Fact Or Fiction? (175)
I hope you remembered Flag Day on June 14. As the song goes, “This Land is Your Land, This Land is My Land.” Please honor Old Glory wherever you see our flag flying. If you are a veteran, a click of the heels and a snappy salute is the order of the day.
Father’s Day, ah yes, that great Dad who got help from Mom to get you started in this world. Whether he’s living or deceased, you can honor him at least 365 days (sometimes 366) every year. Blessed be your father.
I was asked by a young dad for equal time for Father’s Day recognition. His reasoning was, I did an article on why and how God made mothers, so I should do the same for fathers.
Once again I went to second-grade Sunday school kids at local churches for their expert answers about Dad.
Why did God make fathers?
1. “He’s the only one who shuts off the lights when we leave the house.”
2. “So Mom doesn’t have to lift the real heavy things.”
How did God make fathers?
1. “I don’t know, but He could have been a little more careful.”
2. “He made them just like mothers, only with less hair and sharp whiskers.”
What ingredients are fathers made of?
1. “Dirty fingernails.”
2. “Knobby knees.”
Who’s the boss at your house?
1. “Dad thinks he is, but Mom really is.”
2. “Mom, because Dad says she spends all the money.”
3. “My Sunday school teacher, because she taught me to obey my father and mother.”
If you could change one thing about your Dad, what would it be?
1. “I would not let him sleep because he snores really loud.”
2. “Make him give me two dollars because I am very good in church.”
3. “Make him shower more because sometimes he really stinks.”
Why did God give you your father and not some other father?
1. “Because God knew that he would like me.”
2. “I’m not sure, but sometimes I think God made a mistake.”
What kind of little boy was your Dad?
1. “My Grandma says he was a rascal.”
2. “I think he played with frogs and snakes.”
Why did your Dad marry your Mom?
1. “To help him be good.”
2. “Grandpa says Dad knows a good thing when he sees it.”
3. “Because Mom slowed down and then Dad got caught.”
What would it take to make your Dad perfect?
1. “Be more like me.”
2. “Remove the tattoo that isn’t Mom’s name.”
3. “I think he is perfect.”
Readers, I was going to let you know who the young father was who requested this column. I decided not to, as some of these answers are from his relatives. Remember, these answers are from boys and girls in area churches, so if you think you know the second-grader, you might be right.
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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 Vermont. 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.
At the beginning of the funeral service for Kenny Toft, held at First Lutheran Church in Ellendale, the Rev. Richard Sliper asked for those wanting to speak to come to the microphone. Two people spoke.
The first speaker was Chuck Crabtree. Chuck told about his being a lifelong resident of Beaver Lake, and what he had noticed regarding the pranks pulled between Ed Jensen and Kenny Toft. He had noticed a number of items on the flagpole at Kenny’s that shouldn’t be there. From his observations he knew they were the best of neighbors.
Norrine Jensen, wife of Ed Jensen, was the second speaker. She told how Kenny and Ed were the catcher (Kenny) and pitcher (Ed) of the Great Beaver Lake Baseball Team for a number of years, and later in life lived across the road from each other at Beaver Lake. She mentioned that earlier in the morning Ed had put a baseball in the coffin with Kenny.
Kenny and Ed were very good at pranks on the baseball field – any prank was okay as long as it helped their team win.
One of their best pranks was when they played the Pontoppidan Nine of Lemond (pronounced “Lamond”) Lutheran Church (the church can be found by following the Lemond Road west out of Owatonna). To be on the team, you had to be a member of Pontoppidan Lutheran Church with a last name ending in “-son.” (The player’s last name was either Anderson, Hanson, Jacobson, Johnson, Larson, Nelson, Paulson, Swenson, or Tollefson.)
The game was played at Beaver Lake Park, with the winner playing Albert Lea for the Minnesota State Amateur Championship. With the score at 2-1 in the top of the ninth with the Beaver Lake team ahead, it was time for Kenny and Ed to win with any prank possible. The Pontoppidan Nine managed to load the bases with nobody out and 3 balls and 2 strikes on the batter.
Kenny Toft called for time out and a new shiny baseball. The umpire granted his wish, and Kenny went to the mound for a conference with Ed and the other infielders. As Kenny left the mound you could see him give the white ball to Ed as the infielders went back to their positions.
The ump said “Play ball!” and the batter stepped back into the box. Ed wound up and threw one of his famous fastballs. The batter swung and was called out, even though the white (paper) ball never reached home plate. The shortstop, who had the real ball, tagged the runner off second base out, and threw to the first baseman, who tagged the runner off first base out. He then threw to home, and Kenny tagged out the runner from third trying to score. Net result: four outs and Beaver Lake won 2-1.
How do I know all this to be true? Because my father Harold was the batter. My uncle Mentor tried to score from third. My uncle Laurel was the pitcher. My aunt Lois was the cheering section leader, and I was the young batboy.
