Joe, put your money where your mouth is, and were not talking about the Friday fish fry that will simply not die down. These are the 15-or-so different categories as promised, of dozens and dozens of consumer tips that run the gamut, as only I have deciphered, and the best may be the last. When formerly under-employed, by my 60-hours-a-week once rigid standard, Joe could only watch so much of Everyone Loves Raymond reruns, (and I’ll give you many more such options that you probably haven’t thought of yet), when twiddling his thumbs through entire well-plopped-in-front-of-the-TV commercials no longer counts for exercise, so exercise your brain! How, your brain asks, and if you can hear he or she, you have greater problems then where to find a good but cheap treadmill, but I’ll cover that too. But in these stay-at-home times that should allow for leisure-while-respecting-kiddie-disinfecting, Joe is otherwise wired, and he starts to think and rethink, and analyze re-and analyze, and then gruevel and re-gruevel, (can you tell I’m 100 percent German?) and what does he come up with? Such brainstorming can be good or very bad, much like tricky brain surgery, and you don’t even want to hear my beloved, long-suffering wife chime in.
Thus without further ado, I go where no one has gone before and at length, listed in order of priority, much like the logic Mr. Spock would apply, but the following is a mere summary of what’s coming in each of this web site’s categories in the next weeks and days:
— If you look, there are still good deals on meals around, and not just rabbit food, and even steak for less than the price of hamburger. You can reduce your grocery costs to pennies on the dollar, like I have, if you follow some simple but also separate rules. I’ll let you in on what they are! One to watch is the special hour-or-so offered by many grocers and Big Box stores have first thing in the morning when they open, specifically for people who have disabilities, are elderly, (they often are early risers if retired), are in a high-risk group of those who could contract the virus, and who serve as EMTs or fire-fighters, etc. To the best of my ability, I’ll tell you where to find these places, what the hours are, as they change frequently, usually for the cut-cutting measure of closing earlier at night, and what specifically are the criteria for what jobs and life status qualify, as it is different by location, although I doubt they would kick you to the curb while asking for curbside, or to go inside, if your status is reasonably close to any of those criteria. One thing to add up, some diners will offer 20 percent off the entire bill, even for the take-out option that has taken over, and this beats the heck out of even something like $5 off a $20 purchase, or 50 percent off an entree with purchase of one of equal value. How so? That bill also includes beverages, (even Coke and Pepsi aren’t cheap in many of these venues, although you can sometimes get these “comped” if not using another discount, or if they know you well), and tax and tip, which are not included in the latter example, and therefore are extra cost.
— And for dining, too, there are newer deals, as places still open are competing for a smaller dollar. Yes we all know all about the beauty of coupons and hunting through flyers, watch the expiration dates, but that can be tedious not to mention time consuming, (I’ll look for you in an ongoing way while having an eye for holiday specials). There are places that have always been overlooked who have killer prices, even before the outbreak, but still good food, if only downhome. A key: Get a food co-op of sorts that can include couponing going in your neighborhood, church or business, or more than one such grouping. As much as can be allowed by stay-at-home rules that make it dicey to even cross the neighbor’s threshold, so try to choose one that’s closeby and without the huge lot sizes, and the way this is enforced might vary from city to city, county to county, so be extra sure these days to look both ways when crossing the street … you never know who might come around the bend and lurk your way. And I have to add, just because its silly and so easy a joke, you might give such an officer one of your doughnuts, as things always seem to be about bakery. Come on, didn’t you at least think of such a thing a few months ago on Halloween, with all your excess candy, when the various PDs were making runs that lasted for hours around neighborhoods to ensure the safety of trick-or-treaters until they were at home dreaming of sugar plums dancing in their heads, (holidays mix together these days, more of that later), spreading good will and even better PR by giving out glow sticks, not so much citations and tickets, as key ambassadors for their departments. The extra time on this one night, is worth more than a month of manning the speed traps. I challenge them while on patrol across various jurisdictions, and it seems the units scratch each other’s back like this anyway while late at night, to supplement each others need. We’ve all noticed that, but now there is no bartime scene to babysit, so wouldn’t that free up time for more of this “glow stick” kind of service, much like the proverbial cat who was stuck in a tree, as the very definition of community based policing, to hopefully be done on other holidays too, where the festive nature can make this type of monitoring necessary; think Cinco De Mayo if the partying comes back, the three-in-number Memorial Day weekend, or big gasp, even the ma and pa days if the old folks act up for the first time in … nevermind …
