Gladys Irene Miskoff, age 90, of Hutchinson, Minnesota, passed away Friday, November 28, 2014, at the Golden Living Center in Excelsior, Minnesota. A Graveside Service was held Friday, December 5, 2014, at 1:00 p.m. at the Freeborn Cemetery in Freeborn, Minnesota.

Clergy Officiating: Reverend Cherie Daniel

Gladys Irene Miskoff was born on August 8, 1924, in Freeborn, Minnesota. She was the daughter of George and Julia (Jacobson) Hinkley. Gladys was baptized as an infant and was later confirmed in her faith as a youth. She received her education in Freeborn, and was a graduate of the Freeborn High School class of 1942.

On a balmy Saturday December 6th with the temperature of 39 degrees, 56 people boarded a coach bus in Albert Lea. With Marilyn Matson at the helm, the bus sponsored by Fully Rely on God (F.R.O.G.) of Central Freeborn Lutheran Church, headed south on I-35. 

Twelve games of “Deal or No Deal” were played on the bus. Winners were Gene Wangen, Diane Wangen, Betty Gulbrandson, Starr Hanson, Donna Stolaas, Trudy Moberg, Linda Boroff, Darlene Hauge, Diane Elmer, Becky Boelter, Cassandra Johnson, and Dorothy Kirsch.

A Christmas stocking from the Albert Lea Chamber of Commerce shaped like a litter bag was given to each person on the bus. In the bag were coupons from Keith at Slumberland, Jamie at DQ South, Sara and Holly at Perkins and Guyla at KFC.

We reached our destination of “Christmas by the Lake” and Marilyn parked the bus such that we could see the lighted Christmas parade and the fireworks shot over the ice from the bus. We even had about an hour to tour main street with all the Christmas activities.

After the excellent fireworks, with a loud fireball at the end, we headed for KFC. Mari and staff greeted us empty and sent us full back to Albert Lea after an All You Want buffet. They even sent left overs with us!

To show our appreciation Lowell Elmer led us in singing “We Wish You A Merry Christmas” as we departed in a bright full moon.

The evening concluded with Marilyn driving the bus through the live nativity at the Christian church on Marshall Street in Albert Lea.

By now most of you have figured out the bus went south of the border to Clear Lake, Iowa. The Chamber of Commerce staff in Clear Lake rate a 12 on a scale of one to ten. Libby helped us with arrangements plus prizes on the bus. Every Chamber has a character on the staff with Clear Lake being no exception. Her name tag, the name plate on her desk, her tattoo plus her Iowa car license all say the same one word, “Kweenbe.”

The Christmas by the Lake bus is planned for December 7, 2015. (It is always the first Saturday in December.)

The next planned F.R.O.G. party is a Valentine’s Day party with pizza and pop followed by 12 games of fast moving Norwegian Bingo and ending with an ice cream buffet at Central Freeborn Lutheran Church on Saturday evening February 7th.

Many, many moons ago at this time, Mary ad Joseph were really in a bind, as she was about ready to deliver a son and they couldn’t find an inn to stay at. The little feller born in a manger was named Jesus. Remember, Jesus is the reason for the season.

--------------

Lorraine Haug: I have a room waiting for you. I have called you and now you are mine. GOD

Readers – is there a room waiting for you?

———

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 most misquoted movie quote of all time comes from The Empire Strikes Back, the greatest of all Star Wars films. You might hear people utter, “Luke, I am your father,” referring to the surprising scene where Darth Vader reveals Luke Skywalker’s parentage. However, that’s not the actual line. The real movie line is, “No, I am your father” (with emphasis on the “I”). It’s generally easier for people to say the misquoted line than recite the entire scene, which gives more context to what was going on.

Still, the idea here is that there are certain pop culture references which are well known to a majority of people, even if those people have never seen the movie. Following is a list of some of those references; see how many you know immediately!

“I’ll be back.” Likely, if you recognize this quote, you did it in an accent. That’s right, it’s Arnold Schwarzenegger in The Terminator. And he was back in the sequel. And then the next one…and the next one…

“My momma always said life was like a box of chocolates; you never know what you’re gonna get.” Another quote that you can most likely read just as it was performed on the big screen. It’s Tom Hanks as Forrest Gump, talking to a lady at a bus stop as he tells his life story to an ever-changing crowd of interested people.

