BrandonInfo.com

Brandon Valley is looking for mentors to pair with students in all of the BV grade schools. Are you thinking about mentoring a student?

The middle school already uses mentors. If you have been one of them, what has been your experience? Or maybe you mentored in a town where you used to live. What was that experience like?

Do you think mentoring is a good thing? I know a person who mentors a girl in Sioux Falls, and she said they have become friends. The student is aging out of the program now, but she and her mentor plan to keep in touch.

I was a proud Cub Scout when I was a kid. Even though I’m a girl. Ok, I wasn’t officially a Cub Scout, but my mother was a den mother, and there were seven boys in the den. So whenever they did a team activity, I got to participate to even out the teams.

I enjoyed Cub Scouts. I remember carving shapes out of potatoes with pocket knives. I remember sticking my hand out the car window during a camping trip and hitting a very prickly weed. Ouch. I remember playing tug of war.

Were you in Cub Scouts or Boy Scouts? What are your memories? How did the experience shape you as an adult? Are your children in Scouting? Was joining something you encouraged, or something they asked to do?
Boy Scout Troop 582 will hold an open house from 7 to 9 p.m. Sunday at Beaver Valley Lutheran Church, 26214 484th Ave. There will be camp treats, and fun and games. The open house is an opportunity to learn more about scouting and the group’s upcoming events. Boys between the ages of 11 and 17 and their parents are invited.

Governor Rounds has signed the smoking bill (more accurately, the non-smoking bill) and it will go into effect July 1.

Do you think bars and other places that currently allow smoking should stop voluntarily before that?

Even if you were against the smoking ban, are you resigned to it now that it has been made into law?

A new business in Brandon, Selective Singles, hopes to pair up people who are looking for a summer romance or a life partner.
Teri Loosbrock and Caroline Fenno opened the matchmaking service at 910 E. Redwood Blvd., Suite 3, in February. Learn more at meetselectivesingles.com.

Do you think singles services are a good way to meet people? Is a service like Selective Singles, which introduces people in person, better than an online dating service?

If you already are married, how did you meet your spouse? I met my husband when I was 12 and he was 17. His kid sister was in my grade in school. It was years, of course, before we started dating. Now we’ve been married 33 years.

If you are single, are you looking for a significant other? Where do you look?

Did you know Robert Defries, the man who died yesterday in the pickup-train accident? He was 36 years old and a rural Brandon resident.

I recognize the last name, but as far as I can tell, I did not know Robert personally.

If you knew him, what can you tell us about him? What kind of person was he?

Do you want to say thank you to someone? Maybe it’s someone who did you a kind deed, or maybe it’s someone who didn’t yell at you when you might have had it coming. Maybe it’s someone with whom you’ve lost contact, but you’ve always wanted to thank them for something from long ago.

This area of the blog will be for those thank yous. We have much to be thankful for here in Brandon. We have several beautiful parks, and very active civic groups. We have churches that offer a wide variety of worship opportunities. We have businesses that are handy.

As I sit here thinking of who I’d like to thank today, I’m having a hard time narrowing it down. One possibility might seem like an obvious choice. Another might be embarrassed to be thanked publicly. Yet another might feel hurt I didn’t pick them. You might have the same thoughts as you consider who to thank.

But that’s ok. You can come on the blog and thank a different person every day, if you want to.

Today, I would like to thank Pastor Dennis Bossman of Brandon Lutheran Church. He and I share a love of dramatics, and he provides skits and advice to me as I work with my middle school and high school students. We rehearse skits that we present during worship services, to help illustrate the message of the day. For that matter, I’d like to thank the Gospel Dramatists. The class is voluntary, and the kids who are part of it are dedicated and fun. I enjoy working with them. Thanks, Pastor Dennis and the Gospel Dramatists.

I never put myself on the Do Not Call list, so I guess it’s my own fault for still getting calls from telemarketers. Lately, though, I’ve been getting calls from a recorded voice that tells me we’ve talked before, and makes reference to our last conversation. This voice sounds unrehearsed, pausing sometimes and saying “um,” at points. Eventually, the voice wants me to press 1 to learn how to consolidate my debt.

I don’t have enough debt to worry about consolidating it, which is only one reason I know I haven’t talked to the person before. But I wonder about other people. Some folks might get hooked by the “the last time we spoke” line and the voice’s folksy way of speaking.

