Tidbits of the Lake Area
  • HOME
  • THIS WEEK'S ISSUE!!
  • CLASSIFIED AD LISTINGS
  • CLASSIFIED Ad Submission
  • TIDBITS READER CONTEST
  • HISTORIC DOWNTOWN WATERTOWN
  • Contact Tidbits!

NEW OFFICE NOW OPEN!!!!

5/18/2016

1 Comment

 
Welcome to a very special Publisher's Corner!

Lynette and I are very excited to announce the opening of the first of two planned retail office locations. The second one is still in the works, but the first is ready to go! Beginning May 18th, I will be maintaining office hours Wednesdays 10-5, Thursdays 9-6, and Fridays 9-4 at 100 S. Maple Street, Suite 106 in Uptown Watertown… yep, that's the Midland Plaza across the street from the court house.

We have been working Tidbits out of our home office for a while now, and it has become more office than home lately. This is a huge step in our ability to serve our readers and advertisers. I will be bringing you more information in a newly formatted weekly Publisher's Corner concerning our area-wide affordable advertising rates, business and personal printing items and some unique products we can produce.

Be checking future Tidbits for our upcoming OPEN HOUSE dates and more information!!

Thank you all from the bottom of our hearts!

1 Comment

June 8, 2015

6/10/2015

1 Comment

 
Picture
Hey Everyone!!
Hope all of you are doing well.
Another week has come and gone around our place and I just can't seem to get all the garden in. A little bit here, a little bit there... the only thing that seems to be taking off and doing well is the grass in yard! I think I can put a big push on over this weekend and get all those plants and seeds tucked away in the ground. Wish us luck! Here's a little progress picture... if so inclined, text or email me a picture of your gardening progress to share. 605-924-1513 or Sean@LakeAreaTidbits.com

Take care everyone... and watch for our young ones who are out of school and enjoying the summer!

Sean Athey, owner/publisher
sean@LakeAreaTidbits.com  •  www.LakeAreaTidbits.com
1 Comment

June 1, 2015

6/3/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
Hey Everyone!!
I sure hope your week is going well. Things are busy as always for Lynette and I around here, but I did want to get a few words in before we ship this off to the press.
First and foremost, thank you to everyone for picking up this week's issue and giving some of your precious time to reading it. From day one, Lynette and I wanted to make sure this was a free paper for people who like to read. After all, what we do is all about readership.

The Grill, The Garden
& A Gun...
No, this is not a movie title about a distraught gardener fighting off an onslaught of cute bunnies... let me explain...

The Grill
Last fall I went through some old stuff out behind the garage and found my old Father's Day gift from many years ago - a gas grill.

The grill had seen better days so I proceeded to refurbish it and put it back into use, which I did. Now this particular grill has a small triangle shaped hole in each side for a rotisserie attachment. I stepped out on the back deck a few days ago and popped it open to find the inside was full of little sticks. I cleared them out and went about my day, not thinking anything about it until the next day when I opened it again - the sticks were back. Well, I had my suspicions of what was happening so I cleared it out and went into the garage and watched out the window. Within a few minutes there it was - a little brown wren... with another stick in its beak. It hopped into the little triangle hole, deposited the stick and flew off for more. As any bird watcher knows, wrens are very small birds and a "wren house" is usually on the smaller side of bird houses, with very small openings. This wren must have thought he had found the "Taj Ma Bird House". The poor thing looked like it was trying to build a wren apartment building in my grill. Now, I appreciate nature, but sharing my grill with a bird family just wasn't going to work. So, after debating what to do with my wife, Lynette, she remembered a small sunflower painted birdhouse we had gotten from a 2nd hand store. We tracked it down and set it on top of the charcoal grill which was next to the gas grill. I then left the hood open to discourage any further construction. Sure enough, about twenty minutes later, I saw the wren hop into the little house with a stick in its beak. Mission accomplished... but wait, it can't sit on the charcoal grill either. So, I moved it across the garden onto a log table next to one of my horseshoe pits. In a few minutes, here comes the little wren... looking for his home. Well, he looked at me, looked at where the bird house had just been, looked back at me, dropped the stick, and let off a series of what I can only imagine were some pretty rank bird-language expletives. (something like "what are you doing, you blankety-blanking home-wrecking featherless freak?!!?)

The good news is that soon after that, the wren found the birdhouse again. Mission accomplished... but wait, it was just then, I realized that the birdhouse couldn't sit on that table, it would get knocked off by a wind storm. So, I had dug up some posts this Spring to expand the garden a bit, and I dug one in close to where the birdhouse was and secured it to the top, and, for good measure, I added a dowel perch to the post so the bird had something to land on before hopping inside.

