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County Corner: Bly was a welcome and welcoming presence here

The passing of Robert Bly, a well-known poet and author of "Iron John," brought back many memories for me as a longtime reporter and resident of the Moose Lake area.

Bly lived in the Twin Cities area with his wife, Ruth, but the couple had a second home in Moose Lake on the shore of Moosehead Lake. His first wife, Carol Bly, also lived in the Moose Lake area for a number of years. They shared children and co-parented them until they were grown.

I remember when Bly once brought a request to the Moose Lake city council. He wanted to move a log cabin to his property in town and set it between his...