“Anything mentionable is manageable,” Fred Rogers famously said. Anything? What about this? You are a young mother, a government worker in Washington, D.C., and pretty much without warning comes a post-partum psychotic break. You end up running naked on a bridge over the Potomac and might not have survived if not for the courage and kindness of strangers. What about …
Some scenes at Rawlins Park, across from the U.S. Department of the Interior, in Washington, D.C.
It doesn’t happen very often, but I’m re-reading a novel I read years ago. It’s not just any novel. It’s “To Kill a Mockingbird.” It’s not for nothing that Harper Lee won the Pulitzer Prize for it. Like much of the reading public, I’m looking forward to the publication of Lee’s “Go Set a Watchman in July.” But July is …
Can you think of a better way to get a jump on spring than going to a flower show? Macy’s 2015 Flower Show, which opened March 22 and ended Sunday at its downtown Minneapolis department store, has been around since the 1960s and, perhaps, even longer. It is the tops in the Midwest. (Macy’s also has flower shows at its …
While driving to Thief River Falls, Minn., this morning, I was able to observe lots of birds, including ducks, geese, eagles, and cranes.
This pair of eagles is out teaching its young ones to hunt today by the bridge over the Red River at Drayton, N.D
There’s more to leftover baked ham than sandwiches, bean soup and egg bakes. That’s not to say those aren’t great choices for the tasty remains of your Easter dinner’s main course. I know, those are three of my favorite things to make when we have leftover ham. Another is boiled dinner, which also contains potato, rutabaga, carrots, cabbage and a …
The days leading up to Easter are always steeped in talk of religion … but this year’s Holy Week conversations have truly, you might say, taken the cake. From Indiana and Arkansas to, yes, North Dakota, daily news coverage has included the word “Christian” more often than in any prior seven days in American history. But you couldn’t really say …
A baked ham wouldn’t be anything special without a good glaze — and not one of those that comes in a packet with the meat. I’m talking about a glaze that is homemade, just like Mom and Grandma used to make. A couple of neat things about those kind of glazes is that they are easy to prepare — taking …
Lots of people are posting photos this morning of the lunar eclipse. I didn’t get up to watch it, but I was up briefly, around 5 a.m ., so I stepped out the front door and snapped a picture as it was happening. This is the first of two lunar eclipses visible this year in the United States. Skywatchers in the western third …
Never have I heard anything good follow such a sentence … “I’m not sexist, BUT … I just don’t think women make good business owners.” “I’m not homophobic, BUT … I just can’t support that lifestyle.” “I’m not racist, BUT … I just plain don’t like black people.” No joke, I’ve heard people use all three statements. There are totally …
This wasp nest housed a kingdom of killers A 12-year-old Australian found a 220-pound wasp nest and lived to tell about it. The nest was home to 100,000 of the stinging insects and haunted a household for months. The nest was 30 cubic feet huge. http://www.iflscience.com/plants-and-animals/worlds-largest-wasp-nest-found-tasmania California’s drought: Heat compounds a changing climate and the outlook is nothing but bleak …
Henry Varnum Poor’s “American Conservation of the Wilderness” (1937) gets some cleaning and restoration work at the Department of Interior in Washington, D.C.
