Memorial Day weekend was full of activities in our area.

From what I have heard the graduation ceremony at Oriole Park went very well. The freeze Friday night caused some damage to crops and gardens, especially in low areas. We covered most of the garden and it has survived. Saturday, old friends were in town to fix grave sites, so we had a nice lunch and visit with

them. Saturday night we took in the festivities at Ringelspiel Days in Boyd. The carnival rides in Boyd are so nice and with

a wrist band are reasonably priced. Sunday we fixed graves and

Monday we attended Military Ceremonies at a Lublin cemetery.

We saw Nona and she asked that I greet everyone for her. She is thrilled with her readership. Occasionally, she has missed a week, or two, as she has been dealing with a few medical issues.

*** For the past few years I have been reporting on the number of high school graduates in our area. I think I pretty well have those numbers together so here they are. The Class of 2021 graduates from: Abbotsford 55; Alma 19; Augusta 36; Bloomer 91; Cadott 50; Cornell 27; Cochrane-Fountain City 53; Colby 77; Eleva-Strum 40; Gilmanton 29; Greenwood 29; Granton 11; Holcombe 31; Mondovi 51; Neillsville 63; Osseo-Fairchild 61; Owen-Withee 40; Stanley-Boyd 75; Thorp 37. My wife and I attended the 2021 Awards Program at Stanley-Boyd High School on May 27, and were very impressed with the number of scholarships that were awarded to this year’s graduates. And we were even more impressed with the appropriateness of the attire worn by this year’s student recipients.

*** Here are some tidbits on Clark County and State Tourism: The Clark County operated Bruce Mound Winter Sports Area, saw 300-500 snow tubers per day, on weekends last winter. And where did they come from – Medford, Taylor County and the Stanley areas. Tourism sales taxes, during the pandemic, were

better than the overall. During the summer and fall of 2021, 87% of people are planning on traveling and 95% of those will be

driving or flying. Clark County has mostly weekend visitors vs.

two-week vacationers. ***

Have you noticed the large flower pots at Stanley's entrance

off Highway 29? So far this year, they are being paid for by a

$500 donation from the Stanley Chamber and hotel tax dollars.

$1,625 has been spent. *** Reports out of the Stanley Correctional Institution are that a $14 million Health Services Building is to be included in the forthcoming biennial state budget. Groundbreaking for the new health building is expected to occur this coming fall. SCI will

also be having a new armory built on grounds – the armory is where they keep the guns in case they are needed. SCI will be having a large garden this year, has nine new beehives and has replanted 25 apple tree. All the produce, fruit and honey raised and harvested involve inmate labor and goes to the SCI kitchen for consumption by the inmates.

*** Here are some insights provided by AARP on “Storage Units”: 90% of the world’s self-storage inventory is in the United States. + About 1 in 10 U. S. households rent a storage a unit. + Self-storage units take up 1.9 million sq. ft. — almost as much as 33,000 football fields. + The average rental length is 15.8 months. + The age groups who rent storage units are: ages 1838 (43%), 39-54 (29%) and 55 and older (28%). + Prices tend to be lower in winter than they are in the summer. + Prices vary depending upon the area of the U. S. you live in. Annual rent for a 5 foot by 5 foot space in New York City will cost a whooping $2,014, while in Little Canada, MN it’s $298. + 6 in 10 boomers who rent storage units visit them monthly. + Most homeowners and renter’s insurance covers stored items. + In recent years, the contents of 155,000 were auctioned off for non-payment.

+ While the whole concept of storage unit rental is strange to me, long term rental is just something I have a real difficult time

understanding. *** Did you know that the Community Foundation of Chippewa County (CFCC) has been serving Chippewa County for 20 years.

Gifts from donors have a lasting impact throughout Chippewa County. It is the mission of the CFCC to serve as a philanthropic resource in Chippewa County by assisting donors in achieving their lifetime giving and charitable estate planning, thereby benefiting the communities, people and nonprofit organizations in our area. The most recent example of the work of the CFCC is the Response-Recovery-Rebuild Fund that has assisted 33

nonprofits during the pandemic. Early in the pandemic, D. R.

Moon Library in Stanley was the recipient of a grant from the Response-Recovery-Rebuild Fund. During the library’s closure the funding was used to purchase 4 i-pads and hot spots and to support some home-bound library deliveries for elderly and handicapped patrons. Due to demand, the library reapplied later and received funding for 3 more i-pads and four hot spots. CFCC continues to be a valuable resource for Chippewa County. To learn more about this wonderful organization call 715-723-8125 or checkout [email protected]

*** Smile time. The nature of fatherhood is that you’re doing something that you're unqualified to do, and then you become qualified when you do it. +++ Following is some workplace humor — You say you value your employees but my paycheck determined that was a lie. +++ Dear God, make me a bird so I can fly, fly, far away from here. +++ Sometimes I can't tell if I am in

preschool or if I am in high school. Oh wait … I’m at work. +++ When you try to leave work a little early, but your boss reminds you that you have 7 hours left. +++ My boss told me to have a good day … so I went home. +++ Thanks for sending me an E-mail asking me to do something for you that it would have taken less time for you to do than it took for you to send the E-mail. +++ When the boss asks for work suggestions? Alcohol would be nice. +++ I notice that you are friends with the boss on Facebook. I too like to live dangerously. +++ If your interested in working long hours, using outdated technology, while being micromanaged by a nut job, the job is yours. +++ I hate my job … but I get paid to much to quit. +++ I used up all my sick days … so I’m calling in dead. +++ It costs nothing to be kind. But some days it costs me my sanity. +++ The customer is always right? False. Customers are homo-sapiens and thus capable of illogical reasoning. +++ I’m quitting to pursue my dream of not working here. +++ I may shake things up at the office today by

being in a good mood. +++ I like this job only marginally more than I like being homeless.