Pretending to be homeless

There’s nothing quite like pretending to be homeless for the weekend. At a designated campsite, of course.About once a month, I willingly abandon a perfectly good house and a warm, full-size mattress to sleep on a flimsy inflatable pad in a nylon tent.

Before we spend millions on flood control, let’s remember thousands of years before

Previous research puts modern flooding in broader contextTwenty-seven years ago, the federal government reached a startling conclusion about one of South Dakota’s most unusual watersheds.After years of research, the Northern Great Plains Water Resources Research Center concluded that soil surveys...

Continuing new learning is fun

I enjoy learning new things, but only when I’m not forced to learn. Whenever I am forced to learn something, it doesn’t matter how interesting the topic is, I usually tend to either forget what I had just learned or it can ruin the subject for me.

A weed with a witness

There was an unexpected question waiting for those who attended the Pollinator Tea hosted by the Day County Arts Council July 11 in Webster: If you were a flower, what kind of flower would you be?The answers around the room were as varied as the gardens we had gathered for the afternoon tea.

Keep showing up to make your future better

There was a conversation held at the office a couple of weeks ago that has stuck with me because it presented a concept that sort of bent my brain.Here it is: If you could go back in time and tell your younger self one thing, what age would you choose?

Home isn’t always perfect

During the July 7 thunderstorm, I discovered my new house had a leaky roof.Around midnight, rainwater began dripping through the ceiling, and by the time I found enough buckets, they were filling faster than I could empty them.

An end to good story series

It had to happen eventually, but it’s still sad to see a great series end. Our Living History series is over because I think I’ve managed to talk to almost everybody from the senior living homes across Day County.

Preventing nicknames being lost to time

Webster, South Dakota, Petunia Capital of the World. I remember seeing dated signs with that proclamation back in the 1970s. Even then, that claim sounded pretty bold and probably inaccurate. My parents believed it though. Bob and Fran did their part by planting pots of petunias each summer.

Giving builds a community

There are moments in a community’s story that remind us how the places we cherish didn’t simply happen. They were built – piece by piece, project by project... and often gift by gift.Some contributions arrive with a ribbon cutting or a headline.

Why communties’ voices are important

I’m still pretty new to Day County and haven’t gotten to experience everything it has to offer, but one thing I really enjoy is the lakes.