I would like to report that new location is working out well. I see there is a pair of wrens now and they are happily "tweeting" away.

The Garden
Well... work and weather has slowed our gardening down a bit so far. We have a couple things in and a few thing to get yet. We are going to try some eggplants this year for something new, plus the standard beans, carrots, onions, tomatos, peppers, etc. Hopefully I will have more to share in upcoming issues.

A Gun
Another of my hobbies is woodworking. My father has been into black powder rifles and pistols for a long time and I wanted to get one of my own. For a couple of years, I kept an eye out and just never came across the right deal, at the right time, with the right money. So I ended up getting a .50 caliber Kentucky Long Rifle black powder kit to build my own. This was by far one of my favorite do-it-yourself projects I have ever done. The kit came with the barrel, trigger mechanism and some vaguely gun-shaped pieces of wood. It took quite a bit of cutting, sanding and fitting to get it right, but it did all look good in the end. I then stained, sanded, stained again and then put 8 coats of gloss finish with sanding in between each one. It is the first and only one I have built and I think it looked great and so did everyone else... but, the ultimate point is to make a gun that is accurate. The barrel came without the sights attached, so I had to tap them in and get as close as I could before test firing and adjusting. I took the rifle down to my folks place and my dad and I set up and old weather vane about thirty yards out. There was an arrow on one end and about a 2" X 2" square on the other. I leaned against one of the porch posts and fired... ting! It was ready to go. I have hunted deer with it since then, but that story will have to wait for another Publisher's Corner.

Take care everyone... we will talk to you soon!
Sean Athey, owner/publisher
sean@LakeAreaTidbits.com  •  www.LakeAreaTidbits.com
0 Comments

March 9th, 2015 / v3#27

3/11/2015

0 Comments

 
  Top 'o the morning to ya!!
  The "Wearing of the Green" is almost upon us. For me it is a two-fold holiday. On one hand it is a celebration of my Irish heritage, and also a great sign that Spring will return and these dreary winter days are almost behind us... for another year.
  As you can guess by my first name, I have Irish blood, but my last name has an even better tie to Ireland. The Tribes of Galway (Treibheanna na Gaillimhe) were fourteen merchant families who dominated the political, commercial, and social life of the city of Galway in western Ireland between the mid-13th and late-19th centuries. (Athy, Blake, Bodkin, Browne, Deane, Darcy, Lynch, Joyes (Joyce), Kirwan, Martin, Morris, Skerrett, Ffont and Ffrench.)
  During the Irish Confederate Wars (1641–1653), Galway took the side of the Confederate Catholics of Ireland, and as a result the Tribes were punished following the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland. The Tribes lost much of their power within Galway city after English Parliamentarians took over the Galway Corporation in 1654. Because of the uncertain response to this dilemma by the merchant families, Cromwell's forces referred to them by the derogatory name, "The Tribes of Galway", which they themselves later adopted as a mark of defiance.
  In Galway, the Athy's were one of the first to build stone structures in that city.  (that may explain why half my family seems to be in the construction business!). In records dated 1320, The Abbey, the Red Earl's House and Athy Castle were the only stone structures in Galway.
  Athy was one "tribe", and, as immigration to America sped up, the name took many alternate spellings... Athey, Athie, Athee... but all derivatives of the original Athy.
  So, as you celebrate St. Patrick's Day, be safe, have fun and Be Irish... at least for a day!

Irish Blessing:
    May you have warm words on a cold evening,
    a full moon on a dark night,
    and the road downhill all the way to your door.

Sean Athey, owner/publisher
sean@LakeAreaTidbits.com  •  www.LakeAreaTidbits.com
0 Comments

February 9th, 2015 issue v3#23

2/9/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
Hey there!
   Welcome to what we are calling the "Love & War" issue.... and any persons married for any length of time will tell you those words are not as opposite as they sound!
    Lynette and I wanted to wish you all a Happy Valentine's Day. Be sure to check all though this issue for ideas for unique gifts and special places to take you sweetheart.
    Didn't leave myself much room this week, so I will leave you with a picture... 200,000 miles and still truckin!






Have a great week and be safe out there!

