Happy New Years to you all, who is that stick over there??

Happy New Years to you all, who is that stick over there??

I hope you and your family had a beautiful Christmas. Ours was spent with just our immediate family (four of us) and it was amazing. No schedules to keep, no hurrying to get to the relative’s house, just lazily hanging out at home. I guess I did blow about two hours driving all over the county trying to locate the ever-elusive pepper jelly which was sold out everywhere. Thanks to the Oven Mitt in Lindstrom for saving me, they had plenty of it.

This weekend is New Years, and while I have never been a big New Years Eve partier, I realize how big it is for most people. I would encourage everybody to be safe and have a plan for getting home. We don’t need a tragedy in our community like we have seen so many times all around us. I feel so bad for the poor family in Stillwater dealing with the loss of their son over the weekend, which it seems, could have been prevented.

In keeping with the spirit of New Years, it’s time once again for me to lose that 40 pounds I have lost so many times in the past. Okay so I have tried to lose in the past, but yet it somehow finds its way back to me. So for the next few months, don’t assume I am sick, because I look so thin, it’s a look I am going for. Who am I kidding, next time you see me I will probably be 15 pounds heavier.

I am making a promise to myself this New Year. The promise is to put my stupid cell phone down even more. I have made a concerted effort in the last few years but still have an issue with using it too much. My wife is fantastic with her cell phone. She will leave it on a different level of the house so it’s a pain in the butt to go get it and spend mindless minutes on it. Wish me luck.

I wanted to take a minute to thank Lindstrom City Administrator John Olinger. John has been faithfully doing his job for almost 18 years now. It is possibly the most thankless job in the area (behind being a newspaper publisher) and he has dealt with so many issues over the years.
John has been a lighting rod for many tough topics regarding Lindstrom, most of which weren’t his fault, some maybe, but most weren’t. He always stood up, listened to people and I truly belive he had the best interest of the city. Say what you want about John, but to last 18 years in that job-setting, is nothing less than amazing. I wish John nothing but the best in his next life’s chapter.