December 2019 Edition
News Clearing Snow & Ice Safely Read safety tips from a winter Toolbox Talk on page 2. Interesting Holiday Facts You Probably Didn’t Know When you're searching for non- controversial conversation starters for the office holiday get -together, your family's annual potluck, or that cocktail party your significant other drags you to every season, these Christmas facts will come to your rescue. They also make great trivia fodder for a fun holiday game night. Page 3. Fleet Vehicle Fuel Receipts When you put fuel in a County fleet vehicle, it is mandatory that you write the fleet vehicle number on the gas receipt before turning it in. Check out the reminder on page 4. Indoor Walking Opportunity Employees can utilize the Justice Center basement to walk inside during their lunch break! Page 5. Online Suggestion Box County staff are encouraged to anonymously submit their suggestions and comments to help improve the workplace. Visit the County Employees webpage for more information.
Events & Attractions Milaca’s Lights in the Night December 1-31, 2019 Milaca, Minnesota
“It’s a Wonderful Life” Dinner Theater December 13-15, 2019 Milaca, Minnesota
I have worked at Mille Lacs County for 15 years and have had a variety of positions. I started in the front office as the Family Services greeter and switchboard operator, then I was the intake worker, after that a Case Aide in the adult unit; now I am in accounting. The best part of my job is helping organize special events; Christmas parties, the poker walk, the bowling event, and of course, working and laughing with my wacky and wonderful CVS Family. I was raised in Stark, MN, a “blink and you will miss it” little town that few even know exists. We lived in Torrance for a while when my dad was stationed in California, my first memories were there; I remember running, dime in hand, for the ice cream truck and riding dune buggy in the desert. I was raised in a close family by incredibly amusing parents, Jo & Darrell, who were very progressive for the 70’s. I have a big sis, Lori, who lives in Wisconsin (BOO Packers) and a baby bro, Gene (or Geno as we call him) they were great siblings to grow up with, even if we fought like cats and dogs. I attended North Branch Schools, go N. B. Vikings! I moved to the Foreston area in 1988 and raised my five heroes: Jaquelyn, Angelle, Christopher, Anthony and Elizabeth, and now have nine beautiful grandchildren: Emmilia, Anna Marie, Isabella, Cody, Braelynn, Beau, Sharayah, Alayna and Evelyn, who are Grandma G’s pride and joy. I am currently raising two cats, a blue-eyed Siamese, Cyan, who is tiny with a big attitude and a huge black cat named Salem, because every witch should own a black cat. I have also had pet tarantulas, Aurora and Orion and have a
Employee Spotlight
Lynn Goldbloom
Employee Spotlight, Continued
tattoo of one of them on my leg. My favorite breed of dog is the German Shepherd; they are gorgeous, smart and loyal. I have a nerdy side and belong to a writers club and have been working on a memoir for about 7 years, which I hope to finish soon. I love to spend time with family and friends, laughing and doing anything outdoors, camping, fires, swimming, fishing etc.—a true Minnesota girl. I love agate hunting (they are pretty easy to catch, as they don’t run very fast) crocheting, movies, reading, concerts, dancing, singing, horses, Alaska and astronomy to name some. I have been to some of WCCOs weatherman, Mike Lynch’s Stargazing classes. I enjoy trying new things, even if it could lead to pain or dismemberment. I am known for my practical jokes and extreme Halloween costumes, I will go to excess to shock people. A unique experience for me was I put my name in a drawing at the grocery store in Milaca in the 90’s and won a trip to the Grammy Awards at Madison Square Garden, we were seated in the nose bleed section but it was a fantastic experience, New York City was a great place to visit but this country girl would not want to live there. If I could have an item from a movie/show and why, it would be the bow from my favorite character, Daryl Dixon on my favorite show, the Walking Dead, because he kicks butt with his zombie killing weapon of choice.
Clearing Snow and Ice Safely Clear snow and ice safely! Heart attacks, back strain and muscle soreness are just a few of the problems attributed to shoveling snow. Here are a few safety tips for snow shoveling and blowing.
