There are many things I like about winter BUT as it goes on and on, Spring fever sets in. We have had a warm February (for North Dakota) but not so warm that it made me think "Ah, Spring has sprung". I know full well that Spring will not arrive here until late April.This past Thursday, March 5th, we had a beautiful, light snowfall with no wind. Here are a couple of pics I just had to take and share.At the age of 72 I no longer "hope" for an early Spring, it will get here when it get's here and even once it arrives Winter weather will slap it around once or twice. 03/06/2026

Timmothy's cartoon for today's Northern Sentry (the Minot Air Force Base newspaper) highlights an article by Nataly Zarrella.   The pictures above, clockwise, are Natalie at the State Fair, The Lofts photographed with the Northern Lights behind them, and a map of ND with Pembina County in red. The Lofts are located in Walhalla ND which is in the NW corner of the county.The Lofts are open year around and are pet friendly. The cabins offer an elevated view with direct access to the Frost Fire Ski Resort. To read Natalie's article click here. I had not heard of this beautiful getaway until Timmothy's cartoon lead me to the article. I had been to Walhalla in the past but it was long before these beautiful luxury cabins were built. I do remember the beauty of the area and that I was surprise... 02/27/2026

15 years ago today we moved back into our home after a devastating flood in June of 2011.The flood was man-made and should have been avoided. While I have bitter feeling as to how this happened there were also many blessings brought about by the flood. Without getting into all that just let me say that today is a day we celebrate as we were able to move back to the same location with a brand new home.This picture was taken during the winter of 2010. It was one of the last pictures taken inside our home that once was.This was our home during the flood.The water remained at this height for more than 30 days. This was very dirty river water with the sewage of several towns upstream who were also heavily damaged.Today we are celebrating our return 15 years ago. Because we had flood insuranc... 02/24/2026

Until seeing Timmothy's cartoon (taken from the Northern Sentry, MAFB paper) I had no idea that there was a Winter Park in Minot... and actually there isn't. The article in the Northern Sentry is about the Winter Park in Bottineau North Dakota about 45 miles North of The Air Force Base.Nobody is going to brag about challenging slopes here but it's a nice facility for beginners and for those who don't have time to drive 200 miles to a more challenging slope.Part of the charm of the BWP is Annie's House.Annie’s House, a collaborative partnership between Anne Carlsen and Bottineau Winter Park, is a non-profit program offering adaptive recreational opportunities for individuals of all ages with disabilities, as well as veterans with a 10% or greater service-connected disability. Located in ... 02/21/2026

In addition to Timmothy's cartooning and fine arts skills I really appreciate his writing skills too.I LOVE Spring! I love everything about Spring. The temps reaching 50 degrees and above, the appearing of what was under the snow for 6 months (except the dog poop clean up). All things green, even the weeds look good at first, at least they are growing. Clean pavement and the smell of Springtime air.I also love seeing couples out walking hand in hand and children out to play.Spring let's me bring out the garden hose and the tools I need to wash my cars. I even like getting the tiller out in anticipation of planting the garden.A word of caution to those who are new to the area that like to garden: Wait! I'd wait until late April to start seedlings in the home. Starting earlier is going to... 02/10/2026

Timmoty got his cartoon idea after reading "From Clutter T Clean" in the Northern Sentry (Air Force Base) News Paper which you can also read HERE.Some people can live in clutter others can not. I used to be a "neat nic" until I married Carol. Instead of making an issue of it I joined her side... I'd rather have her than a spotless home. Only one of the two can love me.If you read the article as I did and if you are familiar with military demands for families moving in and out you may have wondered as I did: Are base demands guaranteed to be met?I did not find the answer to that question BUT one has to assume she will get it as close as she possibly can.I don't know if they are as strict as they used to be but it once was... if an inspection revealed a cigarette burn in the carpet, even ... 02/07/2026