“Cinderella story. Outta nowhere. A former greenskeeper, now, about to become the Masters champion... It’s in the hole! It’s in the hole! It’s in the hole!” Ah, there are so many great quotes from Caddyshack, but this one from Bill Murray playing Carl Spackler, the slightly touched groundskeeper at the golf course, is recognized by golf fans everywhere!

“Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die!” Another accent needed! This is from the classic movie The Princess Bride. This movie is one that I feel like I can quote whole segments. There are so many funny parts, and if you’ve enjoyed the movie, you absolutely have to read the even-better book!

“He slimed me.” It’s been 30 years, but after Bill Murray (him again!) meets Slimer in Ghostbusters, nothing was ever the same. I think every kid wanted to get some green goo after that and slime people.

“If you build it, he will come.” You have to say this one in a whisper, don’t you? It’s what Kevin Costner hears in Field of Dreams, and he proceeds to build one of the greatest baseball fields ever put together, a simple thing of beauty.

“To infinity and beyond!” No matter how old you are, this line from Buzz Lightyear in Toy Story is memorable, and kids everywhere ran around quoting it after the movie came out. That trilogy of films is so amazing and so full of scenes that can be quoted all the way through, that it ranks as some of Pixar’s best work.

“Yo, Adrian!” I’m not a big boxing fan, but I absolutely love the first three Rocky movies. This one’s from the original, and Sylvester Stallone does his best job as an actor, by far.

“Just a flesh wound.” I guess I can forgive you if you don’t recognize this great quote from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. It does take a unique sense of humor to appreciate this send-up of medieval times. The funny part is that the character who says this has just had his arms and legs cut off…

“My precious.” Another voice you have to hear in your head when you think of this line from Gollum in Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. The way Andy Serkis reads this role is creepily dead on for how I always imagined it while reading The Hobbit. It gives me shivers!

Okay, a conversation quote: “Surely you can’t be serious.”  “I am serious. And don’t call me Shirley.”  This is one of many great back and forth scenes from Airplane. Considering it came out in 1980, it’s still very funny today.

Here’s a gimmee, just in case you haven’t gotten any correct so far: “E.T. phone home.” Another weird voice, another movie that everyone should see!

Let’s end with this one: “Life moves pretty fast. You don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” Wise words for everyone from the lips of Matthew Broderick in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. As the holidays approach, we can all take that advice. Maybe it’s a good time to slow down and catch a movie!

Word of the Week: This week’s word is refection, which means a light meal, as in, “The couple only had a refection, knowing they’d also have popcorn at the movie theater.” Impress your friends and confuse your enemies!

The scurs got the most out of the Weather Eye from the Pacer last week. They were wondering if it was hooked up right however as when the lever was on cold, we got warm. Will sliding the lever the other direction make it cold? Starting Wednesday, mostly sunny with a high of 22 and a low in the low teens. Thursday, mostly sunny with highs in the mid-20’s and lows in the mid-teens. Partly sunny on Friday and continued warmer with highs in the upper 20’s and lows in the upper teens. Saturday, mostly cloudy with highs near the freezing mark and lows in the upper teens. Partly sunny Sunday with highs in the upper 20’s and lows in the upper teens. Monday, partly cloudy with highs again near freezing and lows in the low 20’s. Partly cloudy for Tuesday with highs in the mid-30’s and lows in the low 20’s. A sneak peek at Christmas Day looks like mostly sunny with a high in the mid-20’s and a low in the upper teens. The normal high for December 21st is 24 and the normal low is 7. Astronomical winter also begins on the 21st. We will see the shortest amount of daylight for the year at 8 hours and 54 minutes. By Christmas Day we will have already gained a minute back. The scurs will slather themselves with suntan lotion to celebrate. They may need to find a tanning booth first given the recent spate of cloudy weather.

Looks as though we are headed for what is likely to be a brown Christmas. Early week snow didn’t amount to much so sliding on any area hills may be difficult. The November snow seems to be a distant memory with only about .2” recorded on Tuesday. Several observations were made on a recent jaunt to get the electric fence up and running as the sheep were wandering the pasture. After a rooster pheasant gave me a start right by the barn, I noted the posts were easy to push in the ground in spots already on Saturday. Poking around the yard revealed very little evidence of frost. The grass is still green enough in the lawn to make one wonder if it would need mowing again. Finally, a trip to the pond area found that unsafe to walk on especially with a leaky pair of boots. Ice fishing activity seemed to have followed suit.

