Carlton news

I hope everyone is staying safe in their homes. Like me, you are probably doing those projects that have been put off for weeks or even months. As my friend tells me, I am good at procrastination.

As most activities and events have been postponed or cancelled in area communities, there is not much happening in the city of Carlton either. The Magnolia Café has put in a take-out window for those of you who want to get your favorite latte, cappuccino or treat. And Carlton Meat & Grocery is open in case you need an ingredient for that recipe you have been meaning to try out for a long time.

The spring Chicken Swap is canceled. Originally set for April 25, we aim to hold the next Carlton Chicken Swap on the last Saturday in September. If people have ideas of how to do something virtually, let me know.

But we should do what we can to keep our spirits up. This past Saturday I decided to turn on my Christmas lights to help brighten the evening and put a smile on everyone’s face. I heard a news story about Farmington, New Hampshire. The community decided to turn on holiday lights to light this dark time in our country. Kettle River lit its Christmas tree too. So I was inspired to leave my lights connected and turn them on during the weekend for a couple of hours a night until we are somewhat back to normal.

April Fools’ Day or All Fools’ Day has come and gone, and hopefully the tricks and jokes you played on someone made them smile. According to history.com, April Fools’ Day dates back 1582 when France switched from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar as decided by the Council of Trent.

There were people who were slow to get the news about the change or failed to recognize that the new year started Jan. 1. They continued to celebrate the new year in the last week of March to April 1 as they had in the past. These people became the butt of jokes and hoaxes.

“These pranks included having paper fish placed on their backs and being referred to as poisson d’avril (April Fish), said to symbolize a young “easily hooked” fish and a gullible person,” history.com says.

I want to send out a thank you to the doctors, nurses, other medical staff, first responders, firefighters, police officers and to all of the people on the front lines who are putting their safety in harm’s way to keep us all safe. I especially want to thank the men and women who work in the grocery stores (my daughter is one of them), who are at their jobs every day during this difficult time. Everyone take care and stay home as much as you can.

Wishing all of you a wonderful and blessed Easter.

If anyone has a special community event in Carlton or a special person who should be recognized, please contact me at 218-310-6065 or [email protected].