An ATV adventure

I was just reading the June/July issue of Minnesota Off-road Magazine and found a feature article including some local highlights.

The story is written by Jerry Bassett (not sure if there is any relation to the local Bassetts or not) and is about an extended ATV trip along the Soo Line Trail.

Isle's Les Pinz is one of the riders featured in the article along with three other riders. The group traveled from Isle to Cass Lake.

The group is a bunch of "avid snowmobilers" who set out for their first ever long distance ATV ride. "As it would turn out, the trip wouldn't be as easy as a snowmobile tour and would offer an adventure or two," Bassett wrote.

The group encounters some challenges as they make their way along the 360 or 380-mile journey. The smooth path of the Soo Line "disintegrated into a seemingly little used and minimally maintained path.... we went from the irregular chatter of the corridor trail to picking our way over ruts, through mud holes ad around downed trees."

Now that sounds like my kind of ATV fun.

All-in-all, the article made me want to try the adventure myself. Having never been on an extended snowmobile trip, I have no idea what it would be like. But I am willing to pack up my Yamaha and give it a try. But it sounds like I may need a mechanic along for the ride.

I made the mistake of mentioning it to my Editor, Brett. Now I have a new assignment.

I am not sure when I will make the journey, but I am willing. After all, the article closes that long distance ATV rides can be quite nice, "if you have the right companions, prepare for the unexpected and enjoy the journey."

So who wants to go for a ride?

Why is this news?

June 6, or 7, 2009 Herb Weyaus was hospitalized.

On May 24, 2009 a veteran New Jersey state lawmaker was hospitalized in Massachusetts after suffering a mild heart attack while watching a college lacrosse game. The 71-year-old Sen. Anthony R. Bucco was resting comfortably and was expected to be released from an area hospital days later.

Sen. Tim Johnson, D-South Dakota, was hospitalized in December 2006 after he suffered stroke-like symptoms in his Washington office, his staff said.

On Monday, June 1, 2009 Sen. Robert C. Byrd, developed a serious infection and was treated in the hospital with antibiotics.

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger broke his leg skiing in Dec. 2006.

Singer Beyounce fell down the stairs during a concert in July 2007.

These were all top sotries in various national news publications at different times.

Why is it that these people's illnesses and injuries have became headlines?

Because these people are important to the communities they serve. They may not like that their feet failed them and they fell down the stairs, or that their heart attack was discussed on national TV. But that is the way it is when people are public figures whether political or performers. Sometimes the two are interchangeable.

Yet here in our front porch, Herb Weyaus, Mille Lacs Band secretary/treasurer and one of the areas most influential people (depending on which side of the border you happen to live on) was hospitalized over the last week with what appears to be a serious heart condition. No information is being released by the Mille Lacs Band Government or their public relations firm.

Weyaus holds the purse strings to millions of dollars. It would be nice to know what is going on. Who is in charge while he is recovering?

This would have been an opportunity for the Band to make a public statement and reach out to the community. But instead, they chose to keep his illness a "private family affair."

The Band cries out to be treated as an equal state and then spins on the heals of sovereignty and divine independence and power.

The St. Cloud hospital as of Friday, June 12 has Weyaus listed in fair condition. He was upgraded to good condition as of Monday, June 15. No other information is releasable by the hospital according to HIPPA regulations.Whatever the case may be, Weyaus is a stubborn old goat. It will take more than a triple or quadruple or whatever kind of bypass to keep him down long I am sure.

While I certainly understand privacy issues and HIPPA regulations, the fact remains that he is a public figure. He is a government official. People have the right to know what is happening with their government leaders and who is watching the store in his absence.

My dad was hospitalized this week as well. While my dad had a knee replacement surgery and is now recovering at home, I worried about him. As I am sure Mr. Weyaus' family is worried about him.

My thoughts and prayers truly are with Mr. Weyaus and his family and I wish him a speedy recovery.

Perhaps the Mille Lacs Band government could issue a press release to extinguish all of the rumors that are floating around and help to get the truth out to the people they serve.

We are waiting for the news. Why? Because it is news.

Balancing in quicksand

As a writer, I hope for my work to be meaningful. There are not a lot of Pulitzer Prizes given away to journalists of community newspapers. (Although I would be extremely honored.) So sometimes, I feel like I am treading water in a sea of quicksand. No matter what I do, I just get sucked into a vortex moving from one story to another.

I honestly try to give every story 100% of my attention and sometimes, it seems to my editor, they get more. When I am truly inspired, I dive right in to the story and begin to feel what my subject may be feeling. Because to me, that is how I try to make you, the reader, feel something, too. I take something away from every interview and every story. I learn something new all the time. I try to put in parts of the story or certain insights that other people would skip. And if what I write ends up meaning something to someone, or someone learns something or is inspired, I feel I have done a good job for the day.

I have felt a sort of quiet honor a couple of times when I have walked into a business or an establishment and saw something I had written framed and hanging on the wall.

I have felt a stronger, yet still quiet honor when I have gone to some one's house and they have saved an article I previously wrote, or a photo I had taken, and hung it on the wall in the garage or stuck it to their refrigerator.

I am always humbled when someone thanks me by a note, or card or personally, for something I have written when it is accompanied by heartfelt words of "Thank you." Hugs are even better.

Those things make me feel like something I did actually meant something, to at least one person.

I wrote a profile article about Denny Johnson, a local Garrison man, a few months ago. During the interview, he told me his life's story, like only Denny could. While his voice spoke of interesting tales, his face and his eyes held his emotion, escaping for brief moments scattered throughout our interview.

Denny passed a way a couple of weeks ago. His funeral was last Monday. Denny was a presence in Garrison that will be greatly missed. I was surprised to tears, honored and humbled when during the service Pastor Chris said, "The family asked me to read this. . . ." and he began reading from the article I had written, several months prior.

My words sounded different when read allowed from the pulpit of a church. I wiped away tears that I tried hard to keep inside. Some tears were for Denny. Admittedly, some tears were for me. I was proud that what I had written meant something to one man and his family.

I don't want to sound like I feel like everything I write is worthy of such honor. I know that to not be true. But every once in a while, something comes along to remind me of why I chose to write.

"The role of a writer is not to say what we all can say, but what we are unable to say." ~Anaïs Nin

My friend Mark, called me a day or two after the funeral, just to remind me of that very thought. He made me cry again. But this time, I had found some sort of equilibrium.

And I haven't worked out all of the bugs yet but I am learning to balance in the quicksand.

Rest in peace, Denny Johnson. And thank you.

Peace.

Welcome spring!

I wore my sandals for the first time in Minnesota yesterday — actually outside without socks. I even went bare-foot for a little while. It was nice to feel grass between my toes. Of course, we were a little south of the Brainerd Lakes area. We were spending quality time with my family at my brother's house in Jordan. They have said good-bye to the snow and all of the lakes south of Princeton, it seems, are free from ice.

It is only a matter of time before we can say that up here.

I love holidays. I love holidays for the meaning of the day whether it is Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, birthdays or the 4th of July. But also, those are times when families gather. At least my family. We try to make a point of getting together as much as we can. It seems lately, we need a holiday to do so.

We were missing a few members of our family this year due to work and other family events, but the majority of us were together. And we had a wonderful time. We have not been together since Christmas. That is just wrong. But understandable.

Thanks to Louie and Jeanne for hosting our Easter celebration. I hope those last two eggs are found before too long. :-)

It was so nice to be able to spend so much time outside without snow. It is so nice to have warmer weather returning. It might even make it up north here. When it does, I will welcome spring!

Peace.

Presumption of innocence. Something to ponder?

There are many issues historical and current in American government with which I simply do not agree. On the other hand, there are many that I do believe are fundamental to our survival. Our law makers turn issues into laws, which are made a part of our statutes. These laws are created, and then often times amended, bended, molded, modified, interpreted, reconstructed and often times distorted to no resemblance of the the original. It is all part of the system.

There are "good laws" and there are "stupid" laws — laws that make sense to the average person and laws that do not seem to make any sense to anyone and the principals of the judicial system are even more confusing.

