I gave myself a new nickname today. I kinda like it. The whole thing started when an acquaintance online made a gardening analogy to assert a belief that I was “looking for problems where there weren’t any” (an argument I’ve heard many times before) when discussing issues of race. Essentially what this person said was that worms were a reality …
It’s amazing what a little rain will do for spring flowers such as these in Alexandria, Va.
What started off as a remembrance of the Battle of Puebla, a national holiday in Mexico in honor of a military victory in 1862 over French forces of Napoleon III, Cinco de Mayo has become more of a celebration of food these days. That’s especially true in the United States. Many restaurants feature South-of-the-Border food, and more and more people …
Baby steps. Painful steps. Think baby steps. Take tiny steps and keep moving up, up, up these damnable mountains. My hiking boots step and stumble on some of the oldest rocks on the planet as we hike into the clouds of the Beartooth Mountains. We’ve already gained 7,000 feet in elevation, and the air isn’t exactly Gulf Coast thick and …
You don’t have to be Dutch to love tulips. These harbingers of spring are a delight as they poke through the mulch you probably placed over the flower bed this past autumn. Tulips originally came from eastern Turkey. The Dutch took those wild tulips and crossbred them, creating many varieties — early, midseason and late — that are found in …
North Dakota singing duo TigirLily performed at the Loading Dock in the University of North Dakota’s Memorial Union on Saturday. The concert was put on by the UND Association of Residence Halls.
The Lone Star Rodeo Company came to the Alerus Center in Grand Forks, N.D., on Friday and Saturday nights. There were plenty of thrills, lots of spills and great entertainment for the crowd. There was a calf roping, team roping, saddle bronc riding, barrell racing and the crowd favorite, bull riding. In between events, the rodeo clowns and stunt riders …
Southern Utah University handed the University of North Dakota women’s softball team an 8-3 loss April 25 at Apollo Complex in Grand Forks, ND. All three of UND’s runs were scored on solo home runs, one each by Shelby Hard, Maria Dendingber and Jackie Lilek. Hard’s home run gave her sole possession of UND’s single-season home run record, as she hit her 14th …
Grand Forks Red River traveled across the river to meet East Grand Forks Senior High in a high school baseball game Friday and came home with a 7-3 victory. Ty Straus picked up the win for the Roughriders, while Chance Borden was tagged with the loss. Straus also lead Red River at the plate going 2-4 with a double. Also …
Salmon is one of the most popular choices in the fine restaurants of the world when it comes to fish. And it’s no surprise that it’s also the favorite fish on American dinner plates. But did you know that you are much better off eating the wild-caught version as compared with those that are raised on fish farms? Wild-caught salmon …
The following was written at the request of WDAY alum Larry Gauper for his excellent Wordchipper.com blog. Larry has been instrumental in organizing monthly WDAY-WDAZ alumni lunches in Fargo. They are a blast. I always leave them laughing. Larry asked me to chip away at letting people know a little bit about my shady past and my current state of …
These are the three things I enjoy most about North Dakota’s outdoors: Wading across the Little Missouri River with my hiking shoes slung over my shoulder, on my way to a silent day hiking in the Bad Lands wilderness. Watching my dog lean into a patch of brush, just a glimpse of red feathers under her nose, her nostrils flaring …
North Dakota State University (12-26) scored the game’s only run in the sixth inning to hand the University of North Dakota (16-21) a 1-0 loss in a nonconference college baseball game Tuesday at Kraft Field in Grand Forks, N.D. NDSU swept the season series, also winning 4-2 last week in Fargo, N.D.