The recent warm spell has awakened the raccoons and many of them find their way onto area roadways where they seem to have a death wish. Not wanting the dogs to venture forth to investigate, I got the scoop shovel out and tossed one local casualty off the road into the field. Hoping to possibly see one of the eagles reported in the area. Some of the indoor pests have awoken as well. A big noisy fly fell out of the light fixture at the Mall for Men onto the table as I was tapping away on the keyboard. I was prepared as the flyswatter was still within reach.

Saturday made a good day to finally grab a Christmas tree. We were a little concerned that they would be picked over to the point that we would get the Charlie Brown tree but our fears were unfounded. Mrs. Cheviot was drawn to a nice Frazier fir right away so who was I to argue? I was just glad I wasn’t stuck with picking it out myself. I am more than happy to carry it to the vehicle which in this case was the venerable Soccer Mom van or Gus Bus. For some reason that even behaved. Since the weather had been dry it didn’t pee on my foot and the key fob remote even started working again. Oh well, at least the defroster fan still only works on the highest setting, roaring so loudly you can’t hear a thing when driving it. Not that I can hear much anyway.

Sunday after the choir Christmas service it was time to do battle and clean the lambing barn. When we had returned from Saturday’s tree purchasing excursion, I’d hooked up the tractor and spreader, as well as opening everything up so we could get at it quickly. It wouldn’t be possible to haul it to the field as conditions were too muddy so adding to the pile in the lot was our easiest option.  I’d figured a load maybe two was all that was in there. I would be wrong. After attempting to fill the skidsteer bucket and back out, it was too slimy to even get enough traction to do that. Our only alternative was to use pitchforks and load the spreader by hand. If you’ve never pitched sheep manure you really don’t know what you’re missing. 

On a good day, it’ll come off in big heavy sheets so progress can be made. Sometimes and this was one of those times, it’s stubborn and the top crumbles into pieces making it frustrating to handle. This is especially true if not much bedding was used over the course of the summer months to bind it together. Even though sheep are known for their packing ability, dried out, finely ground pieces of grass simply don’t bond very tightly. In this case, it often works better if the top freezes first and a pick axe is used to bust it loose. Fun for the whole family! 

Mrs. Cheviot and I weren’t waiting around for that as we wanted it cleaned before the weather decided to change its mind. We were at it from about 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. and wound up grinding through three large loads for the compost pile. The sheep are always happy once the lambing barn is cleaned out. Their water tank is cleaned out and moved inside. New straw is spread for the ewes to pick through and the barn becomes a comfy place to sleep out of the elements. Seeing all the little beds where they’d nestled into the straw overnight made me glad we’d completed the task. And despite our aches and pains, we might’ve kept the snow at bay while we were at it. 

See you next week…real good then.   

Do you ever have a discombobulated season when you don't know if you are coming or going? Or maybe you are just in the middle - wondering what all is going on?

This is the season that is busy beyond belief, and the weather doesn't always cooperate, and help doesn't always come easy. 

There are so many things that "come to mind.” Here is an example.

God - Church.

Weather - Plans to go to my daughter, Keralyn’s, in the cities to bake cookies with the kids.

Ingredients and supplies for cookie baking.

Time - to go to New Richland after church to attend the benefit for little Isaiah.

Isaiah - with hope and prayers.

Mom - Stop to check to see how she is doing.

Ice Skating - 3:30 family affair.

Stories that need more - Christmas in the Country in Ellendale, Bingo, The Elf, Kids Bingo this week in Geneva.

Santa’s visit.

Christmas shopping not done - still thinking.

How many Christmas cards do I need?

Holiday plans – Who, what, where?

Food – always food. Too much.

People I haven't seen in a while. What a difference a year makes.

Kaden

Whispering Oak

Christmas Trees - Rochester - Ellendale - Moms – home.

Kittens - vultures by my mother’s front door - weather is getting colder.

School programs

Church programs.

Dick Lee, Roger - Joyce

Megan and her fatal accident

Christmas past

Dayna

Dana E.

St. Jude’s

Girls

Letters

Poinsettias

Clarice

Mary - in the nursing home. The look in her eyes when she said, " I am alone and I don't have any one - family - friends and old neighbors have died or moved away."

Carlie - Maddie - Marnie - Admiration

Jade

Game Feed - "Grass Fed"

Jim’s Thanksgiving

Toody - missing her from the family Thanksgiving table.  There was her empty chair.

