Prices are going up everywhere. As much as we hate to add to your financial burdens, prices are going up at your newspaper, too.

To the Editor: I was rereading the “Critical Condition” article that was in the February 8th paper. I must admit, I got upset reading the article. I did not sit down to write this letter until I cooled off a bit myself. Then as I reread the article, I find I am still just as upset as I was the first time I read the article. As I have been having conversations with others on the ambulance crew, they are upset as well.

Twenty years ago, I left New York City to move “home” to Minnesota. I put home in quotes because Minnesota was where I went to high school, but at that point I’d lived on the East Coast almost twice that long. Where was home? I wasn’t sure.

On your first day of life you have the highest statistical likelihood of dying, regardless of location around the globe. Low birth weight, poor maternal health, and birth defects along with accidents and injuries and accidental suffocations contribute to these death rates until your first birthday.

Dear Editor, After reading the articles about losing our ambulance service, I heard the following story. I did not catch it all but thought Mark Peacock could make sense of it.

My kids are used to seeing me tapping away at my computer keyboard. When they were tiny it didn’t mean much to them, but now they understand that writing is my job, and when I am on the computer, I am often working on a column. It was an amazing shift when recently the sight of me typing caused them to stop mid-shout (“Maaaa–!”), turn, and go ask their Dad for help instead. The other day, I was sitting in the den staring at my laptop’s screen when my daughter quietly walked up beside me. I had intended to begin working on this very column, but I was tired, uninspired, and had started researching heritage chicken breeds instead, because, well, that’s the kind of thing I do when I am a little grumpy and avoiding work.

The famous phrase “the best laid plans of mice and men” could easily be amended to “the best laid plans of those who labor in agriculture.” This work truly is a humbling experience in every season. You endeavor to keep all your proverbial balls in the air, then one wind storm, one errant bacteria ingested by one sheep, one month without rain can completely upend any semblance of order you might have been cultivating.

The “Stray Thoughts” piece by Mark Peacock which appeared here last week was his 500th written since he started gathering his thoughts and sharing them with readers in the Isabel Dakotan. That’s quite a record! Thanks, Mark. Here, readers, is Stray Thoughts #501.

I confess that occasionally even doctors get squeamish. Or perhaps more honestly, this doctor does. My personal list has gotten pretty short, but one of the things that still makes me squirm is something I nevertheless frequently recommend to my patients.

This was our only five-day week this session that also saw the deadline for bills to be filed. On Wednesday (Jan. 31), the Governor called for a joint address of the House and Senate. She talked about the crisis at the border, which we agree is a crisis at this time. We appreciate the Governor bringing this directly to the citizens of South Dakota, but in her speech, she classified everyone coming across the border as criminals. That is an area where we disagree. These people are not all criminals. Most are trying to find safety and just want a better life. Immediately after her speech, Rep. Will Mortenson brought a House Concurrent Resolution to affirm South Dakota’s support for the defense of the border. In his speech, he called the people crossing the border as “the children of God.” We are trying to figure out what their message really is here. I do believe the Governor used her speech as a political platform for herself to get on national news.