As I write this column, January is about ½ gone before the ice will be safe for ice fishing. My license expires February 29, 2024. At this point in time I’ve accepted no ice fishing prior to February 29, 2024. (This would have been the 65th year in a row of my ice fishing.)
The only positive thing I can see regarding my not ice fishing is “The big walleyes will have an extended period of time to grow bigger!!”
Genie and I decided due to weather, 2023 wasn’t a good year to celebrate. The biggest blow to our New Year’s Eve celebration was when our new year’s eve reservation for a shrimp dinner at the Igloo Restaurant on the ice of Lake of the Woods was cancelled due to poor ice. We felt “So Bad!”
We felt “So Bad: we went to bed at 12 Midnight New York time without our traditional New Year’s Eve glass of Harvey’s Bristol Cream Sherry. “Uff-Da
Did you know Smokey the Bear is now an octogenarian? Yes, Smokey is 80 years old in 2024!! In honor of his being80 I was given a pair of Smokey the Bear socks for Christmas at the Hanson-Combs Christmas party held in St. Peter.
It took me awhile to figure out why Genie and I aren’t seeing any juncos (Snow birds) in our yard this winter. Finally the light bulb went on, “No Snow!!”
The Definition of Rural America is where 2 out of 3 people are related and the 3rd one knows the other 2 real good.
I’m looking at the Star Eagle Newspaper dated January 4, 2024. There are pictures of three people that qualify for the definition of Rural America.
If you include my picture as writer of this column, that makes 4 out of 4 people that know each other with me a relative of one of them.
The 4 persons are: 1. Winston Evenson, a relative of mine and well known by all for his service in the local American Legion.
2. Shelly Moxon, now retired from the New Richland post officer as a rural mail carrier and a daughter taking the place of her dad, Don Smith, Rural mail carrier.
3. Jane Wagner, daughter of John and Shirley Trytten of Hartland Jane, a graduate of New Richland-Hartland married Darren Wagner. Together they made the last name Wagner well known for sports in the NRHEG area.
4. Bob Hanson, Grad of New Richland High School, former long time resident of Beaver Lake and Long Time Lutheran Insurance agent, many years a writer of this column now living in Albert Lea.
There is one thing left to tie together the definition of rural America into reality and that is a rural America newspaper.
Thank you “Star Eagle” for being that great paper in this area.
— — —
Bob is a retired AAL (Aid Association for Lutherans) agent, currently working on his master’s degree in Volunteering. His wife, Genie, is a retired RN, currently working on her doctor’s degree in Volunteering. They have two children, Deb in North Carolina, and Dan in New York. Bob says if you enjoy his column, let him know. If you don’t enjoy it, keep on reading, it can get worse. Words of wisdom: There is always room for God.