— Conserve and creatively utilize what’s in your refrigerator right now. Even if you’re already a whiz at that, and if you’re only an item or two away from making a killer casserole, I will show you how to use a number of logical substitites for each recipe, using only basic ingredients almost everyone has around, and do what I’ve long done, that’s reducing your food waste to almost zero. That can almost pay the rent, and the more times you wrap your own head around it, you’ll find it becomes second nature, an easy win, and the entree you’ve invented cannot only cut waste because the family helped choose what favorite stuff is in it, but by trial and error, be quite tasty too. Monitor the freshness of perishable items in your fridge with a quick check each day, plan a bit ahead for a time the produce or meat likely be too far gone, and use this as a primer to nip it in the bud, whipping together the aformentioned casserole now. Keep lids on and label them by a date to make, and group various food types into one shelf or half of a shelf, for an easy check on what to make first then second concerning freshness, what date you want to make it, and what search you still need to create a fab entree or appetizer that will rock your dinner party … and yes, you can still have a small one if you follow a group of guidelines, and you might require these double-down tips for a gathering that’s in any way bigger — again see more tips on this from me in coming days. Most styles of ethnic foods have use-by tips that are much in the same mode, for easy monitoring and efficiency in selections that make useful the moving of your favorites, as the first choices to cook, to the front of the shelves or door compartments in the fridge, so they are the first your eyes see. Again, group the ingredients of the same style next to each other, side by side, so logical substitutions are quickly evaluated, and seeing all the possibilities lined up Right In The Front Row might stir the create process and open the door to a whole new type of redacted recipe. Also, place the taller items in a second row, and those medium size on top of any in the front that are short or could be laid on their side.
— Make the final meal prep a family affair. Notice I said final. Whip up the things you know are best for them, but aren’t always a clear choice the kids usually make, and get that in the hopper first, so its set. Then depending on the age of the children, bring them into the process with say, the final three or four ingredients that aren’t expensive, and let them choose their fave(s), and maybe lick the bowl if its their first try. Or if the stuff is really gooey, there might even be a bit of a food fight, but you might have time now more than ever to cleanup after the kids are left to be kids. Staying strictly at home while working and living makes homemakers into home business operators. And maybe dad will be drawn to the clamor, get out of his easy chair, and throw in as a marinade JUST A BIT of the beer, wine or liquor he might be holding — and then be spurred to get out the grill, but check with the public health department first to see if its kosher these days, and that assessment might change by the day — and all the while keeping an eye the game on TV, (hey, dad could find a sport that’s Still Running, to name a local country and rock band he might find classic, all being basically on furlough. However, contests are likely be on an amateur level, but these athletes are prized by man for putting their whole effort and soul into it, playing for the love of the game, not excessive glory). That goes double for the Badger marching band that stops by the village annually at Kozy Korner. The strength of this kind of character is especially needed, and valued, in today’s world. Remembering back, how many rock icons from decades ago were “just ordinary, average guys?” I met, interviewed and even photographed some of these top guns when they played Hudson — yeah you right that right — back in the day, and was surprised to find that many were just your regular, blue-color-like workers, doing a job for a paycheck, and humble to the core. They know their audience is built by person-to-person off-the-cuff introductions and bits of conversation. But there are some on the flip side, who are not necessarily evil, as all those old stereotypes would suggest, but quite quirky in their own slight-bit-of-charming way, if only dealing with one facet of their work and social life. I will tell their names, on both sides of the fence, and specifically what their quirk is, which I gathered while they were here in Hudson of all places to play their instruments, or to play out in the audience, and I’ll throw in the experiences other local people have had while stars border hopped then partied on by, living after midnight, rocking to the door, loving to the morning … Most important, we can learn from their lyrics in this crisis time and beyond, even if some don’t agree with their lifestyles, ditto for my old boss Doug. All in all, teachable moments among chaos, and productive family bonding.