Ed took the winning ball home with him. Where is that ball today? Please reread what Norrine Jensen said at the funeral of Kenny Toft.
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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 Vermont. 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.
‘Twas an early morning in May when four excellent open water fishermen headed for Leech Lake by Walker, Minn. It was the kind of late spring day with sunshine and warm temperatures, the kind of day when it’s great to be alive.
We arrived at our destination by 3 p.m. Plenty of time to get organized, eat the evening meal and go fishing till about 10 p.m. for the hog walleyes. After buying our minnows and putting the two boats in the water, we checked into the Blue Water Lodge. Amy, the Great One, was waiting for us to arrive. Amy has the ability to make you feel like you’re a VIP. She assigned us Cabin #5 on the southwest side of Walker Bay, overlooking Leech Lake.
Cabin #5 has a loft with a bedroom, two queen beds, a flat screen TV that can be seen while laying in bed, a full bath, a ceiling fan, log furniture – just beautiful.
On the lower level, Cabin #5 has a bedroom with one queen bed, a flat screen TV that can be seen while laying in bed, stacked washer and dryer plus shower in the bathroom, a ceiling fan, log furniture – just beautiful.
On the main level is a full kitchen with a dishwasher, gas fireplace, ceiling fan, hide-a-bed, big windows with two sliding glass doors onto a deck overlooking a shallow water bay, log furniture – just beautiful.
We fixed our usual first-night steak dinner with all the trimmings including Moose Tracks ice cream. The big meal “done us in” so we decided not to go fishing. We played cribbage instead.
Bad mistake.
Saturday morning was a light rain that continued all day, so we played cribbage and visited the Amusement Center in Walker – better known as Northern Lights Casino.
Bad mistake.
Sunday morning was a light rain that continued all day. We held our own Sunday morning church service after breakfast in Cabin #5. We had a place setting at the breakfast table in honor of the fishermen now deceased who were part of the AAL Fishing Team, which was formed 38 years ago. We played cribbage and revisited the Amusement Center in Walker.
Bad mistake.
Monday and Tuesday were the worst weather-wise, as it rained and was very, very foggy. We decided to play cribbage plus visit the Entertainment Center in Walker.
Bad Mistake.
Wednesday morning was more of the same – five mornings in a row of rain and not fishing. We decided, no more mistakes of not fishing, so we went fishing after lunch. We did catch a few as the rain quit.
Thursday we were up early and fishing, as it was a beautiful day of no rain, very little wind, and besides it was our last day. We all caught fish. (I caught a 27-inch eight-pound walleye.)
Summary:
1. We managed to catch about 10 walleyes, 20 jumbo perch, five big crappies and one Northern – not too good for a week, but yet not too bad for the amount of time actually spent fishing.
2. We contributed to the cause at the Amusement Center.
3. Paul got a 28-point hand in cribbage (29 is a perfect hand).
Ray Thompson, Frederick, Wisc., Bob Goetz, Austin, Minn., Paul Proft, Owatonna, Minn., and Bob Hanson, Albert Lea, Minn. were the four excellent fishermen who thought they would fish only under ideal conditions. They now know better!
I should mention that Amy charges according to how busy they are. They weren’t full, so we got a pretty good rate. The facility is very nice. Amy can be reached at 218-536-0385.
Kenny Toft, BLIF, A Time to Be Born 06-09-1926, A Time to Die 05-25-2103. Thanks for the years of conversations. “BLIF” is a True Definition of what you were (Beaver Lake Important Farmer).
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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 Vermont. 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.
It seems that a lot of readers like to browse, and a lot of browsers like to read. If this is your cup of tea, the Hospital Auxiliary has just the thing for you. They are having a book and gift sale on Tuesday, May 28 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Room 20 (next to the cafeteria) in the Albert Lea Hospital. (Genie and I are both volunteer Auxilians.)
The definition of a good volunteer is “a person with the inability to say ‘no.’” Genie and I both qualify! Following are some times we could not say “no.”
Reader’s Theater is a group of older aged men and women who read and act out stories to the kindergarten through third grade students in the Albert Lea schools. A great reward is when a youngster will walk up to you and say, “I know you, you did Reader’s Theater to my class.” (St. Theodore’s Catholic School honored us with a mass and a brunch.)
Genie and I ring the Salvation Army bells at Christmas time. A great reward is when parent and child sheepishly approach, wanting to know if the child can ring the bell again this year. (The Salvation Army honored us with an appreciation dinner.)
We both help with the Adopt a Highway program on a two-mile stretch of I-90 west of Albert Lea, sponsored by Thrivent Financial. The reward is a clean freeway plus an evening meal afterwards.