At least it’s just a recording so I can hang up whenever I want without having to say anything. When actual people call, I usually politely tell them no. No sense ruining their day by yelling at them or anything like that. The calls are inconvenient but not horrible.

Or maybe you think they are horrible. Have you put yourself on the Do Not Call list? If so, has it helped? How do you feel about telemarketers? Do you feel like most of them are shady, or do you think they’re just people trying to earn a living?

The depression we’re in now is … well, depressing. People are losing their jobs. Our tax dollars are bailing out big companies that should have been able to survive on their own. There are cutbacks everywhere.

It seems like there is no good news. But if we look hard enough, is there a silver lining?

Maybe people will become more aware of the plight of others, and those who have will become more generous to those who have not.

Maybe people won’t be able to afford long trips. Maybe they will still vacation, but they will travel around their own states.

Maybe folks will get together with friends for potlucks instead of going to fancy restaurants.

Maybe families will spend more time together instead of each running off to his or her own activities.

Maybe friends will find time to visit and socialize, enjoying each other’s company for entertainment.

Maybe young people will learn how to grow food and build things and fix things instead of waiting for all their needs to be met by someone else.

Maybe the country will go bankrupt and we won’t be able to afford medical care and we will all be hungry and sick, and die. But maybe not.

What good can we make out of today’s economy? Can we use our energy to look for good things that might come out of all this? What can we do to take this lemon and make lemonade?

How many hours of sleep do you get a night? How many hours would you like to get?

My schedule varies, so I don’t always get the same amount of sleep each night. Some nights I get four or five hours of sleep. On Saturdays, if I don’t have to be anywhere, I have the luxury of sleeping as long as I want.

Somehow, it never seems enough. A few weeks ago, I had a day off work and I slept clear into the afternoon. I think I slept 13 hours straight. Too bad you can’t store up sleep like that, for the future.

My husband sleeps only about six hours a night. That is, in the bed. He usually sleeps a couple hours in front of the tv before he goes to bed. Sort of like resting up until he gets enough energy to turn in for the night.
If you don’t get enough sleep, why not? Too busy? Insomnia? Or some other reason? What can you do to get more rest.

(Alica’s beer face)
To some, St. Patrick’s Day is the biggest holiday of the year. Whether you have Irish ancestry or not, everyone is Irish on St. Pat’s Day.

Do you have any plans for the day? I’m planning to go to a house party Saturday evening. This will be the third year I’ve been invited, and I’ve always enjoyed myself. No green beer for me, though. I’ve never cared for the taste of beer at all. Makes my face screw up bad (see above). I still enjoy the day, though.

Do you plan to go to the St. Patrick’s Day parade in Sioux Falls? What do you think about it being on the 14th instead of the 17th? It seems like holidays are always inconvenient when they fall in the middle of the week.

The Brandon Valley girls basketball team has earned a spot at the state tournament, which will be held this weekend in Brookings.

Have you been following the team this season? What do you consider the team’s strengths? Coach Mark Stadem thinks they are hard work and unselfish play.

The No. 3-seeded Lynx (19-4) open the tournament against the No. 6-ranked Rapid City Central Cobblers (14-8) in Thursday’s nightcap at 8:45 p.m. Will you be in the stands?

What advice or words of encouragement do you have for the girls as they go into state competition?

There will be an election April 14 for a ward II council seat. Candidates are incumbent Harry Buck and challenger Mindy Hansen.
Who do you favor to win, and why?

Buck has knowledge of ongoing city issues because of his past service on the council. However, his work as a Realtor has forced him to sit out several votes because of possible conflict of interest.

I don’t know Hansen, but she has being a female in her favor. Right now we have an all-male council, and a female perspective might be good for the citizens. Hansen is a mortgage underwriter with First Premier Bank.

Whoever is elected, let’s hope they do their homework. Let’s hope they read and study proposals before they vote on them. Let’s hope they seek the counsel of trained professionals before they make decisions. Let’s hope they put the interest of all the citizens of Brandon first and foremost.

What are your thoughts?

Now that the video lottery place has been approved for the strip mall in the Eagle addition on West Holly Boulevard, what do you think should go in there next to it? That strip mall can hold more than one business.

In past threads, people have said they’d like a coffee shop to go in there. A place like that could do a lot of business as people stop for coffee on their way to work. That is, if the traffic flow at that spot can be improved. Is a coffee shop compatible with a casino?

How about a video rental place? That’s family oriented and yet could be compatible with a casino.

What other suggestions do you have?