly after 9/11): “OJ, everyone, settle down!” hollers White House Chief of Staff Andy Card. “Here’s the deal. ARI! (Ari Fleischer, White House Press Secretary). Get that pencil out of your nose. I’ve told you a hundred times — that’s not funny or sanitary, especially the sharp end … good grief! Do it yourself …
The Grand Forks Central boys hockey team ran its record to 7-0 with a 6-0 win over Fargo South/Shanley on Tuesday night in Fido Purpur Arena in Grand Forks. Grant Johnson scored two goals to lead the Knights, while Mitch Idalski, Cam Olstad, Seth Towers and Cole Hanson added single tallies. Central goalie Nick Buckin stopped 10 shots. Benjamin …
I think “A Gentleman in Moscow” has a place among my top 10 novels. Fred Rogers said something to the effect that one of life’s great challenges is to make goodness attractive. The author pulled this off in spades with his protagonist, and every sentence is perfect. Amazing. Did I say I hate Amor Towles. Thanks Cathy Frisinger for sending this our way. …
By now, it’s common knowledge that the poor Minnesota Gopher football players have been savaged by a bad old administration for, as one blogger put it, “taking a stand for due process.” Inforum.com reported the entire Gopher team would be boycotting the Holiday Bowl over suspensions handed out by the University of Minnesota administration over the sexual activities of many …
Lee Harvey Oswald would be proud. Not one, but a disturbing number of Americans, including Donald Trump, are choosing to believe Vladimir Putin over our intelligence agencies. Some even believe that the Russians did us a favor. Kneeling during the National Anthem causes a huge amount of angst among a swath of citizens, but siding with Russia in a case …
Christmas is a festive time in our nation’s capital. Among the sights is the National Christmas Tree, located in the northeast quadrant of The Elipse near the White House in Washington, D.C. Each year since 1923, the tree has been decorated. The North Dakota Christmas tree is one of 56 trees representing each U.S. state, territory and the District of Columbia …
Nov. 8 was a rude awakening for Sen. Amy Klobuchar. Her hope for a U.S. Senate controlled by Democrats was destroyed. More surprisingly from Klobuchar’s perspective, Democrat Hillary Clinton failed to shatter the presidential glass ceiling. Klobuchar would need to come to terms with Donald Trump, a populist and unorthodox Republican, as the next president. Now that Klobuchar’s shock has …
Sometimes, like last winter, my old friend spends most of her life in the closet. Last week, though, she awoke from hibernation to the first truly bone-shattering cold ushering in a new season. When I opened the door to the downstairs coat nook, there she was, waiting to warmly greet me: the World’s Ugliest Coat. That anonymous-looking garment has been …
You know we live in very uncertain times. While reading this for the next few minutes, please take off your Democrat, Republican or Independent hat and consider what the recent election means to our children and their future. Of course, I am speculating here … but my speculation is based upon what I know, not what I think. For purposes …
“Hey Orv!” shouts Stan. Orville swallows the lime wedge previously floating harmlessly in his vodka gimlet. After almost wrapping up his coughing and gagging jag, he finds enough air, to hoarsely wheeze,” Gat dang it, you commie creep! Quit it with the sneaking up on people. Crimony.” “Who snuck?” objects Stanley. “Have you zero peripheral vision, you old blind goat? …
The University of North Dakota women’s basketball team won its second straight game, a 79-67 decision over the University of Mary on Tuesday night in Betty Engelstad Sioux Center. The Fighting Hawks were led by Jill Morton, who had career-highs in points (21), 3-pointers (4) and rebounds (7). Samantha Roscoe added 19 points and five rebounds, while Lexi Klabo had 12 points …
Nothing takes the chill off a cold winter day than a big bowl of soup. That’s probably been true since early man started throwing meat and vegetables in a pot over an open fire pit. One soup that’s been around a long time is borscht, which is derived from an ancient soup originally cooked from pickled stems, leaves and umbrels …
If you’ve been following news coverage about the pipeline, stop it right now. Especially if you’re watching national and international news. What do professional journalists know that Facebook doesn’t? Now that the Army Corps of Engineers has denied permission to cross Lake Oahe, north of Standing Rock, based on foolish environmental concerns and a flawed process, some suggest the protesters …
No. 10-ranked University of North Dakota women’s hockey team, behind Alyssa MacMillan’s first college goal, defeated St. Cloud State University 3-2 on Saturday afternoon in Ralph Engelstad Arena. The Fighting Hawks improved their record to 8-6-5 (6-5-4-2 in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association) on the season, while the Huskies fell to 5-13-1 (4-10-1-1 WCHA). Amy Menke and Sarah Lecavalier also scored …
There’s rarely a great time for a car to bite the dust. But come on! Three weeks before Christmas? That just sucks! And the six weeks before and after my daughters’ birthdays? And two months before a trip of a lifetime to Cuba? And an undetermined number of months before a trip to Barcelona to visit my oldest daughter who …