But there is one issue that makes sense to me. One that is fundamental to all human rights. That is the presumption of innocence.

According to our United States legal system, those who are accused of a crime are innocent until proven guilty. The burden of proof lies on the prosecution, which must collect and present enough evidence to convince a judge and jury (who are ordered by law to consider only the facts, testimony and evidence) that the accused is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. If there is any doubt, the accused must be acquitted.

The presumption of innocence has been quite popular in the 20th century. The United Nations incorporated the principal in 1948 into the Declaration of Human Rights. In 1953 the principal was added to the United Nations International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

On April 3, 2009 the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe Band Assembly group consisting of chief executive Marge Anderson, secretary treasurer Herb Weyaus, district 1 rep. Sandra Blake, district 2 rep. Marvin Bruneau and district 3 rep., Harry Davis each signed their names to a letter to all Band members stating the complete opposite of this very basic fundamental human right.

The letter states: "The former Chief Executive has still not proven her innocence in tribal court..."

In other words, the government of the Mille Lacs Band believes that people are guilty until they prove they are innocent.

When I asked the solicitor general Rjay Brunkow about that, I said it sounded backwards to me. He did not agree with the word backwards. So I changed it to opposite. The result was the same. He told me in no uncertain terms, he believed that is the law. That when the Band created their statutes, it was originally innocent until proven guilty. But that changed sometime in the 80s or 90s he said, to be more in lines with tradition.

His explanation sounded more backwards to me than the original thought, so I did some research.

My sources tell me that at one point it was tradition for the accused to be guilty until they proved they were innocent. The accused had to basically run a gauntlet and if they survived, they were found innocent.

That tradition was changed and deleted completely in the 90s because it was such an extraordinary violation of the Indian Civil Rights Act.

Current Mille Lacs Band Statutes annotated Title I, Civil Rights Code, Section 12, states in no uncertain terms:

"In any criminal legal proceeding each person shall be presumed innocent until proven guilty."

Read it for yourself at: http://www.millelacsojibwe.org/statutes.asp

So, here it is in everyday language: everyone should be considered innocent until it can be proved that you are guilty. If you are accused of a crime, you should always have the right to defend yourself. Nobody has the right to condemn you and punish you for something you have not done.

I just wonder which interpretation is opposite? The April 3 letter to the Band, or the Mille Lacs Band statutes?

Now that is something to ponder.

Peace.

I am back

Well, I am back from New Orleans. It is apparent that I again, thought I would have all kinds of time to write while down south, obviously I was mistaken. There are only so many hours in the day. We worked hard towards our goal of saving the world, one house at a time. And evenings were busy experiencing down home Cajun everything.

While I have so much to tell you all, for right now I will be brief. The most important lesson I learned on this trip is summed up in a quote. Author unknown to me: "Life isn't about how to survive the storm, but how to dance in the rain."

The people of New Orleans are survivors, but they certainly know how to dance in the rain. The last half of the week we worked in the upper 9th ward -- an area hit hard by flooding and most people are not back in their homes. Those who are living in their homes, are doing so because it is their home. It is their neighborhood. It is their life.

As far as neighborhoods go, this is one that we were warned not to keep valuables in the vehicle, lock the doors and don't go wandering off by ourselves. While we did lock the doors, I never felt threatened by anyone. I didn't wander too far away from our job sight, because we were busy working, but did take every opportunity I could to talk to the neighbors and other local workers.

I just love the people of New Orleans. They are so alive! They are happy. Which brings to mind what my mom has told me since I was a little girl. The happiest people don't necessarily have the best of everything; but they make the best of what they have.

Life goes on in New Orleans and the people continue to dance in the rain.

More to follow with a recap. For now I say...

Peace, baby.

New Orleans - Day two

Well, we have certainly been busy. We are working on a home for Mr. and Mrs. Elliot in the Gentilly neighborhood. The entire neighborhood was under water -- along with 80 percent of the city of New Orleans.

While there has been much improvement to the city housing issues as a whole, an outrageous number of people are still without homes to live in.

The Elliot's are some of them. They are a family with grown children and they have adopted a couple of young children from what we know so far. Their home is quite large, actually. There are four bedrooms and two baths. There are 18 doors in the house. And today, put on nine door knobs.

Up until today, I had never installed a door knob. So, quite frankly, I am rather proud of myself. We have been painting and installing shelving. We are putting on the finishing touches. All that is left on the punch list is a little clean up and then the electricians, plumbers and appliance guys will come in and finish their deals. Most important, soon the Elliot's will be able to come home. They have been waiting nearly four years.

After work tonight we drove down to the lower 9th ward -- ground zero, as some refer to it.

I have been to the 9th ward three times now. Each time, I get an overwhelming feeling of sadness. Loneliness. Emptiness.

Not for me, but I feel for the people who used to call the neighborhood home.

I walk the streets that used to have children playing soccer, double-dutch, laughing and riding bikes. There is none of that. I can imagine clothes hanging on the line blowing in the breeze. Folks sitting on their front porch in the afternoon talking to neighbors as the stop by. There is none of that.

A few homes still sit in shambles. A few fema trailers remain. Many front door steps lead up to nowhere as the homes have been demolished. A few piles of rubble remain scattered here and there. Grass grows on some lawns to waist high. It is very lonely.

Yet there is also a deep sense of hope.

There are many brand new homes being built. And they are pretty cool.

They are built higher than the older homes that were there before. They are about 12 to 15 feet on cement pillars. Cars park under the homes and elaborate staircases lead the families to their front doors. Many have solar panels on the rooftops. These new homes are being built, or contracted by a company called Make It right. I will find out more about them, and let you know.

That is the hope. People do want to return to their neighborhoods. They want to come home.

I stood for the first time on the Levy by the canal where a barge hit the wall. I was speechless. I stared for a while in silence. And then started shooting. I will post some photos to my blog within a few days (hopefully).

We drove through Musicians Village on the way home. The original theory behind the neighborhood. A man from a radio station decided that in order to get people to come back to the city, they needed the music. In order to get the musicians to come back, they needed homes. He organized a deal with Habitat for Humanity and they began building homes the musicians could afford in order to come back.

And the music played on. The people came back.

The homes are brightly colored and all about the same style and size. But each one is unique.

We met "David" who is a very friendly old guy living in Musicians Village. He told us the story and showed us his home.

He said, "You know, I could never understand how people could live in California where they continually have earthquakes. Those people keep going back and rebuilding after each earthquake. I never understood. Until Katrina. Until I had to move away from New Orleans and live in Texas. I never wanted to come home before so much as I did after living in Texas. This is my home. And I am back to stay."

Peace.

Good morning from Louisiana!

We just crossed the boarder into Louisiana after a wonderful breakfast at the Waffle House in Brookhaven, Mississippi. Everything is so green here. It was fun to wake up to green after driving through a bad snow and ice storm in Iowa and cold rain and hard winds all through Missouri. It is warming up to 50 degrees now. I understand it is already warmer than that back home in Minnesota.

There are 6 of us packed into a Suburban. Five girls and Gary. Anne Shields, Abby Leach, Gary Keifenheim, Carrie Bang, Jenny Orsborn and me, of course.

It is really not too bad, sleeping in a Suburban. Except for the fact that I feel like a cripple and my hair looks like something one might find on First Avenue in Minneapolis at 3 a.m. But that is why I brought a hat.

We should be arriving at Hope Haven in a couple of hours. Then I am thinking that a shower would be a great idea before we go or a long walk to stretch all muscles and joints. We will be on the jobsite at 8 a.m. tomorrow and we are all very excited about it. We will know more about what our assignment is when we arrive.

Until then, I am taking in the lush sceanary. Abby is texting, Gary is doing a crossword. Carrie is napping. Jenny working on her computer. Anne is driving.

TTFN!

Peace.

Calling all angels

"In helping others, we shall help ourselves, for whatever good we give out completes the circle and comes back to us." - Flora Edwards

In less than 24 hours the Traveling Angels will be somewhere between Zimmerman and New Orleans as we continue our mission. We are trying to change the world, one house at a time.