We’ve all got “stuff” that makes us passionate. Some of that “stuff” leads us to say (and do) horrible things to each other. There’s a lot of “stuff” going on out there in the world this week that has lots of people saying (and doing) lots of things. I don’t want to talk about any of the “stuff.” Not in …
Watching the images from Baltimore and remembering, and certainly not for the first time in these troubled last few years, a spring night in Tulsa, Okla., more than a decade ago, when Oklahoma State Rep. Don Ross and I shared dinner at a quiet Chinese restaurant. I was in Tulsa to research a newspaper story about the Tulsa Race Riot …
Whatever happened to “Rodham”? As the next president of the United States shapes her campaign messages, her brand seems to be wobbling a bit. From “Hillary Rodham Clinton” to “Hillary Clinton” to simply “Hillary,” media observers have begun to comment on what the Democratic front-runner calls herself these days … and her fellow triple-name females wonder, too. The crisp signature …
Have you ever seen a recipe that looks so good that you know you are just going to have to try it? But maybe with a spin of your own. I came across one of those the other day. It was for a meatball lasagna. Meatballs and lasagna are two of my favorite foods, but never before had I thought …
An aging population coupled with more people choosing apartment or condo living is resulting in a shift to container gardening. And that’s not surprising. Containers are easy to move about your deck or patio. And you can raise flowers, including houseplants, annuals or even vegetables. Containers can range from red pottery or terra cotta pots to wood, especially if you …
Anyone who grew up in the Midwest knows about hotdishes. And if you’re from Minnesota, you probably know that more than most. Perhaps, that’s the reason Democratic U.S. Sen. Al Franken started the Minnesota congressional “Hotdish Off” back in 2011. Wednesday, the Minnesota delegation took part in the fifth annual event in Washington, D.C. And this year, Rep. Betty McCollum …
On Earth Day, President Obama visited Everglades National Park. The president used the opportunity to talk about how climate change is affecting the 1.4 million acre park, which was created in 1947 to conserve the natural landscape and prevent further degradation of its land, plants, and animals. Known as the “River of Grass,” the Everglades fuel the region’s tourism economy and water …
It was on one of the last nights in January that their company commander, a captain named Richards, called the men together when they had gone to the rear for food. “Tomorrow is the first day of the end of the war,’’ Richards said. “At oh-two-thirty we move forward, and we’re not stopping until we get to Berlin. The Germans …
Ask a roomful of kids what their favorite treat is and you might get dozens of answers. But if you mention Rice Krispie bars, the response would be pretty positive, I suspect. Show me a kid who doesn’t like Rice Krispie bars and I’ll show you a kid who doesn’t like sweets. I know that when growing up, the bars …
Pesto and pasta. Now that’s a combination that’s surely made in heaven. And if you don’t believe me, see for yourself. There is nothing simpler than combining those two with the likes of seafood, sausage or ribs in a yummy sauce that might also include some tasty veggies. One of my favorite combos is pasta, pesto and shrimp with peas. …
Here are some more photos from Russ Hons of the University of North Dakota Indian Association’s 45th Time-Out Wacipi (Powwow). These were taken during the Grand Entry on Friday evening.
Spring is often fickle in its arrival. We may have several nice, warm days followed by snow and freezing temperatures. Other years, we may have no problem. This year has been a mixed bag. On May 15, 1981, we had a real taste of having it both ways. We had an early thaw, and many gardeners had started their planting. The …
The University of North Dakota Indian Association Time-Out’s 45th Wacipi Powwow, which has been taking place at UND’s Hyslop Sport Center since Friday evening and continued Saturday, concludes today. Photographer Russ Hons captured these scenes at Friday night’s Grand Entry.
There was a time that the only place you could get a good meatloaf sandwich was at home. But these days, more and more restaurants are featuring this comfort food on their menus. I was reminded of this recently when watching the Travel Channel, which regularly has a show about a particular kind of food that has gained popularity. The …
The University of North Dakota Indian Association Time-Out Week Wacipi Powwow, which began Friday, continues today and Sunday at UND’s Hyslop Sport Center. Photographer Russ Hons captured these dancers at Friday night’s opening.