We both adopt the park at Beaver Lake. The reward is a cleaner-than-when-we-started park, plus any money, and cans and bottles that we recycle in New Richland, Iowa or Michigan. (About $10 in money found and about $400 in cans and bottles recycled.) We are allowed to add our garbage to that found and put it all in the park dumpster – thus no garbage bill. If any resident of Beaver Lake is interested in adopting Beaver Lake Park, please let us know. (Because we are no longer summertime residents at Beaver Lake, we would like to be replaced.)
Genie and I are both involved as Auxilians at the Albert Lea Medical Center – staffing the gift shop and the coffee shop, magazine recycling, helping with daffodil sales for cancer, plus a few other things. The reward is eating at the cafeteria plus a food Christmas gift, as well as talking to a lot of friendly people. Working there is just like sitting on a deer stand: sooner or later a deer will come by. Sooner or later every area resident will come by.
We are both active in Central Freeborn Lutheran Church: Sunday school teacher, door greeter, schedule a bus to the Twins (We’re going Monday, Aug. 1), schedule a bus to Christmas by the Lake in Clear Lake, Ia. (We’re going Saturday, Dec. 7), Valentine Norwegian Bingo, etc. The reward is Heavenly.
Readers, for your information, the volunteer activities are what we’re sending in to the University of Tennessee for Genie’s Doctor’s Degree and my Master’s Degree. (Our degrees are from there because Tennessee is the Volunteer State!)
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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 Vermont. 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.
Mother Nature and the Mother of Invention work hand in hand. Mother Nature gave us three days of warm weather and then rain to make the grass turn green and grow. The Mother of Invention gave us a lawn mower to cut the grass.
My neighbor was the first person in Albert Lea to mow his grass this spring. (Late this year compared to last year, but remember – Mother Nature controls.)
Mother Nature gave us plenty of free nitrogen to fertilize the above lawn in the form of wet, heavy snow (From ten to 18 inches depending on where you live). The Mother of Invention gave us a snow blower to move the snow as we see fit (This was done on May 2 by my neighbor).
From the mowing of grass and the blowing of snow, I am certain my neighbor (Roger Erickson) has connections with the two above-mentioned Mothers. Speaking of weather, are the following statements true or false? The answers are at the end of this column.
1. It has snowed every month in Minnesota except July.
2. It has frozen every month in Minnesota except July.
3. The most snow ever in NRHEG Country for the month of May was in the year 2013.
4. It has snowed on Memorial Day in NRHEG Country.
5. It has frozen on Father’s Day in NRHEG Country.
6. One year in NRHEG Country, it never got warmer than 90 degrees.
7. It has rained every month of the year in NRHEG Country.
8. There has been thunder and lightning every month of the year in NRHEG Country.
9. There has been a double rainbow each summer for the last 14 years in NRHEG Country.
10. The answer to all ten of these statements is not false.
Congratulations to Jay Crabtree on being promoted to Sergeant in the Albert Lea Police Department.
The ice-out on area lakes was April 23 (give or take a day) this year. This was later than usual. So far, it has never gone out after April 30 in this area.
Many years in Northern Minnesota, a fisherman hasn’t had to buy ice for the fishing opener; he’d get his ice out of the lake. How do I know this to be true? Because I swept snow out of the boat to go get ice out of Leech Lake one fishing opener.
I have a nose that knows the good smell of food. My nose sniffed out a new place to eat in New Richland. I followed the smell right to The Lunchbox in downtown New Richland. Can your sniffer find it?
While at The Lunchbox for breakfast, a farmer friend joined me. We swapped small talk waiting for our food. He voiced his concern about getting a good crop this fall, as planting was very late this spring.
When I said the table grace, I included my friend’s concern for the crop. Just prior to saying “Amen,” my friend said, “Saturn and Cronus, I hope you’re listening.” As we were eating, he explained that Saturn was the Roman god of agriculture and Cronus was the Greek god.
As you know, the weather people have a name for each snowstorm of the season using the letters of the alphabet. Prior to the May 2 storm, they had made it to “Yogi,” thus “Z” would be used for May 2. In NRHEG Country, the locals have decided “Zee End” would summarize their feelings for the season.
P.S.: The ten statements are all true. “Zee End,” then, is my closing for this column!
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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 Vermont. 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.
Do you know what day is an important day in your life Sunday, May 12, 2013? Living or deceased, this is a day set aside to honor a very important person in your life. If they’re living, a nice gift to that VIP could be a solar dancing flower. If deceased, how about, “Thanks, Mom.”
If you do nothing, quit reading, proceed to just north of the I-35-Hope exit, and you’ll be yourself “beyond Hope.”
Have you ever wondered why God did this or how God did that? I had some questions of this nature about moms, so I decided to get my answers from the experts.
I decided second grade Sunday school kids were the most qualified experts on the subject of moms. To get my answers, I posed the following questions to second grade Sunday school children at local churches.
Why did God make mothers?
