At last, something to count on

Ultimate working lunch.

We were disappointed to see the vacant chair when we dropped by for a visit Thursday. But closer inspection revealed signs of life at the Shakopee Valley News editor's desk. A pair of cheaters lay atop a newspaper, opened to page four; a micro-wave dinner was half-eaten, its plastic spoon set in the left-hander's position; the computer monitor hadn't yet gone to a screen saver. We could read the forensics alright: the grizzled veteran from the Iron Range wasn't far from his post.
Otherwise, the cluttered office and desk looked exactly as it did when we parted company with Pat in 2008. He'd already been the editor of the paper for a couple of decades by then, and a good one too.
In an era of radical changes, especially in the newspaper industry, it's always a comfort to see some stability personified.

Lunch with Dad amongst the papers.

When Pat Minelli finally returned to his desk Thursday, it would have been disappointing to see him wearing a new shirt. He wasn't. He took his place amongst piles of newspapers and documents that appeared to be the same ones that needed a file years ago. A black and white photo of his infant daughter, now soon to be married, lay in the in-box. The ancient chipped "Shakopee" brick paperweight, if that is what it is, held its ground, unmoved, on the edge of the laminated desk, as it always has. If you wanted to sit down, you'd have to make your own space, the guest chair is occupied with other business.
It was all reassuring, all the same, including Pat's smile and his repeated claim that he's keeping up with the times. In truth, he has. When we hired him back in 1987 we used typewriters, wax and knives to produce a newspaper. These days Pat posts breaking news from his bedside as needed, and plans his pages on computer monitors.
But throughout the radical changes engulfing the industry, (and ever more so now), the eye in the tornado has remained calm, unmoved. It's all good and comforting, gives you something to hang on to.
Even if the polar ice caps melt, Catholic priests marry, and the North Koreans bomb us, no worries. The editor's office at the Shakopee Valley News won't change. We like that.

Somewhere in there is next week's newspaper.