The day has come for my final column and radio show. I say this with very mixed feelings. After writing more than 300 columns, a book, and working on two radio shows, the time has come to make a change. As of January 1st, 2020, I will be signing off the columns and the air.
I truly loved this work, and I have been blessed with wonderful readers and friends who have encouraged me every step of the way.
Over the last 13 years, I have received several gifts from readers and listeners, including knitted slippers, a Lucy Christmas ornament, comic books, cookbooks, letters, recipes, spices, and can openers, to name a few. Most all of these refer to a column I wrote. I also have had people who found my humor morbid such as the time I asked the Schwan man to run over my dog, to out loud laughable when I wrote about the coldest place on earth, our outhouse toilet seat.
This has been more than a recipe column for me, it has been my diary shared with you. I have written not only about my joy but also my heartbreak at the loss of a brother, grandmothers, and a dear friend.
I want to give a special thanks to my mom and dad for their stories and encouragement over the years. My mom has a scrapbook of every column I have ever written. To my husband Mike and my kids Zoe, Jack and Ben as they have often been included in the column without prior knowledge. And to my sister-cousin Dawn. She is one of the best cooks I know, and she is forever coming up with new ideas and childhood stories to share.
There are so many wonderful people who have had my back since day one. In 2006 Steve Prinson of the Annandale Advocate. He gave me a chance at my own column, and for that I will always be grateful. To my current and former editors Rhonda Silence and Brian Larsen in Grand Marais, their support and guidance have been amazing. Joe Carlson of KRWC radio in Buffalo allowed me on the air and a shot at my own show. I do not take any of this generosity lightly. Sometimes we can excel if only given a chance.
I named this column “I am so glad we had this time together” from “The Carol Burnett Show” in the ’70s. Carol also would tug on her ear as a sign of how much she cared. If you see me and remember a column or radio show you liked, give me a little sign by a tug on your ear. I’ll know that you are a friend.
With Peace and Love, Sandy
“Don’t be dismayed at goodbyes. A farewell is necessary before you can meet again. And meeting again, after moments or lifetimes, is certain for those who are friends.”
~ Richard Bach
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