1. “She’s the only one who knows where the Scotch tape is.”
2. “Mostly to clean house.”
3. “To help us out of there when we were getting burned.”
How did God make mothers?
1. “He used dirt, just like for the rest of us.”
2. “Magic plus super powers and a lot of string.”
3. “God made my Mom just the same like He made me. He just used bigger parts.”
What ingredients are mothers made of?
1. “God makes mothers out of clouds and angel hair and everything nice in the world and one dab of mean.”
2. “They had to get their start from men’s bones. Then they mostly use string, I think.”
Who’s the boss at your house?
1. “Mom doesn’t want to be boss, but she has to because Dad’s such a goofball.”
2. “Mom. You can tell by room inspection. She sees the stuff under the bed.”
3. “I guess Mom is, but only because she has a lot more to do than Dad.”
If you could change one thing about your mom, what would it be?
1. “She has this weird thing about me keeping my room clean. I’d get rid of that.”
2. “I’d make my mom smarter. Then she would know it was my sister who did it, not me.”
3. “I would like for her to get rid of those invisible eyes on the back of her head.”
Why did God give you your mother and not some other mother?
1. “We’re related.”
2. “God knew she likes me a lot more than other people’s moms like me.”
What kind of a little girl was your Mom?
1. “My Mom has always been my Mom and none of that other stuff.”
2. “I don’t know because I wasn’t there. But my guess would be pretty bossy.”
3. “They say she used to be nice.”
Why did your Mom marry your Dad?
1. “My Dad makes the best spaghetti in the world, and my Mom eats a lot.”
2. “She got too old to do anything else with him.”
3. “My Grandma says that Mom didn’t have her thinking cap on.”
What would it take to make your Mom perfect?
1. “On the inside she’s already perfect. Outside, I think some kind of plastic surgery.”
2. “Diet. You know, her hair. I’d diet, maybe blue.”
Readers, if there is any feeling of who the second grader reply might be from, it could be more than coincidence! Remember, those boys and girls are from area churches.
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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 Vermont. 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.
Last year at this time, the warm weather convinced most of us the truth in Global warming.
This year, at the same time as last year, the weather convinced most of us that Global Warming was not the truth.
In conclusion, the truth is just like this column: it is either “fact or fiction – you decide.”
Put another way, “Weather will be weather, whether you like it or not.”
The old saying of “The robin will see snow three times on her back before nesting” is no longer valid. At last count, it has snowed nine times on her back, and no nests have yet been built.
It was interesting watching the ducks, geese, and gulls when they first arrived this questionable spring. The ducks and geese accepted any open water they could find. We even had a male and female Mallard check out our open water bird bath. The first Canadian honkers hung around the open water by the lake aerators. The gulls couldn’t find any warm ice for their cold feet.
One good thing about all the late snow and lots of rain is the moisture. The creeks and rivers have risen, the lakes have come up a few inches, and even the field tiles are draining water off the fields.
The war, dry weather last summer and fall was ideal for a bumper crop of boxelder bugs this late spring. I’ve been conducting an experiment on those I catch in the house. They can swim an average of two minutes and ten seconds after I release them in the toilet bowl.
Judy Hellie of East Freeborn Lutheran Church is sympathetic to the boxelder bugs being so cold due to the low temperatures. She lets them sit on the microwave door as she warms up her tea water. When her tea water is warm, so is the boxelder bug. A win-win for all.
Two hundred fifty people served two pancakes per, over fifty years of five times per year, is 125,000 pancakes flipped. Newell, did you realize this would happen? LeRoy and Newell Sommers, you are a great 50th Anniversary couple.
We have a large number of junco (snowbirds) feeding on small seeds in our Albert Lea back yard. One of them has a long pure whit feather sticking out of its tail.
The weather forecasters are now assigning an alphabetical name to each major snowstorm. They began with an “A” and are now at “Y” (Yogi). The area snowbirds are using this as a guide to leave for their area home. In other words, the closer to “Z,” the better the time to head home!
Cousin Cheryl Davis from Sacramento, Calif. came back to Minnesota for a visitation in April. While here, she was lucky enough to see it snow. She also attended our Christmas family gathering which had been held over many times due to the weather.
Evie Toft, your birthday is very special to a lot of people. How do I know this? Because most of Ellendale was at your birthday party Saturday, April 21. (Those who weren’t there sent a birthday card!)
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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 Vermont. 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.
After the NRHEG School Board meeting in April concluded, a special committee meeting was held. The purpose was to be “pro-active” rather than “re-active.” This was in reference to the NRHEG girls’ basketball team hopefully being in the 2014 Minnesota State Basketball Tournament.
It was understood by all present how the 2013 girls put NRHEG on the map by winning the 2013 Minnesota Girls’ Basketball Tournament. If the girls do their part and get to the 2014 State Tourney, the fans must also do their part in keeping NRHEG on the map.