The Traveling Angels are a small group of individuals from mid-Minnesota who believe in extending a helping hand. Some of the group have gone to New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina left her devastating autograph in August of 2005. This will be my third trip to New Orleans since the hurricane and my second trip with the Traveling Angels.

Part of me feels like I should be in Fargo, Moorehead or anywhere along the Red River. I should be sandbagging or rescuing pets. But like a friend of mine said today, "You are only one person, Viv. You can't go everywhere."

The Traveling Angels does disaster relief work wherever we are needed. The group has helped in New Orleans, Cedar Rapids, Hugo, and a few other areas in flood or tornado recovery. Most of us have become rather attached to the city and the people of New Orleans. So far, we have planned an annual trip to continue recovery efforts there. Since it is so far away, we have to plan weeks ahead of time.

The Red River expected to crest sometime tomorrow at 43 feet, we feel we may be headed up north when we return from down south. The flood waters in the valley are expected to last at least a week. Once the waters recede, the real nasty work comes in. That is usually when the Traveling Angels step up, too.

There are a lot of things to consider after the water recedes. There are mold hazards, disinfecting wells, food safety, fuel oil contamination, personal safety issues and other things to think about. The Traveling Angels have been through it all. While it is at times rather unpleasant work during the moment with the smell of mold, stagnant water and memories that have been lost forever stick in your eyes, nose and throat, the reward comes at the end of the day knowing that we have helped.

New Orleans has come a long way, but they still expect years for full recovery. The Traveling Angels are a faith based non-denominational group and we connect with Catholic Charities who provide boarding and the volunteer organizational issues. In other words, they give us a roof over our heads, a place to sleep and dinner, and give us our volunteer assignments.

This year, as it stands right now, we will be once again staying at Hope Haven, which is an old Catholic Mission center. And our assignment (so far) will be painting 425 houses. OK, there are 425 houses to be painted and we hope to at least get one of them done. Like our motto says, we can change the world, one house at a time.

I posted a slide show of New Orleans previous two years. I don't know what happened to the music. It has music to it when I made it, but apparently I did something wrong uploading it to the blog. Anyway, the photos are there. Click on the center of the slide show and then click again for full screen. The pictures tell the story.

You can also check the archives of this blog from July 2008 to read about Cedar Rapids trip last year. There are photos from that trip as well.

So, I will be heading home to pack soon and then ready myself for a long drive. It took us 24 hours and 17 minutes last year I believe. I could be off by a few minutes.

Follow me through my blog and I might post to Twitter from my phone while out and about. It would be great to have you tag along.

"We are, each of us angels with only one wing; and we can only fly by embracing one another." -- Luciano de Crescenzo

Peace.

Transparency in government

Yesterday, Gov. Tim Pawlenty unveiled a new website, titled TAP Minnesota -- www.mmb.state.mn.us/tap -- Now anyone with a computer can access this website to find out how much money the state is spending and where. Essentially, the state has put the big checkbook registry online.

The new site is called TAP, which is short for the Transparency and Accountability Project.

The site is to be updated daily. With just a few clicks of your mouse you can find how the state is spending your money — all of it — including special funds as well as the general fund. You can find information for 2007-09 listed by state agency, funding source or the vendor receiving the payment. Private data are omitted.

Pawlenty said at a news conference where he demonstrated the new website that he anticipates the TAP site to be a powerful new tool. "Taxpayers are paying the bills for government in Minnesota, and we think they should have a chance to look at the checkbook register and see where all this money is going."

Wouldn't it be nice if all governments were so open and transparent?

Just something to think about.

Peace.

Tribal Court calls for new election

The Mille Lacs Band Tribal Court of Appeals last week invalidated the results of the Dec. 16 special election won by Marge Anderson.

In a four-part decision dated March 17, the court also ruled that a new election should be held, that former Chief Executive Melanie Benjamin should be allowed on the ballot, and that Marge Anderson should continue to serve as chief until a new election is held.

The decision resulted from a lawsuit by Benjamin, who was not allowed on the ballot for the special election after the Band Assembly voted to remove her from office following allegations of misuse of Band funds.

Solicitor General Rjay Brunkow said additional appeals may be filed in the case, and the Court of Appeals ruling does not affect any potential criminal cases against Benjamin.

For more on this story, see www.millelacsmessenger.com and next week's Messenger.

Thank you for letters

Last week I wrote an editorial in the Messenger that mentioned conspiracy theories in government. I mentioned that they do and have existed for as long as time.

Probably the most well known turned out to be the believe it or not true story behind the Watergate Scandal in the '70s. What started out as a theory resulted in the resignation of President Nixon in 1974 and the arrest of several people in government.

Tips and inside information were given to several reporters. Media coverage in the New York Times, Time magazine and the Washington Post was extensive. Two reporters from the Washington Post relied heavily on anonymous sources during their investigative reporting. Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein found information suggesting knowledge of the misdeeds by the Nixon administration to the American public led deep into the Justice Department, the FBI, the CIA and the White House. The most famous anonymous source was named Deep Throat.

The identity of Deep Throat was one of the biggest mysteries of American politics and journalism for over 30 years. Woodward and Bernstein gave their word they would not reveal his identity until he died or consented to going public.

In 2005 the truth was known. FBI Deputy Director William Mark Felt, Sr., was Deep Throat. He died in 2008 at the age of 95. In his book, A G-Man's Life written before he died (obviously) he wrote: "The bottom line is, we did get the whole truth out. Isn't that what the FBI is suppose to do?"

I do not deal with the FBI on a regular basis even though I do have a few FBI numbers in my Roll-a-dex. I am not asking people to become the Deep Throat of Mille Lacs County. But the bottom line here is also, we want to get the whole truth out.

There were several theories as to the identity of Deep Throat prior to Felt's confession. Some people considered Deep Throat was a compilation of several sources with individual threads of information woven together to become the mastermind of Deep Throat. But Woodward put that theory to rest when he confirmed Felt's identity.

I have received quite a few emails and letters from people writing of various issues they believe to be conspiracy theories. I thank you all for the tips. It may take a while to get to all of them. Several of the "ideas" are better letters written to your Congressmen or Senate or State Representatives. I thank you for your vote of confidence, but I don't think I can do anything about changing the name of the Rum River, or change history books about who should be called Native Americans, or get income taxes abolished. I tried to get Mother's Day and Father's Day switched around once. (Father's Day should be on fishing opener in May and Mother's Day should be in June when school is out. That just makes sense.) But the Governor didn't have much time for that idea.

My point is, thank you for the letters and ideas and theories. Keep them coming. Even if they are only threads of information. I thank you for trusting me. Trust is a two-way street. Confidential sources are confidential sources. Period. In Washington D.C. and in Mille Lacs County. Especially with me.

We want to get the whole truth out.

Peace.

Happy Birthday Barbie!

I am so excited for Barbie's birthday. If I were still a little girl I would have all of my Barbies out and have a big Barbie Birthday party! Actually, if I had time and knew of anyone else who still has their Barbies, I might be inclined to have that birthday party right now anyway.

I have always been a big Barbie fan. I got my first Barbie when I was three years old. My Mom used it as a bribe to get me to sleep through the night. It worked and I got my first Barbie.

She was beautiful! I played Barbies all the time. My Mom sewed all of the clothes for her and all of the other Barbies that followed including Skipper, Midge, Twist and Pose Barbie, Francie, Malibou Barbie, Ken, and many more. I still have some of the clothes.

My sister and I and all of our little friends would play for hours. We made furniture out of stuff we found around the house. Egg cartons were great for either a couch, or a bed depending on how you flip the carton. They were also good for bedroom shelves and closet organizers. They held those little plastic Barbie shoes and accessories just perfectly!

Our imaginations were endless. Then came the Camping Barbie and the Barbie Townhouse. Beauty Shop Barbie, Mall Barbie, School Teacher Barbie, Holiday Barbie, Spy Barbie or Secret Agent Barbie, Astronaut Barbie, Doctor Barbie, and so many more. They just came out with the Tattoo Barbie. I think I need one of those for my collection. I guess she comes with stickers you can put on her yourself and some for you, too!