I’ve spent the last eight months researching an authorized history of Fort Worth’s Kimbell Art Museum, work that has taken me to New York City, the California wine country and finally to Genoa, Italy, (tough duty, I know) to visit with legendary architect Renzo Piano and his team. It has also been my privilege to spend many hours reminiscing with …
Meatless meals were almost unheard of in 1950s and 1960s America. In fact, it wasn’t until the early ’70s that vegetarianism started to take root. I went through a phase in my life when meat didn’t touch my lips. It was in the mid- to late 1970s. I ate a lot of vegetables, fruit and fish. Even when I had …
Here’s an updated version of a story I wrote here a month or so — and for Dakota Country magazine’s current issue. Now we know that there will be no bighorn sheep season in North Dakota this year, for the first time since 1983. Nor will there be one in the foreseeable future. So, add bighorn sheep to the list …
Hundreds of books have been written about Elvis Presley. Yes, hundreds. I’ve read quite a few, including what many consider to be the definite two-volume Elvis biography, Peter Guralnick’s two-volume “Last Train to Memphis and Careless Love.” But here are some things I never knew (or had forgotten) about the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll, I learned from reading Joel …
Grand Forks Central swept a doubleheader from Valley City in Eastern Dakota Conference high school baseball action Tuesday at Kraft Field in Grand Forks, N.D. The Knights won the opener 3-2 behind the pitching of Brock Reller (9 strikeouts) and Caleb Binstock. Pitchers Wyatt Eagleson and Ryan Piche combined to capture the nightcap 10-3. On the hitting side in the …
One of Fred Rogers’ favorite things was to make connections between people. I often have imagined his delight at the connections I have made these last several years, traveling the country with the message of our unlikely bond. Many of them have been profound but fleeting. Others have developed into friendships that will endure as long as I do. Michael Gingerich and …
Our new political system has America in disarray Tom Engelhardt has written a history of the Cold War, runs TomDispatch.com and is co-founder of the American Empire Project. His latest musings are about a new kind of government being born “right before our eyes.” “Let me make my case, however, minimally, based on five areas in which at least the fain …
Manchamantel is one of the many types of Mole sauces. (France has Mother sauces, Mexico has Moles!) This sauce is one of my favorites because it’s neither too spicy nor too sweet. It really has a great balance of flavor that perks up all of your taste buds. Before we get started, here is a little background. A Mole sauce …
A lot of people bristle at the word “tolerance.” Some bristle because it feels like they’re being forced to put up with the presence and behavior of individuals or groups with whom they disagree. I like to remind those people that as much trouble as they’re having “tolerating” those who are different than them, there’s probably someone else having just as …
Easter wouldn’t be Easter without baked ham. It’s a mouth-watering tradition that’s enjoyed by many families, especially since its perfect for a large gathering. We’re planning on having ham this coming Sunday. It was a no-brainer, since our neighborhood supermarket has a great deal on them this week. And we’re also having my 95-year-old Uncle Curt join us. Uncle Curt …
The University of North Dakota men’s hockey team (29-9-3) defeated St. Cloud State University (20-19-1) in the championship game of the NCAA West Regional on Saturday before a sold-out crowd at Fargo’s Scheels Arena. UND advances to the NCAA Frozen Four in Boston, which starts April 9, to play Boston University ( 29-7-5) in a semifinal game.
The University of North Dakota men’s hockey team (29-9-3) defeated St. Cloud State University (20-19-1) in the championship game of the NCAA West Regional on Saturday before a sold-out crowd at Fargo’s Scheels Arena. UND advances to the NCAA Frozen Four in Boston, which starts April 9.
Maybe there are no shortcuts to wisdom. That idea came up in my recent conversation with a young man named Jonathan Hollingsworth, who strikes me as a compelling example. He grew up in Virginia, the son of a minister and a writer, and was moved by deep spiritual yearnings from early childhood. As a teenager, he sought out the homeless and bought them …
The University of North Dakota men’s hockey team (28-9-3) defeated Quinnipiac University (23-12-4) in the first round of the NCAA West Regional on Friday before a heavily partisan crowd at Fargo’s Scheels Arena. UND plays St. Cloud State (20-18-1) at 8 tonight, the winner advancing to the NCAA Frozen Four in Boston.
If it’s Lent, that must mean Friday night fish dinners, right? There are a bunch of them throughout the region. I got the chance to help serve the one at St. Michael’s Catholic Church in Grand Forks last evening. Earlier in the season, Bishop John Folda of the Fargo Diocese acted as guest server. Talk about going from your sacred to …
So, the North Dakota Farmers Union held a big rally Friday on the Capitol steps to kick off the petition drive to refer North Dakota Senate Bill 2351, which would exempt dairies and hog farms from our anti-corporation farming laws. It’s nice to see the spunk coming from the NDFU. I hope their referral effort is successful. It’s got a little …
Dry beans are one of the healthiest foods around. They are loaded with protein, carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins and minerals and are low in fat. In addition, they contain several types of phytochemicals, which play a role in preventing osteoporosis, heart disease and certain cancers. That’s pretty heady stuff, but for me, the fact that they are that are low in …
Birds, boats and beautiful sunrises and sunsets are a common spring sight in Florida.