If you've ever had a heart attack, if you have heart disease, high blood pressure or high cholesterol, you probably don't want to do the
shoveling yourself. At the very least, you should consult your doctor before attempting it. Know the warning signs of a heart attack in-
cluding chest, shoulder or neck pain, dizziness, fainting, shortness of breath, or nausea. If you think you're having a heart attack, seek
medical assistance immediately.
Smokers may want to resort to a snow blower - and certainly you should never smoke while shoveling. Tobacco smoke constricts blood
vessels just as cold air does; the combination can be dangerous.
Caffeinated products are strongly discouraged as well. The caffeine may increase your heart rate and cause your blood vessels to con-
strict, just like smoking does. Water is obviously the best to rehydrate, but if something hot is needed, drink hot chocolate or herbal tea!
Dress in several layers so you can remove a layer as needed.
Warm up your muscles before shoveling, by walking for a few minutes or marching in place. Stretch the muscles in your arms and legs,
because warm muscles will work more efficiently and be less likely to be injured.
While shoveling stand with your feet about hip width for balance and keep the shovel close to your body. Bend from the knees (not the
back) and tighten your stomach muscles as you lift the snow.
Avoid twisting movements. If you need to move the snow to one side, reposition your feet to face the direction the snow will be going.
Most importantly listen to your body. Stop if you feel pain!
Safety Toolbox Talk. “Clearing Snow and Ice Safely.” Safety Toolbox Topics, safetytoolboxtopics.com/Weather/clearing-snow-and-ice-safely.html.
Featured Article
You can thank Prince Albert for your Christmas tree. You might want to brew a cup o' tea when decking your halls this year. The origin of Christmas trees goes all the way back to ancient Egyptians and Romans, who marked the winter solstice with evergreens as a reminder that spring would return soon. But it wasn't until Prince Albert of Germany introduced the tree to his new wife, Queen Victoria of England, that the tradition really took off. A drawing of the couple in front of a Christmas tree appeared in Illustrated London News way back in 1848 and as we say today, the idea went viral. St. Nick was more generous than jolly. You probably already knew that the idea of Santa Claus came from St. Nicholas, but the real saint wasn't a bearded man who wore a red suit and had a long, white beard. That all came much later. According to legend, the fourth-century Christian bishop gave away his abundant inheritance to help the needy and rescued women from servitude. As the tale made the rounds, his name became Sinter Klaas in Dutch. That later morphed into Santa Claus, and the rest of the trappings followed. Coca-Cola played a huge part in Santa’s image. Craving a Coke yet? Give it a second. According to Coca-Cola, Santa used to look a lot less jolly — even spooky. It wasn't until the beverage company hired an illustrator named Haddon Sundblom in 1931 to create images of Santa for magazine advertisements that we got the warm and friendly Santa we know today. Now, kids wouldn't fear interrupting Santa's nightly work.
Hanging stockings started with an accident. According to legend, we hang out stockings by the chimney with care thanks to a poor man who didn't have the money for his three daughters' dowries. Generous old St. Nick (remember, that's his trademark!) dropped a bag of gold down their chimney one night, where the girls had hung their stockings to dry by the fire. That's where the gold ended up, and allegedly how the tradition began. “Jingle Bells” was originally a Thanksgiving song. Turns out, we didn't originally go dashing through the snow for just Christmas. James Lord Pierpont wrote a song called "One Horse Open Sleigh" and performed it at his church's Thanksgiving concert originally. Then in 1857, the song was re- published under the title it still holds today, and it eventually became one of the most popular Christmas songs. Americans spend nearly $1,000 on gifts. According to the National Retail Federation's findings in 2017, consumers say they'll spend $967.13 for the holidays on average, although individual spending can vary widely. In 2018, total retail sales in November and December hit $717.45 billion, a truly startling number. Homemade Christmas gifts, anyone? We ship a crazy amount of packages around the holidays. Between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day last year, the U.S. Postal Service delivered an estimated 850 million packages — in addition to 15 billion pieces of mail. That's including gifts for faraway loved ones, heartfelt cards, letters to Santa, and those dreaded credit card statements after we gleefully
Fogle, Asher. “25 Interesting Christmas Facts You Probably Didn't Know Before This Second.” Good Housekeeping, Good Housekeeping, 1 Oct. 2019, www.goodhousekeeping.com/holidays/christmas-ideas/g2972/surprising-christmas-facts/.