— Along the lines of where to find what, and at the cheapest price, you would need days to sort it all out, especially for people who are from Minnesota and unlike myself don’t have the lay of the local land, so I’m doing it for you, drawing on decades of experience as a reporter, local consumer and food and drink junkie of all aspects — I come from a meat and potatoes family, but still love my salad and stir fry, and even those last two unlock a bounty of different possibilities, so once a base that takes up all of the bottom of a dish and thus is substantial is chosen, or more than one, the combinations of ingredients that can be piled on top of it is endless. More on that soon. Hey, experiment yourself, that’s how the French got crepes and soufles. I don’t know that firsthand, but I wouldn’t doubt it.

This just in, or call it breaking news. Can someone please give me a break, and not put the brakes on, if trying to locate these activities themselves, as the Easter week is well upon us. As far as holiday church services, the few that are still “open” to the public because of virus concerns, the following is how you can have your religion Fixx and eat it too — if just using a little creativity in finding it — to dole out the jelly beans and chocolate bunnies and perhaps via the band by that name, So One Thing (or should I say Thong) Leads to Another, so to Place Your Bid In, that came within an Irish lasses blink of an eye from playing a concert at the Hudson half-outdoors Band Shell — these contingencies just might end up being your ticket to one of the few remaining live music options that could still be available, if certain strict rules are complied with. It’s just a stone’s throw away from the beautiful St. Croix River on the north end of Lakefront Park. Did I mention lass? In the post-St. Patrick Day download, the Irish Eyes aren’t quite smilin’ as they feel the sting of now having their own holiday, in its various forms and done in their way, taken away from them as fast as other viruses turn your corned beef and cabbage into mush, literally overnight; the time it took Hudson’s economy to tank then float down the St. Croix before anyone knew what hit them. So what do all things Erin do when they truly get their Irish up? They just extend the holiday — go for it Guinness — maybe all through the official 40 days of Easter, as counted by the Irish Catholics who love and live their religion, so both holidays can Come Together, Right Now. Items pulled from various local menus show that Irishness prevails, one of the few times in its history, and all things green, St. Paddie’s Day, Easter and then even Earth Day, take command of the kitchen and what ends up on your plate. Mix and match this type of this food with the Easter favorite goodies that now abound, and you can still double-down and have a two-for-one, or more, although possibly only via the Facebook offerings.
So this entry point for allowing you to max-out on today’s holiday happenings, and really place Saturday night llve, (OK, maybe not “live” in all cases), is the Easter Vigil as practiced by Catholics and most Episcopals. Especially, if revelers have the means to look beyond virus considerations and icy snow now falling and elect to travel, (hey, I know this isn’t really OK), thus taking advantage of the ever-falling gas prices. and stop by for a quick but very filling, in-and-out big meal made by, say, both your grandma in Forest Lake and your mom in Woodbury. Shepard’s Pie versus apple pie?
Now the stage is set for a description for the first-viewing Easter observance of 2020, as done locally, with others still hanging on to get the bugs out of their audio-visual technology, now needed more than ever by them. That can cost money, especially in a smaller-sized, tight-knit church building and possibly more seriously, a potentially big financial hit because of lack of money in the collection basket

<<Ahead of the curve concerning the rest of the Village, and their ‘great big neon broadway sign’ from above>>

With the flood of messages that have been put out as eatery ads, and we won’t even include the remnant of those old once-a-mile, small-cardboard scrims, Village Inn has been way ahead of the curve in what they are putting on, what’s essentially their “great big neon broadway sign,” to reference Bon Jovi. It even had offered, mostly-earlier-than-any, customers the service of a go-to special is for the time-being out; hey must taste fantastic to be that well purchased, in what has not been the case for so many other places. Everyone has a new twist on what they offer these days, why they are different from all the rest. I was schooled a few weeks earlier on this, by two guys out in the enhanced, give-them-what-they-now-want-and-need and partly enclosed patio. When talking to these vintage village people, who actually are Minnesotans who thus now accompany the old school Italians, and are only the start of people who kept coming and lotsa loving such things as the especially caring-for-cars drive-through line, for great fried and broasted chicken (called Californian as well as southern fried and even on to Chicago, to team with themes above and below). It’s almost within a waddle of the place you pulled in, where there in addition have been the No Quarter of 25 for $25 wings, or 25 and Six to Four, with change. The Village led others by being open 15 or then 17 or then 19 hours. There of course is the Triple Threat of Walleye, Walleye, Walleye, quite well marketed when considering that the other go-to-place for such food closed a few months back, Tuesday tacos and max mex, and other fantastic items that include many burger choices that go far behind just a paddy, and will no doubt create consumer traffic well into 2021.