My original Barbie had stiff legs and arms. She didn't move at all. According to the New York Times, it had been determined that if the 11 1/2-inch doll were 5-foot-6, her measurements would be 39-21-33. One academic expert calculated that a woman's chances of having Barbie's figure were less than 1 in 100,000.

Not every girl liked Barbie. And some parents and women's feminists groups criticized her saying it was not good for girls to hold themselves up to such high standards as Barbie. Here's the deal, Barbie was good for role playing and imagination. My Barbie could fly to the moon. She raced cars and kicked Ken's butt doing it. She could pitch a tent faster and climb the highest mountain better than Ken. Actually, my Barbie dumped Ken and went with G.I. Joe because he had a Jeep.

Right now, the 50th anniversary Barbie is on sale at Target for $3. I absolutely have to have a 50th anniversary Barbie. I got my first Barbie about 5 years after she first became available. If I still had her, and she was in mint condition in the box, she would be worth approximately $25,000, apparently. But the way I played and all of the adventures my Barbie had, she would not have been in mint condition. I lost her in a flood about 15 years ago. She was being held for me in a storage unit near the Minnesota River Valley near Bloomington and one spring it flooded. I think My Barbie is in the Gulf of Mexico now. Actually, I think she would have turned into Rescue Barbie and saved lives the whole way down. She had a good life.

My point is, Barbie gave an outlet for my imagination. I could be anybody and anything I wanted to be through my Barbie. She was beautiful and smart. And I think all girls should have a role model like that.

Happy Birthday, Barbie!

Peace.

Me, my Jeep and my iPod

I just returned from a weekend road trip. It was a weekend photo shoot at snowcross in Hayward, Wisc. As always, the racing was fast and furious. Saturday's weather was awesome and even with an SPF45, I got sunburned on my face. Possibly a little windburn, too.

So the trip home was nice. I like driving. I like driving a lot. My dream car (if I ever win the lottery) is a Jeep Wrangler so I can drive these beautiful back roads topless. The Jeep I mean.

Until I win the Lottery, I have settled for a Jeep Grand Cherokee. I like it, but I can't go topless. I just have to put the windows down.

So, there I was heading out of Hayward, Wisc. traveling east on Cty. Rd 77. It is a beautiful road. I had the windows open and the radio cranked. As if I have not subjected my ears to enough decibels from the roaring of the snowmobiles. But I was in the mood for a little fresh new country music.

I lost the radio station before I got to Danburry, so I plugged in my iPod.I couldn't decide on a playlist, so I chose starting at the beginning of all of my songs in my library. I started at the beginning — Songs that begin with the letter "A."

By the time pulled into my garage, I had listend to 54 songs. I am not done with the letter A yet.

Surprising to me were all the good songs with titles that begin with A. I had a great trip home.
And now, I am going to take 4 Advil and go to sleep.

Pease.

Weekend wrap

Snowcross racing was fabulous at Hill City's Quadna Mountain Park for the ISOC Minnesota Regionals over the weekend of Feb. 28 through March 1.

With some of the hottest racing of the season, Brainerd's Dan Ebert #602 Arctic Cat took the final in the Pro Open class.

Another Arctic Cat rider Cody Thomsen #682 of Nisswa, took the checkered for the final in the Semi Pro class.

Both of the finals — semi pro and pro classes — were amazing races with the battle for the number one spot intense.

The rhythm section on the down side of the Bunny Hill was getting a little squirrelly towards the end of the weekend and it appeared riders may have trouble in the finals. But they all appeared to navigate without much trouble. Some contact was made a couple of times, and other riders took advantage and used the uneven-ness (is that a word?) for passing.

Both Thomsen and Ebert appeared to have the same strategy. Neither one got the hole shot and hung back just a little giving just enough pressure to the guy in front of them until the final laps when lightening struck. They hung on to the lead position to take the checkered.

The weather was great and the racing could not have been much better. Team Bauerly hosted an after race party family style with food and entertainment (and 50 cent tap beers for the over 21). Folks were having such a great time, they passed a hat and took up a collection to have the band play just a little longer than their scheduled cut-off time of 8 p.m.

Coming up the weekend of March 6 through 8 is round number 7 on the national snowcross tour in Hayward, Wisc. Only one race after Hayward, so if you haven't made it to one yet, try the tour in Hayward.

See you there!

Peace.

Viv is in the House

So, I am sitting in the "House Gallery" right now as I write. I am shadowing Rep. Gail Kulick Jackson for the day. And it has been a busy day.

Right now she is on the floor busy listening to others discuss their points of view while trying to get their amendments passed.

It is difficult to follow along, actually. I don't have a program. But there is a screen in the corner that says we are on Amendment HDS-015. Whatever that is.

I have to let you know, I have been asked, four times now, to not lean on the ledge to take pictures of the floor. So, here's the deal — besides them calling me "ma'am" which upsets me a bit — they think I might jump or something. There is no humanly possible way for a person to fall over this ledge where I am sitting. I suppose, that might be a stretch, which is exactly what I would have to do to fall over. The ledge is like 2-feet wide with a golden railing on this side. Of course, it is only less than waist high and I suppose that some super uncoordinated person could potentially fall over, but come on.... I am a professional. ;-)

A really nice gal sitting behind me said that they (security?) will come and yell at you if you even touch the gold railing. The only sign in here just says, do not put anything on the ledge. It doesn't say anything about leaning or touching.


So anyway, there are roll calls, advice, rulings, matters of parliament inquiries, and a lot more going on.

They are discussing mandates right now. One rep. said he trusts his county board, another said it's not about trusting anybody simply to amend the rule. I wish I knew what they were talking about. There is a vote right now and Gail pushed a button. Every vote she makes is counted and a matter of record. Everyone can see exactly how she votes on every issue.

I guess I missed the actual number of the house file on that last one. But it took a matter of 15 minutes for the discussion and the vote and now on to H.F. 392. Amendment something that I can't read.

Oh, oh. Here comes that guy with the badge again. I think I leaned too far over.
I am going to have to go for now and sign in later.

BTW, Diane Gibas is shadowing Sen. Lisa Fobbe. She is doing something else right now and Diane came in here to check this excitement out, too. We will break for lunch soon and then on to some other items.

Oh, here he comes... the dude with the little gold badge... the railing officer..

Gotta go.

Peace.

Morning blaze

It has been a busy day in the news room.

This morning while interviewing a very interesting gentleman in the Spotlight Cafe in Garrison, (who happens to be a retired firefighter) we noticed the big engine from the Garrison Fire Department take off South on Hwy. 169.

"Sorry, Bob," I said. "Can we finish this interview later? I think I should go see what those boys are up to."

"No problem," he said. "Go."

I followed the engine truck to a house fire. A two-story old farm house, that apparently was over 75 years old, the homeowner thought. She was not home at the time the blaze began. But her 14-year-old son was.

He was using his computer while waiting for the school bus about 7:30 or so he thought. The bus was late. And that might have been a good thing.

Brandon, called his mom to let her know the bus was late and while he was talking to her, the smoke detector began screaming. Brandon was able to help his cousin out of the house, with the help of a neighbor. And the neighbor was able to help retrieve the families two dogs, who were in crates inside the house.

The 32-year-old man suffered minor injuries. Brandon and the dogs are OK.

Brandon might be considered a hero. He is in my book.

Along with the brave men and women of the Garrison Fire and Rescue Department of Crow Wing County and Onamia Fire Department in Mille Lacs County.

The family wishes to express their greatest appreciation to the fire fighters for trying so desperately to save their home.

More on the story later.

Peace.

Murder charges filed, 911 transcripts released

Murder charges filed
911 transcripts released

by Vivian Clark
Messenger Staff Writer

A transcript of the 911 calls made by the Kanabec County couple that was killed in their home near Ann Lake in Mora on Sunday, Feb. 8 has been released.

Larry Steenerson, 61, died at the scene and his wife, Lois Steenerson, 66 died shortly after she was taken to a nearby hospital.

The couple apparently called 911 reporting someone was in their house trying to rob them and reported shots had been fired.

