Saying that life as we know it has changed is an understatement. We are at the beginning of a marathon here in Minnesota when it comes to COVID-19. Where the finish line is remains unclear.
March 25 was my last day with Lakeshore Weekly News and I have to say it has been a pleasure to work in the communities around Lake Minnetonka over the last year.
One of the things that I am constantly reminding (and reassuring) my newer students is: "Tennis is not rocket science, it's about striking a ball and clearing a net."
I find it interesting how we often think of nature as one specific way and only one way. No variations or exceptions. It is either this way or that way. Nothing in between.
We are so sick of hearing about the novel coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, that we want to get it over with. Panic has ensued, and with that panic comes the topic of education. In November 1999, educational technology expert Elliott Masie coined the term “eLearning.” In many states, incl…
In the fall of 2019, the Distraction-free Life Club (DfLC) at Eden Prairie High School embarked on a mission to engage elementary school kids in discussions about distracted driving. We called the initiative Drivers-in Making and kicked it off with a two-hour workshop. At the end of the sess…
When we think of a population of people moving from Sweden, we picture a migration settling in North America
Minnesota is inching toward spring, and the legislature is picking up the pace as my colleagues and I are working to hear bills and get our work done before adjournment. With only about ten weeks left, we are making progress but the Senate needs to keep pace with the House.
In the past four months, I have personally known two people who have taken their own lives. During this school year (2019-2020), Blaine High School has lost four students to suicide. In Andover, just under two weeks ago, a 13-year-old girl took her own life. In addition to the survivors that…
By now, most of us have heard of the coronavirus (COVID-19) and have a basic understanding of what it is. How the United States and communities around the world are responding, changes by the hour, even the minute at times.
As we age, all of us will face challenges. Finding affordable, high-quality home services, accessing health care and staying connected to our communities are just a few hurdles older adults face when striving to live fulfilling, enriched lives. These challenges, however, grow significantly w…
Every sport has its fundamentals. Football: establish your running game. Baseball: you must have pitching for all nine innings. And tennis? It's really quite simple: get the ball over the net.
Few, if any, newborns in the whole of creation are more dependent than human babies, and that dependence lasts for many years. I recall the word, depend, so frequently used by my parents in my upbringing that I began to think it was my middle name.
Introducing Take 5 for Nature! This new column will be published quarterly and will provide readers with interesting information about what is currently taking place in the natural world around us. Our goal is to educate readers about local seasonal happenings while also inspiring our reader…
At this time of year there are so many signs of spring. Even though the calendar says it’s still winter, and many parts of the country are still covered with a thick blanket of snow, there are signs of spring all over the place.
Minnesota Department of Public Safety released data on how the new hands-free law in Minnesota has performed since it went into effect on Aug. 1, 2019. As of Dec. 31, 2019, that is in five months, a total of 9,727 drivers received citations for violating the law. That amounts to little over …
Black History Month is recognized in February, and it is celebrated in several ways. It originated when historian Carter G. Woodson, known as the “Father of Black History,” marked the second week of February for people of African descent to be celebrated. The celebration was extended to a mo…
The American bison is an incredibly interesting critter. Sometimes called buffalo, this name is a misnomer and suggests that the American bison is somehow related to the buffalo of the Old World.
Marvin Cross is a resident at Trillium Woods, a senior community in Plymouth Minnesota. This past summer a friend of his, Joan Wright, put out the word that he was going to go skydiving on his 90th birthday in July and would be happy to have anyone join him who would like to take the challenge.
February is Love Month. High schools celebrate with Heart Weeks and Heart Week dances. While good intentioned, they don’t always turn out very loving. A recent situation at a local high school exemplifies what I mean. A few kids were left out of the planning phase for the dance and therefore…
When I turn on my car radio in the last decades of my life, I tune it first to classical music. How and why did this come to be? I play no instruments and my ear and voice are not musically trained.
In case you are looking for indoor things to do with all of the freezing temperatures we have been having, you should be aware that the Australian Open is in full swing. See it on The Tennis Channel, ESPN and some matches are live on www.ausopen.com
Growing up my mother would often say to me “What man will want you if you can’t cook?” She would also say things like “No good man wants a woman without manners.”
At this time of year, I get a lot of emails and texts from people reporting they are hearing an owl hooting outside their windows at night. While many enjoy the sound, others complain they can’t get to sleep. Either way, the chances are a great horned owl is the culprit. The great horned owl…
If it is January, many among us go through an annual ritual called setting resolutions. I personally do not follow the ritual, but I do not mind suggesting an item for a section of the Eden Prairie News audience: parents of teens.
Football teams watch game films, baseball hitters study opposing pitchers, hockey and other coaches scout the competition, so it's really no surprise that video learning advanced the game of tennis more so than anything else in the last decade.
Almost four years ago, on Jan. 30, my daughter took her own life. I tell this story not to elicit sympathy or for dramatic effect. I tell this story in the hopes that someone struggling with suicidal thoughts will see the devastating pain caused by suicide loss and seek help to avoid it. I a…
When I'm having a bad week, my plants usually "realize" before I do.
Tension is frequently a passenger in my car going or coming from the airport. The trip from our house can take 20 minutes or more than an hour; it can be frustrating. There is so much “hurry” in life.
Today, we tell of The First Story, making it a celebration of pomp, an affair of gold-embroidered vestments and costly columns and altars of marble, and choruses of choirs, of jeweled windows and incense, of the extreme abundance of gifting and getting.
It’s amazing how many cherished holiday traditions were created by folks trying to sell us more stuff. The Macy’s Thanksgiving parade, for example, is a beloved way to start the holiday morning, and it exists as nothing more than a two-hour commercial for a department store chain. You’d like…
I have a confession. Last month, I said Thanksgiving was my favorite holiday. I think I lied. It’s really Christmas. I don’t really like the chaos, or the gift wrapping, card sending or shopping, or the organizing and running from place to place. What I do like, is what I think Christmas is …
Dog: ball; baby: rattle; bunny: carrot; teen: phone.
Marking a marriage by years of togetherness is commonplace — we celebrate wedding anniversaries. But making a marriage marvelous requires much more than time, grown-up puppy love and a once-a-year card.
It’s my favorite time of the year next to the first day of school. I’m one of those crazy Christmas-loving people who listens to Christmas music in October. There is so much to see and do in and around the Lake Minnetonka area.
It’s that time of year again when we are thinking about what presents to give to our loved ones at the holiday season. Here are a few tips and ideas about what to give to your favorite senior, and also some ideas for gifts that are easy for seniors to give to their loved ones.
I’m continuing my look at some of the more common critters that we see every day, but rarely give a second thought.
Dorcas Reilly passed away a year ago this past October, she was 92, and no, I’m pretty sure you didn’t know her, but one out of three Americans will sit down and enjoy her invention this coming Thanksgiving. Ms. Reilly, you see, was the soupie who invented Campbell’s Green Bean Casserole.