Also in place st St. Patrick’s Church on Saturday around 8 p.m. All the Mass times, as they have always been in place throughout Sunday mornings, call be live-streamed on Facebook, or use something such as an On Demand function later Sunday and so on. Big Catholic churches in River Falls to the southeast, and New Richmond to the northeast, are doing much the same thing, and the two in Stillwater that form the end of the triangle also have vigils.
— Likewise, in my typical walks around scenic North Hudson, (I’m nearing 60, so better make that number singular, and only once around the block, or I might end up Meeting My Maker prematurely. This came to mind, as I made the swing out in the Boonies as part of Phase Two, “When I Came Across a Young Man, With a Fiddle, Playing It Hard,” and I know Charlie Daniels is more than just some ol’ country preacher). The church I encountered halfway in Phase Two is called Bible Baptist, smack dab in the middle of the village. and they also have set up a similar option, to access the service via Facebook and beyond, starting at 10:30 a.m.

With very few entertainment options currently, read a book? Or a cookbook? During times when docs say even your local, low-grade newsprint daily, after being handled by dozens of people before it gets to you, can carry a virus much worse than an annoying stomach bug?
So what to do? Always wanted to unlock your true culinary self, and get healthy to boot? Whip through a Fresh and Natural store flyer, ready for your taking right when you walk in the door of what is a spacious foyer for social dining considerations, that cuts to the chase and doesn’t give you loads of of unnecessary verbage to sift through. After all, these days we seem to be having more and more contraints on our time, and at Fresh and Natural there’s a store design that smacks of functionality, not being a monument for some architects to themselves. The aisles are well arranged, little wasted space, although social distancing will always be respected here, and unlike the big box stores you don’t have to cover an area the size of a football field to pick up what you need. And the food is healthy for all sorts of reasons, and today more than ever we all need to be watchguards of that for ourselves on various fronts, and its great to get a little help to steer you the right way.
So when did all this extra need get going?
Just a bit ago on St. Patricks’ Day, and quickly into the early evening, reams of stores of all types were told they must shut down pronto, as in the usual start of places having half-price appetizers. So why not get much healthier food to boot, and at the same time take an absolute, total pass for that day on the chance to unveil your Irish? As go home and go to bed before any of the those cool Irish musicians even start setting up their stages. Your full 24 hours of Erin simply have to wait for another day and might be quite off into the future. So how does the green go forward from here and triumph?
It thus starts with food, and enter the picture the Fresh and Natural locations in Hudson and Shoreview. Like birthday parties that become lengthy observances, like a virtual fulltime job, and I know this from some friends who seriously do want it to be all that, things extend with regular ongoing celebrations in what becomes an — official they’ll tell you — bonafide birthday month. The Irish emulate that when their favorite holiday is on a Monday and thus into Tuesday morning, and St. Patrick’s Day actually starts for them with corned beef and cabbage — or a host of lesser hyped meals that I myself will hype in a minute via Fresh and Natural — on the previous Thursday or early Friday for sure, with dinner, lunch or even breakfast, (and yes Virginia, of the dozens of intriguing Irish eats you can easily make yourself, there are even quite a few for when you rise in the morning and need a boost to hit the very ground running as to dodge all those newly enabled leprechauns who don’t ever seem to be more than knee-high. Plenty more such yarns of leprechauns acting up in future posts).
