Rhonda Silence starnews@boreal.org | April 24, 2010
The weather the last few weeks has been perfect for hiking. Sunny, but cool. Last Friday I enjoyed a hike along the Brule River in Hovland with my cousins from Washington state, Joel and Lori, daughter-in-law Sara, granddaughter Genevieve and her little friend, Allie. I hadn’t made the hike to Devil’s Kettle for a very long time. So long, in... READ MORE >
Rhonda Silence starnews@boreal.org | April 17, 2010
Since 2004, I have been part of an Adopt-a-Highway cleanup crew on a section of Highway 61 just west of Hovland. We have learned that it is nice to do the first cleanup as early as possible each spring—after the snow is gone, but before the grass grows up and hides trash. I don’t think we have ever conducted our... READ MORE >
Rhonda Silence starnews@boreal.org | April 10, 2010
I have a wonderful new photo as the background wallpaper on my computer. It’s a picture of five bighorn sheep atop a rugged Arizona mountain peak. What makes it so wonderful is that I took the picture. Chuck and I—after years of being invited—finally made the trip out west at the end of March to visit my snowbird parents in... READ MORE >
Rhonda Silence starnews@boreal.org | March 20, 2010
I am not a gardener. I’ve told readers about my haphazard flower garden. And my one attempt at growing something failed miserably. It started well—the little plant that I received for Mother’s Day did well for quite a while. It got bigger and bigger and it was a lovely pure white. I kept peeling back its leaves to give it... READ MORE >
Rhonda Silence starnews@boreal.org | March 13, 2010
Thanks to my vivid imagination and childhood stories The Velveteen Rabbit and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, I have an unnatural attachment to all things soft and fluffy. I cannot throw a stuffed toy away. I even feel sad if I think a toy is being ignored. I remember crying and begging my mom not to throw away tattered Easter rabbits... READ MORE >
Rhonda Silence starnews@boreal.org | March 06, 2010
I was delighted to read about Lorelei Livingston’s Sawtooth Elementary third grade class project to raise money with a “readathon” to buy a Wii game and accessories for the Grand Marais Senior Center. You can read about their success in the Brighter Side column on page A11. I think it’s fantastic that the folks at the Senior Center will have... READ MORE >
Rhonda Silence starnews@boreal.org | February 27, 2010
Like our Over the Hill columnist Joan Crosby, I am addicted to the 2010 Olympics. It has been exciting to watch the adventures of Minnesota-born Alpine skier Lindsey Vonn, winning gold despite a severely bruised shin. It has been uplifting to see Apolo Ohno win medal after medal in speed-skating— after warming up by yawning, no less. It is moving... READ MORE >
Rhonda Silence starnews@boreal.org | February 20, 2010
Seeing all the television advertisements and reading press releases here at the paper about the 2010 Census, I am reminded that the Census Bureau doesn’t just count people and collect data every 10 years. The U.S. Census Bureau has staffers working year-round, every year, conducting a variety of surveys, compiling statistics on all facets of life in the United States.... READ MORE >
Rhonda Silence starnews@boreal.org | February 13, 2010
Although this issue arrives on the newsstand near Valentine’s Day, I have a different holiday on my mind. A long-ago mystery was solved this week—a May Day mystery. For several years now, as May 1st rolled around I have wondered about the identity of the person who quietly left a May Day basket on my door— in 2004. After finding... READ MORE >
Rhonda Silence starnews@boreal.org | February 06, 2010
I used to be a much more organized person. I jokingly blame the chaotic condition of my desk and countertops on the fact that I reside in the unorganized tax district of Grand Marais. But truthfully, it’s just that I no longer have the time and energy to keep up with filing. Years ago, I made a fresh start on... READ MORE >