People - good in everyone - who keeps giving and helping.

Strangers - are never strangers.  Wonder what they are thinking or feeling.  Why?

"Lounging pants" - are they really for outside wearing?

Tattoos - temporary would be better.

Piercings - shouldn't but it does leave negative feelings.

Colored hair.  Fun way to be different that only lasts for awhile.

Braids - How long have some let their hair grow?  Are they ever tempted?

Mallory - At 11 she had cut her hair 4 times for "Locks For Love.”

Ice skating- portray a positive image and role model to the public

Looking at a "stack of stuff to do” but taking a friend shopping. What's more important?

Mold - more dangerous than we think.

Christmas Cookies now and then

Pictures

Music

Kids’ artwork

Decorations

Christmas Trees

Highway scenery

Road kill including "tires"

Contents in the grocery cart – need or want.

Tammy

Crutches - 32 years.

Mending jeans

People look so happy like they are really enjoying all the "hoopla" and preparation for this special day.

Only a fraction of "What Comes To Mind.” What comes to your mind?

Everyone's thoughts will be different, and most don't realize how many things they think about even in one single day.

Some of our Star Eagle readers have commented they like to read about events such as family and school reunions, birthdays and anniversaries, and birth and wedding announcements.  In order to read about these important things we need our faithful readers to pass along the information to us.  Also if you have an idea for a story that you think would be of interest to our readers, please contact me. 

If you have birthdays and anniversaries you would like include, or news to share please contact me via e-mail, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; by postal mail, P. O. Box 192, Geneva, MN 56035 or telephone, 507-256-4405.

This week’s birthdays and anniversaries include:

Thursday, Dec. 11: Jane Nordhorn Allen, Justin Hove, Geoffrey Ramaker, Marty Shultz, Rick Johnson, Janice Paulsen, Beth Scripture Klucksen, Jake Thompson, Theresa Van Ravenhorst, Larry and Emily Otto

Friday, Dec. 12: Torie Richards, Jean Groth, Addison Gayle Lyman, Bernard Falksen, Allen Paulson, Matthew Butler, Barbara Lageson, Judith Johnson Tetzloff, Kim Seath, Christopher Nelson, Mark and Cheryl Johnson

Saturday, Dec. 13: Deb Bunn, Dan Carroll, Jake Pence, Eleanor Koster, Spencer Wayne, Maks Robert Edward Hanson, Michael Kelly, Mike and Michelle Peterson, Candy and Darin Baker

Sunday, Dec. 14: Makenna Marie Smith, Alexander Jayce Quimby, Keith Bengston, Randy Lehmberg, Elizabeth Falksen Brockoff, Richard Conroy, Wayne Reese, Tina VanRiper, Catherine Lageson, Jim Ladlie, Rich Krikava, Peggy Radjenovich

Monday, Dec. 15: Josh Otto, Jolene Sorenson, Brenda Burshem, Dustin Quimby, Maureen Riley, Nancy Kelly, Travis Reichl

Tuesday, Dec. 16: Dorothy Christensen Lund, Allen Larsen, Abraham Groth, Angie Deml, Karen Zicafoose, Laura Rayman, David Brandt, Bev Phillips, Vicky Dobberestein, M. Carol Nelson, Peggy Radjenovich, Paul and Mary Groth

Wednesday, Dec. 17: Zachary Tracy, Becky Edwards, Gretta Lageson, Tanya Blouin, Cheryl Cooper, Jack DeRaad, Joel Davis, Alex Edward LaFave, Keith and Leigh Ann Wayne, Lyle and Helen Swearingen, Bruce and Faye Thompson

Thursday, Dec. 18: Mary Torgerson, Catherine Suzanne Olson, Scott Lang, Chris O'Byrne, Margaret (Mugsy) Swearingen, Gavyn Tlamka, Jay and Sheri Crabtree  

Friday, Dec. 19: LaJune Hagen, Kathy Peterson, Jerry Thompson, Sheryl Tracy, Loren Haroldson, Cheryl Utpadel, James and Barb Bremmer, Chris and Jennifer Paulson, Jerry and Bev White

Saturday, Dec. 20: Corlyn Paulsen, Kyle Johnson, Laurie Swift, Deb Whelan, Odean and Andrea Johnson

Sunday, Dec. 21: Audriene Nelson, Nancy Rich, Liz Wangness, Darin Rhodes, Brandon Hagen, Dave and Tammy Peterson, Duane and Cheryl Lembke

It is your special day - take a break and celebrate!

