April 1

Lest you haven’t been keeping score, this is the 1,000th posting on this blog!  By a show of hands, how many of you have seen all of them?  Really?  OK, let’s go back to the beginning, from the “about” column . . . 

“It all began in a 5,000 watt radio station in Fresno, California” . . . wait a minute, that was Ted Baxter on the Mary Tyler Moore Show!  Let’s see . . . oh yeah, it all began in 2003 when retirees, i.e., old people, in Alexandria, Minnesota, who had no desire to become snow birds, went looking for mid-winter entertainment here in the frozen tundra of West Central Minnesota.  We discovered girls’ high school hockey, fell in love immediately, and it remains our favorite spectator sport to this day.  Initially, and for several years, reports on these games were e-mailed to those who were actually snowbirds but wanted to keep abreast of things “back home.”  It was ultimately decided a blog would be more efficient, and it evolved into a personal diary of many things that attracts tens of readers on occasion.  It remains a source of personal mental therapy and has yet to elicit any lawsuits.

So let the celebration begin!!!

The first blog posting was on January 2, 2011.  I have averaged a post every three days since then – more often than George Will, but not quite at the Tweeter-in-Chief’s pace.  Now all I have to do is reduce seven years of blogging into a single comprehensive celebrative post.  Good luck with that.  In fact, here are the responses I got back regarding that possibility  . . . 

From Jami . . .

From Kathy . . . 

From Jo . . . 

From Cliff and Bonnie . . . 

From Cameron . . . 

And it all started when . . . 

Accordingly, it was seen fit that I receive an award – well, a piece of paper – for maintaining the longest running blog on the SW shore of beautiful Lake Darling . . .

I received a congratulatory handshake from Robert Reich . . . 

The Super also got an award for putting up with all this . . . 

Even Al Franken and Amy Klobuchar checked in . . . 

And Bill Clinton . . . 

Jo expressed herself on the top of my head . . . 

Scarlett brought champagne . . . 

I brought champagne . . . 

LT gave thumbs up . . .

(Her 1,000 career point . . . )

Willie’s bewildered . . . 

And Barb expressed her concerns . . .

The Cub Reporter’s Blog Reports

On family, it’s been good . . . 

Jami and Danny moved in for a couple years while they prepared The Harn for habitation . .

Grandson Tom graduated from high school . . . 

Then from Purdue with Celia . . . 

Then moved to Colorado to begin their careers . . . 

Uncle Mo got his citizenship . . . 

I had a couple of major birthdays . . . 

The Super got a new car . . . 

I got to drive Jami’s . . . 

On health, got new eyes . . . 

And ear obstructions removed . . .

So now just sit on my ass whenever I can . . .

We made our first trip ever to Worthington where Mom grew up . . . 

I flew over the “new” hole on the golf course and our home on beautiful Lake Darling . . . 

Lake Darling . . .

Home, Sweet, Home . . . 

We went to Colorado for Auntie Pearl’s 90th birthday . . . 

Above with her five sons; below with two large nephews . . . 

And we celebrated my 50th class reunion . . . 

With classmates of surprisingly the same age . . .

The boys reprise 50 years ago . . .

As noted in the intro, Cardinals . . . 

First, at Jefferson High School . . .

Then Alexandria Area High School in 2014 . . . 

And I made the first stage performance there . . . 

To an audience of one . . .

Then Jefferson was demolished . . . 

Where Jefferson used to be . . .

So, to coverage . . . 

With Abby, whose hockey team got us rolling down this course . . . 

And with hockey moms . . .

And Super Fans who would go to cross-country meets with sub-zero wind chills . . .

To follow the multiple times state champions . . . 

The last volleyball game at Jefferson . . . 

And then the first game at the new high school . . .

And “The Voice” took photos of the event during his broadcast . . . 

Going to all the state tournaments . . . 

With required dining at Cossetta’s . . . 

Homecoming parades . . .

The internationally renowned . . . 

The also renowned Noonan’s Park . . . 

The 36-straight free throws made on Mom’s birthday . . .

And yet I still shoveled and schlepped out the garbage . . . 

And, we traveled – “to far away places with strange sounding names” . . .

Prague . . . 

Somewhere on a river . . .

Somewhere on a bench . . .

Canada?  With the Super’s sister Rita, our natural traveling companion . . .

Montreal . . . 

Anne of Green Gables . . .

John A. Macdonald, the Abraham Lincoln of Canada . . . 

St. Lawrence River . . . 

“Anatomical” background feature in Canada . . .

Paris, from the top of the Arc de Triomphe . . .

Camp Brosius . . . 

Quebec (I think) . . . 

Ephesus . . .

Istanbul . . .

Mykonos . . .

Sorrento . . .

Rome . . .

Pisa . . .

Florence . . . 

Cannes (I think?) . . . 

Some place famous . . . 

Venice . . . 

It’s all 50 states, and I believe 35 countries . . . 

Occasionally, you get covered by the local paper . . .

Occasionally, there are issues . . . 

On the arts . . . 

The high school’s annual Christmas concert, of the combined choirs and orchestra . . . 

Carlos Creek Winery . . . 

Skilly & Duff, a/k/a Annie, Bruce, and Mikko . . .

Theatre L’Homme Dieu . . .

The winery . . .

Rice Park, St. Paul . . . 

The winery . . . 

Bruce . . .

AAAA, a/k/a Andria Theatre . . . 

Lisa Lynn . . . 

Paul Drinkwine . . . 

Dan Mahar . . . 

MOTU . . . 

Patchouli . . .

The Salty Dogs . . . 

Harper’s Chord . . . 

Josie Nelson . . .

BAT . . . 

Anthony and Jim Miltich . . . 

What can I say . . . 

Local coaches of note at the winery . . .

Terry Kennedy . . .

Julie and Matt Velline . . . 

Anthony . . . 

The winery . . .

The Cheese Bots . . .

Mel Lamar Trio . . .

Tucker’d Out . . .

Mikko . . . 

The Super in Lakes Area Radio Theatre . . .

SAWA, farewell . . .

On fine dining . . . 

On wunderkinds, Spencer and Sami . . . 

And Josie . . . 

On Authors, Jess Lourey . . . 

Kent Nerburn . . . 

Barb Grover . . . 

Wendy Webb . . . 

Jay Tunney . . . 

William Kent Krueger . . . 

Carl Hiaasen . . .

Anna Quindlen . . . 

Mike Troy . . .

Cathy Wurzer . . . 

And Western Minnesota newspapers . . . 

On fine stuff . . .

Granted, it’s just a diary – but . . . 

Right, Jami?

It took me fifteen years to discover I had no talent for writing, but I couldn’t give it up because by that time I was too famous.  ~  Robert Benchley

Up Next:  Back to regular broadcasting . . .