don’t know how we even vote Ramsay in Adam County control what’s going on in the state they want more and more wrongdoing in the government that’s the way they voted 3/4 of the state votes one way and Ramsey County for opposite every time

Minnesota deer season is one week away. Opener is Saturday, November 7. For me it's me, my son, my son-in-law, and my two grandsons in the woods together. It's not about the trophy — it's the chase, the campfire, and the family. Who are you hunting with this year?

Wildcats win! On to Saturday. What a night in Lindstrom. Chisago Lakes took down Johnson 34-14 in the playoffs, and it was a game from the start — 17-14 at halftime before the Wildcats pulled away in the second half. I'm one proud grandpa. My grandson Kaiden, the team captain and quarterback, led his team to a playoff win. These kids earned this one. Celebrate tonight, boys — then it's back to work tomorrow. Saturday at noon it's a rematch with Hill-Murray, the team that beat us 49-0 in the first game of the year. That was then. This is now. Go Wildcats!

**Deer camp: the family part is the whole point** The opener is coming — Saturday, November 7. And yes, I love a good hunt. But ask me what I look forward to most, and it's not the deer. It's the family. For me it's simple: me, my son, my son-in-law, and my two grandsons in the woods together. That's the whole season right there. The early mornings together. The stories around the campfire that somehow get better every year. Teaching the young ones how to sit still, how to watch the woods wake up, how to respect the animal and the land. That's the part that stays with you. A buck is a bonus. The memories with family in the deer stand — that's the real harvest. Who are you hunting with this year?

**Fall colors: the oaks' last big weekend (and don't sleep on the tamaracks)** If you haven't gotten out to see the colors yet, this is the weekend — October 24–25. The Twin Cities are at or just past peak right now, and the oak woods are putting on their final show. Reds, golds, russets — this is the classic Minnesota October. After the oaks fade, there's one more act: the tamaracks. They're the only conifer in the state that drops its needles, and right now they're turning gold. Tamarack bogs and wetlands will be the best-looking thing in the woods for the next couple of weeks, well after everything else has gone bare. Go this weekend if you can. Hit the oak woods around the metro now, then chase the tamaracks next week. Pack a layer — it's cooling off fast.