Opinion

After months of having to hear from my mother, my sister, my grandmother, and my husband how terrible my previous column photo was, I decided to change it. Not because I thought it was terrible, because honestly, who cares? My column picture isn't a beauty contest, and I'm 40. I hardly see why it makes a difference. However, I just got sick of hearing how "old" I looked from all of them - thus, here's a quick photo from my porch featuring my seventeen-year-old hat that I originally purchased at the Minnesota Newspaper Association. This hat was a purchase made the very first time I attended the convention. Back then I was just a young, perhaps overly ambitious newspaper owner who was asked to speak, as a part of a panel, to a group of journalism students about the nitty-gritty of what living a life of journalism is like.

This weekend's snowstorm marked the first time I had to pull the snowblower out of the garage this season. I'm fairly proud of my snowblowing abilities, as I just learned how to use the machine (thanks, YouTube) two winters ago. Previously, I enjoyed (just kidding on the enjoying part) a full shoveling workout experience. However, living in a house on a hill on a corner lot with all of the city sidewalks surrounding the lot and a half deep property, as well as all of the sidewalks up to the three doors of the house in every direction, a snowblower became a must.

Our second grandson joined the family last fall. I have a photo of my mom holding him at six weeks, and it makes me think about the 86 years separating them. My mom started hospice at the end of last year, and she passed away Jan. 2. Reflecting on how one journey is starting as another ends, I keep wondering what my little grandson’s world will be like 86 years from now. What is the future I want for him? And what am I willing to do to get there?

As I write this week's column, I'm sitting in a hotel room in New York City listening to the sounds of my sister snoring. Each year, we take a "sister's trip" somewhere. It's always a very short weekend filled with chaos and lots of running to and fro, trying to see as much as we can in a short amount of time, usually with a small budget.

This week we enter the first days of new ownership under CherryRoad Media. It's an exciting time with a lot to accomplish, and probably the most proper way to start a new year. I, myself, have become rather accustomed to January being a quiet month, with not a lot going on, and a lot of focus on the temperatures and snowfall. I find myself creatively stunted and usually start to dream of traveling to new places. However, this year there's a lot to do and it will be a busy month full of activity and new challenges.

January 6th is Epiphany. Epiphany is when Christians celebrate the revealing of God to humanity in human form through Jesus. One of the definitions is the manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles as symbolized by the Magi in Matthew 2:1–12.

It was a bitterly cold weekend across the state of Minnesota. We had the coldest air of the season to ring in the New Year. High temperatures on Saturday ranged from -8 to -18 F for most of Greater Minnesota. Overnight low temperatures early Saturday were from -15 to -25!