Local nightclubs have followed suit with their St. Patrick’s Day revisited drink specials, hardly any need to dig into your pockets for anything but a wee bit of change — and each and every O’Donnell loves that — where even the most stout beer cost is slashed on the 17th of each and every month. So everyone is Irish an additional 12 days a year. And add another such food date when Paddy Ryan’s, not far down the highway from Fresh and Natural, pulls out all the stops not only in March, but also exactly six months later for a half-St. Patrick’s Day. And the food is bountiful, never a “half patty.”
<<And if you can’t make it then, and now to finally cut to the chase, here’s how that Fresh and Natural flyer saved that day, through extending the window to be by all means Irish.>>
— Colcannon is a long-back traditional dish made with mashed potatoes and cabbage, milk and butter, and sometimes with leeks and bacon added for flavor and just for fun, or a primer for cooks who shop then chop for a veganized version. It is called just as delicious as the meatier version above, including the middle two items of the six, which is expected to be central to cooking plans for June Dairy Month. And come that time, you can even find a whole boatload of filed-card recipes range of things, some of which I had not heard of before, and smack dab in the middle of that in a veritable laundry list of how you can use the aforementioned leeks. But as far as the colcannon, the whole recipe is featured in the March version of the Fresh and Natural newsletter. It is said to make great comfort food, now and later. Options are to use tempeh bacon, and coconut butter for a creamy consistency, according to Fresh and Natural, for a great plant based dish.
— Now is the time for homemade saurkraut with garlic dill, as the Irish meet the Germans — they just had their food week too — as my family used to say and ponder. Not only is it called nice and easy, it is filled with probiotics, which are vital to keeping everyone’s bodies healthy, as the immune system is in our gut, and healthy bacteria from those probiotics is an aid to keep the good flora of bacteria in the stomach area at a good count. Uhm, probiotics in the form of pills? It’s also beneficial to add them to diet in the form of fermented foods. Homemade sauerkraut keeps well in the fridge for a few months. Add it to salads as a tangy topper, (and then can do without too much cheese, or heavy sauces), or use it in various sandwiches (don’t rely, again, too heavily on cold cuts).

One, two, three, four, Cellar’s as a liquor store has all the numbers and sheer size to be your sum-total of each and every holiday revelry. The local “Cellars” is intruigally named since it is “up “on The Hill instead of being “down” at at your friend’s basement man cave. And unlike that place and its few couches, Cellar’s has a showroom the size of full basketball courts, and not Down There at your guys limited bar. But we all have changed our habits because of virus impact, so all to be viewed at his home is King James footage from back in the day when he got started, and Cellar’s at that time was already open, then known as Hudson Liquor. But hey, we need more than dribbling, sorry about the pun, and this is when you go to Cellar’s and can get bottles of wine for as little as $3.99! So we draw from all of these spots, their celebrations and more, as virus considerations mean things like St. Patrick’s Day revelry are compromised and have to be regaged and rescheduled for later, even much later. Which of course — and yes I am finally getting around to a point — is where the selection and pricing at Cellar’s comes to the rescue as the summer holidays continue to unfold, had already been a prime seller at their store of all things that started Irish, think enough different whiskey brands from that isle to fill a space equal to that huge freezer in your buddy’s man cave, then also Easter. (And I’ve thus went to “edit” and added this part of the content on a holiday theme for Cinco, mom and pop day and believe you me their faves are very different and cross a gender gap beyond which flavor of champagne they should sip as dad, sorry to say, slinks to the end of the counter and orders all those ingredients for a Bloody from a hottie). Then Cellar’s redacted these and other offerings to fit a patriotic festival from below the Rio Grande, led by well, Rio herself and Duran Duran? And hey, tit for tat, that will carry forward to later on the Independence Day of another sort, ours. But we are getting ahead of ourselves, possibly the first time since Washington’s presidency that HudsonWiNightlife has been not only on time but before it … To that end, you can get a bottle of wine for just $3.99, for that post-Easter toast, or later for a hot summer night on the river. And to be kosher in this huge facility, there is Mogan David to boot. The people at this store have teamed up with Hop and Barrell on a far-afield trek to taste their own special brews, and pick the ones out for sale especially at their places business. And they have had the drinks of Cinco de Mayo covered too with cupboards full of brews.
