Tag: people

Remembering the fires of 1918

On Saturday, the Fires of 1918 Museum and Depot in Moose Lake will commemorate the 105th anniversary of the fires that devastated the region on Oct. 12, 1918. A documentary will be shown at 2 p.m. in the Soo Line Event Center and memory candles will be available. There will be coffee and conversation afterward.

On this date, Oct. 13, in 1918, the world was catching wind of the fires that consumed northeastern Minnesota the day before. Fires wiped out the cities of Moose Lake, Cloquet and other towns, along with rural areas all the way up to Duluth. More than 450 people were killed and 52,000 injured or displaced in the region.

The Pine Knot has a cache of firsthand accounts of the fire written years ago. Some are shared here, with editing for clarity and length.

From Jean Tetu, writing from the Dube Hotel in Cloquet, date unknown.

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With home improvement projects down, it’s Ikea’s moment

Aspiring home owners are finding the housing market to be pretty grim lately. With record-high mortgage rates, expensive insurance, and a limited selection of pricey homes, many are staying put — whether they want to or not.

But the bleak outlook could be a boon for Ikea, a budget furniture seller that appeals to people who need to furnish small spaces, can’t spend much and don’t expect products to last very long.

With “people maybe not being able to get into that dream house right now, whether for affordability or availability … they’re looking for solutions that might not be as permanent,” said Michael Brown, partner in the consulting firm Kearney’s consumer products and retail practice. He added that unlike its competitors, Ikea’s offerings work well in smaller spaces. “I actually think the environment is ripe for them to go and expand at this point in time,”

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Mental health gardening charity to supply Tebay Services

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Food grown as part of the project will be supplied to Tebay Services’ farm shop and kitchen

A gardening charity which helps people struggling with mental health will supply salads to an M6 service station.

Growing Well, which helps people deal with grief, depression and anxiety, has expanded its services to include a kitchen garden at Tebay Services.

Sharon Rodhouse, whose husband took his own life, said it had helped her though the “dark periods”.

She is one of about 100 people from Eden and north Cumbria to be helped by the charity this year.

Volunteers are referred to the project by GPs and mental health services and work under the supervision of growers and mental health support staff.

The charity said talking about difficulties while tending to the plants gave people an opportunity to reflect, learn new skills and meet new people.

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Master Gardeners: Save on food costs: Grow a garden | Home And Garden

The number of U.S. households that are involved in gardening has shown a dramatic increase each year since 2018.

It’s no surprise that during COVID the number of gardeners increased. It makes sense. People were stuck at home and bored — and the garden beckoned us. It seems that upward trend will continue in 2023 as we see the cost of groceries getting more expensive.

There are many reasons to garden: exercise, enjoyment, healthier food among them. But as the economy has worsened and inflation increases, 76% of gardeners say they plan to enlarge their food gardens this year to save on food costs. This is a normal response when people are worrying about food insecurity or struggling with their household budgets.

Will a food garden produce enough food to feed a family?

In uncertain times, many folks say, “I’ll plant a garden to feed my family.” That’s probably not

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What You Will Give Up If You Move To Mexico

There are pluses and minuses to moving anywhere far away from what you are used to; things you will gain and things you will give up. In this article, I’ll describe what you would have to give up if you moved to Mexico. I separated my list into two groups: things you will objectively have to give up, and things you will give up only if you want to.

Things You Will Objectively Have to Give Up

Some Material Things

There is no doubt that some things are more difficult and /or more expensive to get in Mexico than in the US. For example, as I learned from moving more than 400 families to Mexico through my business, Best Mexico Movers, most people who have lived North of the Border will not

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Your garden is key to keeping New Year resolutions

As we ring in 2023, many people will start thinking about resolutions for better living, losing weight, and whatnot. However, I would wager a guess that any of your resolutions, no matter what they are, can be accomplished in the garden.

Exercise more. Moving your body and being active will help burn calories, stretch muscles, and produce a healthy heart rate. According to many activity trackers, including MyfitnessPal, Noom, Calory, and a lengthy meta-analysis1, getting out in the garden can have compounding positive effects on burning calories and an overall positive sense of well-being. So don’t get stressed about making it to that CrossFit class when you can go in your backyard and pull weeds for 30 minutes to exercise and have a measurable benefit in your yard.

Save money. I, too, have heard the joke about folks spending $150 on gardening supplies for a $1 tomato. I agree tomatoes

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COUNTY COLUMN: Beginning gardening series set at The Well | Community

Gardening connects us with our food supply and with nature, can serve as a form of exercise and stress relief, and gets us out into the open air.

For some, gardening is as simple as putting in a few easy-to-grow herbs or planting some bedding flowers for beautification and pleasure.

For others, the science behind gardening challenges the mind and provides stimulation that may delay dementia in the elderly.

“Preliminary studies have reported the benefits of horticultural therapy and garden settings in reduction of pain, improvement in attention, lessening of stress, modulation of agitation, lowering of as needed medications, antipsychotics and reduction of falls,” according to the National Institutes of Health (bit.ly/3UHb6t5).

Whatever your reasons for gardening, there is help at the Cleveland County Wellness Square (The Well) if you want to learn more.

OSU Extension Horticulturist Courtney DeKalb-Myers will teach a spring gardening series that will begin at 9:30

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Mum defends decorating home for Christmas four months early

Some of us are a bit guilty of hanging up our Christmas decorations a little bit too early, and the build-up to the festive season often seems endless before the day itself goes in a flash.

For those of us still clinging onto summer, it may surprise you to know that one woman has already decorated her home in build-up to the big day – 109 days before Christmas Day, to be precise.

The woman in question is mum Heidi Parrish, who wants to share some festive joy after all the hardships people have faced.

“I wanted to decorate my home early as making my children and other people smile when they see the lights makes me think, ‘what is there not to love about getting into the Christmas spirit early on’,” the mum-of-four said to GrimsbyLive in defense of her decision.

“Especially after the pandemic, I think it made

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Garden storage manufacturer to supply for national retailer

Staffordshire’s outdoor storage provider HEX Living has become a supplier to national retailer The Greenhouse People.

HEX Living’s entire range of outdoor metal storage solutions will be available to buy from the retailer’s 36 display sites across the UK.

Launched in February 2022, HEX Living manufactures premium-quality metal sheds and garden storage solutions.

Designed and built in Britain, HEX Living says its products are ‘maintenance free’ and come with a lifetime warranty. It is currently the only outdoor metal storage solution manufacturer to offer this guarantee.

Managing director Paul Clews said: “Securing this agreement with The Greenhouse People is a real milestone for our business and we are thrilled to be working with the team.

“As a hugely respected retailer of premium quality products, The Greenhouse People are an ideal retailer for our products and share the same commitment to delivering excellence as we do”.

Richard Baggaley, the founder

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Val Demings Is on a Mission

Demings described their life as “really poor.” (One brother, Gerald, called where they lived “country-country—we actually lived back in the woods.”) But they never realized it because their parents worked tirelessly to provide in the newly desegregated South. James was a janitor, Elouise a housekeeper. They tried to create a sense of normalcy. They’d tell their kids to never “let those people define you by their vicious words. You define yourself by your ability to work hard, and belief in yourself, and belief in God.” And though they didn’t finish high school, they sowed the importance of education and civic responsibility. They were so faithful to it, Demings thought it was illegal not to vote. They’d pay someone to drive them to the polls when their station wagon wouldn’t start.

Her parents couldn’t afford to pay tuition when Demings went to college at Florida State University—the first in the Butler

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