The 911 dispatcher lost contact with the couple a few times and repeatedly called back to continue a conversation while law enforcement was in route.

Dispatch 1: "Larry, what's going on in that house?"

Larry: "They're trying to kill us here, Craig (ohh!) Craig Hohenwald (Ohh! Ohh!)."

After that, the transcript reports the dispatcher heard breaking glass and struggling and the repeated cries of "Ohh! Ohh!" apparently from Larry Steenerson.

Lois Steenerson apparently picked up the phone and told the dispatcher, "They stabbed us."

Lois had apparently been stabbed in the neck and believed she was dying.

Charges were filed on Tuesday, Feb. 10 in Kanabec County District Court against two people in connection with the stabbing deaths of a Mora couple.

Craig Hohenwald, 27, of Brook Park, Minn., was charged in Kanabec County with two counts of second-degree murder with intent and two counts of second-degree murder without intent in the stabbing death of Larry Steenerson and his wife, Lois.

Jennifer Seiberlich, 28, of Mora has been charged with aiding Hohenwald after the killings.

Multiple agencies including Kanabec, Mille Lacs and Pine county sheriff's offices, Mora police, the Minnesota State Patrol responded to the 911 calls shortly after the calls began at around 10:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 8.

A Mora police officer was the first to arrive, according to the formal complaint from the Kanabec County District Court.

The complaint states the officer saw a man wearing a dark colored coat running from the front door of the house toward a parked car in the driveway.

The male got into the passenger side and the car immediately backed up and began to travel in the direction of the officers squad car, according to the complaint.

The officer stopped the car. He saw a female in the driver's seat and a male in the passenger seat. The complaint states the male began to exit the car. The officer drew his hand gun and ordered the male to raise his arms in the air.

The officer recognized the male as Hohenwald from previous contact with the man, according to the complaint. The officer noticed Hohenwald had a large amount of blood all over both arms from his hands to his elbows and on his head and chin. While waiting for backup, the officer heard Hohenwald utter something about his family and a real estate or land deal.

The officer identified the driver as Seiberlich.

With the suspects secure, and back up on the scene law enforcement entered the home to find what has been described as "horriffic" by Kanabec County Sheriff Steve Schulz.

The complaint described large amounts of blood throughout the house. Lois Steenerson was found, still alive, but barely breathing in a bedroom. She had a stab wound above her shoulder between her collar bone and her shoulder blade on the left side of her neck and appeared to be very deep into her chest.

She was transported to the Kanabec County Hospital where she was pronounced dead.

Larry Steenerson was found in an office-type room, according to the complaint, that had a large amount of blood covering several surfaces of the room. Steenerson was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics at 11 p.m.

A medical examination later indicated he had been stabbed 30 - 40 times by a sharp force object, according to the complaint.

Officers located a bloody gun and bloody knife in the car that Hohenwald and Seiberlich were traveling in earlier when the officer found them.

The attack on the couple appears to be based on an ongoing civil dispute over a property transaction valued at $200,000, the complaint states.


Content © 2009 Mille Lacs Messenger

Related Stories:

• Double homicide in Kanabec County

Double homicide in Kanabec County

Double homicide in Kanabec County by Vivian Clark Messenger Staff Writer A 61-year-old man and a 66-year-old woman were apparently stabbed to death at a residence on 230th Avenue in Knife Lake Township, east of Ann Lake near Mora on Sunday, Feb. 8. According to Kanabec County Sheriff Steve Schulz two suspects have been arrested. Charges are pending for Craig Mathew Hohenwald, 27, of Brook Park, and Jennifer Ann Lind Seiberlich, 28, of Mora. Both were arrested at the scene in connection with the homicide. It is believed that the victims knew one or both of the suspects and that this was not a random incident. There was some sort of financial issue, involved, but details are uncertain, Schulz said at a press conference on Monday, Feb. 9.. Schulz said his office was called to the address shortly before 10:30 p.m. in response to several 911 emergency calls. At least one call came from inside the residence, Schulz said. Both Mille Lacs County and Pine County sheriff''s offices were called to assist as well as the Mora Police Department and the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. The male victim was pronounced dead at the scene and the woman was transported to the Kanabec hospital where she later died. The identity of the victims is being withheld pending notification of family. Schulz described the scene as "horrific." "It''s been a bad day," Schulz said. "A very bad day." The case is currently under investigation.

Best Snowmobile Athletes in the World To Compete at BIR

International Raceway February 6-8; Top X Games Athletes to Compete

The top professional snocross racers on the planet, as well as the leading freestyle athletes anywhere will invade the Brainerd International Raceway for Round 4 of the AMSOIL Championship Snocross Series, February 6-8, 2009.

Fans in attendance will witness the world’s best snowmobile riders compete side-by-side for
more than $250,000 on a racetrack littered with huge jumps and insane terrain. Racers will
fly more than 80-feet in excess of two-stories high as they negotiate one of the most
challenging snocross tracks the Midwest has ever seen.

Winter X Games Champions including Tucker Hibbert and Levi LaVallee along with
freestyle kings Paul Thacker and Sam Rogers will be there, giving area fans the only
opportunity of the year to see these incredible riders in person.

The weekend heats up fast Friday night with the Monster Energy Slednecks Invasion
Tour freestyle showcase. The top freestyle athletes in the world will perform some of the
most insane tricks ever seen on a snowmobile including a back-flip! Riders will launch their
snowmobiles from a freestyle ramp to a backdrop of infused rock and free swag for the
fans. Joining them will be the biggest names in snocross racing for an evening of hospitality,
autographs and family fun.



Admission is Free with a Weekend Pass or just $10 without.

Competitive juices flow early Saturday morning with qualifying, culminating with the
first of two Main Events at 4:00pm.

This all-out showcase of the top Pro and Semi-Pro riders anywhere will be non-stop action. There’s also free snowmobile demo rides for the kids and adults as Yamaha lets fans experience their new Nytro snowmobile while one lucky youth demo rider will have a chance to win a new Arctic Cat kids snowmobile.

Capping off the weekend will be Sunday morning qualifying and the second Main
Event feature with Semi-Pro and Pro finals at 1:00pm.

Plus Yamaha freestyle phenom and X Games competitor Jeff Mullin will bust out some of the sickest tricks you’ve ever seen aboard his Yamaha Nytro during the Main Event intermission to further heat up the action.

Racing gets underway at 9:30am both Saturday and Sunday, and race fans will want to be
sure they are in the stands for the two Main Event feature races Saturday and Sunday.
Advance tickets are on sale now at www.isocracing.com


What you need to know:

What: AMSOIL Championship Snocross Series, the Biggest Names Go Bar to Bar on
a National Stage.

When: February 6-8, 2009; Pro and Semi-Pro Main Event Saturday at 4:00pm and
Sunday at 1:00pm.

Where: Brainerd International Raceway, Brainerd, Minnesota

Schedule of Events:

Friday: Doors Open at 5:00pm
6:00 – 6:45pm: ISOC Pro-Rider Autograph Jam Session
7:00pm-7:20pm: Monster Energy Slednecks Invasion Tour
7:20pm – 8:00pm: Pro Practice Session
8:00pm – 8:20pm: Monster Energy Slednecks Invasion Tour

Saturday: 4:00pm: Pro and Semi-Pro Main Event; 8:00am gates open with
qualifying action starting at 9:30am.

Sunday: 1:00pm: Pro and Semi-Pro Main Event with Yamaha freestyle show during
the intermission; racing starts at 9:30am.

Tickets:
FREE with Weekend Pass Friday Night Monster Energy Slednecks Invasion Tour; $10 without
$25 One Day Adult Pass – Valid Saturday or Sunday
$35 Weekend Adult Pass
$10 One Day Children Pass (ages 7-15) – Valid Saturday or Sunday
$20 Weekend Children Pass (ages 7-15)
Children 6 and under FREE

Advance Tickets available at www.isocracing.com

Who:
Professional snocross and freestyle athletes including:
 Tucker Hibbert Multiple X-Games gold winner, current points leader.
 Levi LeVallee - Winner of two gold medals at last year’s winter X Games.
 Steve Taylor – Professional Yamaha snocross standout and X Games competitor.
 Carly Davis – Currently the fastest woman on snow and Pro-Women points leader.
 Ryan Simons – X-Games competitor and podium regular hailing from Alberta.
 Paul Thacker – World record long-distance jumper and freestyle athlete.