— The “Casanova” himself as part of the Hudson Historic Liquors name would love it, so Irish as to be traditional or even rare for St. Paddie’s or redacted to make it American for the Fourth, as in American Irish? Shelves and shelves of many brands of Irish whiskey, some with often long names I can’t even pronounce — and adding choices well beyond the Jamison everybody knows about, although to be clear there are a few of these varieties that sport flavorings and subtle color tints — and fill shelves by the dozens in a dedicated area toward the back, and having been there for months, to extend the window for St. Patrick’s Day celebrations that were cut short, to the length of a potato growing season, regardless of the weather. Irish whiskey is usually batched in a truly original way as far as number of steps, and the window to try them in the U.S. and all over predates the days of colonization, so when the time comes, use and indulge them with patriotism in mind (that’s convenient). And as far as things go, no immigration no Irish whiskey here. Things to be grateful for. The recipes go back almost 700 years. So get you and your taste “buds” going …
— The Northern Liquors store along Crest View Drive has been doing great business, and even though its not quite going viral per se, has a big beer and liquor vault to offer that in a rectangular sense rivals the size of the entire rest of their facility. One whole side of shelving going up front near the cash register is devoted to the dozens of very dynamic varieties of different tomato-juice infused ingredients, that are brewed, distilled and yes even grown and harvested, to welcome in a Cinco summer and meaningful Bloody Mary mantra and indeed keep it going through July Fourth and further, aided by little four-packs of themed drinks, some bottled and all quaint as can be, for far less then the fingers on your hand. Again, the numbers game, and if Johnnie is not careful with the fireworks and his fingers, then they’d be fewer and symbolize even more of a discount … OK we won’t go there.

This just in, or call it breaking news. Can someone please give me a break, and not put the brakes on, if trying to locate these activities themselves, as the Easter week is well upon us. As far as holiday church services, the few that are still “open” to the public because of virus concerns, the following is how you can have your religion Fixx and eat it too — if just using a little creativity in finding it — to dole out the jelly beans and chocolate bunnies and perhaps via the band by that name, that came within an Irish lasses blink of an eye from playing a concert at the Hudson half-outdoors Band Shell, But One Thing Leads to Another — these contingencies just might end up being your ticket to one of the few remaining live music options that could still be available, if certain strict rules are complied with. It’s just a stone’s throw away from the beautiful St. Croix River on the north end of Lakefront Park. Did I mention lass? In the post-St. Patrick Day download, the Irish Eyes aren’t quite smilin’ as they feel the sting of now having their own holiday, in its various forms and done in their way, taken away from them as fast as other viruses turn your corned beef and cabbage into mush, literally overnight; the time it took Hudson’s economy to tank then float down the St. Croix before anyone knew what hit them. So what do all things Erin do when they truly get their Irish up? They just extend the holiday — go for it Guinness — maybe all through the official 40 days of Easter, as counted by the Irish Catholics who love and live their religion, so both holidays can Come Together, Right Now. Items pulled from various local menus show that Irish-ness prevails, one of the few times in its history, and all things green, St. Paddie’s Day, Easter, Passover and then even Earth Day, take command of the kitchen and what ends up on your plate. Mix and match this type of this food with the Easter favorite goodies that now abound, and you can still double-down and have a two-for-one, or more, although possibly only via the Facebook offerings.
So this entry point for allowing you to max-out on today’s holiday happenings, and really place Saturday night llve, (OK, maybe not “live” in all cases), is the Easter Vigil as practiced by Catholics and most Episcopals. Especially, if revelers have the means to look beyond virus considerations and icy snow now falling and elect to travel, (hey, I know this isn’t really OK), thus taking advantage of the ever-falling gas prices. and stop by for a quick but very filling, in-and-out big meal made by, say, both your grandma in Forest Lake and your mom in Woodbury. Shepard’s Pie versus apple pie?
