Opinion

Diabetes isn’t just for humans. Our beloved dogs and cats can get it too. Type II is the most common for us all. The causes, symptoms, treatments are very similar and so are the consequences of not treating the disease.

As United Way of Northeastern Minnesota’s fiscal year and my term as board president comes to an end, I have found myself reflecting on the fond memories I have with the organization. Throughout different times of my life, I didn’t always feel like I fit in on the Range. My involvement with UWNEMN has helped me to connect with others who are passionate about caring for our community and in turn made me feel like I do have a place in the community and can make a difference.

Mr. and Mrs. Barney Langford lived about a mile from the Kielczewski family’s Kettle River place. When Floyd was 9 years old Mr. Langford had to be absent for two weeks and they asked Violet if Floyd could stay with Mrs. Langford while he was gone. Their home was at the mouth of Bear River and Hale Bay, the house set back about 20 feet off a cliff overlooking the lake. Mrs. Langford and Floyd snowshoed to her home, and he helped carry all the wood for the cook stove and helped feed the 100-ranch mink they raised. They set a gill net under the ice near Hale Bay, catching whitefish, bluefins and suckers, and another one near the mouth of the Bear River where they caught walleye and northern pike. They ate the walleyes and whitefish and cooked the other fish adding it to meal to feed the mink. Floyd remembered one time when Rusty Meyers, who flew a 50-horsepower Cub that had skis on it, landed at the Langford’s and he told Floyd to go take a closeup look at it; he had never seen one up close and that did it, because after that, according to Floyd “he wanted to fly, very much.” One time at the Langford’s there was a bear denned up on their island and they wanted it deposed of because it kept coming around trying to get at the mink food, and they were concerned that it would kill the mink. Floyd’s dad, Orrah, shot the bear and it slid back into the den, so he crawled into the den to drag it out when he was bitten by one of two cubs. Realizing that the cubs would not survive without the mother, he shot both as well. They rendered the bear grease off the large female and the Kielczewski’s ate one of the cubs; the other cub, as well as part of the female they gave to the Langfords, Floyd notated that they didn’t have much lard at home, so the bear grease was very useful.

March has come and gone, with lamblike weather earlier and some lion-like weather as its door closed before another trip around our Boss Star. April 1 has not been much of a “Fools Day” since that mid-90’s Boston snowstorm shuttered everything and barricaded this travelling business adventurer in a remote motel for three days. “Fools Day” pranks from school-boy years have been gone for well beyond a half century, but Lamb/Lion comparisons remain.

It’s quite amazing after a few years, or a few decades, to look back and see all that stuff that we do have a hard time letting go of. And that’s pretty darn normal because we are creatures that not only like to leave our mark but to keep and save things too. What ever is practical, whatever might be able to be used again, you know - to be able to re-purpose, rekindle, rehabilitate. Nothing wrong with that.

Dear Amy: My mother often singled me out growing up. She verbally and physically abused me.