With the girls and the NRHEG fans all doing their part, “Carpe Diem” will be the buzzword in March of 2014.
The following are some of the “NRHEG Country” suggested items and who will be responsible to carry them out:
The NRHEG School Board will be head of the committee.
There will be a billboard as soon as possible on the main street leading into each town in the NRHEG school district. The billboard message will be “Welcome to NRHEG Country.” The CEO of each town bank will be responsible for paying for the billboards.
The Star Eagle Newspaper will change the person-recognition to “Fan in the Stand” during the basketball season. Jim Lutgens will do this.
Bobblehead dolls of each member of the team will be available for sale at the beginning of the girls’ basketball season. The cheerleaders will handle this.
The New Richland Lions Club will host a benefit with matching funds in January. The Ellendale Lions Club will host one in February. (The funds will be used to help defray the team costs.)
There will be no school the days of the girls’ tourney – the school board will make this possible.
There will be no church service the days of the girls tourney – each church will take care of this. The girls will attend the church of their choice the Sunday after the championship game. Coach John Schultz will get this done.
A former mayor of each NRHEG school town will be in charge of the fan buses to the games. The City Councils will make this a city resolution.
Signs for the fans to hold up during the game will be furnished. Ginger Thompson of Ellendale will supervise the making of the signs.
A media disc will be distributed answering the question “Who is NRHEG?” Students plus faculty will do this.
A qualified medical person, plus two good sized male RN trainees, will be at each NRHEG tourney game to handle any fan medical emergencies. Physicians Assistant Judy Sibilrud of Hartland will cover this.
“Praise Him” group from Ellendale will be leading in the singing of the National Anthem before the first game, the Ebnet Family of New Richland the second game, and the local Ecumenical Choir the third game. At the beginning of the fourth quarter, “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” will be sung using “One, two, three, four, five fouls and you’re out.”
The quartet of Warren Torgerson, Whitey Hagen, Elmer Vanden Heuvel and Sharon Sorenson of Geneva will lead in singing at the first game. The quartet of Jim Johnson, Andy Lerberg, Roger Swearingen and Arlen Brekke of Ellendale will lead singing at the second game. The quartet plus one of Jim Hendrickson, Virgil Thofson, Jim Olson and Randy Tuchtenhagen, with Al Batt of Hartland being the plus-one, will lead singing at the third game.
Just as NRHEG made the last shot of the game to win by one point, my mind got a bit fuzzy as to what was happening. I heard Genie say, “You’ve got about ten more May Baskets to make.”
Do you suppose my dream will come true? As Genie likes to say, “We’ll see.”
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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 Vermont. 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.
On a Tuesday morning blizzard day, four young-at-heart old guys went on a pilgrimage. The problem was to keep the van in between the ditches as we headed to that great Mecca, home of many walleyes, known as Lake of the Woods.
Paul Proft of Owatonna, Bob Goetz of Austin, Ray Thompson of Frederic, Wisc., and Bob Hanson of Albert Lea were the four excellent fishermen in the van. (Our rating has dropped to Not-So-Good fishermen after this pilgrimage.)
The four of us had four things in common: 1. Lutheran; 2. Health issues; 3. An excellent wife; and 4. Lacking in common sense, as per the Highway Patrol we should not have been traveling.
After nine-plus hours on the road, our great driver Paul Proft pulled into Walleye Retreat Resort. Paul managed to keep the van in between the ditches, even though the drivers of a lot of other vehicles did not.
Terri and Pete, owners of Walleye Retreat Resort, greeted us at the lodge door. They questioned our intelligence, as the rest of their reservations had canceled. They informed us that, seeing as how we were number-one fishermen, we would be staying in Cabin #1. The bombardier driver, Tony, would be picking us up each morning at 7 a.m. to take us to the heated, holes-open, ready-to-go fish house.
How many of you readers can say you have had hot pizza with pop delivered to you by a bombardier while you’re in a fish house? We traded a sack of corn each noon for pizza and had pop delivered by Tony. (Tony looks, talks, and acts just like his Canadian counterpart, Red Green, without the “eh.”)
In two days of fishing, we kept 13 walleye and sauger – not very good compared to our other times at Lake of the Woods. The fish were on the small side (all less than 13 inches). Ray managed to catch a small walleye with the hook from each of his two lines in its mouth at the same time (you’re allowed to fish with two lines). Bob Goetz tried to catch a huge Northern that managed to tangle two other lines at the same time. The net result? No Northern caught while stealing Bob’s Little Jig lure!
We calculated the cost of the 13 fish we kept at $80 per fish. We were very happy that we didn’t catch any more, as that was very spendy per fish. Ray pointed out that at least $75 per fish was for esprit de corps. Thus, we all felt better!