Surprise somebody.  Call someone.  Send a card and make their day.  Little things mean a lot.

As we adjust ourselves to the fact that winter is here for the duration we can now focus on the many outdoor activities that we have available. Although some feel the need to head for warmer climates during the winter months I have never found that to be an option I would choose. I have chosen to remain in Minnesota because I look forward to the changing seasons and what each one brings to the table. I know a few folks may think that I am a little weird for embracing winter but there are many things about this season that I really do enjoy.

Now I have to tell you that shoveling snow is not one of my favorite tasks but even that chore is not without its benefits. Shoveling snow on a moonlit winter’s evening can actually be enjoyable (note the word fun was not used) at times.

Our neighborhood seems to have a good healthy population of squirrels and rabbits that like to frequent my backyard. Yes, seeing those critter tracks in the snow remind me of my days as a youth trekking through the slough between Bridge Ave. and Goose Lake. I loved spending time outdoors in the winter just walking that slough and even if none of my friends wanted to go I would venture out alone, all the while looking for critter tracks with my trusty Red Ryder BB gun in tow. There were a few times when I would actually stumble upon a field mouse or a rabbit. Whenever that would happen the last thing on my mind would be shooting anything. I just enjoyed seeing those little critters in the wild and was more interested in seeing where they lived and following their tracks to see where they were going. There were a few times when I’d stumble upon a pheasant that would scare the heck out of me when it took off flying. There were a few times when I actually followed the tracks in the snow and spotted the pheasant hiding in the slough grass. To me this was an awesome discovery and I’d tread lightly trying not to scare the bird from its hiding place.

Not only do I have an abundance of wildlife frequenting my yard but I also seem to have some neighborhood cats that like to stalk the birds at my feeder. A couple of weeks ago something deposited a dead woodpecker on my front steps and there is only one critter that I know of that would do that and that is a cat. I don’t know if the cat owners of the neighborhood are unaware of the damage their cats can do to the bird population or if they just plain don’t care. I enjoyed watching that woodpecker at my feeder each day so when that happened it left a void. There are acts of nature that are part of the life cycle of all things wild and then there are things that are preventable like letting cats run loose in the neighborhood.

Getting back to the good parts of winter, the warming houses at some of the parks should be opening soon for ice skating and with a little more snow sledding and skiing are other activities to enjoy. I have to mention, of course, the ice fishing season has started judging by the houses that are popping up on Fountain Lake. I am still not sold on the overall safeness of the ice with the cold then warm and rain but I have heard that it is at least 4-inches in a lot of places. Always be sure to use caution when venturing out on the ice.

There is still plenty of time for those hunters that haven’t switched to ice fishing yet. The seasons for most go until at least the end of the year. The muzzleloader season for deer ends on December 13th followed by the end of the archery season on December 31st. The season for both hunting and trapping goes until March 15th for raccoon, red & gray fox, badger and opossum.

One of the best things about small game hunting is that it affords our youth plenty of opportunity to enjoy the sport. Pheasant, grouse and partridge hunting goes until January 4th while small game such as squirrel and rabbit can be hunted until February 28th. Small game hunting is a great way for a young hunter to hone his or her skills and enjoy the outdoors experience.

Winter is indeed a time to enjoy the outdoors and hunting and fishing are just two of the ways that you can do that. As kids we used to have toboggan and skating parties with a campfire and hot chocolate which always seemed to taste a little sweeter when sipped in the outdoors by an open fire. Taking a walk on one of our area trails on a crisp, sunny winter day can be not only exhilarating but a great way to exercise and enjoy time in the outdoors.

Until next time, be careful when venturing out on the thin ice and if you’re hunting – hunt safe. It’s always time well spent when you spend it in our great Minnesota outdoors.

Please remember to keep our troops in your thoughts and prayers because they are the reason we are able to enjoy all the freedoms that we have today.

Echoes from the 

Loafers' Club Meeting 

I missed the lutefisk feed. My car wouldn’t start.

What was wrong with it?

I hadn’t put the key in the ignition. 

Driving by the Bruces

I have two wonderful neighbors--both named Bruce--who live across the road from each other. Whenever I pass their driveways, thoughts occur to me, such as: Never criticize anyone who prepares your food. They will get even.