Sean Athey, owner/publisher
sean@LakeAreaTidbits.com  •  www.LakeAreaTidbits.com
0 Comments

February 2, 2015 issue#22

2/2/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
Well, howdy ya'll!
     Thanks for taking some time to read through this issue of Tidbits... as always, we appreciate it.
     We hope you are making it through another upper plains winter, as we are. Sometimes it gets easy to just stay home when that wind is whipping that snow around out there. Lynette and I recently braved the weather for something other than work. We headed up to Clinton, Minnesota to participate in the Clinton Commercial Club Chili Cookoff Fundraiser. Last year we went through and taste-tested, but this year we brought our (in)famous "Hillbilly Chili - Bits of This and Bits of That" to share. It is one of those recipes that never gets written down, but always turns out delicious. We had a couple people worried with our table banner that depicted a squirrel and possum... I think one gentleman swore it was a rat. Sorry, we don't live that far back in the woods... just beef and pork and some secret ingredients like fresh-canned vegetables and a bottle of Habanero Beer that we brew, among other types. This one is brewed with a variety of peppers and spices from our garden and puts a kick in the chili.
     Lynette and I did our best to dress the part, and we even had a small memorial to Donna Douglas (Ellie May Clampett) who passed away at the beginning of January.
      We had a great time giving out chili samples and talking with some of our readers from the Clinton area. It was quite a family affair, to be honest. My dad grew up outside of Clinton and is one of thirteen brothers and sisters. So, out of eleven chili entrants, I believe five of us were related somehow. Now that just makes the competition that much better, although I think my cousin Greg blatantly brandishing a baby to try gain votes for his chili was over the line... he claimed it was his "granddaughter" or something... whatever.
     I have to say, I did get to try all ten other chillies and they were all fantastic. There was everything from a chicken taco chili to a classic five alarm variety (that one slowed me down a bit, I think I did have to step outside to cool off and wipe the sweat from my forehead at one point.)
    Thanks to the Clinton Commercial Club for putting on the event, I think next year will be the fourth annual chili cookoff... and thanks to everyone who came out to taste the wonderful varieties of chili that night and help support one of our many small towns.
Have a great week and be safe out there!

Sean Athey, owner/publisher
sean@LakeAreaTidbits.com  •  www.LakeAreaTidbits.com
0 Comments

January 19, 2015

1/19/2015

0 Comments

 
Hello Everyone!
   Well, another whirlwind week here at Tidbits. Not a lot of time to put words on paper so I just wanted to say - as always - thank you so very much for picking up Tidbits and giving some of your time to reading it. Our advertisers and sponsors appreciate it very much.
   Be sure to check out our Reader Contest this week, Lynette suggested we give away a Travel Safety Kit and I thought it was a great idea. We put on many miles bringing Tidbits to our loyal readership each week, and this time of year we have to be extra careful not put ourselves in dangerous and sometimes deadly situations, and we hope you do the same.
Have a great week and be safe out there!

Sean Athey, owner/publisher
sean@LakeAreaTidbits.com  •  www.LakeAreaTidbits.com
0 Comments

January 12, 2015

1/13/2015

1 Comment

 
Picture
Hello Everyone!
    Hope all of you are staying warm and safe. Seems like winter has set in with a vengeance. Make sure you have your emergency supplies in your vehicle as you travel in these dangerous winter conditions.
    We have seen a few cars in the ditch in our travels so far... most seemed to look like the vehicle was taking a corner too fast for the road conditions.
Here's a picture of the latest "ditch victim" Lynette saw at the junction of 212 and 15.

2015 New Years Resolution(s)
    The time has come again to make those promises to yourself. I, myself, have decided on two major areas of "resolve". The first one is clutter... and I don't mean making more if it! I made a great first step with the garage. I actually can park our car inside at night - with the door closed even. Although I sometimes wonder if I am becoming a professional "stuffer" because in a certain light it sometimes looks more like a hollowed out cave than a garage.... but the car fits and it is grateful... I think I heard it say "Thanks, buddy!" once when I was closing the door.
    Secondly, we live at a time when communication tools are everywhere, yet we sometimes don't talk like we have in the past. So, in my case, I am going to make this a year of reaching out to my friends and family more. I tend to get caught up in bringing Tidbits to you each week and sometimes priorities get mixed up.... now I just have to find interesting things to say!
   Have a great week and be safe out there!

Sean Athey, owner/publisher
sean@LakeAreaTidbits.com  •  www.LakeAreaTidbits.com
1 Comment

January 5, 2015

1/6/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
Hello Everyone!
    Welcome to the New Year! I hope all of you had a wonderful time over the holidays. We headed to my folks place here in Big Stone City for Christmas. It was a great day of visiting, exchanging gifts and eating to much... especially the homemade fudge my Dad made. It is one of his specialties and he outdid himself this year... I think I stopped at about 6 pieces. After the third one I said "No More!"... but it is really hard when that candy tray is staring back at you, taunting you... then that little voice perks up... "Come on, just one more - it's Christmas."
    All of my immediate family made it for Christmas Day. I think there were 15 of us total. We always a great meal. Everyone contributes something for the day and we brought the green bean casserole and I made a homemade apple pie. The pie was about "homemade" as it gets. I whipped up a couple crusts and headed down to the canning shelves and grabbed two quarts of apple pie mix we canned a couple years ago from apples we got from my folks apples trees. Literally "Home" made - and delicious!