We drove over to the Amusement Center in Warroad to see the dome roof. The admission was free, but to get out was not. It is the only casino in Minnesota with a domed roof. They are building a new casino to open in 2014.
On County Road 8, driving by Walleye Retreat Resort, we saw huge owls just at dusk. Tony told us they were feasting on grouse nightly. We also saw a fisher cross the road in front of the van as we were driving.
Trivia You Must Know – Rick Jeddeloh is in charge of Daffodil Days selling in the area. Rick’s dad, Mel Jeddeloh of Waseca, is a faithful reader of this column.
Last but not least – NRHEG Girls’ Basketball team, two years in a row! Wow!
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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 Vermont. 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.
The town of Walker, Minn. is known as the Million Dollar Plus Town, the four-day weekend of the Eelpout Festival. This was the 34th annual festival, with the most people ever this year. At a conservative $100 spent per person and about 12, 000 attending, you do the math and get a million dollars plus.
The most unusual thing we saw was a man-made 35-foot-long eelpout out of snow and spray painted. The maker was sitting in a lawn chair on top of the head, with a rod and reel pointed down a hole he cut, and the rod bouncing like he had an eelpout on the end of the line.
We stayed at the Palace Casino Hotel in Cass Lake, Minn. As usual the Palace employees treated us like royalty: Vernae in Bingo; Toni at the gift shop; Becky and Michael as casino hosts; Bill the casino tech; Rodney the casino payer to jackpot winners; Christopher the casino cashier; Rickey in Guest Services; Kristin and David in Security; Josh, Reggie, Robert and Sheryl in the dining room; Jason and Karin in the snack bar; Monte in Maintenance; Charlie, Jessica, Chris, Betsy, Sara and Kortney at the hotel desk; plus many others.
Genie and I thank all the employees of the Palace for being most friendly.
We attended Sunday church at Trinity Lutheran Church on Highway 2 just west of Cass Lake. Pastor Peter is in the process of growing a beard. Genie and I couldn’t decide if we liked the new appearance or not, and neither of us wanted to tell their conclusion. We decided to keep our decision from each other so we cast a secret ballot. We are keeping the result a secret from each other. (In case you’re wondering, we voted the same way.)
Larry and Marilyn Glass of Trinity promised us soup on Wednesday, Feb. 20 for Lent. We had to beg a rain check, as we would be in Baudette that night. (Wild Rice Soup, with flatbread and hot blueberry pie filling is their delicacy.)
We left Monday, Feb. 18 and drove to Baudette, Minn. in a blizzard.
While in Baudette we enjoyed a dinner with our friend Carol Edstrom at Cyrus Resort. Once again thanks to Farmer Tim Toft for the corn we gave Carol to feed her deer.
We stopped in at Walleye Retreat Resort to say “Hi” to Terri and Pete, the owners. Tony the bombardier driver, was there also. Grandma Sherry stopped in to challenge us to a fishing contest when we are there in March.
A must-see if you’re in the Baudette area during the winter is “the Igloo” from Zippel Bay out on Lake of the Woods ice in about 20 feet of water. There are 16 holes for fishing plus food and beverage, with room for about 125 people – it’s standing room only on the weekends.
In closing, it was so cold (20 to 35 below) that the City Fathers renamed their town. It is now “Brrr-midji.”
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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 Vermont. 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.
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I received an e-mail message from my friend Tony Blake, who is now back in England. He thanked me and all the other Americans who were most gracious to them on their English goodwill tour of the U.S.A.
Tony wondered why there were so many water closets on the ice at Beaver Lake. He thought the pink water closet on the west side was most appropriate in regards to fighting cancer.
I sent an e-mail back to Tony, trying to explain those water closets were not outdoor toilets on ice, but really fish houses. I complimented him on being so observant in noticing the pink fish house owned by Mark Sorenson.
Now that I know what a water closet is, I hope Tony knows what a fish house is.
Because I’m no longer a local resident – even part time – I have to relinquish my title of President of the local Beaver Lake Liars’ Club. It seems there has been some under-cover-of-darkness skulduggery going on, in two of the Beaver Lake water closets on ice, to replace me. One water closet has the name “C. Crabtree, President-Elect” on the outside door. The other has “J. Worrell, President-Elect” on the door.
Both water closet wannabe’s were actively campaigning at the Beaver Lake Ice Fishing Contest. I don’t know which candidate will win, but I do know they are both well qualified for the presidency.
Genie took me to The Old Mill restaurant in Austin for my birthday in January. The food was excellent. Our server, Shawn, knew the history of the mill. She knew about the fish by the dam, what they were catching in the fish houses, what time of day the otters fished and the Wise Old Owl who stood guard over the dam.
Shawn knew how to “make my day” when she brought me a huge chocolate sundae with a candle on top that I couldn’t blow out. She knew that Genie was buying, so the sundae had two spoons. Shawn, you are great.