The cafe chronicles

A panel of experts was seated at the table of infinite knowledge. That's the good table. The one where the catsup bottle top is gunk free.

"Do you want to trade?" asked one.

"What did you order?" replied the other.

It's true, men never do grow up.

Hardwood humor

My son Brian is a basketball coach. He heard this one at a coach’s clinic.

A professor was pontificating at the front of the class when he heard a cellphone ringtone. He asked whose phone was ringing. His students all denied it being theirs. The sound was coming from the back of the classroom where no one was sitting. At the end of the class, he walked to the back and found a cellphone on a chair. The phone’s screen showed that there had been 59 missed calls. The professor knew immediately that the abandoned phone belonged to a basketball referee.

It’s not how old you are, it’s how you are old.

We both remembered collect phone calls. She said that after her husband died, she moved to Iowa to make her four kids happy.      

"Your children live in Iowa?" I asked.

"Not a one of the dear dears do," she replied with a smile.

I stopped to see my brother Donald. I hadn't seen him for a day. He greeted me with, "I haven't seen you since the last time." He was drinking a cup of coffee. He is a dedicated and determined drinker of coffee. I asked him how the coffee was. He said, "I can't find anything wrong with it."

He wasn’t at home. Health problems had planted him where few want to be. It’s difficult for him to whistle a happy tune, but perhaps good coffee will allow him to bloom in his own little patch. I hope so.

Customer comments

Lonnie Harig of Emmons said that he ate a meal at a cafe in Green Bay. He picked up a free Green Bay Packer game ticket there. In small print, the ticket said that it wasn’t valid for any home or away games.

Elsie Thostenson told me that her quilting group at Cross of Glory Lutheran Church in Hartland produced 3000 quilts in 26 years. Things like that are the reason we have the word "uffda!"

Dan Belshan of Glenville said that anyone who can levy taxes should be elected. I think taxpayers should be elected.

Brad Harig of Emmons said that when he was in high school, they played poker in the back of the school bus. The bus driver was not disapproving. Far from it, she made change.

Marsha Taylor of Goshen, Indiana, asked her retired husband, "Do you know what we have to do tomorrow?" He replied, "What?" Marsha answered, "Any darned thing we want."

Denny Brue of Albert Lea said that after an accident claimed his Honda, he bought a Cadillac. He said that driving a Cadillac is much better than lying in the back of one.

Harold Williams of Waverly, Alabama, spends his summers in Alaska. He parked his car and was told by a police officer that he couldn’t park there because it was where bears crossed the road. Harold watched a bear crossing far down the road and said, "You need to train that bear better."

Daniel Purdy of Albert Lea and I were discussing something that strained belief. Daniel said, "I was born at night, but not last night."

Brian Haroldson of Kiester told me that when he was a boy, a member of his family made lutefisk and drowned it in Blue Bonnet margarine instead of butter.

Nature notes

It can be to a young bird’s advantage to leave the nest as soon as possible. Predators can easily find a nest of noisy baby birds.

Talking with 

the Holstein

The Holstein is a retired dairy cow, so she has time to talk. I asked her if she was ready to go to heaven.

The Holstein chewed her cud thoughtfully before saying, "Not yet. I just got a fresh bale of alfalfa."

Meeting adjourned

"My father said there were two kinds of people in the world--givers and takers. The takers may eat better, but the givers sleep better."

--Marlo Thomas

On Thursday, Nov. 6, Genie and I headed north from Albert Lea on our annual Sabbatical to the North Woods (Genie  calls it “extended socializing;” I call it “Deer Hunting.”)

I hunted two to three  hours in the morning for six of the 16 mornings. Each morning was plus-or-minus five degrees from zero with 15  to 30 miles per hour wind. No deer seen with one constant, “I was cold each morning as I left the woods.”

Socializing kept us busy. Genie and Sandy Roscoe, formerly of Albert Lea, met Tim and Brenda Bauer, formerly of Clarks Grove,  for lunch at Park Rapids. Genie attended the “Does Only” champagne brunch at Patrick’s in Longville with Sandy Roscoe.

We drove to Grand Forks to visit and have lunch with Alex and Jack Knudson, graudates of Albert Lea High School  and college students.

We drove to Baudette, Minn. for lunch with Carol Edstrom,  and attended the Holiday Craft and Vendor Extravaganza at Lake of the Woods School  on the scenic Lady Slipper Highway #11 west of town.

