For my wife’s birthday, we had our whole family together. Both of our daughters and our son-in-law cooked and cleaned in the kitchen. However, their idea of cleanliness exceeded my expectations.

Readers of the Dodge County Independent are probably well aware of issues concerning delivery of their newspaper. In the past couple of years we have heard from many of you complaining about late delivery of your newspaper.
We are thankful that most of you have been understanding and realize that once the newspaper is dropped at the United States Postal Service the delivery date is out of our control.

When I was growing up, my family was always close by. My grandparents lived in nearby towns and most of my aunts and uncles lived locally too. Those that had moved were still in the state or just over the border. The same was true of my wife, even if her family circle was in a community 400 miles from mine.

   Summer is in full swing and that means that it is that time of the year to break out the flip-flops, sunscreen, and charcoal. As people make their way to the lake, as they gather for summer BBQs, and sit out by the pool it can be easy to allow the relaxed atmosphere of summertime to carry over into our walk with the Lord.

It’s that time of year again. The first Friday in August has become the annual date for the Dodge County Stroll, the local version of Relay for Life.

July marks one of my favorite months atSouthern Minnesota Initiative Foundation (SMIF). It is the time of year when we get to distribute more than 20,000 books to organizations that work with young children in our 20-county region.