Yesterday it was announced the the largest scandinavian festival in America has come to an end.This is very sad news for many. The Norsk Hostfest is a 3 day event that draws thousands of people to Minot ND. The North Dakota State Fair is the largest event in North Dakota and I believe the Hostfest is the second or the third largest event in the State of North Dakota. Visitors and entertainers come from all over the world, including the Queen of Norway. Vendors come from all over the USA as does a RV club.This will be a huge blow to Minot's economy as there is never a hotel room available and the restaurants and bars are always full during the event. Many of the vendors make the bulk of their living during the Hostfest.So what's the problem?It is my not so humble opinion that 100% of the... 01/30/2026

While Joe may be melting/melted inside his house no one is melting outside in North Dakota today.If you missed Timmothy's cartoon strip this week a snowman snuck into his house, melted, and then his snowmom came in to rescue her snowman boy and messed with Joe's thermostat so Joe could experience melting.Okay, that's all very far fetched but it is a comic strip.What is real in North Dakota is the importance of a well maintained heating system.The super cold snap we just entered will have daytime high temps of 10 below and lower. That is actual air temp. Add in the wind and we are looking ar lows as low as 60 degrees below zero.If your heating system fails in this cold snap you need to get on the phone immediately with a heating specialist. Even the most well built home will lose its hea... 01/23/2026

... go outside and play. That being said, even the temps outside lately will melt a snowman in the Minot ND area. A melting snowman obviously inspiried this painting by Norman Rockwell, it's the January 2026 picture on my calendar.Some women make so much noise shoveling the snow, their husbands can not even nap in peace" author unknown. 01/14/2026

... you should stop by their new location at 209 Main Street South right under the Coldwell Banker Real Estate Office. Timmothy wrote this comic with an article from The Northern Sentry in mind.I have enjoyed shopping there many times. I wouldn't say this is purely a relic store as each time I have been to 3D more and more new items are taking over the store. That being said the big draw for me is the records that they have on hand. I don't know where they find them but they are usually in good playable condition.The new location is larger than the old and I think better organized however just like their old location several steps are involved and unlike the old location these steps are outside.  01/10/2026

Enchanted Highway, Take II - Thanks to North Dakota TourismHere’s another reason to love our Zoom calls…Bob "RealMan" Timm recently presented some fascinating information to our Zoom group about his beautiful home state, North Dakota. He instructed us to do more research on The Enchanted Highway so, I did. I posted a summary of several articles that I found interesting about this 32-mile stretch of enchantment! Reading what I researched truly made me want to add this to my travel bucket list.So, today I received a nice email from Kim at the ND Tourism Department, thanking me for my article on the Enchanted Highway. I want to extend a heartfelt thank-you to Kim at the North Dakota Tourism Department for taking the time to reach out to me personally. They so very graciously granted me per... 01/05/2026

I'm eager to tell you the most unusual gift I received this year. The gift was given by Tina, my daughter, and Jonathan my son in law. Last year they gave us a class on how to paint your pet and I blogged about that. This year they offered to take me to the indoor shooting range.Tina, Jon, and I were looking forward to bringing our handguns to the range and blasting away. Timmothy had never shot a gun before but I invited him to come along and much to my surprise he said yes.Unfortunately when we arrived they told us it was rifes only day. Fortunately for us the four or five people there were a close knit group that were extremely friendly and wanting us to enjoy ourselves. They not only supplied us with their prized target shooting rifles (valued at about $2,000.00 each) they also supp... 12/28/2025

For the last couple of months or more I have been working on a T-shirt for the charity I created to feed indigent prisoners in the Ward County jail. I think those efforts led Timmothy to create the cartoon above.This time, as in the past, I hired a local print shop to do the job. A friend of mine, Leonard Niess, who owns Niess Impressions came through for me in a big way. On that note, if you are a Realtor you should buy local when possible. You are literally selling your community so you better believe in it! When I presented the T-shirts to the church I attend they gave me a round of applause BUT several people talked to me later that I could purchase the shirts for much less so they would be more affordable. Only one person mentioned a local printer who could produce the T's for less... 12/27/2025

