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Be prepared for vehicle snow survival

Many people will be traveling during this holiday season when winter weather might make roads hazardous. Winter throws out more than a few weather and travel-related situations. Freezing rain, blinding snow and icy roadways can make even short drives across town hazardous. A traffic accident, a police matter or snow emergency may hold you up for hours; you have to prepare for the unexpected. When storms happen during the holidays or anytime during the winter, first-responder crews and tow-trucks will be spread thin as they deal with others. Keep Basics Inside The Car Make a ...

Cousins are lucky to have each other

My little sister gave birth to her second daughter on Nov. 22. They named her Emma Evangeline, Evangeline for our Gramma Edith’s middle names. See, my grandma Edith had 11 brothers and sisters and at the time of her birth, each of her sisters got to pick out a name for her. And so she was Edith Evangeline Delores Linseth. Add the Veeder on the end of that when she got married and us grandkids had fun singing her name to the tune of “John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt… da da da da da da da...” If I let my daughters name Emma, her name would be LaLa Sprinkle Pancake, so kids must ...

“People have been asking about the squeaking of the ship,” our captain reported, somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic, “but I must tell you, this is nothing to worry about.” He then proceeded to explain how a ship needed to give in heavy swells, just as an airplane had to flex during flight. “Otherwise,” he explained cheerfully, “the ship would snap in two!” I’m not sure this was the reassurance worried passengers were looking for. My husband, Peter, and I are on the second week of our trip across the ocean. The final stop at port has been cancelled due to ...

Kindness is Contagious: Snowstorm brings kindness upon kindness

I feel sorry for people who live in warm climates. They never get to experience the incredible kindness that comes in the middle of a massive snowstorm. Over Thanksgiving weekend, my family drove from Aberdeen, S.D., to Moorhead for my husband’s basketball game. A friend let us stay at her house while she was gone for the weekend. Our little tribe can fill up a house in a hurry, so it was a blessing not to have to stay in a hotel. Saul and the athletic director made the decision to bring the team up early to avoid the oncoming snow. That meant instead of my husband going up and back ...

Sour cream crust makes pastry-baking easy as pie

I have a confession to make: Despite my love of all things baking, I have yet to master the perfect pie. ‘Tis the season for harvest-y pies and Christmassy pies and all the wonderful fillings that can be baked in a pastry. But homemade pie crust is a true art. It requires delicacy, restraint and a light touch — sort of like performing deep tissue massage on a butterfly. The pastry needs to stay ice-cube cold, or it will stick. Once that happens, you’ll be tempted to add extra flour, which could transform it from flaky, delicate crust to drywall. It’s the type of culinary ...

London offers winter warmers with a festive flavor

LONDON (AP) — Mulled wine, warm spiced cider and hot toddies have long been British staples during winter. Whiskey expert Ross Dennis at Dewar’s Aberfeldy Distillery explains that the hot toddy comes from Scotland. “The first mention of what we now think of as a hot toddy comes about ...