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Team USA women aren't supposed to announce their final roster for the Olympics until Jan. 1 during the second intermission of the Winter Classic. But I'm hearing that USA Hockey made its final two cuts after Friday night's game in Grand Forks. I asked USA Hockey for comment, and a spokesperson said, "No players have been removed from our roster." That's a bit of a non-answer answer. If USA H...

Perhaps the players on our favorite Minnesota sports teams should consider another profession: firefighting. Despite seasons awash in mediocrity, the Vikings, Wild, and Wolves have all been putting out major fires as of late. The burning objects were not houses or forests; they were the hottest teams in their respective sports. Let's run a fine tooth analytical comb through each over-achievemen...

Some thoughts for the day today.  ...

This post has nothing to do with gardening or cooking. If you stop by regularly, you're probably used to my random ramblings by now. But if you had your heart set on some good gardening reading today, I'm afraid you're going to be disappointed. :) I bought myself a couple of early Christmas presents this year. I've been a Star Trek fan since I was a kid (and I'm sensing I just lost a few of y...

Recently, I interviewed Jim. Jim is unlike most travelers. He likes to see places that most people wouldn't. In 2010, he thought it would be a thrill to visit mysterious North Korea. Ahead was his experience. While what we hear on the news is all most of us will ever know of this isolated land, it's enlightening (and rare) to get a first-hand account of life there. I met the middle-aged Cauca...

I would like to take a stroll or two around this store shopping for Christmas gifts! How about you? This is a old photo of Cox's Store in Hubbard. It looks like the whole family showed up for the photo. The museum is looking for photos of the Jefferson Highway, if you have any in your collection please contact me at the museum. 732 5237 and I will return your call. ...

With the holiday season upon us, we all must be ever-vigilant about internet scams aimed at online and mobile device shoppers! Since many of us use these tools to shop at Christmas, be particularly careful to prevent identity theft and avoid potentially devastating financial loss. Even social media sites are not safe; some contain fake offers purportedly from major retailers. Please dont bite ...

Tis the season for holiday parties, and last week I found myself at a big function where I knew very few people. My husband intended to be there, but as I arrived toward the end of the party, I noticed that his nametag was still at the check-in table. Turns out he had a last-minute issue to deal with, so I was on my own. Gulp I walked in and searched for a friendly face. One of my patients spot...

The first issue ofinhas arrived! Copies were delivered this morning to the Bemidji Pioneer and will be distributed to businesses throughout the greater Bemidji region beginning tomorrow (Thursday). inis a free lifestyle magazine, to be published quarterly, that celebrates community, life and family in north central Minnesota. The premiere issue features a cover story on Buena Vista Ski Are...

The winter weather isn't going anywhere for a while, so get cozy and check out this interactive landscape provided by safercar.gov. http://www.nhtsa.gov/links/WinterDrivingTips/index.html There are lots of great winter tips for no mater what your travel plans may be. You can cruise around the interactive safety landscape to reveal tips and reminders on safe driving measures to get to your desti...

We haven't owned a television since we moved to Minnesota in 2000. However, we used to watch football and Masterpiece Theatre on a 26-inch 30-year-old computer monitor hooked up a an FM tuner and Hifi speaker attached to a length of wire (read antenna). This contraption was Doug's doing. We haven't used it since broadcasts went digital. We don't seem to have time for TV. The equipment used to s...

During the holidays, most of my days are filled with making cookies by the thousands. By the time the weekend comes, I want to entertain and have my friends over, but I am pretty tired at the end of most weeks. That's why I plan ahead to make having people over a breeze. First of all I keep the meals really simple. Think Roast Chicken, wild rice and homegrown carrots from the root cellar. App...

St. Paul and Minneapolis have joined a growing list of cities where at least one fifth of all public school students attend charters. Currently there are 44,000 students in Minnesota enrolled in Charter Schools which is up by roughly 3,000 more than last year. Charter School growth as been associated with schools because of specialized programs such as Arts to Montessori to language immersion....

The next portion of our trip to California (see A Quick Day in the City by the Bay to read about our day in San Fran!)was making our way up the California/Oregon Pacific Coast Highway. We were ready to start our journey of approximately 760 miles from San Jose, CA to Portland, OR! Our first stop was Point Reyes National Seashore. Here we were able to take a 1.5 mile hike around the Earthquake...

A friend of mine saw these on the Internet (where you can find anything, BTW) and asked me to make them. So I put some together yesterday to share with her and some of my other friends. They were able to recognize them as the Grinch. They are easy to make with strawberries, grapes, banana slices and some mini marshmallows. You just put them together with toothpicks. I did see another site tha...