Only regret is I didn’t do it sooner

My parents were immigrants. They had no concept of “eating out.” They had no concept of a lot of things (I could write a book). So as a kid, I  had never even heard of places called KFC or McDonald’s. Mom used to say, “I just don’t understand why anyone would pay so much money to eat somewhere else when they could just eat at home.”

Anyway, a few years before Mom passed, I got the idea that I could give her a promise for Christmas. Once a month, I would take her out to eat. Well, that didn’t last long. Once a month, almost immediately, became once a week. It was amazing to see a 70-year-woman become a kid having fun. “Now I understand. Now I understand.”  My only regret was not giving her this Christmas gift sooner.

What about your parent(s)? Spend one day a month with your Dad in the kitchen working out a brand new recipe (you buy all the ingredients). Join a painting class with your Mom. Buy season tickets to the Ordway for yourself and both of your parents. Whatever it is that will turn them into kids again. Your only regret will be that you didn’t do it sooner.

Regina Purins,
St. Paul

Speaking of packaging, how about those mostly empty bottles?

Minnesota’s new law regarding recyclable packaging should include something about appropriate packaging for contents. One example is OTC meds/supplements. You can often put the contents of three bottles into just one, with space left over. If they are trying to trick the consumer into believing they are buying a larger amount, that will only work once.

Carole MacCarter,
Maplewood

‘Next thing you know…’

My heart sank on a recent Sunday afternoon as we shopped on Grand Avenue, waiting for the Lex to open. Much like the thinking behind open caskets at a wake, I forced myself to peer into the windows of the shuttered Wuollet bakery. Even though the space is gutted, I know some of my “DNA” remains.

I began working there in the fall of 1976. I chose “the Bungalow Bakeshop” because it was walking distance to our family home and the sweet old owner, Floyd, was gracious about my needing an after-school job. It was mandatory that all of us work a nine-hour shift every Saturday — when the shop was packed with customers holding their numbers and patiently waiting their turn. Some days it was a sea of people three and four deep between the counters and the wall. In the five years I worked there I never heard any grumbling about the wait, although you could sense that people were hoping certain goodies would still be available when their number was called.

I recall the hubbub when a new baker was hired. Turns out he was doing a bit of recon for the Wuollet brothers, Jim and Ben. He must have delivered a promising report and they became the new owners in 1977. The women I worked with in the store were reticent to jump on board with the new regime. How ever would we all adjust to new mint green uniforms, new products, new recipes for “our” items? and dear God — they decided to open on Mondays! The audacity.

Lots of clucking as they drank coffee in “the back” and whispered their reactions to the latest changes or at least rumors thereof. Elsie, Delrose, Martha, Hazel, Beulah, Marguerite, Lavona, and fan favorite Helga were my co-workers. (Along with two college students). Martha was the stalwart. She ran a tight ship. She had a saying that stays with me to this day. As we approached the busy Fourth of July week, she’d say “Judy, next thing you know it will be Christmas Eve.” And of course, every Christmas Eve, (when I’d walk to work in the dark) she would say “Next thing you know it will be the Fourth of July.”

I have only fond memories of that time. Grand Avenue was wonderful. One could find everything one needed from Bober Drug to the Uptown Theater etc. Hoping it will be returned to its former glory soon! Until then…

Judith Gergen,
Mendota Heights

Mission accomplished

Poor Joe Soucheray (“Satanists, your timing of Capitol display suggests greediness,” Dec. 22). He just doesn’t understand the Satanist display at the capitol. If he had simply read an article in his enemy’s paperhe would have seen that evil is not in their hearts. Rather, “The groups behind the effort are generally nontheistic or atheistic organizations who troll religious conservatives and use Satan as a vehicle to promote religious skepticism and satire, civil rights and the separation of church and state.” Clearly, mission accomplished. Joe has nothing to fear from these people.

The rant continues: “This country’s moral and ethical standards have all but disappeared.” First, I challenge him to define the moral and ethical standards of this country, both past and present. Second, don’t just blame the alleged decline on young people, as elders have done for eons. The adults who voted, and even those who did not, are obviously complicit. They selected for president a convicted felon who was found liable for sexual assault (among many other alleged, and actual, crimes and offenses). Truly embarrassing.