So now the stage is set for a description for the first-viewing Easter observance of 2020, as conducted locally, with others in their support team, as whole industries are still hanging on to get the bugs out of their audio-visual technology, or rolling it out anyway to essentially make a product that sells and brings in revenue before its ready for market, and the consumer loses either way. But wait a minute, way a minute! Give their design, production and marketing crews, and yes also sales and management, some leeway to do those final fixes toward efficiency, now needed more than ever before. That can cost money, especially in a smaller-sized, tight-knit congregation and possibly more seriously, a potentially big financial hit because of lack of money in the collection basket. Parishioners vote with their wallets, and this might be a unique opportunity for spiritual growth from the bottom down, but it will take the role of a lifetime to dig down and make this work. So this long homily is ended, go in peace and joy, and the Lord  is with you as you  praise and serve him …
<Here is the first stop locally on the Jesus, Resurrection World Tour>
— The Easter Vigil is being held, to kick things off, (or accurately, can be viewed), at St. Patrick’s Church in Hudson on Saturday around 8 p.m. All the Mass times, as they have always been in place throughout Sunday mornings, call be live-streamed on Facebook, or use something such as an On Demand function later Sunday and so on. Big Catholic churches in River Falls to the southeast, and New Richmond to the northeast, are doing much the same thing, and like the two in Stillwater that form the end of a Trinity-like triangle also have vigils.
— Likewise, in my typical walks around scenic North Hudson, (I’m nearing 60, so better make that number singular, and only once around the block, or I might end up Meeting My Maker prematurely. This came to mind, as I made the swing out in the Boonies as part of Phase Two of There, “When I Came Across a Young Man, With a Fiddle’, Playing It Hard,” and I know Charlie Daniels is more than just some ol’ country preacher). The church I encountered halfway in Phase Two is called Bible Baptist, smack dab in the middle of the village. and they also have set up a similar option, to access the service via Facebook and beyond, starting at 10:30 a.m.

— I soon will list all kinds of last minute Easter buys, boy I know that one, that be made easy and fun enough for your entire family to enjoy, and find yourself being the minder of the keys, seven I think that is, swimming pools, movie stars. OK, we’re much more simple than that, and far less of that money the shifty leprechaun stole, took while exiting up the chimney. which uses a backup heater that keeps on going and going and going, so he and his bottle gained the pricey freedom found in the roof. But his smokin’ butt won’t heal until, well, the real cooler Christmas, 2020 comes, (Santa had to go on the DL, or AA, or on furlough, take your pick, and had to yield on this dry run to that little green man, who rolled at a 45 degree angle and picked up speed to angle past the rood gutters, giving a poor squirrel more of a fright than eating those nasty, sometimes moldy acorns. Better to get to the Dollar Tree, in Plaza 94 in Hudson, before the Dollar General in Roberts buys it up in a hostile takeover to purge western Wisconsin of all pennies. Oh you get it, all this is an April Fools Day prank, but my lawyers said the joke could be taken too far. I think I should cease on it. But no, there was Santa in my sleep, then stepping in front of him was a member of the Anti-Irish-Short-People Disability Corp. who read an official decree that negated the transaction … Anyway, dollar for dollar, you can get every last trinket, thick laces and beads, and don’t forget big hats that would remind you of the color of a Guinness  you would need as a true leprechaun, as long as they’re decidedly Futball-turf-green. And all these things are now repeated in white for Easter, but whole the Dollar Store is on the verge of closing for the night (there is always the competition more than a mile away even under no-travel rules, with their own hours and little twist of Emerald to the Shamrock, and much more pure then off-white, as observances come and go, but there will always be on shelves, and ourselves, here of the key color in question, representing the whole of every holiday.