Let me start with this. I was sitting in my recliner last Sunday evening watching a rerun of the old Lawrence Welk show from the 1960s. It was one of Lawrence‘s “theme shows,” and the theme this week was Los Angeles. As the show neared an end, after renditions of surfer songs and Hollywood movie themes, the band and singers …
Bison or buffalo burgers have been quite popular in many households across the Midwest or Great Plains for quite a few years, even showing up on some local restaurant menus. But in the past five years or so, they’ve also become a hit in areas where you wouldn’t expect, including many of our nation’s largest cities. That’s not surprising to me, …
I met Fred Rogers, the children’s television icon, on a newspaper assignment in the fall of 1995. Several months later, I sent him this letter and received his famous reply. June 22, 1996 Dear Fred, … I have something to ask of you. The last several years have been a very profound time of intense personal pain and great healing, …
There’s no doubt that Italians know a lot about pasta. In fact, pasta might be a food that Italians know more about than pizza or tomato sauce, both of which have a relatively recent history. Despite what you may have learned in history class, Marco Polo did not discover pasta in China and bring it back to Italy in the …
Saturday is Record Store Day, an annual event, begun in 2007 to recognize independent record stores around the country. Instead of downloading a piece of music or ordering a CD from Amazon, some people still get in their cars, drive to a store and buy a record album (yes, that’s what we used to call them) on vinyl. Through cassette …
In my novel, “Every Common Sight, the battlefield experiences of my character, Wendell Smith, are based on the real-life horrors of World War II veterans I interviewed in the 1990s. The following is one example of how heartbreaking truth morphed into fiction. I’ll never forget the sight of Earl Crumby — a small, wiry fellow with thick black hair and glasses …
Spring has indeed sprung as gardeners prepare for another season. However, it may be a difficult year with hot, dry conditions expected by many weather forecasters. We will see. We are enjoying a very early spring with lots of wind, which sucks up the little soil moisture we had over the winter. So have a hose ready. Lawn chores lead …
Sunset tulips grace the George Washington Parkway overlook between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington Cemetery in Washington, D.C.
“Keep it simple, Stupid.” We’ve all heard those words. They seem to be the universal model for everything: — Don’t clutter a PowerPoint presentation with too many slides. — Don’t ruin a perfectly good song with overly complicated riffs and vocal pyrotechnics. — Overdone special effects in a movie look ridiculous. You get where I’m going with this. Unfortunately, sexism, racism, any …
“Be There!” “Bite!” “Make It!” These are some of the words I heard Jordan Spieth use to coach himself on the final round of the Masters Golf Tournament. The golf ball came under Spieth’s verbal command, and the grounds of Augusta National surrendered to his brilliant 18-under-par round, giving the 21-year-old his well-deserved Green Jacket. What I saw Jordan Spieth …
The surrender of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee to Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant 150 years ago today April 9 was a milestone event in the end of the Civil War. Among the anniversary events to commemorate the event were a re-enactment of Lee’s last clash with Grant’s troops and of the Confederate surrender in the McLean Virginia farmhouse. Also …
The National Cherry Blossom Festival concludes today. For 80 years, Washington, D.C., has celebrated the 1912 gift of cherry trees to our nation’s capital by the mayor of Toyko. Each year, big crowds gather around the Tidal Basin and National Mall to view the springtime magic of the blooming cherry trees. This weekend, Washington’s famous cherry blossoms are hitting peak bloom, according to …
The National Cherry Blossom Festival concludes today. For 80 years, Washington, D.C., has celebrated the 1912 gift of cherry trees to our nation’s capital by the mayor of Toyko. Each year, big crowds gather around the Tidal Basin and National Mall to view the springtime magic of the blooming cherry trees. This weekend, Washington’s famous cherry blossoms are hitting peak bloom, according to …
Sunday dinner has always been something special for a lot of people — or at least there was a time when it was. That’s because Sunday traditionally has been the day of the week when you could count on everyone in the family getting together to sit down and share a meal. And in these busy times when both parents …
Many thoughts can dance across your mind when you celebrate a birthday. And the older we get — this includes me — the more we think about how long we will live. But if you are like some of the people who live in Okinawa, Japan; Ikaria, Greece; the Nicoya Penisula of Costa Rica; and Loma Linda, Calif., it might …
The surrender of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee to Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant 150 years ago today was a milestone event in the end of the Civil War. Among the anniversary events to commemorate the event were a re-enactment of Lee’s last clash with Grant’s troops and of the Confederate surrender in the McLean Virginia farmhouse on April 9, …