Columnists

Awards, gopher coaching, and Wisconsin mining

Congratulations to Waseca County Pioneer writers Jim Lutgens, Eli Lutgens and Deb Bently for the awards they received at the Minnesota Newspaper Association’s annual awards banquet. For a newspaper in its first year of eligibility, 10 total awards is an impressive accomplishment. Eli Lutgens has...

Between the Rock and a card place

Echoes from the Loafers’ Club Meeting I hate Monday. Today is Thursday. It takes me a long time to get over a Monday. Driving by Bruce's drive I have a wonderful neighbor named Bruce. Whenever I pass his drive, thoughts occur to me. I hate to brag, but I have a lot of pennies. I’m...

Preparing students for the future

Waseca Public Schools’ mission statement is to empower all learners to thrive in an ever changing world. That is defined most simply by saying that our goal is that students have options when they leave our schools. Whichever one of the three “E” words students advance to after graduation,...

Here for today, for a time, and then eternity

Love and Death. This week we celebrate Ash Wednesday and Valentine’s Day on the same day. This conjunction of these two days occurs 3 times this century. In 2018 we celebrated the two days together, this year we do the same thing, it will happen one more time in 2029 and then not again until...

Rapid climate change or stolen covers?

Echoes From the Loafers’ Club Meeting Hi, Allan. It’s Allen. My apologies. I hate mispronouncing someone’s name. Driving by Bruce's drive I have a wonderful neighbor named Bruce. Whenever I pass his drive, thoughts occur to me. The calendar lies. The seasons tell the truth. Fog had...

Only thing I have not observed is a flying squirrel

A (very) common, popular hobby with Americans is bird feeding. Some 60 million of us feed birds in our yards in winter or summer: that’s 40 percent of all Americans. It’s roughly a $6 billion industry. I have several different bird feeders and stations spread out at our cabin; our favorite is the...

Some things fade away, think eternal

I am in trouble. I forgot to winterize things at my house this year. The front porch chairs are still out, I didn’t get a chance to rake my leaves, and my garden hose still has water in it. Naomi mentioned it this past weekend and I realized that I have so much to do outside. Good news though...

Jakes and Toms all over the road

Echoes From the Loafers’ Club Meeting What’s the name of that guy who was a mnemonist whose elephantine ability to remember large amounts of information caused him to be called the “Yoda of Memory Training,” who coauthored “The Memory Book” with the basketball star Jerry Lucas and performed...

A complete contrast to this year's winter

My definition of my least favorite season of the year goes something like this: Winter is cold and dark. It usually takes hold in November and finally relinquishes to spring sometime in March. December, January and February are typically oppressive with snowdrifts, below-zero temperatures,...

The secret to winter is to wear layers

Echoes from the Loafers’ Club Meeting I think I’ll have my class reunion at my place. I’ll provide all the food, valet parking and a place for everyone to spend the night. Wow! That will be a great expense for you. Naw, I was homeschooled. Driving by Bruce's drive I have a wonderful...