Getting Ready to Leave the Nest It’s not just human parents getting ready to bid goodbye to their youngsters — specifically, this year’s graduating high school seniors. So are Mama and Papa ducks. In the photo above, the male duck (“drake”) is at the lower left; the mother and her eight ducklings are in the...Read More
“What’s the Matter With Kansas Iowa?”** In modern English, a shibboleth can have a sociological meaning, referring to any in-group word or phrase that can distinguish members from outsiders – even when not used by a hostile other group. It is also sometimes used in a broader sense to mean jargon, the proper use of...Read More
Big Change(s) in Store for Lake Bde Maka Ska (and it’s not the name) Yeah, Yeah, I know “Tin Fish” wasn’t the name of the restaurant on the northeast corner of Lake Calhoun that was destroyed by fire two weeks ago. After a 14-year run, it closed in 2017, and Lola’s on the Lake replaced...Read More
“Lake Wobegon”. . . for Real If Minneapolis’ Lake Calhoun had an equivalent to “Denali” — a long-established Native American Indian name used by locals — I’d be all for it. But, as a (mostly) life-long Minnesotan, I’m not aware of any such alternative (sorry, “Bde Maka Ska,” the Dakota name for “White Earth Lake,”...Read More