Fully Rely On God (F.R.O.G.) held a Valentine’s Party Saturday evening, February 9 at Central Freeborn Lutheran Church with 45 people attending.
Eight of the attendees were first-time Norwegian Bingo players. Stan had to have special tutoring as to how to count to six.
Pizza, pop and jerky were followed by 12 games of Norwegian Bingo. Seventeen people bingoed, with Karen Erickson, Marge Lonning and Eunice Bakken bingoing the most – twice each.
A Valentine’s card was signed by those present, plus those attending church the next day, and mailed to each of the 14 church members who don’t get around much this winter.
Ken Bertelson and Pastor Matt Griggs were the door prize winners of a Valentine Teddy bear each.
A special thanks to Pat, Jacob, and Jamie at Dairy Queen, also Laurel at Arby’s and Guyla at Kentucky Fried Chicken for the food coupons. (Guyla personalized a B.O.G.O. chicken dinner coupon on a Valentine dollie.)
The evening concluded with a no-holds-barred, all-the-calories-you-can-eat ice cream buffet.
For your information, F.R.O.G. will bet taking a bus to Lutheran Night at the Twins, Monday, Aug. 12. Details later. To put your life in perspective, you must accept that some days you are the pigeon and some days you are the statue!
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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 Vermont. 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.
Upon graduation from New Richland High School, I knew as a farm boy I didn’t want to farm. A fellow farm boy, John Hanson, felt the same way.
We found out that if we joined the U.S. Navy at age 17, we would be discharged just before turning 21, and then Uncle Sam would help support us four years in college to get a degree. We said “Deal!” and off we went to Great Lakes, Ill. for boot camp.
At boot camp, we were tested to see what we might qualify to do as U.S. Navy enlisted men. My result was Naval Intelligence, or spying on Russia.
This required an extensive background check. I passed the check and was off to Intelligence School after boot camp. (I later found out Gene Dodge in New Richland was one of the persons giving me the green light.)
Both John and I received four-year degrees from Mankato after our Navy tour.
After graduating from the Naval Intelligence School in California, I was sent to a Naval base of about 300 in Japan for 30 months. There were military personnel (all men) from England, Canada, France, Australia, the Scandinavian countries, and the United States, plus a few other countries.
About the second week there, an order came through over the loudspeaker system for all hands to report to the Chapel on the double. I was assigned the job of running with a heavy rope across the rooftop to a person on the ground, who then helped stake the rope into the ground.
The person next to me and I exchanged introductions. He was Tony Blare from England.
When the Chapel was secured, we were ordered to the basement of our barracks as the typhoon was imminent. As Tony and I talked in the basement, the All-Clear signal was given, as the typhoon had changed course. Tony went into a tirade about the stupid U.S. Navy saving a chapel first.
The last Easter sunrise service while we were in Japan, I asked Tony to join me. (By then we were good buds, he the non-believer and me the believer.)
We were in full uniform as we were bused to an open field facing east. As we got off the bus, we were given one sheet of music and told to put it in our pocket. We were lined up in two lines and parade marched to the east end of the field and ordered to stand at attention.
Cymbals started clashing and just as the sun came up, a booming voice said “Present Music!” We did, and sang “Battle Hymn of the Republic.” Upon completion of the singing, an order of “About Face, Parade March” was given, back to the bus. (There was many a tear shed that early morning by everyone, including Tony.)
As we left Japan to be discharged, we exchanged military caps. The years passed very fast, with Tony asking me to visit his beloved England and me asking Tony to visit my beloved Beaver Lake.
This January, I received a telephone call and a male voice said, “This is Tony Blare. I’m on an English goodwill tour of the United States. I know where your beloved Beaver Lake is. Please meet me there at 7:30 a.m. in the Parking Lot on Wednesday, January 23, for your birthday, with my military cap.”
I agreed.
We met about 7:30 a.m., exchanged caps, and Tony said, “Listen to the instructions on the tape in my Embassy car.” The instructions were exactly the same as that Easter service in Japan, including the cymbals.
We got back to his Embassy car, exchanged caps again, a big hug, a handshake, and Tony said, “Thanks for making me a believer. I’ll see you in our next life.”
Yes, there were tears shed by both of us as Tony drove away.
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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 Vermont. 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.
Welcome, readers, to the first “Fact or Fiction” of 2013. The first “Fact or Fiction” was written in 2002 under the name of “Beaver Lake Fact or Fiction.” Because we are no longer summer residents of Beaver Lake, I have changed the title.
This article will be mainly about our travels from October through April, then weekly the rest of the year. Please remember, “Fact or Fiction” is what you must decide as you read this column.
What did you do to usher in the new year? Genie and I closed out 2012 with one powerful drink each. We used the Dairy Queen coupons from the bus trip to Clear Lake, Iowa to purchase a pecan cluster blizzard for Genie and a mocha blizzard for me. We let them melt and as the ball dropped on TV from New York City, we downed the beverages. That was 11 p.m. our time.