Buying a home in the Fargo-Moorhead area can feel overwhelming—especially if it’s your first purchase or it’s been years since you last bought. Our FREE Homebuyer Playbook class is designed to give you a clear, step-by-step plan so you can make confident decisions from financing to closing. Get Full Details & Reserve Your Seat Who This Class Is For: First-time buyers who want a step-by-step roadmap Repeat buyers who want a refresh on today's process & expectations Anyone who wants to buy with confidence & avoid costly surprises Buyers considering new construction vs. existing homes What You'll Learn: How buyer representation protects your interests: & why it matters The importance of mortgage pre-approval: what you need & why it's step one What to expect from a home inspection: what the... 12/17/2025

This is more of a PSA then a blog post because it is SUPER DANGEROUS to be out on the street in Minot ND today.Last night and this morning the surface temperature as about 20 degrees. However up in the sky it was much warmer. It rained all night. When rain hits a frozen surface it's very dangerous. No matter what you drive, unless it has chains around the tires, you are NOT going to stop. It's also not safe to walk thus school has been called off today for all Minot Public Schools.This scenario reminds me of Jethro Tull's "Skating Away On The Thin Ice Of A New Day".The rain is supposed to be on and off all day with an accumulation of 1/2" of ice on the ground. This is also a recipe for trees and powerlines to come down. Be safe, don't get near a downed powerline. 12/09/2025

One positive thing about North Dakota winters is that it usually ends road construction. It probably doesn't count as a little thing but now that the 2025 road construction season is over I'll call it a little thing. When you live in a climate like ours the street department must get a whole years worth of road repair done in six months. There are usually so many projects going on at once it's hard to find an unaffected route to your destination.This past year we had several large projects on key streets in town. The biggest one made it a challenge to get in and out of Menards. There should be a law against that! They have announced a couple of projects for 2026 and as far as I know only one will inconvenience me personally. My tune may change once I receive the bike I ordered for Chris... 12/06/2025

They have been predicting this snowfall for 3 days... which is why I figured it would not happen. Chalk one up for the local weather guessers, they got one right. I love the way the falling snowflakes light up with the flash. Here are a few more.It currently is about 27 degrees out so this snow may stay or it may melt away. If it stays it will be compacted by many more snows on top of it and it will sit there on the bottom until April.This is an extra post for me today so if you are looking for Timmothy Timm's comic strip, Titus & Philemon it's coming. I was set back an hour due to the need to shovel at home earlier this morning. 11/25/2025

Philemon asks some good questions. My answer to him would be because it tastes good. Here is some info on Breadsmith Sourdough Bread available at Sam's Club for $6.79So AI what is the history of Sourdough Bread?Hmm, so this bread is 4,025 years old? I'd think you could chip a tooth on it. 🤪 11/23/2025

This message is short and NOT sweet.I used this same cartoon just two weeks ago for a message to have your pets "chipped" but today's message is Think Before You Give An Animal As A Gift!NEVER Surprise someone with a pet as a gift!The animal shelter is FULL (in fact overflowing) with such unwanted gifts. You are damning a living being to a horrible existence if the recipient of your "gift" doesn't want that animal, or is even allergic to it.Many shelters KILL the animals stored there if not claimed in a relatively short period of time. The Souris River Animal Shelter in Minot ND is such a shelter. Again, if your gift of a living being is unwanted you have just condemned a being, created by God, to death.Ending on a pleasant thought: If you know someone whats a pet let them pick one out ... 11/22/2025

I don't care where you live in the United States of America everyone gets cold from time to time. I remember a holiday vacation in Florida one January and the morning temp was around forty... I saw people dressed as we do in North Dakota when it's 30 degrees below zero. I was wearing shorts and tank top. Today, finding appropriate clothing is easy, just do a search for "clothing for sub zero environments" and all kinds of vendors come up to offer you warmth. The screen shot above is from Amazon but if you prefer to shop in person check out Scheels in a mall near you.The proper underwear makes a huge difference in keeping warm in environments where the mercury dips below freezing and even as cold as 30 degrees below zero.Prior to today's clothing technology winter underwear was made of t... 11/21/2025