Time-lapse photography, my first attempt, shows shadows slipping across a snowdrift in my backyard.
There’s nothing better than some comfort food on a day that’s cold and windy. And today is one of those days! (Well, actually, you could say that about a lot of days if you live in the Northland, especially North Dakota and Minnesota.) Many dishes fit that bill, but one that does it for me is creamed chicken (in my case, …
Starting plants indoors is a great way to get a jump on the gardening season. Many plants, vegetables and flowers will bloom longer or bear fruit well into autumn if started in spring and set in the garden after the danger of frost passes. If you are attempting this for the first time, get fresh potting soil and trays with small …
It was a chill, dreary first day of spring. We’d just sat down for a nice, hot bowl of soup when the telephone rang. Caller ID said it came from the local area code, so I got up to answer its summons. A very pleasant woman — her voice sounded half-familiar — said she had good news about our local newspaper. It’s …
Kids love tater tots. That’s a given. So it probably goes without saying that a hotdish or casserole that contains tater tots would be popular the youngsters. But it’s not just kids who love tater tots. Whenever I’ve mentioned them to friends or former co-workers, just about all of them rave about a favorite tater tot dish. I remember a …
I am happy with the warmth of the sunshine that has caressed me lately. It reminds me that once again, gardening season is just around the corner. I am very excited to put my shovel into the earth, plant seeds, and let Mother Nature take care of the rest, with little help from me. The world below us is an …
The weekend sun doesn’t look much different at sunrise at The Beach at Fort Meyers or at sunset from a dock at Key West, Fla., in these shots from photographer Jeff Olson of Alexandria, Va.
UND (27-8-3) fell 3-2 to St. Cloud State University (19-17-1) in Friday’s semifinals of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference Frozen Four Tournament in Minneapolis’ Target Center. North Dakota will play in the third place game at 3:37 p.m. today against Denver University (22-13-2), which lost 6-3 to Miami University of Ohio (24-13-1) in Friday’s other semifinal game.
UND (27-8-3) fell 3-2 to St. Cloud State University (19-17-1) in Friday’s semifinals of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference Frozen Four Tournament in Minneapolis’ Target Center. Here are some of the faces in crowd from photographer Russell Hons of Grand Forks, N.D.
UND (27-8-3) fell 3-2 to St. Cloud State University (19-17-1) in Friday’s semifinals of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference Frozen Four Tournament in Minneapolis’ Target Center. North Dakota will play in the third place game at 3:37 p.m. Saturday against Denver University (22-13-2), which lost 6-3 to Miami University of Ohio (24-13-1) in the day’s other semifinal game.
If there were ever two foods that were made for each other, they’re grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup. It’s not only the perfect soup-and-sandwich combination, it’s a marriage made in heaven. When I was growing up, a grilled cheese sandwich and a bowl of Campbell’s Tomato Soup was a quick and easy meal for Mom to make for us …
Whoopi Goldberg has said it. Morgan Freeman has said it. I’m not African-American. I’m an American.” To them, and others who promote this racial theory we call “Colorblindness,” my response is always the same: “That’s cute. I wish I lived in that reality.” Here’s why I say this: Both Whoopi and Sir Morgan (I’ve never felt like I could just …
326,170 Minnesotans live within half-mile danger zone of Bakken oil trains Transporting oil by rail cars is risky business because North Dakota oil is highly flammable and explosive. Those oil cars cruise past 6 percent of Minnesota’s residents, who live within a half-mile of rail routes carrying crude oil ; a half-mile is considered the evacuation danger zone. Five to seven trains …