Animal Allies Humane Society is temporarily closed to visitors. Interested adopters are encouraged to make an appointment to visit the pet of their interest if they would like to adopt.

Nemo

On the one hand, folks are supposed to stay home.

But on the other hand, they are allowed to shop for food.

And since food supplier Sysco Minnesota had some perishable stuff sitting around (about a ton and a half, to be precise), they offered it to the community.  Now Bent Paddle Brewing Company, Clyde Iron Works, Pier B Resort Hotel and the 2020 Census are putting on a Free Farmer's Market this afternoon.

Plus how one kid is spending his break (so far) enjoying "chemistry" with his family.

Maybe you want to use this time at home to learn a new skill.

Maybe you want to use this time at home to start healthier habits.

Maybe you want to use this time at home to figure out how to keep your family out of your hair.

Whatever your plan, Arlene Coco has a suggestion for that.

(Arlene recommended Yummly and BigOven for meal suggestions, and scroll down for some recipes she provided to get you started!)

Annie Dugan's not the first teacher who's thrown out the syllabus as classes moved online.

But when she assigned her students this "mega master list" website* and asked them to find "art that quiets the mind," she didn't know how much she was going to need their results.

Incidentally, Annie writes:

  If I had told her she had lung cancer on that Thursday, the diagnosis of “pneumonia” never would have been in quotes. She would have continued to see me as part of her medical team. My education and my abilities never would have come into question. But she would have gone into her Easter weekend with a death sentence hanging over her head and nowhere to turn for answers. She didn’t have many days left, and those few days with her family were important. Knowing her diagnosis two days earlier did not change her outcome.

Larry Weber is gonna make you feel better about just about everything today.

The backyard is going to become more interesting as we stay at home for a couple of weeks, fog and calm are terrific conditions for hearing sounds, sap's flowing, buds are popping,  and today's warm temperatures could even result in butterflies.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz's "stay-at-home" order is is designed to slow the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic and buy as much time as possible for the state's health care system to prepare it.

Minnesotans are being asked to maximize "social distance," wash their hands frequently, avoid all contact with others if they're sick, and take particular precautions to protect folks with compromised immune systems.

In other words, pretty much everything it's impossible to do when you're homeless ... or working with people who are.

Cook County businessman Mike Larson talks about making the tough decision last week to shut down his vacation-rental business. 

And Cook County has joined a number of rural, vacationland counties in the region asking vacationers, second-home owners and those fleeing coronavirus to stay home - for now.

Duluth author Margi Preus joins us to talk about her book launch. Once a shindig as befits the launch of two books at once, it's become a virtual event online, and we'll find out how you can take part.

More information about Margi's virtual book launch, live reading and more at her website, and on Facebook under Margi Preus Books.