Mountrail County Promoter - Columnists

Winter Returns
Well, we all knew that the warm temperatures were too good to last. The last half of December and early January were a pleasant break from our “normal” winter. Mother Nature appears to have remembered it was winter in North Dakota last week.
The cold, wind and snow that started on Thursday were a brutal return to winter. Watching what looked to be snow pellets start to fall on Thursday afternoon was just a foreshadowing of what was to come.
I went to wrestling on Thursday evening. I stepped out of my car and had to hold onto the door to keep it from getting ripped off. After I got it closed, the frigid wind gave me a “push” towards the high school. I wasn’t in there very long, but the conditions had deteriorated in that short period of time.
Friday was a miserable day. School started two hours late and ended up dismissing early because of the travel advisories in place. It also meant the postponement of the FFA’s donkey basketball. I saw on Facebook they are shooting for April 28 as a tentative rescheduled date.
Saturday wasn’t any better. I made myself go to the high school for the boys’ basketball game in the afternoon, but that was the only excursion I made for the day.
I went to the office on Sunday, only to find that the snow had drifted back in along the side of the building. We may have only got an inch or two of snow, but with the winds, the snow piled up in some places while leaving other spaces perfectly clear. Thank heavens Kris came and moved the snow before we returned to the office on Monday morning.
Amanda, Zach and the kids were in Fargo over the weekend. Jozie is part of a travel volleyball team and they had a tournament on Saturday and Sunday.
They left Bismarck on Friday afternoon under less than favorable conditions, but made it in time to go out to supper with Zach’s brother Greg and his wife Lindsey. Both Amanda and Greg had birthdays last week, so they went out to celebrate.
Jozie and her team played on Saturday and Sunday, with her team coming out with second place.
Nobody was looking forward to the drive home and they held out for a little while hoping that the no travel advised would lift. After talking to some of the other parents, they decided to head for home late in the afternoon. Thank heavens they made it home safely.
Jozie had her confirmation on Monday morning and they did not want to miss that. She and three of her teammates were already using the alternate date, since they were at the tournament on Sunday when the rest of her confirmation class were being confirmed.
It doesn’t look like the rest of this week is going to be any better. In fact, the potential wind chills are making me want to curl up in the house and hibernate until spring.

As Seen On Facebook
With the cold, snowy and windy days, I’ve spent a little more time surfing Facebook from the cozy warmth of my couch. I found this one over the weekend. For those of you thinking about decluttering, it lists 50 things you can let go of today.
1. Clothes you constantly adjust or tug at.
2. Items you only keep because they were expensive.
3. Notifications that don’t matter.
4. Apps you never open.
5. Furniture that blocks your flow.
6. Shoes you avoid wearing.
7. Products you keep rebuying but don’t love.
8. A “doom drawer” you never organize.
9. Duplicates you didn’t realize you had.
10. Things stored where they don’t belong.
11. Décor that doesn’t match your current taste.
12. Clothes that fit your old routine, not your life.
13. Half-finished projects you’re not going back to.
14. Storage solutions that don’t actually help.
15. Items you keep because someone ‘might’ want them.
16. Skincare bought during a phase.
17. Bags you forgot you own.
18. Items that make cleaning harder.
19. Stuff you move from room to room.
20. Clothes you only wear at home because you hate them.
21. Things that don’t have a clear place.
22. Old planners you never used.
23. Kitchen items you work around instead of use.
24. Things kept purely out of habit.
25. Items you wouldn’t buy again today.
26. Clothes you’re waiting to feel ‘ready’ for.
27. Objects tied to guilt, not joy.
28. Things you keep for a version of you that’s gone.
29. Stuff that stresses you when you see it.
30. Items that make you feel behind.
31. Unfinished to-do lists from months ago.
32. “I’ll deal with it later” piles.
33. Items you hide when guests come over.
34. Things that don’t match your energy anymore.
35. Clothes that don’t fit your lifestyle.
36. Objects you’re scared to get rid of for no real reason.
37. Things that drain your focus.
38. Items that create visual noise.
39. Stuff you don’t enjoy maintaining.
40. Items that belong to old routines.
41. Things that complicate simple tasks.
42. Objects that make you feel cluttered, not calm.
43. Items you’ve emotionally outgrown.
44. Stuff you keep to avoid feeling wasteful.
45. Things you never miss when they’re put away.
46. Items that don’t support who you’re becoming.
47. Things that quietly stress you out.
48. Stuff that doesn’t fit your life anymore.
49. Objects you wouldn’t notice if they disappear.
50. Anything you’ve survived perfectly fine without.
That’s a really extensive list, but it ended with “You don’t have to get rid of everything. Just start with one thing.