On my way to Navarre last week, I saw two warming houses sitting in a puddle of water about 100 yards out into Lake Minnetonka, and another one onshore, still perched on its trailer.  For those people who live and breathe for ice fishing, it's got to have been a tough season so far, at least in this part of the country.  I've heard people up north have been ice fishing for a long time already. 
I've also heard that people down south have been playing golf for a long time already, despite their brush with snow that covered parts of Texas for the first time in 105 years.  Most of the growing brown population in that neck of the woods had never seen snow before.  At about 12 noon it disappeared and the rabbits went back to darting across the plains without memory of the white powdering.  Dumb bunnies.
I've heard there are mudslides in California, and other unusual things going on in the country and in the world.  As for experiencing things firsthand, about the only unusual event of note for me, since last we visited, was the sudden onset of the flu on Christmas Eve.  Youch!  I'll spare you the details for the time being.
Instead, here are details on the $10 winner in the latest drawing.  Her name is Judy Ashman and she's from Waconia.  Judy found the fishhook hidden on page 30 in the loon of the General Store ad.  Congratulations, Judy!
Another fishhook is herein hidden for the New Year.  If you find it, send a line on its location to Box 387 in Victoria, MN 55386 and sinker in the mail.  And if you see puddles of water on lake ice, stay away from it or you'll be the one doing the sinking.