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Valentine’s Day, Mardi Gras provide reasons to celebrate

The next few days offer plenty of reasons for midwinter celebration, plenty of reasons to be happy and to enjoy time with family and friends. Valentine’s Day happens today. I’m sure many people of all ages will get valentines and maybe eat out. It’s not just for couples. It’s a day to let all relatives and friends know that they’re important. The main thing I remember about Valentine’s Day growing up was how everyone in my elementary school classes gave each other valentines. It was all inclusive. We didn’t limit it to just a small group of friends. I believe those ...

Look for love in the little things

Dear Readers, Valentine’s Day has a funny way of making people take attendance of who remembered the holiday, who didn’t, who has plans, who pretends they do, who smiles at the grocery store display of roses and who speeds past it like it might ask a personal question. If today feels joyful for you, wonderful. Enjoy every bit of it. If today feels tender, lonely, complicated or just plain annoying, you are not alone. Love is not a neat holiday. It is a living thing, and it shows up in far more places than a fancy dinner reservation. We have all been taught in one way or another ...

Outgrowing an old friend group

Dear Annie: I’ve been friends with the same group of women since our children were in grade school. We’re now in our late 50s and early 60s, and for years this group has been my main social circle. We’ve shared weddings, divorces, illnesses and losses. I will always value them for that. Lately, though, I find myself dreading our get-togethers. The conversation has narrowed to a steady loop of complaints -- about spouses, adult children, politics, health problems, you name it. When I try to change the subject or bring up something positive, it’s brushed aside or met with ...

The place of morals in life

Morals and living a moral life are needed to have a successful life. Morals can be a strong contributor to making the best,correct decisions. What are morals? By the book, morals are what is right and what is wrong. It is an understanding of what is good or bad behavior. They contribute to living a healthy civilized life. If we all live a life that includes morals, maybe then we could live together productively and peacefully. Instead of fighting, we could be kind and honest with each other, and be useful contributors to society. How do psychologists tend to look at morals? ...

An ancestral surprise

The results of a recent genetic test shook me to the core. It seems that I’m not who I thought I was. Some years ago, I sent a spit sample to 23andMe. The test revealed, unsurprisingly, that I’m 100% Norwegian. All my ancestors came from Norway; the test simply confirmed that I’m the whitest guy on the planet. The folks at Ancestry.com recently ran a promotion for their genetic testing. I’ve been working on our family tree at Ancestry.com and thought it would be interesting to know if there were any hidden connections in my genetic past. My Viking ancestors spread their ...

Minnesota in center of the news universe

We spent time in southern California. I could write about walking along beaches, warm sunsets, and missing bitter cold back here. Perhaps I will. But today, I must join my voice to the resistance. What is happening to fellow human beings, sometimes for no offense other than having dark skin is horrific, indefensible, and wrong on a thousand levels. Much is being said and written. Perhaps it is prideful of me to think the voice of one old farmer in Brown County matters. For what it’s worth, I must join the protesters and say, “This is wrong.” “Obama deported people, too.” ...