We attended the Veterans Day Breakfast and the evening meal on November  11.

We attended Trinity Lutheran Church on Highway 2 just west of Cass Lake the three Sundays of our Sabbatical. (Genie also attended the Monday activities.) One Sunday, Pastor Janeva announced organist Wayne would be playing a rock version of “This Little Light of Mine.” He did, we tapped our feet, rocked and sang, with a well deserved round of applause for Wayne.

Genie and Grace Nason attended “Fiddler on the Roof” musical in Bemidji. Later Charlie Nason and I joined them for dinner at the Palace in Cass Lake.

By now most of you are aware that this is the 50th anniversary of a national Christmas tree adorning the U.S. capitol building’s West Lawn in D.C. The tree for 2014 is from the Chippewa National Forest east of Cass Lake. I was lucky enough to get to know Reverend George Ross (from Cass Lake) who will be going to D.C. to partake in the lighting ceremonies.  Rev. George promised to mouth “Hi, Bob” during the  TV newscast.

We stayed at the Palace Hotel in Cass Lake. Genie and I both know a good thing is something to keep returning to, and we do. I guess you could say the ambience and the amenities cause us to keep going back. Putting it another way, it is the ABC’s of the Palace (along with many others) for example: Anita, Alice, Adria, Audrey, Anna, Andrew, Angela, Amy, Andy, Alicia, Ami, Adam and many other A’s. For example: Ben, Bill, Brandi, Brian, Bryan, Brenda, Becky, and many other B’s. For example: Charlee, Casondra, Cliff, Cody, Cassie,  Cheryl, Chris, Carol, Clinton, Colleen and many other C’s.

Thanks to Brennon at White Oaks for helping me get registered for the Veterans Day activities.

Thanks to Jordan at White Oaks for correcting a computer glitch.

Janet and Roger at Northern Lights in Walker are most certainly prime examples of Minnesota Nice.

After this trip, I now know two lady CEO’s: Audrey at the Palace, and Genie!

The telephone number for the Young and Young at Heart is 951-262-3062.

Do you know who is the Reason for the Season?

 Every year my sisters and I, along with our significant others, exchange names for Christmas. I usually put the latest super hero movies and some books on my list. Sometimes I think we’d be better off just getting what we wanted ourselves since there is no surprise anyway.

What would really be a pleasant surprise would be if Santa would bring me the items on my list that you can’t buy in a store. These aren’t items that would fit in my stocking or even under my tree.

1. A peaceful society. It seems impossible to find true peace around the world. But let’s at least start at home. When you see people rioting over court cases, it makes you wonder what’s going through their heads. What are you solving through violence? Let’s all get along! We don’t have to agree with everything, and we certainly have the right to disagree with things and become angry. But to take it to such an extreme? Santa, can you do something about that please?

2. An end to suffering. I’ve mentioned this before, but wouldn’t it be nice for people to avoid prolonged, painful illnesses? Listen, we’re all going to die at some point. But sometimes I think that if I’m going to end up with something horrific like cancer, give me a month to wrap things up, say my goodbyes, and die peacefully, without dealing with all the pain that so many people suffer from. Maybe I’m a coward here, but I’ve seen too many people’s quality of life drop off so far that it seems like a battle that’s not fair, when you already know the outcome. If you’ve got a chance to beat it, great; if not, I don’t think I would want to put off the inevitable too long, for the sake of everyone involved.

3. Parents who care about their kids more than themselves. I continue to be amazed at the selfishness of so many adults. There are too many (and by too many, I mean more than zero) who drink and smoke away their money, leaving their kids to wear the same clothes to school day after day, often unwashed. I see people with fancy phones and vehicles and everything else, but their kids can’t have friends over because of embarrassment over the state of their living quarters.

Some kids are limited in their opportunities because their separated parents can’t figure out a plan to get the kids where they would like to be. Even the parents that are together sometimes say no without exploring options. There does come a point where the amount going on is just too much, but I’ve found in my experiences around here that we have many amazing people who are willing to help out others. (That number, by the way, is much higher than the number I’m asking Santa for help with!)

It just draws my ire to see more and more kids come to school with such a poor outlook on everything. Between watching the adults in their lives kick away opportunity for the children and seeing constant yelling and screaming and trying to find enough to eat, too many (again, more than zero) come in behind the eight ball. It’s no wonder we need a mental health professional at school; some of these parents are wrecking their kids’ chances to have a better life.

