“When donkey’s fly,” is a common expression that means something is highly unlikely to happen. Well, if they’re not flying now it seems they soon will be. During the last year we have seen a number of “flying donkey” events. It seems they’re escalating, too, as there have been many just this past week or so. The biggest, international “flying donkey” is the so-called war in Iraq. Who would have thought that we would “win” the war in three weeks, and then “lose” so much in the months following? Few dared predict even some of the scenarios that are now playing out in that region of the world. And few could have envisioned that so many of our young men and women would be there for so long, enduring so much hardship in circumstances that each day seem more like Viet Nam. Interest rates for mortgages have hit a 40-year low – and then stayed there for many months. Who’da thunk it? Home construction has boomed; so has the mortgage and refinancing business. Rentals have plummeted. People are building and mortgaging the biggest houses they can afford – today. But what happens when the “war economy” turns (which it will), and rates zoom up while unemployment and the cost of living rise along with them? Okay, enough. We’ll just revel in the prosperity of the day and let tomorrow worry about itself. But who could have dreamed of mortgage rates below 4 percent? It was just years ago that Lance Armstrong became the first American to win the Tour de France. This year he became one of only two men to win the bicycle race five times. All this after going through (and obviously surviving) a fight with cancer. And what about those Twins? Things were looking so good, so hopeful. And poof, their pennant dream was gone. When this year’s growing season began with ample rains and sunshine, and crops proliferated, who dared dream that a late-summer drought would come? Scant rain in nearly a month and a half – just at the time when crops would normally be ripening for harvest – lost farmers billions of dollars. Many areas of Minnesota got more consistent rain throughout the growing season, but our corner of central Minnesota was especially hard hit by drought. This year’s catastrophic drought is being compared to the infamous dust bowl of the 1934 that followed the Great Depression of 1929. Are you starting to see those donkeys yet? Last week, a cornfield in Watkins caught fire. Sure, there have been many grass fires. But a cornfield fire? How often does that happen? Sure, everyone enjoyed the rain-free weather when running errands and playing outside. Then we had several below-freezing nights at the beginning of October. We thought the long, hard winter being predicted for 2003-04 had already begun. But just as suddenly, the weather turned again, and we had a week in the 80s. Go figure. It’s been nearly three weeks since the unthinkable happened: a fatal shooting in a neighboring school district. That single incident resulted in two young lives ended and another ruined, not to mention all the families, friends and neighbors of those three young men who will forever bear scars. The mere minutes it took to disrupt an entire community have burst the bubble we lived in – the belief that those things happen “out there” and could never happen here. It just did. On another tragic note, the Meeker County Sheriff’s office today confirmed the rumors that there were indeed three suicides in Meeker County during the past week. Separate incidents with separate tragic stories and consequences. The donkeys are not only flying, they’re doing acrobatics. Lest this become a “doomsday” column, these are just coincidences. Bizarre, random, wacky coincidences, but not necessarily a sign of doom and gloom. We are just now returning to “normal” fall weather. The trees are at their peak of color. With that reprieve of warm weather last week, we can start thinking more positively about the oncoming winter. It could still be many weeks before a first snow, so it looks like we won’t have to forfeit our fall season this year. The Cold Spring shooting has shaken us awake to the importance of school safety and, most importantly, the well-being of our children. This is a great opportunity to become a mentor, Foster Grandparent or volunteer. I am confident our community can and will rise to the challenge. All is not lost. All is possible. So get off the couch and make your little corner of the world BETTER. You should. You can. You must.