Interesting Holiday Facts You Probably Didn’t Know
Fleet Vehicle Fuel Receipts
When you put fuel in a County fleet vehicle, it is mandatory that you write the fleet vehicle number on the gas receipt before turning it in. All fuel receipts are reviewed by Administrative staff during the billing process. Remember to keep all County vehicles at a one-half tank or more before returning to the fleet vehicle parking lot. You may find additional information on the County fleet vehicles on the Mille Lacs County website.
charge all of our holiday purchases (oops). So cut your mail carrier some slack; they're really pulling double duty this time of year. Candy canes got their start in Germany. The National Confectioners Association says a choirmaster originally gave the candies to young children so they'd stay quiet during long church services. Grandmas who still dole out sweets during long sermons, you've got history on your side. But it wasn't until a German-Swedish immigrant decorated his tree with candy canes in 1847 that they became popular as a Christmas candy. Today, we'd hardly recognize the season without those little red-and- white stripes. This Christmas gift held a lifesaving secret. During World War II, The United States Playing Card Company joined forces with American and British intelligence agencies to create a very special deck of cards. They gave out the cards as Christmas gifts to help allied prisoners of war escape from German POW camps. Individual cards peeled apart when moistened, to reveal maps of escape routes. Sometimes truth really is stranger than fiction. The term “Xmas” dates back to the 1500’s. Think "Xmas" is an edgy, relatively new way to abbreviate Christmas, or a secular attempt to take the Christ out of Christmas? Think again. According to From Adam's Apple to Xmas: An Essential Vocabulary Guide for the Politically Correct, the word "Christianity" was spelled "Xianity" as far back as 1100. X, or Chi, in Greek is the first letter of "Christ" and served as a symbolic stand-in. In 1551, the holiday was called "Xtemmas" but eventually shortened to "Xmas." So really, Xmas is just as Christian as the longer version.
Employees are able to utilize the Justice Center basement to walk inside during their lunch break! Staff may utilize this resource under the following terms: 1. Participants must sign a Wellness Waiver form prior to participating in Justice Center basement
walking. Wellness Waivers are valid for 3 years from the date of signature, so if you’re not sure if you have a valid Wellness Waiver on file, please contact Kara in the Administrative Services Office.
2. Due to the isolated location and low foot traffic of the Justice Center basement, employees must utilize the “buddy system” (must have at least one other person with them) when walking in this location.
3. To gain access to the Justice Center basement, employees can check out a unique badge from the Administrative Services Office. Technology Services was kind enough to create badges specifically for this purpose, which will allow access to the main Justice Center basement door (through Court Security & down the stairs) from 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. M-F. Employees can obtain one of these badges by signing one out from the Administrative Services Office, and returning it when their break ends so it can be utilized by others. Even if an employee’s standard badge has access to the Justice Center basement, they must use one of the Wellness badges if they are accessing the Justice Center basement for the purpose of walking during their break. This is an added safety precaution and will also help the Wellness Committee track the success of the initiative. Only one badge is needed per group of walkers to gain access to the Justice Center basement.
If you have any follow-up questions or any of the above information is unclear, please contact a member of the Wellness Committee. You may find information on your department’s Wellness Committee members on the Mille Lacs County Wellness webpage.
County News
Indoor Walking Opportunity
Nominate a coworker you appreciate for the Employee Spotlight! Send your Employee Spotlight suggestions to Kara in ASO.
Carol Dehler Office Support
Employees Leaving
Tyler Lawson, Correctional Officer in the SO, leaving after 1 year of service
Bill Backmann Correctional Officer
ERC Recognized List 112619