Shifting topics, his persistent Biden Blaming continued by his being critical of the federal response to a drone “crisis”; the cause of which is actually in his next sentence: “I can buy a drone in a hardware store.” Even some celestial bodies were identified as the culprits by seemingly knowledgeable sources. From where I stand, this was a calculated distraction from the antics of the aforementioned president-elect.

Finally, Joe did succeed in trolling this reader, an obvious goal. Constantly agitating his readers will keep him employed as his paper’s self-proclaimed curmudgeon. Mission accomplished!

Ken Thielman,
Woodbury

A distorted voice of America

The appointment by President-elect Trump of Kari Lake to head the Voice of America (VOA)  is affront to the 1,000 current  employees and thousands of former staff as well as some 300 million listeners to the radio organization that broadcasts news and features from an American perspective in 48 different languages around the  world.

As one of those alumni, it’s very disturbing to see the international broadcasting arm of the government turned over to a die-hard MAGA adherent, Queen of the “Big Lie” about the 2020 presidential election as well as her own Arizona gubernatorial loss in 2022, and persistent  purveyor of other distortions and misinformation. Those who value objective, unbiased, quality journalism ought to share that concern.

While the organization no longer commands the presence or prestige it enjoyed  at the height of the Cold War, following its creation during World War II, it remains an important vehicle for acquainting listeners around the globe with insightful, informative, and entertaining views, under the leadership of iconic  journalists like famed award-winning broadcaster Edward R. Murrow, television news anchor John Chancellor, pioneer newsman John Charles Daly (yes, the moderator-host of the popular “What’s My Line” TV game show) and others of their caliber.

Notwithstanding her two decades-plus of experience as a television news reader, Lake lacks the integrity, temperament or other qualifications to provide impartial, thoughtful and, above all, credible coverage of news and other developments in this country or the world at large or to manage its operations, which may be ripe for  substantial reduction by the Elon Musk-Vivek Ramaswamy cost-cutting chain saw in the incoming administration

Given her past predilections, Lake is bound to broadcast distorted, partisan coverage that will be geared to firming up her ideological leanings and those of the incoming Trump II administration.

As head of the VOA, Lake might be a misfit in deep water over her head and could very well do grave damage  to that venerable organization.

Marshall H. Tanick,
Minneapolis

Bike lanes, green spaces and squabbles

When St. Paul announced its first-ever all-female city council, I was hopeful. It felt like a historic moment and a chance for a fresh perspective in local government. Sadly, what could have been a groundbreaking example of leadership has devolved into a public spectacle. Instead of focusing on the real issues, the council has turned into a stage for petty squabbles and drama, leaving residents to wonder if anyone at City Hall is truly working for them.

Meanwhile, the city’s decline under the current mayor has only accelerated. Rising property and sales taxes are driving long-time residents to consider the suburbs for more affordable housing and groceries. Our downtown has become a ghost town, plagued by crime and neglect. It begs the question: Where is all of our tax money going? Who is paying for third-party investigations into squabbles between drama queens – excuse me, elected officials? Because our roads remain riddled with potholes, infrastructure is still neglected, and our sense of safety continues to erode.

When council members aren’t too busy engaging in catfights, the council and administration seem preoccupied with bike lanes and green spaces, all while ignoring the fundamental issues – fixing our roads, curbing crime, keeping housing affordable, and making our city a place where people want to live, work and spend time. Anything less is a disservice to the residents who trusted them to lead.

Theresa Redmond,
St. Paul

Loopiness

Like many, I am wary of RFK Jr. being the Secretary of Health and Human Services, given his stance on many issues. However, confronting the processed food industry is a worthwhile start to promoting the welfare of our citizens.

But can any entity that claims to be concerned about the health of the American people be taken seriously when it speaks of outlawing Fruit Loops and not cigarettes?

Andy Lynn,
Mendota Heights

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