    Lynette and I are really excited about the upcoming year. It will be our third year of bringing Tidbits to you and we have a ton of new stuff coming your way, so keep picking up Tidbits - we appreciate it! If you are the Facebook type, like Tidbits of the Lake Area and get updates, extra jokes, trivia and info we come across, or can't fit into the paper. I would also like to invite you to bookmark our website, www.LakeAreaTidbits.com. The current issue, plus the last few are available to read online if you missed one, plus our community calender pages have many clickable links to local advertisers and sponsors web pages. Not to mention you can enter the Reader Contest, submit a non-profit community event or even send me a joke (just keep it clean!)

    Next week - Let's Talk 2015 New Year's Resolutions! I've got few this year!
Have a great week and be a safe out there!

Sean Athey, owner/publisher
sean@LakeAreaTidbits.com  •  www.LakeAreaTidbits.com
Picture
0 Comments

November 17, 2014 Issue v3#11

11/17/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
Brrrrrrrr!! - part 2
Ok, who said we could go right into the depths of winter? Wow, we didn't even get a practice snow to condition us... oh well... we had our outdoor stuff pretty well taken care of and I even had the snow shovels in the entry way before the blizzard. Oh, and by the way, I did find my long underwear (I just had to ask my wife where they were!) You know, sometimes I think she takes my stuff from where I put it and moves it so that when I need it she is the hero and knows where to find it... just a theory I've been working on during our 21 years of marriage... I have no solid proof, but I'm sure it can't be me!

"Bits" & Pieces

Bad Son
I would like to wish my Mother a Happy (belated) Birthday... from your horrible, horrible son. Yes, everyone, I forgot my Mother's Birthday this year. Please don't send me any hate mail - especially you Mom!

Glasses
Ok, my wife is loving this... since I met her 25 years ago she has worn glasses and contacts while I bragged about my "perfect" vision. Well, about six months ago I started to think that all the fine print in the world was getting smaller - some sort of conspiracy or something... turns out "perfect" isn't the word for my vision anymore. I now have my first pair of reading glasses, which I keep misplacing... and my wife seems to always find... hmm, there's that theory again.

CarTalk
I just wanted to take a moment and say how much I have enjoyed CarTalk on NPR over the years. As some of you know, Tom Magliozzi, one half of Click and Clack, passed recently.
While growing up on our small farm, I learned a lot about mechanics and just how things go together from my dad, who is a do-it-yourself kind of guy. As a young boy, I was the one swatting mosquitoes off his back while he was hunched over an engine, or I was searching for the illusive 1/2" deep well socket, or - the most important job when working on something at night - holding the flashlight at just the right angle. As I got older, I was the one getting my hands greasy, too, and we would theorize about exactly why something broke or what was needed to correct a problem. That is why CarTalk is one of my favorites. The problems that they discuss with a healthy dose of humor and wit have entertained and enlightened me for years. You will be missed, Tom.

QUESTION of THE WEEK
"What is the difference between your classified ads and your Free4Sale ads?"
We started our original free reader ad program (Free4Sale) as a thank-you to our many valued readers for picking up our paper and taking it into their homes to read and share with friends and family. For your ad to be listed free it has to follow these guidelines.

1. It must be a private party submitting a SINGLE ITEM  
        FOR SALE, under a single phone number.
2. The item must be owned by you.
3. No commercial businesses or services may use
        the Free4Sale program for readers.

If your item qualifies, we will list it free for up to four weeks - that's an $11 value. Want ads, commercial businesses, second ads with the same phone number and multiple item ads are considered classifieds and would require $2.75 per week.
If you are not sure if your ad would qualify, contact me for more information. 605-541-0110 or email Sean@LakeAreaTidbits.com
As of this issue we have also separated the regular classified ad blank and the Free4Sale ad blank to help clarify.

Have a great week and be a safe out there!

Sean Athey, owner/publisher
sean@LakeAreaTidbits.com  •  www.LakeAreaTidbits.com
0 Comments
<<Previous

    Author

    Sean & Lynette Athey, owner/publishers.

    Archives

    May 2016
    June 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    November 2014
    September 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed