Fall has arrived, in temperature and in landscape colors. Which means we are one step closer to the end of 2020. Never one to wish the years away, 2021 entices me with the promise of healing hugs from family and friends distanced for a good portion of this year.
The approaching new year also inches me closer to wiping the slate clean of corrections or clarifications to articles in the magazine. It’s a double-edged sword, though, as I appreciate hearing from readers and value the interaction, albeit still from long distance by phone or email.
Some September local co-op pages within the magazine included an article about online shopping, with the intent of offering readers alternatives to shopping in-person during the pandemic and to find deals through online retailers. The article was not meant to detract from brick and mortar shopping — the local businesses that fuel our rural communities — but rather an alternative for those preferring to shop from the safety of home. Reader and Prairie Land Electric consumer-member Harlan Nonhoff best expressed the overall theme of calls or letters I received. “I want my local businesses to still be in business when we get back to ‘normal.’ I saw this sign at a store a few months ago — ‘Find it here, buy it here, keep us here.’”
Business owner Regina Stark, Norton, who along with her daughter owns the sewing and quilting supply store Stitch Up a Storm, shared that as much as they would like to offer online transactions, the cost can be prohibitive for a small business. “But call us and we will mail your orders,” Stark said. Find them at Facebook/Stitch Up A Storm.
I also heard from Sharon Lawless, a registered dietician, concerning the ice cream recipe on Pages 29-30 of September’s issue that calls for raw eggs. “I have had Salmonella from homemade ice cream made with raw eggs served at a birthday party and do not wish it on anyone. … I have made it my goal as a dietitian to check published recipes and alert people to food safety issues.”
Thank you Harlan, Regina and Sharon for your faithful readership, thoughtful comments and valuable conversation.