Hey I know, all this is overwhelming, whether vanquishing the virus or other types of related content, so if you are getting overtaken with data, may I suggest skipping over the next three long paragraphs telling you how you can best use my tips and observations to beat the Super Bug, and hunt around the various departments of his web site that take the data farther. Give this wordsmith an inch and he will take a mile as far as a license to tell it all, even if its pages worth, and that might be fine for right now, as I’m learning fast that that every detail will be found useful by at least someone or two. If it trips your trigger, return to this site later., if its too much volume for the moment, as I’ll bet you have learned as a music lover, and I’m sure you are or you wouldn’t be reading these pages; playing your speakers at full throttle at 11 while cranking The Who at concert-decibel-level on your stereo, hey I know as a child of the ’70s, can be fantastic but at some juncture you and your ears and mind have to take a set break — and if you make it all the way to an encore, these times might offer an opportunity for you while holed up in your room. (Along those lines, later during what I am afraid will be weeks of such coverage, of all musical measures of everything including Copperdale, crooning and keyboard, by HudsonWiNightlife coverage, “all will be revealed.” To wit: I think this extra detail, its various forms, adds to the fullness of understanding, and I have what seems to be a very literate audience that will gather it all in. Do you agree? Chime in …
Thus, the following is only a brief summary of what you can expect to see, broken into catagories by exact content, from HudsonWiNightlife in the next few days and weeks. We at this website will bring to you the updates on the many virus related subjects locally, as they compare to around the two-state area and country, which are changing by the hour and having a major impact on what’s being done and what is left to do, but are working double shifts, seven days to do provide needed information and still can’t quite keep up. But we will give it our best, because every bit of info we can give you may make or break not just staying in your comfort zone, but indeed your ability to stay alive as this crisis plays out. Each day brings additional facets of life affected, and I’ll get those things to you as soon as I become aware of them, that are make or break for people on the margin As we have noted before to the point of repetition, you’ll only find it here, tips by the dozens and dozens that only come about through scouting out the details, and maybe I’m the only one with that curiousity, but it makes for an fantastic job. In J school that was called a “plum.”
We thought this background was important to readers because many of them have found themselves fascinated by this journalistic process that has needed to be tweaked on the fly more today then ever before. It first now is rolling out data that’s getting more and more out there each day, but hey, I get my info by sometimes odd-ball sources, which I will convey to you when at all possible, and sometimes just the process used can make for the best of comic fodder, and at the least a very good read. It makes a difference in getting that data only I seem to be able to ferret out — and to which people in the trenches can relate, as if they are actually part of the editorial process, not just sources, and this means that via them, more data comes my way, and the process builds on itself. Isn’t that what journalism is all about? Hey, we are throrough about unearthing new topics to the point of being OCD and at the same time being loving and passionate in serving our readers, (don’t read to much into that statement), although it means for reams of story column inches, (yet another old school J term). What’s coming now by reading down, is that promised breakdown by topic, going roughly from most important to least important so you know when to look for the topic that resonates most with you, and if you don’t see it right anyway, chime in and I’ll see if it can be moved up the pecking order a bit, or I can at least address your topic with a concise blog message under a new heading, because we know you might need data fast, and I can followup with “the rest of the story soon.”
The interesting takes I have uncovered may mean that routine coverage, such as that of holiday happenings, even though timely, will just have to wait a bit with a second day angle as I (hopefully) can indulge on your patience and more things green continue to surface — unless a particular day’s specially festive nature means they have a tie-in with all things virus, and boy I am good at finding these things, to something like St. Patrick’s Day. I have waiting in the vault plenty of cool stuff with detail going way beyond who has the best corned beef and cabbage, although we have advice that is on-going through the time, soon, for Easter to take over and that will provide yet another layer of fodder. Yet the offerings may be much alike, as everyone is competing for a smaller and still shrinking dollar.

— Two other reasons to hang in there: (1) All the details about my immediate home base of Hudson and many of its readers, and how it becoming Bigfoot Central, with multiple sightings that include intimate interactions that go way beyond a blurry picture … Why here? (2) Then the wrap-up of that signature killer karaoke contest at the Bungalow Inn, one that was the last man standing among those that died off, earlier this year, and will as soon as the virus is tamed be resurrected as a musical offering for better or worse, but obviously not before Easter, although rock never dies.

But for right now, I’ll ferret out the consummate consumer tips for you to stretch your pocketbook but not your palate. This is killer coverage that although virtually done, has not yet found a home because of space (even HudsonWiNightife has its limits) and simply time factors … Gotta go now, election results that I need to get to AP, and that has become yet another part of the story(s). Upon returning, I’ll wrap up this post with its summation that breaks it down to about 15 distinct categories, followed by some of the really meaty stuff I have been promising and setting the stage for all week, and I should be able to get you a bunch by first thing tomorrow, and thus reward you for your patience. A memo to the other such sites, “you can’t can’t touch this.” Hammertime, as for you and he, time waits for no man, and if you dally it marches on: