The Good Life – May-June 2018

FATHERS // MR. FULL-TIME DAD 

Milestones That Matter 

The Real Game Changers Parents Secretly Celebrate 

WRITTEN BY: BEN HANSON • PHOTO BY: URBAN TOAD MEDIA 

As I was gathering up Macklin’s shoes and jacket, waiting 

for that perfect moment to snatch him up from the 

rainbow carpet where he and his classmates were sitting 

entranced by storytime, his teacher came up with a rare 

smile on her face. “Mack put his nap stuff back in his 

bag all by himself today!” she nearly shouted. 

Stuffing haphazardly a blanket, tiny 

pillow and fitted crib sheet into a 

medium-sized duffel bag would 

in no other circumstance 

warrant such delight. But 

for a 2-year-old grinding it 

out in the three’s room, 

it’s a milestone worthy 

of celebration. In all 

honesty, it’s the only 

kind of milestone 

that matters… the 

kind that takes some of 

the heavy lifting off my plate (or, in this case, off his 

teacher’s plate). 

These non-traditional milestones, as my wife and I have 

come to call them, are the true game changers of child 

development when examined through the selfish lens of 

a parent who’s back always hurts. The “What to Expect 

When You’re Expecting” books are full of advice on 

things like when your baby should start sleeping through 

the night, sitting up, crawling and walking, but now that 

those milestones are well in the rear-view, I’ve come to 

appreciate the more subtle benchmarks of growing up. 

Sleeping through the night was, indeed, amazing, but 

nothing compared to what lay ahead. 

Bye-Bye Bottles 

No matter which brand or style of bottle or sippy cup you 

choose, ultimately it’s always at least one more part to wash. 

But first, disassemble. And maybe lose. Or break. Or drop 

down the garbage disposal, at which point you must decide 

how much you really trust your dishwasher to get clean 

something your child will literally suck on after it has visited 

the deepest depths of foul. 

Saying goodbye to bottles is like saying goodbye to your 

first car. Both are strictly utilitarian, nobody’s first choice 

and always missing a piece that may or may not affect 

performance. It also means welcoming back some precious 

square footage in your cupboard. I can’t tell you how big a 

sacrifice it was having to go downstairs to retrieve a proper 

scotch glass on steak night. 

2 / THE GOOD LIFE / urbantoadmedia.com

Their First Self-Delivered Bite 

The day your child learns to feed himself is the first major 

milestone on the road to true self sufficiency… the last 

stop being potty training. It’s also the first day you get to 

begin thinking about the day when you’ll once again be 

able to feed yourself an entire meal uninterrupted. I’m still 

waiting for that day — Mack knows how to get food into his 

mouth, but he’s not winning any gold medals for efficiency 

or cleanliness. Side note: toddlerhood should come with a 

free dog; real time cleanup is a wonderful thing. 

When Mack figured out how to shovel food into his own 

mouth, it immediately freed his mom and I up from having 

to sit by his side throughout meal time. We suddenly had 

time to finish preparing the rest of dinner, throw some 

dishes in the dishwasher or run a rag over the counter. 

You can get a lot accomplished in the 45 minutes it takes 

a toddler to consume six chicken nuggets and some corn. 

Independent Play 

Don’t get me wrong. Crawling around on the floor playing 

with toys, pushing Macklin on the swing at the park and 

carrying him around town on my shoulders are some of 

my favorite times. But when he slowly started figuring 

out how to play by himself, it was one of the more proud 

parenting moments of my life. 

I could see his creative genius taking root as the newly 

formed neural connections in his brain began firing in 

rapid succession trying desperately to keep up with the 

unfolding possibilities before him. He was a mad scientist 

clocking in for his first day of work inside his own private 

lab of destruction. And while he’s busy destroying, I get 

some work done in the next room door without worrying 

he’s going to accidentally roll down the stairs. 

The Car Seat Climb 

Parenthood brings with it a range of challenges and 

rewards, heartache and joy. All boiled down, though, 

parenting is basically the intersection of three things: 

boundless love, intense exhaustion and good ol’ fashioned 

lower back pain. 

With a ten pound baby who has steadily maintained 

his 99th percentile weight average since birth, imagine 

what a magnificent surprise it was for my wife to walk 

around her Subaru to find Macklin already sitting — and 

smiling — in his car seat. She didn’t even get the groceries 

all loaded up before she texted me with the good news. 

As I read the announcement, my back instantly relaxed, 

almost audibly so. 

Spontaneous Love 

You can rank these and other milestones however you’d 

like, but there will be no disagreement on what stands at 

the top of the list. When your child looks into your eyes and 

blurts out an “I love you, Daddy,” good luck, my friends. 

Gooooood luck. It’ll never get any better than that. • 

graphic design services 

brand identity design 

logo design 

professional photography 

advertising / marketing materials 

urbantoadmedia.com 

urbantoadmedia.com / THE GOOD LIFE / 3

CELEBRATING 5 YEARS OF THE GOOD LIFE! 

5YEARS 

O F 

T H E 

I F E 

L 

G O O D 

CONTENTS 

MAY-JUNE 2018 / VOLUME 5 • ISSUE 6 

02 

06 

08 

12 

14 

18 

26 

30 

FATHERS / MR. FULL-TIME DAD 

MILESTONES THAT MATTER 

SPRING LAWN CARE TIPS 

GET YOUR LAWN READY FOR 

SUMMER WITH THESE FIVE STEPS 

DAVID ALLEN 

LOVERS ARE LIARS, GAMBLERS 

AND THIEVES 

ASK 30 WOMEN 

WHAT DOES HE WEAR THAT 

YOU HATE? 

HAVING A BEER WITH 

KYLE IVERSON 

ON THE COVER - DONALD CAREY 

THE BUG MAN 

UNITED WAY'S BOLD GOAL 

TO LIFT PEOPLE OUT OF POVERTY 

MEANS REMOVING THE BARRIERS 

TO JOB TRAINING 

LOCAL HERO - JASON HICKS 

BLEEDING RED, WHITE AND BLUE 

4 / THE GOOD LIFE / urbantoadmedia.com 

CELEBRATING 5 YEARS OF THE GOOD LIFE!

PUBLISHED BY 

Urban Toad Media LLP 

www.urbantoadmedia.com 

OWNER / GRAPHIC DESIGNER 

Dawn Siewert 

dawn@urbantoadmedia.com 

OWNER / PHOTOGRAPHER 

Darren Losee 

darren@urbantoadmedia.com 

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS 

Meghan Feir 

Alexandra Floersch 

Ben Hanson 

Kristi Huber 

Katie Jenison 

Krissy Ness 

ADVERTISING INQUIRIES 

Beth Reich / beth@urbantoadmedia.com 

Jack Spade / jack@urbantoadmedia.com 

READ A PAST ISSUE 

issuu.com/thegoodlifemensmag 

LIKE 

facebook.com/urbantoadmedia 

TWEET @urbantoadmedia 

The Good Life Men’s Magazine is distributed six times a year by 

Urban Toad Media LLP. Material may not be reproduced without 

permission. The Good Life Men’s Magazine accepts no liability for 

reader dissatisfaction arising from content in this publication. The 

opinions expressed, or advice given, are the views of individual 

writers or advertisers and do not necessarily represent the views or 

policies of The Good Life Men’s Magazine. 


spring 

LAWN CARE TIPS 

Get Your Lawn Ready 

for Summer with 

These Five Steps 

WRITTEN BY: KATIE JENISON 

Winter has finally started to fade and warmer weather is just around the corner. 

Without the harsh chill of the winter wind it’s easy to get lost in the anticipation of 

summer. Lazy weekends at the lake, afternoons on the golf course, and of course 

backyard BBQ’s are on everyone’s minds. 

But how do you make sure your lawn is ready for those summer BBQ’s you’ve 

been daydreaming about? The key is to start early! Taking the proper steps 

in the spring is what is going to set the stage for your yard for the whole 

summer. With just a little work, these five basic steps are going to help your 

lawn thrive in the coming summer months. 

1 

dethatch 

The first step to waking the lawn up from its long winter nap is to 

dethatch the grass. Clippings from the previous year can become 

matted near the base of the grass and with that tight, compacted 

layer at the base it makes it difficult for the grass to get the 

nutrients needed to grow. Using a power rake or even hand 

raking the lawn will help remove the thatch. 

2 

aerate 

Once the old clippings have been removed, the next step is 

to aerate the lawn and reseed any sparse areas. Aerating 

allows oxygen, vital nutrients, and fresh seed to reach 

the soil and the root of the grass. With this crucial onetwo 

punch, the grass will have a much better chance of 

thickening and growing to its full potential. 

3 

chemical treatments 

Now that the groundwork for a healthy lawn has 

been laid, it’s important to maintain it. Experts 

recommend three or four chemical treatments 

throughout the year, and spring is an excellent 

time to start. Since there is a lot of moisture 

in the soil and the temperature is still mild, 

the lawn can withstand a harsher chemical 

treatment designed to keep those pesky 

weeds at bay all summer long. 


watering 

4 

Watering the lawn is also one of the easiest ways to maintain 

it. It seems easy enough, but when it comes to watering 

the grass, less is more. Sounds counterproductive, right? 

Overwatering can lead to fungus growth and the grass is 

more likely to turn brown if it doesn’t get watered as frequently 

as it’s used to, which is the opposite of the idyllic green everyone 

hopes to achieve. 

Watering the lawn less often and for longer amounts of time, 

encourages the grass to keep searching for a source of water. This is 

beneficial during the sweltering summer months when there is less 

moisture in the top layer of the soil because the roots of the grass will 

have reached further into the soil in search of water. 

landscaping 

Not everyone has the time or the know-how to care for their lawn. Hiring 

a professional landscaper can ease the burden of spring cleanup and is a 

terrific way to help your lawn thrive all year round. Either way, starting your 

lawn care in the spring is going to give you that thick, green grass you’ve been 

dreaming of. • 

5 


DAVID 

ALLEN 

LOVERS ARE LIARS, 

GAMBLERS, AND THIEVES 


WRITTEN BY: KRISSY NESS 

PHOTOS BY: URBAN TOAD MEDIA 

Music has always had a way of helping 

you expressing yourself when you 

can’t find the right words. For David 

Allen this is key. 

If you’ve ever talked with Allen you 

know that he has a quiet demeanor, 

but once you bring up music his eyes 

light up and you feel like you’ve been 

life long friends. Soon realizing you’ve 

been talking for hours. 

“I’m not a stand up in front of people 

and talk kind of guy,” said David Allen. 

“Sometimes I’ll just sit down and 

start playing.” 

There is something so mysterious 

yet kind about David Allen that really 

speaks to his music. Being an altcountry 

musician some may think, “oh 

another country rock star.” In fact, it is 

quite the opposite. The combination 

of brass, electric guitars, and David 

Allen’s uniquely rustic voice brings a 

style that anyone can get behind. 

David Allen finds inspiration from 

many different musicians. From the 

ghostly folk style that is Jason Isbell, 

to the outlaw country of Sturgill 

Simpson. You can absolutely hear 

their inspiration coming through in 

David Allen’s music. 

I'm not a stand up 

in front of people 

and talk 

kind of guy. 

Combining many styles of music is 

not easy but David Allen pulls it off 

effortlessly. His music has a sort of 

and sadness that isn’t always apparent 

unless you listen carefully. 

“Sometimes they pick it up, but I 

don’t push it,” said David Allen of his 

audiences. 

It is not uncommon for people to 

approach David Allen after a show 

and express to him what his music 

means to them. 

“People tell you very private stuff 

about themselves when you sing sad 

songs, I’ve found out,” said David 

Allen. “It makes it worth something 

because you don’t make a lot of money 

doing this.” 

His first full-length album, “Lovers 


Are Liars, Gamblers, and Thieves” 

was released mid-March of this year. 

“I have been working on this album 

for a year and a half,” said David Allen. 

“I’m pretty proud of it.” And he should 

be. The haunting beauty of songs like, 

“Honey Stay Gone” makes you stop 

and think about past lives you have 

lived, and how they have led you to the 

life you have now. 

“I have a lot of talented friends who 

recorded on it,” said David Allen. 

“Ryan Young from ‘Trampled By 

Turtles’ - the fiddle player - I got him 

to record on this album.” 

Sometimes it takes putting yourself 

on the line to get what you really 

want, and that’s exactly what David 

Allen did for this album. “What’s the 

worst that is going to happen, they say 

no,” said David Allen. “Who cares?” 

10 / THE GOOD LIFE / urbantoadmedia.com 

It is really exciting to see the passion 

that a finished project can bring to 

someone especially when they have 

put so much time into making it the 

best it can be. 

Aside from being a talented musician 

David Allen is spends a lot of time 

outdoors where he keeps bees, 

gardens and cans produce at his 

home in Hatton, North Dakota. 

People tell you 

very private stuff 

about themselves when 

you sing sad songs. 

“I wouldn’t go anywhere if I didn’t play 

music,” said David Allen. 

It is because of his music he has been 

able to travel around the country. 

You never know what kind of crowd 

you will have for each show but he 

always makes the best of it. 

“It’s hit or miss,” said David Allen. 

“I played a show…at this really great 

hotel…and no one showed up except 

the owner; so we went bar hopping 

with her instead.” 

Singer songwriters like David Allen 

have one of the hardest jobs in the 

world, in my opinion, because you are 

constantly putting your words and 

your music out there for everyone to 

judge. 

David Allen must be doing something

ight thought because this album is beautifully 

written and executed. 

“I think the good life is being able to travel 

around the country and to be able to meet new 

people and connect with them through music,” 

said David Allen. 

It seems like he has already found the good life. 

If you are looking to purchase his new album you 

can find it at: www.davidallenmusic.com • 

I think the good life is 

being able to travel 

around the country 

and to be able to 

meet new people and 

connect with them 

through music. 


Ask 30 WOMEN 

WHAT DOES HE WEAR THAT YOU HATE? 

GUYS. Just because it is comfortable doesn't mean she will love it as much as you do. Burn those tightywhities 

and buy yourself some boxers. Nobody likes a droopy bottom. Read on to find out what other things 

you wear that she hates. 

1. Crocs 

2. Sweatpants that "look like jeans" but are not jeans. 

3. Chewbacca suit. He has a unicorn suit too. 

4. White tube socks with any shoes but tennis shoes. 

At the top of the list – sandals or crocs. Cute on kids 

but not on grown ups. 

5. Holey boxers. 

6. Sandals that velcro. Like the little boy ones you find 

at Walmart. 

7. On our first “date” my husband wore a poets shirt 

with puffy sleeves and a tied closure up the neck. 

He accompanied this manly look with cream colored 

leather pants with dozens of well placed zippers. He 

looked like a pirate. 

8. His flannel coat. 

9. White diaper looking underwear. 

10. Holey t-shirts. He has a million decent t-shirts that 

he wears in public, but he has to wear the "yardwork 

shirts" until the collars are hanging by a thread and the 

holes in the armpits are bigger than the armholes. 

11. Vintage leather jacket with the lining ripped out. 

12. Man buns. 

13. l hate how he wears his T-shirts a size too small. 

Also when he tucks them into the front of his pants 

so tight that it stretches the neck opening into an oval 

down his chest! 

14. When we go for hockey tournaments, all the moms 

wear the same blue leggings. I bought two pairs. Now 

he decided he should join in and wear them too! 

15. Baggy worn out underwear. 

16. Socks and sandals. 

17. He has these crazy boots he likes to wear to 

concerts. They are like 3” tall. He gets compliments so 

he keeps wearing them. 

18. He used to own these sweat pants that would go 

tight at the bottom - like hipster 18 year olds might 

wear. They look like 8 year old kid PJ’s. 

19. He has this coat I gave him just to wear around the 

yard in the fall. He wears it all the time. 

20. Jorts aka jean shorts. 

21. Bracelets and skinny jeans. 

22. Flat billed hats. 

23. Black athletic shoes as "dress shoes". 

24. Tank tops. Even with the most shapely biceps on 

earth, no one is impressed by visible armpit hair. 

25. Tank tops. 

26. Camouflage pants. 

27. Belts with jeans. 

28. Flip flops. 

29. The shirts he has from 30 years ago. 

30. White sunglasses, jeweled jeans and visors. 

crocs • too small t-shirts • sweatpants • flannel coat • holey shirts • chewbacca suit


HAVING A BEER WITH // KYLE IVERSON 


WRITTEN BY: MEGHAN FEIR • PHOTOS BY: URBAN TOAD MEDIA 

Kyle Iverson didn’t plan on being a radio producer. While 

growing up in Hallock, Minn., 20 miles south of the 

Canadian border, sports was his life. In college, his dream 

was to follow his passion for film and move to Los Angeles. 

Those dreams soon lost their luster after snagging a parttime 

job in AM talk radio. Thirteen years later, he still loves 

his work as a producer and board operator for WDAY 970. 

On a typical, blustery evening in March, Iverson and I met 

at Drekker Brewing Co. to discuss pressing topics affecting 

the world today, such as whether tacos are talked about too 

much, what he would name a puppy, and if he ever wears 

slippers at work (he doesn’t). Read on to learn more about 

the man behind the soundboard. 

Good Life: Do you think the current trend of everyone being 

obsessed and taco-ing (talking) about tacos and sharing 

memes about them is annoying and overdone? 

Kyle Iverson: I don’t mind people sharing things about 

them because it’s tacos. How can you not love tacos in every 

sense of the food? There are so many things you can do 

with a taco. 

GL: Have tacos overturned pizza’s popularity? 

KI: Pizza will always have its place. Tacos have stolen some 

of the spotlight from pizza, but pizza will always be there. 

GL: If you could become more like one person, whom 

would you want to resemble? 

KI: I would say my father-in-law. He’s a best friend of mine. 

He’s a radio guy, went to MSUM, worked at Q98, and he’s 

done radio in some shape or form his whole life. We can 

talk about the latest movie, the latest Jack White album 

and the news like best buddies. We do cool things, just 

the two of us, and we have a blast. If there’s any little thing 

I’m questioning, whether it’s relationships or finances or 

anything stressful in my life, I go to my wife and then to him. 


HAVING A BEER WITH // KYLE IVERSON 

“Family, friends, relationships, love, and enjoying all of that as much as you can 

— and tacos. That is the good life.” 

GL: Do you think Elon Musk is being 

ridiculous with his fears of what 

artificial intelligence may become 

and do, or is he wise to be leery of it? 

KI: I think you need to have a certain 

level of caution. We haven’t gotten 

to the point where there’s artificial 

intelligence taking over humanity. 

Right now we’re using it as a good 

tool to assist humanity. Who knows 

what will happen in 1,000 years. We 

might have robots with AI having the 

same rights as human beings. I’m a 

big “Blade Runner” fan, can you tell? 

GL: Do you have any hidden talents, 

or are they all obvious? 

KI: One talent I had growing up was 

sketching. I did lots of cartoons and 

a lot of realistic sketching. I loved 

printmaking in a college class, too. 

GL: If you bought a puppy today, what 

would you name it and why? 

KI: This might seem oddly specific 

because I know it right away. It would 

be a pug, it would have black fur, and 

its name would be Kingsley. It’s from 

“The Life Aquatic.” There’s a moment 

where Bill Murray and Owen Wilson 

think they’re father and son, and Bill 

Murray says, “You know, I would have 

named you Kingsley, if I had a say in 

it. Kingsley Zissou.” I thought that 

line was so funny, and I want to name 

a dog that someday. 

GL: What traditions would you like 

to make up or pass on to future 

generations — or to Kingsley? 

KI: A tradition that I’d like to pass on 

is curling. I grew up in Hallock and 

there’s a curling club in the town. My 

mom and dad were both curlers. My 

mom got me into it at a young age. 

It’s a family sport. It gets passed 

down from generation to generation. 

If I have kids someday, I’d like to pass 

it down, too. My mom was actually 

a game away from representing the 

United States in Switzerland. She 

was pregnant with me at the time. 

GL: What was your favorite age as a 

child, and what happened to make it 

such a great year? 

KI: Right around the age of 11, there 

was one trip in particular that my 

dad and I took where we went up 

to Canada to go fishing. It just so 

happened there was a friend of my 

father’s who owned a gas station and 

café. We did a couple of things for 

him for a day or two, and he was like, 


“All right, you’ve earned your 

trip.” We were like, “What 

do you mean?” He said, “I’m 

going to fly you out from a 

lake to a little remote island, 

and you and your dad can be 

there for a week. I’ll put you 

up in a cabin, you’ll have a guy 

who cleans your fish, and a 

camp cook.” My dad and I try 

to make a trip up to northern 

Ontario every year, and that 

was kind of the catalyst for it. 

Deer hunting with my dad is 

another one of those things 

that I treasure. 

GL: What’s the meaning of 

life? 

KI: Weren’t we talking about 

tacos earlier? 

GL: I just like throwing a 

curveball here and there. 

What does living the good life 

mean to you? 

KI: Family, friends, relationships, 

love, and enjoying all of 

that as much as you can — and 

tacos. That is the good life. • 


WRITTEN BY: MEGHAN FEIR • PHOTOS BY: URBAN TOAD MEDIA 

They use your food as a landing pad. They bathe 

in your beverages. They poop on your cars. They 

get in your face. They can be terrifying, but if 

you take the time to view them through a new 

lens, bugs can be fascinating and sometimes 

beautiful. 

For Donald Carey, “The Bug Man,” the 

world of insects is his livelihood. As an 

entomologist for nearly 50 years, Carey 

has worked for the federal government 

and a private agriculture company. His 

longest running position has been in 

his current role as a research specialist 

for the North Dakota State University 

Entomology Department where he 

works with livestock entomology, 

biocontrol, and production control to 

help various crops. 

For those who study bugs, their fascination 

with these organisms can become an 

obsession, a constant distraction available 

everywhere they turn. According to Carey, he’s 

never quite fit the stereotype of entomologists. 

“The typical entomologist is a guy wearing khaki, 

shorts, a pith helmet, thick glasses and carrying a 

“The typical entomologist is a guy wearing khaki, shorts, a pith helmet, thick glasses 

and carrying a net. We have a guy in our department who fits the bill perfectly.” 


Meet this beautiful girl ... 

George the 9th 

net. We have a guy in our department who 

fits the bill perfectly. I never went that way,” 

Carey said. “I was always an ag boy. I was in 

production and control, but there was a faction 

of people in our department who lived and breathed 

collecting insects. If it’s not eating my food or biting me, 

I don’t care about it. I grew up on a farm, so if there was 

an insect, you stepped on it or swatted at it.” 

Initially a wildlife management major in college, 

Carey was soon persuaded by his friend to take a few 

entomology classes. 

“My next door neighbor in the dorms was crazy — nice, 

but crazy. He’s a good guy. He was even in my wedding. 

He was in entomology and convinced me to take a few 

classes. I took them and I liked them. So this is all my 

crazy next-door neighbor’s fault.” 

Years after he started at NDSU, Carey was invited to 

speak at a kindergarten classroom about insects. Since 

then, he’s been known as “The Bug Man.” He has given 

presentations that capture the attention of elementary 

students for 40 years. He’s even dressed as a cockroach. 

“My presentations have to be entertaining. A lot of times 

my presentations are to 5th, 6th and 7th graders. At that 

age, science is starting to become boring. I try to keep 

it interesting. I ask them if they like honey. Well, you 

don’t have to call it honey. Think about it. When a bee 

has to move honey from one colony to the next, how 

do they transport it? They basically have a honey 

stomach, so they swallow it and then regurgitate it. 

You can call it honey, but I call it bee barf. It’s good 

for you, it’s nutritious, and it’s something an insect 

threw up.” 

Living Organisms 

What we do to get rid of one pest can greatly and 

sometimes gravely impact humans, as well. Part 

of an entomologist’s job is to guide the actions of 

farmers and pesticide and insecticide companies 

from doing more harm than good for the sake of a 

good yield of crops. 

“The disadvantage of killing bugs is that when you 

kill a bug, you tend to kill other things,” Carey said. 

“In my outreach program where I talk to kids, I used 


ON THE COVER // DONALD CAREY 

Indian walking sticks for a display. I 

fed them romaine lettuce. I’d take 

out the outer leaves, wash it and feed 

them. It would kill my walking sticks. 

It didn’t matter how well I washed 

the lettuce or what brand I bought. 

Once I chose organic, they were fine. 

That was over a six-month period, so 

it wasn’t an isolated incident. There’s 

something in that lettuce they didn’t 

like. I had to go organic.” 

When Carey compares how most 

Americans and his international 

friends purchase produce, there is a 

definite contrast in what they choose 

to take home. 

“I have friends from Europe, and 

they’ll pick up an apple out of the 

grocery store that’s blemished or 

has a hole or a worm in it. They 

cut the hole out and eat the apple. 

In the United States, we have zero 

tolerance for that,” Carey said. “I 

once worked in a private industry, 

and some of the chemicals used to 

control insects on apples are very 

nasty. It’s kind of scary. You’re killing 

a living organism. It’s much smaller, 

but I also am a living organism.” 

Hidden Protein 

Scorpions, like spiders, are 

arachnids. Scorpions have two 

venom glands that produce venom 

used in hunting and self defense. 

Scorpions do not have bones 

instead they have an exoskeleton 

made of chitin, which is similar to 

the shell of a shrimp. 

As flour replacements continue to 

become more unusual, insects like 

crickets are being touted as proteinpacked 

gifts of nature. However, there 

are plenty of other insects to choose 

from, too, such as cockroaches, and 

they’re undoubtedly in the type of 

flour you already buy. In fact, you 

get an extra bit of protein in your 

packaged foods every day. 

“We eat insects all the time,” Carey 

said. “If you take a pound of ground 

coffee, put it in a gallon of water and 

add a cup of sugar (sugar makes 

things float), shake it up and let it 


The word millipede comes from the Latin language and 

means '1,000 feet,' but most millipedes don't have that 

many feet. Most have about 40 to 400 legs. When they 

walk, they look like they are walking in waves because 

all their legs move together in a smooth motion. 

sit, insect parts will float to the top — mostly 

cockroaches. Do you like peanut butter? The 

USDA allows 50 insect parts per 100 grams. 

You can’t keep them out. That’s about a peanut 

butter sandwich, so the USDA allows you to 

have 50 insect parts in your peanut butter 

sandwich.” 

The USDA allows you to have 

50 insect parts in your peanut 

butter sandwich. 

If your favorite sandwich is no longer a PBJ&C 

(peanut butter, jelly and cockroach), take heart. 

You can minimize your bug intake in other ways. 

“Bugs in flour, corn meal — it’s not your fault. It 

showed up in a grocery store. If you throw out 

a totally contaminated bag of flour, some have 

probably already moved over to the spaghetti 

and the corn meal. If there’s not many in there, 

put it in a sealed container and freeze it.” 

Bad Relatives 

Even as The Bug Man, it’s impossible not to 

choose favorites out of the insect kingdom and 

to empathize with others for their unfortunate 

stereotypes. 

Carey’s favorite specimen is the honeybee, an 

imported insect. Originally from Europe, they 

were once called the white man’s fly. 

“We didn’t have honeybees in the United 

States,” Carey said. “When they came in, there’s 

a possibility we lost 12 to 100 different species 

of other bees. We probably lost just as many 

plants because they don’t pollinate like the old 

bees did. Honeybees have been in Europe and 

the Middle East a long time. They’re even listed 

in the Bible.” 

The seasoned entomologist likes bees so much 

he’s even spoken with them on occasion — 

indirectly, of course. 

Not everyone you meet has a jar of 

tarantula exoskeletons on their desk! 

Molting is a process tarantulas go 

through as they grow. They shed off their 

old skin much like snakes. 


ON THE COVER // DONALD CAREY 

Cockroaches have 

been around since the 

time of dinosaurs! 

“I like bees. You can actually 

talk to them. A forager bee 

will go by the flowers, get 

nectar and bring it back to 

the hive. It’s a really good source 

of nectar, so it will go back and tell 

the other bees to get to it. It will 

actually do a bee dance on top of the 

hive. Depending on how far it is and 

the orientation of the sun, it will do a 

figure eight and tell the rest of them 

where to go,” Carey said. “You can 

cheat. If you pick up a dead bee and 

Tarantulas are the 

biggest type of spider in 

the world. The largest 

species is the Goliath 

bird-eating tarantula. 

It can have a leg span 

up to 11 inches! 

put it on a string with a stick, you can 

do the little dance on top of the hive 

and send them away.” 

While honeybees are beloved for 

good reason, there are other, more 

unlovable bugs that aren’t “as cute 

as a bug in a rug.” In fact, who 

really thinks bugs under rugs are 

cute? You’d probably have to be an 

entomologist, especially when you’re 

showing pity to cockroaches. There 

are various types of cockroaches, and 

Carey used an entertaining analogy 

to get his point across. 

“In a family, you have lots of relatives. 

You have a cousin, George, who is a 

lush and has been married three 

times. Oh, and he can’t hold down 

a job. The rest of the family is fine. 

Cousin George is just bad. It’s the 

same way with cockroaches,” Carey 

said. “There are hundreds of kinds of 

cockroaches. There are just a couple 

that fit into the Cousin George 


outine. The rest of them are very good. We have a couple kinds 

around here that are great; they break down the leaf litter. Just a 

couple of them give the rest a bad name.” 

Whether you’re being judged based on the Cousin George of your 

family or you are the Cousin George of your family, may your 

opinions of (most) smaller organisms be more of fascination 

than of fear. 

The Good Life 

Many people spend their lives hating their careers, dissatisfied 

in their life choices or situations, but for people like Carey, life is 

beautifully simple. In his opinion, living the good life is boring, 

in the best of ways. 

“The good life is boring. I like boring. I go to work and enjoy my 

job. It’s dynamic, I do something different every day, yet kind 

of expected,” Carey said. “The good life to me is just every day. 

Every day is the best day of my life, and I’m pretty sure tomorrow 

will be the best day of my life, too. I’m not going to set the world 

on fire. I’ll just warm it up occasionally. Just go out and smell 

the roses, which in North Dakota you can do about four days a 

year.” • 


Gin. Only Better. 

Minions Gin by Proof Artisan Distillers is not your grandfathers gin. We’ve 

heard countless times, ”I don’t like gin, but I love this.” 

Minions Gin is a light and clean spirit that begins with a base of our 

highly acclaimed 2Docks Vodka. We carefully combine over twenty hand 

selected ingredients that are vapor infused through our micro-batch 

distillation process. Layers of flavors and aromatic ingredients including 

citrus, berries and spices provide a distinctive background to a properly 

apportioned juniper forefront. 

Our exceptional New American Style Gin is not chill-filtered as that would 

diminish the subtle contribution of the essential oils from the citrus and 

botanicals. This is a distinguished characteristic of our true handcrafted, 

distilled spirit that enhances the taste, aroma and smooth mouth feel of 

its flavor profile. 


citrus • berries • spices • light juniper 

Try these 

refreshing cocktails 

at home or 

lakeside. 

MINIONS CRANBERRY BUCK 

1 ½ oz Minions Gin 

Splash of Lemon or 

Lime Juice 

1 ½ oz Cranberry Juice 

1 ½ oz Ginger Beer 

In an iced 10 oz glass, 

pour all ingredients into 

glass and stir briefly. 

Garnish with lemon or 

lime slice. 

MINIONS RICKEY 

1 ½ oz Minions Gin 

1 ½ oz Lime Juice 

1 ½ oz Simple Syrup 

(Equal parts water and 

sugar dissolved into 

a syrup.) 

2 oz Club Soda 

In an iced 10 oz glass, 

pour all ingredients into 

glass and stir briefly. 

Garnish with lime slice. 

BEES KNEES 

2 ounces Minions Gin 

1/2 ounce fresh 

lemon juice 

1/2 ounce honey syrup 

(Equal parts honey and 

hot water. Stir until 

dissolved.) 

Combine all 

ingredients in a cocktail 

shaker, stir briefly to 

dissolve honey syrup, 

then fill with ice. Shake 

well for 10 seconds and 

strain into a chilled 

cocktail glass. 


WRITTEN BY: KRISTI HUBER • PHOTOS SUBMITTED BY: UNITED WAY 

Give a man a fish, and he will eat for a day. Teach him to 

fish, and he can feed himself for the rest of his life. Yes, 

this is an old cliché, but like most clichés, there is usually 

an element of truth. Today, this saying doesn’t go quite far 

enough. 

Yes, a skilled fisherman won’t go hungry, but is that our 

end goal? Surely our community wants a better future 

for people and their families. And, our need for a skilled 

workforce has challenged us to think differently. 

For this man and his family to stop the cycle of poverty, 

he will need a job with a reasonable wage at a successful 

fishing company. This is the only way his son might have 

the chance move up the ladder to become an engineer, 

CEO or scientist. 

When I visit with leaders across our community, the 

conversation often leads to their struggle with the 

workforce shortage and how it is impacting their business 

and bottom line. 

It is estimated that by the year 2020, there will be 30,000 

open jobs in our local communities.* 

At the same time, one out of nine people in Cass and Clay 


counties, or 26,000 people, are living in poverty, which 

is defined as a family of four living on less than $24,600 

per year. There is a correlation in these numbers. 

What we know, is that the barriers for many of these 

families are two-fold: access to skills and basic needs 

unique to each person. A solution has been found in a 

first-ever collaborative Workforce Development Case 

Manager, Amy Feland. 

Amy’s innovative role is funded thanks to generous 

United Way donors and was created through strategic 

collaboration between United Way, Minnesota State 

Community and Technical College and Lakes and 

Prairies Community Action Partnership. 

ERIC’S STORY OF SUCCESS 

When Eric, a local man from Moorhead, came to 

Lakes and Prairies Community Action Partnership, he 


“When you can see an individual 

go from nearly being homeless 

to now working in a career and 

coming home to an apartment 

with his family, you can see the 

good that can come of the work 

that United Way does.” 

— Amy Feland 

was seeking help to keep him from becoming homeless but 

instead noticed a poster for welding program. 

“When I first met Eric, he was working, but at risk of 

becoming homeless. He was sleeping on the floor in a small, 

nearly empty apartment. With a felony in his background, 

there was always a barrier between the jobs he wanted and 

the ability to even get an interview. He knew he had to get 

better skills,” said Amy. 

With Amy’s support, for six weeks, Eric would spend eight 

hours a day in a welding class provided by M State, work 

a part-time job at a local restaurant and do his homework, 

oftentimes until 3 a.m., before showing up the next day 

for class. The hard work paid off, but wouldn’t have been 

possible without support from Amy. 

“For Eric and my clients, I just believe in them until they 

believe in themselves,” said Amy. 

“She kept encouraging me and helped me problem-solve 

the issues in my life. I didn’t believe there were good people 

in the world. But I guess I was proved wrong,” said Eric, 

who is now proudly employed. 

In April, Eric met his 19-month-old daughter, Aria, for the 

first time and with Amy’s help found an apartment that 

would be a better environment for him and his fiancé, 

Leslie, to raise their little girl. 

REMOVING BARRIERS FOR FAMILIES IN NEED 

Mental Health. Transportation Child care. Housing. While 

training programs do exist in our community, a person 

living in poverty may not be able to access them because 

of barriers that stand in the way for themselves and their 

family. 

“United Way is working differently. The goal of this twogeneration 

model is to break the cycle of poverty by moving 

the family toward economic security and addressing the 


workforce shortage in our community,” said Thomas 

Hill, the United Way Community Impact Director. 

Today, thanks to United Way, the Workforce 

Development Case Manager will continue to provide 

support to clients in these M State training programs: 

• Welding 

• Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) 

• Certified Production Technician (CPT) 

Amy has shared with us that graduation day is a 

transformative moment in participants’ lives – it makes 

the promise of economic mobility a reality. 

“When you can see an individual go from nearly being 

homeless to now working in a career and coming home 

every day to an apartment with his family under one 

roof, you can see the good that can come of the work 

that United Way does,” said Amy. 

READY FOR THE WORKPLACE 

Another positive outcome from this strategy is the 

social capital built among the people going through the 

training programs. 

“It is amazing to see the bonds that are formed – they 

encourage and root for each other, and we have seen 

that carry over into the workplace when they get a job,” 

said Amy. 

Not only are people getting jobs, they’re entering the 

workplace knowing the value of supporting their fellow 

employees. 

It’s not just about giving low-income people the chance 

for a career and helping employers fill openings. When 

one participant was asked about the opportunity to 

graduate from the CNA course, she said, “Thank you 

for this chance to make my dreams come true!”• 

*Regional Workforce Development Study commissioned by United 

Way, The Chamber, Greater Fargo Moorhead Economic Development 

Corporation, FM Area Foundation, Fargo-Moorhead Convention and 

Visitors Bureau, 2015. 


LOCAL HERO // JASON HICKS 


BLEEDING 

Red, White and Blue 

Selfless Service is the Motto for Clay County Detective 

WRITTEN BY: ALEXANDRA FLOERSCH 

PHOTOS BY: URBAN TOAD MEDIA 

Jason Hicks’ life motto is pretty simple: "If you take 

care of your people, they will take care of you.” 

While his oldest brother is a prison guard, his sister 

runs a nursing program and his other brother is a 

fireman, the Clay County investigations and narcotics 

detective can’t pinpoint what drove him and his siblings 

into careers of service. After all, neither of their parents 

had. 

But that’s not the case when it comes to military 

service, where there’s a very visible link. 

“Pretty much every male on my dad's side of the family 

– and my wife's side, for that matter – have all served. 

The only one who didn't was my brother, the fireman, 

because he had asthma," Hicks said. 

In fact, the Glyndon native himself joined the Army 

immediately after high school at just 19 years old. 

And, as life would have it, that undeniable pride for his 

country would rub off on his three children in the years 

to come. 

His son, Hunter, 22, recently completed his Army 

contract while his 18-year-old daughter, Macie, just 

finished her advanced training for the Army National 

Guard combat medic school at Fort Sam Houston in 

San Antonio, Texas. 

"My daughter Macaila (Macie’s twin) would have signed 

up in a heartbeat, but she has some health problems,” 

he explained. “It really hurt her but she can serve in 

other ways.” 

ARMY EXPERIENCE PAVED THE WAY 

In the Army, rules, structure and loyalty define your life. 

"The one thing the military really nails into people is 

selfless service, guaranteeing you're not always going 

to like what you're doing, but you're going to do it 

anyway because the mission comes before yourself,” 

If you take care of your people, 

they will take care of you. 



PHOTOS SUBMITTED BY: JASON HICKS 

explained Ray Pizarro, having known Hicks for 

21 years and serving overseas together. “And 

the mission is righteous.” 

It was that mentality that Hicks led with as 

an infantryman and platoon sergeant during 

his deployments to Germany – where he was 

sent to the Persian Gulf War – and Bosnia for a 

peacekeeping mission in 2003. 

"Jason never cared about his career more than 

he cared about his men," Pizarro said. "He put 

us before himself, meaning if bad news came 

down the pipe and he had to pick a couple of 

volunteers to go do something rotten, instead of 

picking two, he'd pick one and do it with them.” 

