Minnesota Beer Fights Invasive Species

General

Check out the article on ‘CCO’s website about Big Island Shandy, a beer brewed by Tonka Beer Company, a local microbrewery that’s giving away the proceeds to fight invasive species in Minnesota lakes.

I won’t try to lecture on invasive species because you’d have to be a hermit not to have heard of this problem before.  I’ve never owned a boat myself, but I had a friend many years ago who had a nifty little boat.  It was moored on Lake Minnetonka and I went out with him many times to cruise the lake and have a fine old time at Lord Fletcher’s On The Lake.  So, over time I became vaguely aware of the maintenance issues that boat owners face, and I’m sure it’s a much bigger chore for those who have to tow their boats to the various lakes and must now take extra care to drain the bilges, clean the hull, and all the rest.

There’s a joke about this being a painless way to support the community in here somewhere, but I’ll just end this with a simple, “Cheers!”

Let’s All Be Smart this Fourth of July

Staycations At Home

I skipped out on a pre-Fourth of July celebration over at my sister’s house today.  I just couldn’t face the trek from the comfort of my home in south Minneapolis to the wilds of Falcon Heights just to do the neighborhood picnic thing in this weather, even though it meant staying home and working to salve my guilty concience.  Nobody’s potato salad was going to be worth it for me, since I’m probably going to inflict myself on them on the actual 4th anyway, so I can enjoy the leftovers in the cool of their den, relaxing in front of their massive big-screen TV.  See?  I’m not so dumb.

Let's All Be Careful Out There!
Let's Be Careful Out There!

And with our current heat wave, I thought I’d chime in and remind everyone that you need to be careful when you’re outside for Fourth of July picnics, softball games, and other backyard celebrations.  It’s very easy to get overheated.  So be sure to keep yourself well-hydrated and your head covered.  My relatives tell me to keep my head covered in all kinds of weather, but that’s another story.  Water is best, of course.  Non-caffinated soft drinks and even popsicles are okay.  I don’t want to be Donny Downer here, but beer and wine just don’t help in keeping your body fluids in balance.  I say enjoy those beverages as you please (as long as you’re not driving, of course), but switch back and forth with one of the more beneficial choices if you’re going to be active out in the sunshine.

The tricky part is that you can’t always tell when you’re close to overheating.  You might feel pretty good, especially if the “spirits” are with you.  And by the time you do feel the effects, you could be in real trouble.  This is one of those “ounce of prevention” cliche’s that you should actually heed.  And keep a close eye on your kids, too.   Don’t let them play with fireworks without supervision.  There’s no bigger buzz kill than a trip to the Emergency Room, especially when you’re the center of attention.