Opinion
Notes from all over
Cook / Tower / Orr / Surrounding Communities in the summer we have mosquitoes ready to carry someone away. In the winter we have some of the coldest temperatures in the country. If we are “lucky,” there is enough snow for snowmobiling. A lot of people will say, “Oh my, what a horrible place.” I had friends up from Chicago, Philadelphia, Milwaukee, Denver over the last couple of weeks. To a person, “OH, MY GOD, it is so beautiful up here.” It’s kind of unfortunate and fortunate that more people don’t get to experience it.
Notes From All Over
I spent last week in the BWCA. We used LaTourell’s Outfitters on Moose Lake. Bob does a phenomenal job. Normally we would paddle for two hours up Moose Lake and then head off up into Wind, Splash or Ensign. This year we decided to take a shuttle boat and then head into Splash. I felt guilty getting a lift, but not after we did it. We were setting up camp about an hour and a half after we left Latourell’s. We went to an island that we had been to once so we set up camp quickly and went fishing. Three big walleyes to start the day -- everyone caught one but -- yeah, me. Meal number one was walleye and beans; it was fantastic. We stayed up late playing cards and catching crawdads, having a few cocktails. Not a bad start to the trip.
A Big Shout Out to Our Local Firefighters & Sheriff Department!
A tragic house fire occurred on the evening of Thursday July 17th a short distance from our home. The expertise, courage, skill, and dedication were clearly evident in the fire fighters from Cook, Orr, Greenwood Township, Kinney-Great Scott, and the Lake Vermilion Fire Brigade. Thankfully they successfully contained the fire which at times had flames towering over the house from spreading to the trees only a few feet from the house. Firefighters stayed through the night until well after the sun came up on the 18th. We were very impressed with their commitment to ensure the fire was extinguished. The St. Louis County Sheriff’s Department and Minnesota State Fire Marshal’s Office was quick to start their investigation of the cause of the fire and protect the scene of the fire.
Notes from all over
I don’t write much about politics; I know, my father did. I believe
Keep it Short
Experts in such things say we should talk less and listen more. The
Extreme Talents
As I navigate extreme middle-age years, I sometimes look back and recall extreme talents that stood out from the hundreds of people I’ve come to know. The talents range from finely- honed skills to innate abilities from the womb. A complete list of these talents would be extremely large for this effort, so we’ll just explore the first six that come to mind. We’ll call them the “Extreme Six” because I’m prone to overworking a word such as “extreme” to a fault. I can’t help it and offer my extreme apologies. Following is a list in no particular order: Don Fultz. On the topic of honed skills, a former schoolmate, teammate, and workmate, Don can hone a knife like no other. One day I came upon him sharpening his jackknife on a sharpening stone when upon completion, he lifted his sleeve and effortlessly shaved a small patch of hair off his forearm. “Yup, that should do,” he said. It was razor sharp and unlike the butter knife edge I could muster when sharpening my fish fillet knife. It’s the reason we were eating fish meatloaf rather than fish fillets.
Cook Area Healthcare Forum
The Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform’s report found that 742 rural hospitals are at risk of closing, one-third of all rural hospitals in the country - are at risk of closing in the near future, with over 300 of those being classified as being at “immediate risk.” Will the Cook Hospital be one of those 742?
