Memorial Day was well attended; need help buying a vehicle? Don't call me!

Thanks all of you who attended the Memorial Day ceremonies on Monday. I thought the turnout was great. I also thought the Veterans did a wonderful job of paying tribute to their fellow fallen brothers and sisters. We have an incredible wealth of veterans in Chisago County and we are so very lucky to have them.

On Friday, Chisago Lakes Senior High School will say goodbye to some good friends. The class of 2013 will take their final walk down the aisle in the school they have called home for the last four years. Graduation is always an event filled with so many emotions. Emotions of relief, happiness, sadness, and of course fear. I have seen these kids since they were little tots grow up before my eyes, and one thing that I can say with certainty is these kids are going to make some noise. Not in a band (some of them will for sure), but in society. This is a great set of students with unlimited potential. Good luck to each and every student in whichever avenue you decide to travel.

Speaking of Chisago Lakes, I would like to formally thank our school superintendent Mike McLoughlin. Mike has been the head of our school district for years and has done an outstanding job. I have gotten to know Mike over the years, and he is a great guy. Very kind and generous, Mike has had to deal with adversity that comes with the position, but I think he always carried himself with honor and dignity. We hope that Mike enjoys his next phase in life whatever he decides that may be. I know of a certain retired elementary school principal that could use some help working on his hot rods. Mike’s retirement brings me to his successor Joe Thimm. Joe is very well known around the district by many. Joe has been the principal of the Taylors Falls Elementary School for years and years. Always active in all schools activities, Joe has a very unique gift for connecting with the people. A trait that goes a long way in his position. I have known Joe for decades and I can tell you without hesitation, he cares about our schools. Joe will be a great superintendent.

The Chisago Lakes Rotary Club is holding their annual 18 hole golf scramble on Tuesday. There is still time to register a team or sign up as an individual. Please call Kristine Fuge at 257-0883 or Joanne Sackreiter at 257-1714 to register. The tournament benefits the Baby Blanket program along with other local community projects. The weather is supposed to finally improve this week, so why not enjoy a round of golf for a good cause?

At the end of September last year, we decided to trade in our SUV and get a car. My wife had gotten a new job that had her traveling every day. I know there are a lot of SUV’s that get good to decent gas mileage, but ours was not one of those. And with increasing gas prices, this was a no brainer. When we sold the SUV, we sold a bit of our independence. What I mean is, we were no longer able to hop in the SUV and drag the boat to the lake. We were no longer able to take a load to the dump or pick up lumber at the store. We now were forced to ask friends if we could please borrow their truck for a day. After having enough of calling friends to borrow vehicles, I finally saved up a few bucks. My plan was to purchase a cheap truck for doing what I listed before. Just a cheap truck, probably rusty, probably high miles, but hopefully reliable. Hopefully. So I began to search. After a few months of scouring the ads, I finally found my gem. Craigslist, of course. Where else can you find the best quality merchandise and ridiculous prices? After a short drive to Shakopee, there she was, a beautiful 1998 Chevy truck. Even prettier than her ad on Craigslist. The best part?  Only $1500. Deal. I drove her home absolutely beaming with pride about my needle in a haystack find. I even stopped by the Press to proudly show my new toy to everyone here. At the end of the day, I decided to swing by the car wash and make her even more beautiful (if possible). As I was driving home on Highway 8 in Friday afternoon rush hour traffic it happened. Chug chug, knock knock... then nothing. I was stranded in the middle of the highway with a 1998 pile of junk. One day. I owned it for one day. If you would like to see this beauty, take a drive by Schmidt Auto in Chisago City. It is sitting there until I decide its fate. To scrap it or not, that is the question. Craigslist should add a tagline to their logo “Buyer beware”.