FROM THE CORNER

Thank you to the Stanley Legion and VFW for their Memorial Day Program held on Monday, evening May 30. There was a fairly good attendance. Windy conditions and vehicles constantly traveling Broadway again made it difficult to hear all of what was being said. The meaning of the day and tributes were heard and that is what was important. Thanks to all the Veterans for their service and to those who paid the ultimate price. *** The American Association Retired Persons (AARP) is the resource of choice for many aging Americans. A new AARP survey reveals that the top life style concerns among people 70-79 are Joint Pain – 21%, Weight Gain – 19%, Back Pain – 19%, Loss of Mobility – 19% and Balance Issues – 18%. The most feared diseases among the same age group – 70-79 are Arthritis -26%, High BP – 24%, Cancer – 20%, Stroke – 19%, and Heart Disease – 18%. It appears that those in the aging population are most concerned about hair loss -17% and wrinkles 15%, with both those worries higher among women. The survey also revealed that the majority of respondents age 50 – 79 were most afraid of losing their mental or physical faculties, becoming a burden on their families and having to give up their independence. *** Did you know? Wisconsin has 49 state parks, 15 state forests, 44 state trails, 84,000 miles of rivers and streams, and roughly 15,000 lakes (more than Minnesota’s 10,000 lakes). To visit and use state parks and trails, the annual fee is $25 or $5 per day. Passes are non-transferable and can be purchased at most Wisconsin state parks, with cash, checks or credit cards. +++ According to gorving.com, as American’s were forced to isolate in small groups, sincethespringof2020,RVownershipexplodedin2021. Overall, 11.2 million households owned a RV, an increase of 26% from a decade earlier. *** With prices of many things up, perhaps your looking for a day trip and things to do for free. Here are some things to do and see in La Crosse that are free. +++ Visit Granddad Bluff and get a scenic overview of La Crosse, the Mississippi River and you can see Minnesota and Iowa. +++ Visit Riverview Park and see the Riverside International Friendship Gardens. It’s an easy stroll and during the week parking should be relatively close and less of a crowd. It’s only a short distance from downtown.. +++ Visit the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration Motherhouse and its Mary of the Angels Chapel. This is an architectural and artistic treasure, with Bavarian stained glass windows. Tours are limited to Fridays 9-10:30 am and 1-2:45 pm. And Saturdays 9 -10:45 am and 1–2:45 pm. +++ Pettibone Park is a great place to picnic if you have packed your lunch. Wonder around and take some photographs of the river life or La Crosse from the other side of the river! Visit 1106 3rd Street and see the world’s largest six pack. Take a photo to send to friends or relatives! +++ Visit the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadeloupe located just a short distance from the south city limits of La Crosse. The religious shrine is located in a wooded hillside, the grounds are beautiful and there is a restaurant that serves healthy foods. Golf cart transportation is available for those who cannot walk the hillsides. The directions to the shrine are all around La Crosse. +++ Pick and choose what you would like and you can easily make a day of it, or longer, if you wish. There’s lots to see and do in La Crosse even on a low budget. *** Industrial development is great for any community. However, certain industries cause the public to perk their ears and question if it is good for their community. One such industry that causes the public to raise questions is the bottled water industry as it usesanaturalresourcesforprofit. Arecentproposaltosell industrial development land to Niagara Bottling Company has raised a lot of questions in Eau Claire. As an outsider, what I have found most fascinating about the controversy is the information that has been revealed during fact finding related to water usage and its availability in that city. The statistics I find are indeed hard to believe. Eau Claire is reportedly blessed beyond belief and understanding with water resources. According to Lane Berg, City of Eau Claire Utilities Manager, “We (Eau Claire) have an abundant resource of water.” A city fact sheet indicates the aquifer, the underground resource for water, the city wells draw their water from, has a capacity of 2.132 trillion gallons of water. Water in aquifers is replenished by rain and snow melt and according to UW -Madison Hydrologist, Mike Parson, about a third of precipitation goes below plant level and gets into the water table to recharge groundwater. One can certainly see why water is a precious natural resource and one that excites a lot of people who want it protected from overuse or contamination. *** By now, most everyone has heard of the black bear attacking of a rural Medford couple on May 20. This was a very unusual incident for a black bear as according to the National Park Service, the odds of a black bear attacking a human is about 1 in 2.1 million. Contributing to it being unusual is that these bears are usually timid in nature and run away from humans. On average, there is less than one fatal bear incident in the United States each year. *** Smile time. What’s the most regrettable means of communication? Remorse Code. +++ If a train station is where the train stops, and a bus station where the bus stops, what is a work station? +++ My wife gives me sound advice! 99% sound and 1% advice. +++ At the conclusion of the worship service everyone filed out to greet the minster. As one man shook the minister’s hand he said, “Thank you for the message. You know I bet you’re smarter than Einstein.” Beaming with pride the minster thanked the gentleman. As the week went by, the minister began to think about the man’s compliment. The more thought about it he wondered why anyone would think he was smarter than Einstein. So the following Sunday he asked the man exactly what did you mean that I was smarter than Einstein. The man replied, “Well, pastor they say Einstein was so smart that only ten people in the entire world could understand him. But pastor, no one can understand you.” +++ Pearls of Wisdom: Talk is cheap because supply exceeds demand. * Stupidity got us into this mess – why can’t it get us out? * Even if your on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just stand there. * Politicians and diapers have one thing in common. They should both be changed regularly and for the same reason. * An optimist thinks that this is the best possible world. A pessimist fears that this is true.

BY DAVID JANKOSKI