At midnight in Albert Lea, we listened to some neighborhood fireworks. We managed to barely stay awake until the last gong of 2012.
As I write this article, four guys are supposed to be walking on water out of Brindley’s Resort on Leech Lake. Bob Goetz, Paul Proft, Ray Thompson and I had reservations at Brindley’s. We were scheduled to catch our limit of 20 perch, three Northern and six walleye each. “No problem — piece of cake!” we said, as we’re all fishermen liars!
One of the above four decided he wanted to try out the beds in the new Owatonna hospital. He wanted to be sure the hospital was good enough for the upcoming birth of his new grandchild. Now that he knows the facility meets his approval, we will be going to Brindley’s at a later date.
Brindley’s did not charge us anything for a cancellation on a two-day notice. That’s just one of the reasons why we like it there. Their number is (888) 547-5477 for reservations. Say, “Hi!” to Arrow, the well-trained greeter of the canine family, as you walk in the resort door.
I received an unsigned letter in the mail asking for equal time. The writer wanted me to mention that not only is there a banker in Albert Lea that reads this column faithfully, but there is a banker in Waseca that also faithfully reads and shares this column with fellow bank employees. Are there any other bankers out there that want equal time?
How about this for a Valentine’s Day Party? For five dollars, you can eat pizza, followed by Norwegian Bingo with prizes, topped off with an ice cream buffet. This party starts at 6 p.m. Saturday, February 9th at Central Freeborn Lutheran Church rural Albert Lea. RSVP by calling (507) 373-8655.
Wow. The Vikings made it to the playoffs. I had given up on them after that terrible first game against the Packers. The Vikings-Packers playoff game proved an experienced quarterback is necessary to win. Is Ponder experienced? I think so.
January is when I add another candle to the cake. Actually, there isn’t room for any more candles! How old am I? Let’s test your math. I’m closer to 80 than 70. I’m two years shy of 39 the second time around. I’m four years shy of becoming an octogenarian. I really like your math, if you got the right answer of 39.
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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 Vermont. 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.
F.R.O.G. (Fully Rely On God) of Central Freeborn Lutheran Church in rural Albert Lea sponsored a bus trip Saturday, Dec. 1 to “Christmas by the Lake” in Clear Lake, Iowa. 52 people were on the bus.
Fifteen drawings for Deal-or-No-Deal prizes were held on the bus prior to arriving in Clear Lake. Winners were Bruce Stolaas, Alice Feurhelm, Bob Hanson, Nancy Harris, James Olson, Yun Young, son Justin and daughter Jiyun, George Kastelli, Anita Wood, Betty Patterson, Harry Larkin, Dorothy Larkin, Dorothy Kirsch and Eunice Hanson. Becky Boelter said “Deal!” on getting her lost earring back.
A Christmas stocking (litter bag) was given to each person on the bus including the Great Bus Driver, Marilyn Matson. An ice scraper from the Clear Lake Chamber, plus food coupons from Dairy Queen (thanks to Pat in Waseca and Genesis in Albert Lea), Arby’s (thanks to Debbie and Mrs. Bob Hanson in Albert Lea), and KFC in Albert Lea (thanks to Guyla in Albert Lea) were in the stocking litter bag.
There were many activities on Main Street which were followed by a lighted Christmas parade at 5 p.m., and then excellent fireworks from the lakeshore. (The parade and fireworks could be viewed from the bus.)
As we left, the GPS on the bus followed a great food aroma that took us to KFC in Clear Lake for a buffet supper. Kelli, Tammi and staff treated us like hungry people arriving and stuffed people leaving. Kelli even sent leftover buffet food containers to be raffled off on the bus.
As we left, Judy Menssen led us in singing “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” to the KFC staff.
The evening concluded with many nasal sounds on the way back to Albert Lea by 9 p.m.
The next planned F.R.O.G. activity is a Valentine’s Day party with pizza, pop, and ice cream bar, with some Norwegian Bingo on Saturday evening, Feb. 9 at Central Freeborn Lutheran Church.
The Christmas by the Lake bus trip in 2013 is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 7.
At 4 p.m. Nov. 9, 2012, four miles east of Lerdal, Minn., banker Laura Worke of Albert Lea proved that persistence is worth the wait. For 14 years. at the end of the deer hunting season, Laura would say, “One more year closer to getting a buck.”
After shooting an eight-point buck, Laura was shaking so much that her dear hubby had to field dress the deer.
In response to your question: Yes, Virginia, there is a banker in Albert Lea, Minn. who faithfully reads this column.
In closing: “A Merry Christmas to All and a Good Christmas Season. Remember, Jesus is the Reason For the Season.”
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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 Vermont. 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.