Plus:
 Kids 120 demo rides with a chance to win a 120 Arctic Cat for everyone who rides
courtesy of Arctic Cat and Christian Brother Motorsports. Winner announced Sunday
at 2:00pm.
 Yamaha demo rides for adults, aboard their latest 2009 models.
 Free Pit Passes ($10 value) from area Polaris dealers while supplies last.

For more information visit ISOCRacing.com

New series on the web at www.millelacsmessenger.com

Okay, so I had this great idea. Admittedly, I am not the first one in the world to come up with this idea. But if it works, it will be a first for the Messenger.

I am thinking about an ongoing series on the website of just "Man on the Street" (or woman, or kid, or whoever) interviews. You never know what the interviews will be about. It could be a live "Mess Asks" or just, "hey you ... what are you doing today."

So watch this video and let me know what you think. Do you think I should do more? Or quite while I am ahead?

The first in the series is "Liberty Man."

So, you see these people all the time. The men or women holding signs on the side of the road. I am not talking about "will work for food" signs. I am talking walking billboards — advertising signs. Like places going out of business, or car wash today, or big sale, or whatever.

So, I have always wondered, who does that kind of job?

I found Aaron. I am guessing at the spelling of his name, because I couldn't understand him. But Aaron likes being a sign dude. He takes his job very seriously. I talked to him for a good 6 minutes and he didn't stop waving his arms for much more than a second.

Watch the video. You will see. Then let me know.

Peace.

Love lines

Hey folks! Do you have a special someone in your life? You should let them know by sending a Valentine's Day love line in the Mille Lacs Messenger!

Or perhaps you have a secret crush on someone and want to keep it secret and make it public at the same time! You can do that. Send a secret message to your secret interest and maybe they will figure it out — then again maybe they wont. And maybe you don't want them to know, but express your feelings at the same time. What a perfect way to let your feelings out and keep people guessing at the same time!

Send a message to your kids, your mom, your dad, your grandma, grandpa, wife, husband, auntie, uncle, the neighbor, the bait shop, the grocery store clerk, your favorite bartender . . . the list is endless!

Just send a message. Make them clever or cute, funny or serious. No matter which way you play it, they are cheap and fun! And a very special and thoughtful gift to last a lifetime!

Have fun!

Peace.

Charlie's letter

"A dog is the only thing on earth that will love you more than you love yourself." - Josh Billings



It has been a difficult couple of days. The last few weeks have been hard, actually. Watching the health of my old dog Bob deteriorate. It was time to release him.

Dr. Debbi came out to our house and we were prepared. Physically. Jeff had dug a hole in our little woods and built a fire. He got Bob's hunting sleeping bag ready and spread out by the fire. Jeff put pheasant feathers and a full wing next to Bob. Hunting was by far that dog's greatest passion. We said good-bye to a dear old friend. Charlie put a piece of string cheese next to him. A favorite treat of Bob's. But when I asked Charlie why he gave him string cheese, he answered simply, "In case he gets hungry on his way to heaven."

Charlie is heartbroken. The tears have not stopped.

I let him stay home from school yesterday so he could mourn the loss of his "brother." And I asked Charlie to write his feelings down to help him cope.

Charlie wrote a letter to Bob. He and Jeff went out to the grave and read it to him later.

This is Charlie's letter to Bob: (with Charlies spelling and punctuation included)

Dear Bob,

Hi, Bob. This is Charlie. I just wanted to write this to you because I miss you so much!

It was Martin Luther King Jr. Day when you got the shot. A special day for a special dog. I told my friends about you. They felt bad. Even after you were gone, I layed next to your body and cried. Now today, January 20, 2009, I am not in school. I needed to get my mind back to normal. And I can't stop thinking about you. I love you so much!

Bob you had a very happy and long life. Filled with joy, playing, sitting together in the yard watching the lake, (if you remember) and some sadness. You were an excellent hunting dog and I wish I could have seen you do it. You and I had a lot of good times together. Playing, teaching me how to walk, walking in the woods with Dad, even teaching me my first words: "No Bob!" and so much more. You even saved my life Bob! When I was younger and I swam out too far, you came out and I hung on to you as you swam back to shore. You kind of taught me how to swim, too. (When you accidentally knocked me off the dock.)

So much fun then you started to get old. You were struggling too much. And you were in so much pain. We had to give you the shot. It was painful for you and us. That night, some things happened. There was so much crying. We put your tag on the (toy) stuffed black lab, and more crying. Daddy said your spirit would sometimes be in the stuffed lab. And remember Kim? She said if I ever needed to talk to you, just close my eyes and reach out in my mind and pet you.

Everyone who knew you will never forget you and will always love you. But most importantly, Mom, Dad, Webe, Anna and I will always love you the most. And will never forget you.

I love you so much, Bob!

Love,

Charlie



Good-bye my friend.

Peace.

It's time

"I think we are drawn to dogs because they are the uninhibited creatures we might be if we weren't certain we knew better. They fight for honor at the first challenge, make love with no moral restraint, and they do not for all their marvelous instincts appear to know about death. Being such wonderfully uncomplicated beings, they need us to do their worrying." ~ George Bird Evans, Troubles with Bird Dogs


My husband called me at work this morning to let me know it's time. Time to say good-bye to our old dog, Bob.

My husband has taken care of some essential details.
He has made the appointment. Dr. Debbie will be at our house tonight.
He has dug a spot in the woods by our house next to our beloved old Zeke who preceded Bob in death about 12 or 13 years ago.
He has Bob's favorite blanket ready to go with Bob.
He has made arrangements for a funeral service. He has set up our portable Weber fire pit so we can all say good-bye in warmth. And Bob loved hanging out with us by the fire.
Everything is in order.

But it is very difficult for me. How do you really prepare yourself to say a final good-bye to one who has given you years of unconditional love? Who listens to your every complaint and looks at you with big brown eyes saying, "It's okay. Just pet me and you will be fine." ?? Who listens to you when you are sad and doesn't try to figure out why you are sad, he just loves you for who you are?

It is going to be hard for my son. He has never had to experience the pain of losing a dog. The deaths of our bird and even his goldfish were almost unbearable for him. This, this is going to be very traumatic. My son loves his pets as much as they love him. Bob has been with my son every step of his 12-year life.

Bob was a high spirited pup until he was at least 6 — probably longer. He wasn't trained very well. That is not his fault, but ours. He was very stubborn and didn't listen unless we said, "Hungry?" or "Go for a walk?" And he drooled a lot.

But he loves us. And we love him.

Bob had a specially difficult time last night. He needed to go out about 2 a.m. so my husband let him out. He did his business and then in the way many dogs do, Bob started to wander away. He laid down in the snow and gave up, my husband said.

But my husband wouldn't let Bob give up like that. I think because he wasn't ready. He carried Bob back into the house and laid him down on his dog bed. He looked at Bob and I knew what he was going to say next.

"I know. It's time," he said.

I went back to bed and prayed that Bob would pass away in his sleep. But when I woke up, I heard the thumping of his tail hitting the floor as he wagged good morning, to each of us.

I started to cry.

The scientific description of man's best friend is a canine. From that came the word dog. I can only imagine that is simply because dog spelled backwards is God. And as far as I know, God is the only other that can love people — all people — so unconditionally.

The biggest problem with having a dog is that they don't live nearly long enough. But I am certain Bob will be in dog heaven before dinner time tonight.

It is hard to say good-bye to one of your best friends.

I'm leaving work early today. It will certainly be a tough drive home.

But it is time.

Peace.


"You think dogs will not be in heaven? I tell you, they will be there long before any of us." ~ Robert Louis Stevenson

The Zen of Minnesota

Let's face it. Winter in Minnesota is cold. It is suppose to be cold. We are famous for it. It just hasn't been real cold — or snowy — in a long time.

