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Ladies, tonight is your last chance to take in the last Ladies Night Out of the year. As always, all of the participating businesses will welcome your visit and of course have some really great deals for you and your friends. I have been told that there will be an advanced "Christmas Sale" at some of the participating businesses, so you can get a jump on your holiday shopping. Make sure you stop in at Northwoods Roasterie and wish John congratulations for serving us great coffee for a year now. We hope he is selling us coffee for years and years to come. You can pick up your gift bags at Wood's Furniture, so please, don't let the weather deter you, grab your friends, come on out and have a great time.

I hope you had a chance to take in some of the games our local football team played this year. Once again, Coach Weiss and the Wildcats were picked to be in the bottom half of the North Suburban Conference and once again they showed what a powerhouse they have become. The Wildcats made it to the section finals before falling to a really talented Mahtomedi team. When the Wildcats switched to the North Suburban Conference a few years back, it seemed like everyone was convinced that they couldn't compete with the big schools in the conference. Making it within one game of state sure seems like they are not too worried about the size of their opponents. Congratulations to the Wildcats and all of the coaches.

Thanks to all of you that have participated in the Operation DVD that has been taking place at Virga Chiropractic. Operation DVD is a nation wide campaign asking fellow Americans to donate their new or used DVDs to provide entertainment to the troops. The good doctors are offering a free consultation if you bring two or more DVDs to their office in Lindstrom. If you would like to just drop your DVDs off with no consultation, they would be more than happy to take them. DVDs are one of the safest forms of entertainment across seas. If you would like to learn more about Operation DVD, go to www.operationDVD.net. Almost everyone has at least one movie they have watched and could part with, why not give it to the people that are protecting our freedom?

Here is a little tip for all of you first-time homeowners with mound systems. If you really want to avoid trouble this winter, you need to do one simple thing. Cover your lift station with straw. Why would I possibly need to cover my lift station with straw? Because in the right winter conditions, usually with little snow and frigid temps, your pipes coming out of the lift station can freeze. Once frozen, your alarm will sound (usually in the middle of the night), and after you finally figure out what is causing the ruckus, you will have to call a septic repair person. I think my bill came to around $600. All of this can be avoided by purchasing three or four bales of straw. I like to lay down a tarp first, it makes for easy clean-up in the spring.

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