It was that unique style of 

leadership that allowed Hicks to 

build both trust and rapport with 

his unit. 

"There wasn't a single task that 

was ever questioned,” Pizarro said. “People 

would line up, saying, 'What do you need me 

to do? I'll do it.' Because they knew he would 

suffer with them.” 

Getting his first taste of leadership while 

serving his country molded Hicks into the 

person he is today – one who bleeds red, white 

and blue. 

"I saw the best and worst of people. It's 

something that I learned from," he said. “Some 

people talk about how great other places are. 

But having seen first, second and third-world 

countries, there's no doubt that we're it. I will 

never apologize for being an American. And I 

never have." 


GIVING BACK 

A story all too common among soldiers, Hicks 

admits to having had a difficult time adjusting 

when he first returned from overseas. 

"That's probably one of the biggest reasons 

I focus on the veterans groups... I can relate," 

he said. "There's always something bigger than 

yourself – so many things we can do to make 

this better for everybody.” 

Having been involved with the Veterans of 

Foreign Wars (VFW) since 1993, Hicks became 

one of the youngest commanders during his 

first term from 1998-2000, and later served a 

second term from 2010-2014. 

Currently, he’s most active with the color 

guard, marching in parades, conducting flag 

presentations and teaching flag etiquette to 

kids. If it isn’t obvious at first sight, Pizarro 

says Hicks’ dedication shines through when 

honoring Veterans Honor Flight of ND/MN – an 

organization that sends area veterans to their 

memorials in Washington D.C., free of charge. 

“He’ll say, 'It's going to be super hot. We're on 

the runway but you're going to be in uniform 

and represent the VFW because the VFW 

represents these guys. I don't want to hear any 

shake and bake about how awful it's going to 

be. We're going to do it for the honor of these 

people,'" Pizarro explained. “And we’ll do it with 

a gracious heart.” 

Respect is hard to come by but perhaps it’s the 

bond that only service members can attest to – 

the “brotherhood" as Hicks says – that makes 

it all worth it. 

"It wouldn't matter if you're a Korean War 

veteran or a war on terrorism vet, you all have 

that (bond),” Hicks said. “For example, there's a 

guy at the Fargo VFW and he was with the 7th 

infantry regiment of the 3rd infantry division... 

so was I. So we salute each other with our 

motto. He's a Korean War vet and I'm – what? – 

a third of his age? It's really cool." 

SERVING … WITH A BADGE 

Hicks retired from Army in 2007 but he 

has continued serving in other ways. After 

graduating from Minnesota State University 

There's always something 

bigger than yourself - 

so many things we can 

do to make this better 

for everybody. 



Moorhead (MSUM) with a degree in criminal justice, 

the veteran started his law enforcement career in 

Dilworth as a part-time patrolman. But it wasn’t 

long before he was hired at the West Fargo Police 

Department, where he scored a position as narcotics 

investigator after just a year in. 

"That's something I had always wanted to do and it 

was just wild. That was at the height of the big meth 

push – when they were making meth and had meth 

labs everywhere,” he said. “We could literally work 24 

hours a day, seven days a week. There was always stuff 

to do.” 

From small, marijuana paraphernalia arrests to a 

multi-pound methamphetamine busts, Hicks worked 

an endless amount of cases. 

"The thing with drug work – and I say this to everybody 

– if you're doing it right, within about three years, you're 

burnt out and you don't want to do it anymore," he said. 

When that time came, he applied at the Clay County 

Sheriff’s office as a patrolman and soon worked his 

way into an investigative position once again – one he 

has held for the past 10 years. 

"I’ve worked cases from a simple burglary to homicide, 

sexual assault, home invasion – all this crazy stuff,” he 

said. "I've worked some really unusual cases.” 

As with any job, the role of an investigative detective 

has its ups, downs and undeniable stressors. 

“You get a little burnt out sometimes and you have to 

find other ways to focus," Hicks says. 

For him, that usually means not only taking warranted 

time off work but also exercising. 

"It helps clear your head,” he says. “Don't get me 

wrong, I'm not a marathon runner or anything. I like 

long walks and things like that – the same stuff I did in 

The good life is 

being an American. 


the Army, except I'm not carrying a rucksack and a 

rifle.” 

At the end of the day, one recurring assumption still 

surprises Hicks. 

“After people sit down and talk to me, they never 

believe that I'm a cop. It just makes me laugh," he 

said. "I'm about as normal of a person as there is. I 

don't have magic powers.” 

RUNNING FOR SHERIFF 

As he aims to grow in his career, Hicks has joined 

the race for Clay County Sheriff – an election slated 

for November 2018. 

"The thing I want to bring most (to the position) 

is my life experience – both as a leader and as an 

investigator,” Hicks said. “I have a varied experience, 

having worked patrol, narcotics and investigations. 

I’ve worked with every federal and state agency in 

the area.” 

From the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), 

Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Bureau 

of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), 

United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), 

Secret Service, North Dakota Bureau of Criminal 

Investigation (BCI), Fargo, Moorhead, West Fargo 

Police Departments and more, you could say Hicks 

knows a few people. 

"We're two separate states, two jurisdictions,” 

Hicks said. “But we work seamlessly together. It's 

awesome. It doesn't happen in a lot of places in the 

country.” 

Living “out in the sticks” with his wife, Peggy, of 

27 years, is where Hicks finds solace outside of 

work, enjoying the livestock, peace and quiet. Be it 

hunting, fishing for “anything that bites” or relishing 

in Minnesota’s snowy winters, Hicks cherishes the 

great outdoors. 

But what exactly defines “the good life”? 

"Being able to wake up in a country that's free," 

Hicks said. "Just the everyday freedoms that we 

enjoy as Americans. Not everyone has it. The good 

life is being an American." •

The Good Life – May-June 2018

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?