It is cold this winter. And snowy. Just as the Farmer's Almanac predicted.

We were fortunate to have a bit of a warm pattern the last week. But are now in the midst of a cold snap we Minnesotans like to say when there are a few days in a row that are below zero. The further below zero we go, the more like Minnesotans we become. We brag about how cold it is here. In reality, I don't much care for it. But this is where I live, so I make the most of it.

I don't hide indoors. In fact, I am outside a lot in the winter. But right now, I am paying a bit of a price for spending so much time outside last weekend. While most parts of my skin were covered up, my face was almost entirely exposed - for 13 hours on Saturday and about 10 hours on Sunday. Now, my skin is dry, itchy and windburned. I am going to do a story on winter skin care so you can find out how to treat yourself better than I did. And that is my job. To inform the public. So watch for that story in the next couple of weeks.

There are a few things you can do to prepare for the cold:

1) move
2) hide
3) just bundle up and enjoy the ride

Okay, maybe "enjoy" should be replaced with "endure."

I am outdoors a lot all year round. Summer is good, although a bout with melanoma now requires sunscreen of SPF45 or higher all the time.

I do not like to be cold. But I like snow. And snow sports: skiing, snowshoeing and snowmobiling. So, I have learned a few things about trying to stay warm.

Hint No. 1: Cover up! Exposed skin can get burned in more ways than one. I always use SPF45 moisturizer on my face -- year round. And I try really hard not to get sunburned. But right now, after a weekend shoot outside, I am windburned. And my face hurts. Although it really wasn't that cold this weekend, (until the sun went down) I should have covered up my face more to protect from the wind.

Hint No. 2: Layers. You can always take clothes off, but if you are out and about it is often hard to find an extra clothes. Unless you are out shopping. But if you are on a trail of any kind somewhere in the middle of nowhere, it might be hard to find an extra layer.

Hint No. 3: Cotton is not good in the winter. Not in the cold outside anyway. I will not give up my Egyptian cotton 600-thread count sheets but I won't wear cotton next to my skin in the winter.

Here's the deal: while cotton does absorb moisture - like from sweat - it traps it in the cotton. The last thing you want is to be wearing a wet shirt walking outside when it is 20 below zero. Or even 20 above. If you are going to perspire while outside, don't wear cotton.

There are a lot of good alternatives. For nature lovers, go wool. May I suggest SmartWool. It is by far my most favorite brand. It is soft, not itchy, it is thin, warm and wicks away moisture. SmartWool comes in socks (of all weights for all activities) and underwear in tops and bottoms. It is a tad bit on the pricey side, but well worth it if you want to stay warm. It is actually a blend of wool and polyester - at least the socks are. I will have to check the label on my underwear. But the great thing about the socks is they don't fall down and bunch up in your boots in the arch of your foot.

There are several good synthetics available, too. Polypropylene is a good choice for long underwear. Again, also thin and wicks away moisture. Several brands of that are available, too.

Silk is a good insulator, too. If you just need a thin layer, long silkies are a good choice. Ultra thin and warm. Although, not as warm as wool.

Hint No. 4: wear a hat. Not just earmuffs. Who cares if you get hat-hair. Everybody will be sporting that wonderful "bedhead" look - unless of course you are bald - when you take your hat off. Or just get a cute hat and don't take it off.

The hat hint comes with mittens and/or gloves. Although mittens are much warmer than gloves, sometimes you need to use your digits individually. And it is harder to drive wearing mittens than it is wearing gloves.

Hint No. 5: Don't stick your tongue on anything metal. I have a super funny story about a personal experience I had in kindergarten on that very subject. It involves a dare from my brother, Christmas Eve church service and my little ruffled bottom tights. But that is another story. Maybe a column. Maybe not. But I teasingly tell my brother I will never forgive him for that. Truth is, it is funny now. And I learned something from the experience. I'll never stick my tongue on anything metal in the middle of the winter again.

There you have a few hints. Add some of your own tips to stay warm in the next few days.

So, yes, it is cold here. And there is really nothing we can do about it. And in the words of Buckaroo Bonsai remember: "Wherever you go, there you are."

Peace.

Why we didn't do the story

"You aren't famous until my mother has heard of you." - Jay Leno

A story ran in the Mille Lacs County Times. It didn't run in the Mille Lacs Messenger. And there is a good reason.

The story headline is "DWI for snowmobiler." Now, it is good to inform the public that snowmobile riders can get a DWI for riding their sled with a blood alcohol level that exceeds the legal limit of 0.08 percent. Just like driving a car. There is no reason for people to be operating any vehicle while they are intoxicated — especially with a PBT reading of 0.223 percent.

The story is of a criminal act. The defendant resides in the northern half of the county and is the son of a public figure. But that still didn't make the grade in our books for making it news.

People have asked why we didn't run the story.

We could have. Freedom of the Press guarantees that. And Freedom of the press is "to be guarded as an inalienable right of the people in a free society. It carries with it the freedom and the responsibility to discuss, question and challenge actions and utterances of government and of public and private institutions. Journalist uphold the right to speak unpopular opinions and the privilege to agree or disagree with the majority."

Amen.

It is our policy at the Messenger to make every attempt to accurately report on criminal activity within our readership area. A crime was allegedly committed here. And we didn't run the story.

Why?

Our crime writing policy at the Messenger continues to be that we report on felony level crimes or above. With a few exceptions. If the crime, or alleged crime, was committed at a lessor level than a felony and was allegedly committed by an elected official or public figure, that may make it into the paper.

But just because a person is the son, or daughter, of a public official doesn't necessarily make the news.

This alleged crime was a gross misdemeanor. Not a felony. It didn't pass the policy test.

While writing crime stories, I read a lot of criminal complaints from the District Court. Sometimes, often times, I read them in total shock. It is hard for me to believe what one human being can do to another human being. Violent crimes are the worst criminal complaints to read. Sometimes, I want to cry. Sometimes I do. Sometimes I want to throw-up. And I haven't — yet. Just that little bit of bile in the back of the throat once in a while.

There are some criminal complaints that make me chuckle and even laugh out loud. Some people are just funny no matter what the situation and it gets written up by the law enforcement officer that way. Some people are not really trying to be funny, it just comes across that way sometimes. And then some people think they can get away with whatever they want. Some people think they are above the law.

While the entertainment value in the criminal complaint of the story that we didn't run ranked way up on the top, it still couldn't pass our test.

If you are total curious now about the story we didn't run, I haven't checked, but would be willing to bet you can find it on the Times website.

There are exceptions to our policies at the Messenger. And the Editor, Brett Larson, can run (pretty much) whatever he chooses. Although we try to stick to our own rules as much as possible.

Have a great weekend! Ride responsibly. Have fun and enjoy the snow!

Peace.

Gotta love Minnesota!

Yep, that was the actual temperature yesterday, Jan. 5 on my way in to work. But the good news is there was no wind chill. So it actually felt more like, um, well, -29. In the sun, however, it felt like about only -20. So that wasn't so bad.

It warmed up to 5 above yesterday and I was almost sweating it felt so warm.

But now today, it is a heat wave! It was 10 ABOVE zero on my way in this morning. Almost took a picture of that, too, but I was in shock. So a big whopping 40 degree difference to the plus side and it is warm. I didn't even wear a hat today. I did bring one, tho, just in case. One just never knows when the weather can change around here. We are expecting a little dusting of snow today. Just enough to wreck a girl's hair spray.

Have a great day! It is a warm one!

Peace.


"Weather is a great metaphor for life - sometimes it's good, sometimes it's bad, and there's nothing much you can do about it but carry an umbrella." ~Pepper Giardino

(and an extra hat, mittens and bog boots, a shovel maybe, some de-icer, an emergency car kit with blankets, flashlight and chocolate .... BTW, you can quote me on that part.)

Bob and me

"Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole." ~Roger Caras

Yesterday, I took my son to see the movie "Marley and Me." I hadn't read the book. But I wish I had. I might not have gone to the movie.

It was a very good movie. But it hit too close to home for me right now. My son, too.