Austin Polanski scored two goals to lead the University of North Dakota to a 5-1 win over National Collegiate Hockey Conference rival Western Michigan University on Friday night in Ralph Engelstad Arena. Shane Gersich, Colton Poolman and Dixon Bowen added single goals for the Fighting Hawks (9-5-3 overall and to 3-3-1-1 in the NCHC), while Scott Moldenhauer scored the lone …
“It’s now clear that so-called fake news can have real world consequences.” —Hillary Clinton, Dec. 8, 2016. As shocked as I am that it took Hillary — she’s been the subject of fake news since the ’90s — Clinton this long to acknowledge this, I’m glad she’s talking about it. First off, let’s stop sugarcoating it by calling it fake news. …
Dec. 7, 2016, was my 25th anniversary. Not of my marriage — that ended after 14 years. It’s the anniversary of when my family began. When I met Steve, we had a whirlwind romance. After just over two months of dating, we decided to get married. I was 28 and had kissed enough frogs to know that this strong, sensitive …
We have a huge public relations problem here in the Peace Garden State. While the world was watching the DAPL pipeline controversy, North Dakota failed abysmally in influencing the narrative telling people about us. What they see casts us in anything but a positive light. We need to acknowledge this. The movie Fargo gave us an example of how far good …
Stanley rushes into the bar at 1.2 miles per hour and finds Orville nursing a drink. “Orv, I need to borrow $5,000. Do you have that much on you? Fifties, if you got them.” “Gawd. Bartender!” Orv dramatically jabs a bony finger at his glass. “You let the bartender hold your loot, Orv? That seems to grind against your usual …
Geno Crandall scored a career-high 24 points and Corey Baldwin chipped in 13, all in the second half, as the University of North Dakota men’s basketball team soundly defeated North Dakota State University 74-56 on Wednesday night at the Scheels Center in Fargo. The win was the Fighting Hawks (5-2) first in Fargo since 2003. Drick Berstine added 12 points for UND, while Connor Avants had …
Recently, I Googled “Why do we dream?” What I learned was that scientists don’t really know. There are a jillion theories. For example, one source argues it’s merely the brain responding to biochemical and electrical impulses that occur during sleep. Another believes dreaming “is a form of consciousness that somehow unites past, present and future in processing information from the first two …
Seventy-five years ago today, the United States was thrust into World War II with the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. Alexandria, Va., photographer Jeff Olson stopped by the he World War II Memorial to “touch the words” of the memorial that honors the 16 million who served in the Armed Forces of the U.S., the more than 400,000 who …
The combination of Macy Miller and Madison Guebert were too much for the University of North Dakota women’s basketball team Tuesday night as the Fighting Hawks dropped a 83-72 nonconference decision to visiting South Dakota State University before a small-than-usual crowd of 1,200 in Betty Engelstad Sioux Center. Blizzard Alivia kept many would-be fans at home as the Hawks dropped …
For the first time in hundreds of years, the Native Americans have what seems to be an astounding victory. I’ve included the exact copy of the letter here from the Army Corps of Engineers, hereinafter referred to as the Corps. The president-elect has not weighed in but supports the pipeline. North Dakota’s governor, U.S. senators and U.S. representative support the …
I was all set to make the first pumpkin pie of the holiday season when I discovered an essential part of the family tradition had gone AWOL. Handed down by my grandmother and Mom herself, the heirloom recipe we’ve always prepared was missing! No, disaster hadn’t hit my 60-year-old recipe box; nor had Grandma’s old Our Savior’s Lutheran cookbook, with …
Dave Vorland recently returned from a trip to the Caribbean, which included stops in the island of Dominica and Puerto Rico, where he took these photographs.
So there they were, taking each step slowly and with great care. They usually put one hand on the iron chains that run along the steep path that goes up the mountain, while leaving the other hand on the carrying pole on their shoulder for balance. From a few steps behind, you could hear them breathe, heavily: One step they …
Tyler walked back to the dugout, dragging his bat, his head low and tears welling up in his eyes. He had just experienced what all hitters hate the most: A strikeout. My assistant coach, his dad, exclaimed, “There’s no crying in baseball! If you don’t cut it out, were going home!” Tyler was 8 years old. Instead of teaching his son …
Photographer Russ Hons recently was in New York City, where he had a chance to visit the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, which commemorate the September 11, 2001 attacks that killed 2,977 victims, and the World Trade Center bombing of 1993 in which six were killed. One World Trade Center (also known as the Freedom Tower) is the main building of the rebuilt World Trade Center complex in …