Everyone had said that the movie was funny. Hilarious even. Then a neighbor stopped by before we left and told us the ending. I hate that when people do that. Especially when I just told him that we were going in less than an hour. So, for that, thanks Herb.

So, if you haven't seen the movie and plan to, please stop reading right now. I don't want to be a Herb.

The movie mirrored my life in so many ways. The greatest link is one I am fairly certain I share with millions of people. That is the bond of love between a human and a dog.

Dogs are amazing. They are the ultimate example of unconditional love. No matter how long you leave them at home alone, when you return they are there to great you with a big wet kiss and tail just a waggin. They truly make you feel like you are the most important person in their life — at least for that moment and maybe at feeding time, too. So for those moments, which happen twice a day each, I am the center of my dog's universe. And it feels good.

There is nothing that can make a person laugh and smile as much as the sight of a puppy licking a child's face. Or grandma or grandpa's face for that matter. Or my face. Or yours.

The only major drawback to having a dog is that their lives are too short.

I have three dogs. I really only wanted one dog — especially at over 70 pounds each. But two dogs were rescue dogs, so to speak. And, while I sometimes feel overwhelmed by the smell of wet dogs in the summertime and am always missing a shoe and sometimes can't find a place to sit on my own couch, I wouldn't give them up for anything.

They never talk back or get sassy. They always want to play but can be just as happy sitting on my lap and reading a book.

I talk to them like they are my best friends. They seem to understand everything I say. Except the part about "no shoes." They never give bad advice and seem to always agree with me in the end.

My dog Bob is nearing 15 years old. That is about 105 years old in dog years — if they still do that.

He is a big 95 pound black lab.

My husband and I brought Bob home a couple of months after we were married. Of course, we just went to "look" at the puppies. Who "looks" at puppies? If they look back at you, then you are sunk.

We drove over an hour to a kennel that had a dog with the bloodlines of our other dog, Zeke, who was getting up in years. My husband said no dog would ever be as good of a bird dog as old Zeke, so he wanted to find lines that may come close.

We looked at the puppies and Bob picked us out. He was the chubby one chewing on his sisters ear. When we walked in, he cocked his head first one way and then the other and then just jumped up on the little fence and stared me in the eye, wagging his tail like it could fall off if I didn't pick him up.

We took him home. And that was the start of our love hate relationship for the first few years.

Bob was wild. His middle name is "Rowdie." And I can't even remember all of his other legal kennel names. We just call him Bob.

Just like in the movie, Bob was kicked out of obedience school. He made it through puppy kindergarten with flying colors, but when it came time for on-leash training, he was walking me. I was asked not to bring him back, because he was disruptive in class.

In the first couple of years of Bob ate a lot. Not just puppy chow. He ate his leash.

He ate our phone. He ate our TV remote control. He ate one shoe from every pair of shoes I owned. Usually the left shoe for some reason.

He ate our coffee table. It was cherry wood. If there was anything left on the floor, he ate it.

And then he ate our wedding album.

He went through the back door. Actually jumped through the window. It was closed. It was glass -- not a screen. And that resulted in a $600 vet bill. He tried to go through the front door, but the mailman stopped him. We were put on notice by the post office.

He was bitten on the lip by a muskrat. Actually, the muskrat attached himself to Bob's lip. He tried to shake the critter off, but was unsuccessful. That was a $300 vet bill.

Most people wouldn't let us bring Bob to their homes. If we had to bring him, we were usually asked to leave him in the car.

He ate the car. Well, just the back seat.

Through the years, Bob stopped eating things, other than dog food. He ate a lot of dog food. But he settled down as most labs do around the age of 6 years old. He was still a handful and was not very good on a leash. Besides, he ate most of them in his early years.

He was very good with babies and little kids. They could crawl all over him and he didn't mind. Well, sometimes he looked to us to rescue him. But he never growled. When he had enough he would just walk away. In fact, that is how my son learned to walk.

My son grabbed on to Bob's back — he really grabbed two handfuls of skin and fur and pulled himself on Bob's back. Bob would start to walk away and my son toddled behind him. My son was 8 months old when he walked, thanks to Bob.

Moving up to the north country in the woods was the best thing for Bob. He didn't need a leash. But he is a very social dog and never really did respond to the words, "Come, Bob." Whenever he would hear kids laughing or smell food, he would take off. And just keep going.

Several times, he would walk half way around the lake visiting people and getting scraps of food along the way. He would eventually find his way home. Most of the time. Except for when he didn't.

The dog tag is one of the worlds best inventions. Someone would eventually call saying, "Um, I think I have your dog. Rather, your dog is at our house again. Can you come get him? Please? He is eating my garden." (Bob loves veggies.)

Or we would drive around the lake calling him, or whistling. And when he would see us, he would run to us with the biggest grin on his face as if to say, "Oh, there you are! Where have you been? You missed out on so much fun! You will never believe what I did today... first ...."

He was usually covered in mud, or had rolled in a dead fish, but he was always wagging his tail and very happy to see us. He looked up at me with those big brown eyes that seemed to say, "Oh, I love you so very much. All the time. Please scratch my tummy and can I have something to eat?"

Bob turned out to be "The best dog I have ever hunted behind," my husband now says. Some of his friends would invite him to go bird hunting and if my husband couldn't go, they asked if they could just borrow Bob for the weekend. We never let him go without "his Dad." It just wasn't right.

Bob always knows when "Daddy's home!" He can hear that diesel a mile away. Well, actually, everybody can, but Bob always knew before the rest of us. And he knew when it was time for the bus to bring his best little buddy home from school. Bob would start pacing and circling by the door until the bus arrived at the top of our driveway.

Fast forward a few years. Bob is quite grey around the face. His eyes are pretty cloudy. It is hard to see inside of him. And Bob can't see out very well anymore. And he can't hear very well. So, when he wanders off, he can't hear us calling. We rely more and more on us seeing him. Or the dog tag and a phone call.

But he is still happy and continues to make us laugh and smile. He is a very good, big soft cuddly foot warmer. He hunted his last time at the age of 12 and then he retired a happy dog. He is now allowed to have a nibble of pheasant now and then as a reward for his years of retrieving.

Now, he is 15 years old. He doesn't move very fast anymore and often forgets why he went outside. His legs freeze up and then he can't move. The week it was 20-plus degrees below zero I thought Bob was not going to see Christmas. But he made it.

It is sad to realize that your faithful friend of 15 years is not going to be around much longer. He has been a pain in the neck and the checkbook, he ate a lot of special stuff that I can not ever replace, and he has been a couch hog, but I am going to miss him more than anything.

In the movie, "Marley and Me," I cried for at least the last 20 minutes straight. Sobbing by the end. So were most of the people sitting around us. It was as though I was watching my dog die on the big screen in front of me. And I know I will be experiencing the real thing any day now. My son sniffed a lot, too. On the way home, he said, "I tried really hard not to cry mom, but I couldn't help it. At the end, I thought about Bob."

The seasons of Bob's life are almost over. He seems to be ok most of the time. He wags his tail. He eats. He drinks. He eliminates. I don't think he is in any pain. He is just very slow. While he can't jump up on the beds anymore, he can still make it onto the couch most of the time. And he has finally figured out what the dog bed on the floor is really for. He sleeps a lot. And he sleeps hard. He still has those doggy dreams — you know the ones, like he is chasing after a chippy and his four feet are all going and his tail is wagging. I have to jiggle him to wake him up in the morning to go outside. And every morning as I walk up to him I wonder if this is going to be the day that he doesn't wake up.

In the end, I hope that is the way he goes. Peacefully. In his sleep. In his own time.

I have complained about having 3 dogs and I don't think I will ever have 3 dogs at one time again. But I can't think of 3 better dogs to have.

They say, all dogs go to heaven. I know Bob will. I am going to miss Bob. Until then, I am just going to keep loving him and talking to one of my very best friends.

Peace.




"I talk to him when I'm lonesome like; and I'm sure he understands. When he looks at me so attentively, and gently licks my hands; then he rubs his nose on my tailored clothes, but I never say naught thereat. For the good Lord knows I can buy more clothes, but never a friend like that." ~W. Dayton Wedgefarth