4. On the flip side, the last thing I might like from the jolly man in red is the ability to stop making excuses for every child who strays from the light side. There have been outside forces affecting kids forever, but now we label everything. That kid’s dad does drugs, that one’s mom has a new boyfriend every month, this child switches from one parent to the next every week, this one has to live with other family members because the parents are unfit. Hey, I’ve got sympathy for those situations, I really do. However, I have to hear more and more about cutting this kid some slack and giving that kid endless strikes before consequence that I start to feel that we’re exacerbating the situations by not just getting these kids to buck up a little in school; after all, they’re away from that bad setting, so why not try to make a better life for yourself so you can escape some day? I’ve seen some kids accomplish that, which always gives me hope.

I may sound like I’m on my high horse here. I know I’ve not had to deal with such difficult statuses in my own life, but sometimes I just feel like shaking people and asking, “Really? Seriously?” And I know that there are some difficult scenarios out there that limit potential at times, but let’s all work together for the kids!

Okay, Santa, how does that work for you? I can forego the Mark Twain book I’d like and the Marvel movies if even one of those things on my list arrived for the holidays. I’ve been a pretty good boy this year…so maybe?

Word of the Week: This week’s word is brummagem, which means cheap and showy, as in, “Instead of the normal brummagem jewelry she was used to, her man finally bought her the real deal.” Impress your friends and confuse your enemies!

The scurs borrowed a Weather Eye unit from an AMC Pacer thinking all that might make for a warmer weather scenario. There was a reason they were known as a “Greenhouse on Wheels”. Will this propel us into those warmer temperatures or just become one of those snow globes? Starting Wednesday, mostly sunny with highs in the low 30’s and lows around 20. Partly sunny Thursday with highs in the mid-30’s and lows in the upper 20’s. Friday, partly sunny with a chance of light sprinkles. Highs in the low 40’s and lows in the upper 30’s. Mostly cloudy on Saturday with a chance of daytime sprinkles and rain in the overnight. Highs in the mid-40’s with lows in the low 40’s. Sunday mostly cloudy beginning the start of a slight cooling trend. Highs in the low 40’s with lows in the low 20’s. Partly sunny Monday with a slight chance of rain and snow. Highs near 30 and lows falling to 13. Tuesday, mostly sunny and cooler. Highs in the mid-20’s with lows in the low 20’s. The normal high for December 15th is 26 and the normal low is 9. We begin our descent into the darkest days of winter with 8 hours and 55 minutes of daylight, with roughly only one more minute to lose before the shortest day of the year on the 21st. However the sun will have already begun setting later by the 14th. The scurs will have to draw the shades a tad earlier to reap the benefits of more sleep before starting their Christmas shopping bright and early the evening of the 24th.

Precipitation has been sparse so far in December with nothing measurable being recorded at the ranch. Not a big deal and as Mark Seeley has been fond of pointing out over the years, this is a good time of year for a drought if you’re growing corn and soybeans anyway. Something that is a little concerning however is the trend that started once again in July. We have had only one month at the ranch anyway since then where precip was above normal and that was due to a heavy rainfall event on the 31st. All the months since that time have been well below normal. With December off to a dry start and soils drier than they were last year at this time, it’s something to watch as we move into the New Year.

It has been one of the more bland winters to watch the birds at the ranch too. The relatively open meteorological winter likely is large part of that with many of the feedstuffs our usual visitors enjoy still exposed. There are still some faithful customers though. A red-bellied woodpecker makes a morning pilgrimage to the suet daily and the blue jays keep an eye on him and the ear corn. Juncos pick at the lawn in groups and congregate with the house sparrows under the feeders from time to time. They apparently are wary of the sharp-shinned hawks and kestrels that happen by looking for a little lunch.

More moderate temperatures were definitely on everyone’s pre-Christmas wish list. Spending some time in downtown Minneapolis last week, venturing out was not on my list so stayed in at the hotel to eat and write. With Mrs. Cheviot in charge back at the ranch, was hoping there were no calls about broken pipes or equipment not functioning. Fortunately some forward planning had been done and we were in good shape to settle in for the winter. The sheep devoured most of the fall decorations including such staples as pumpkins and gourds prior to my leaving. There was plenty of feed on hand so they were set. About one more short day of barn cleaning and that will be completed. Now if I could just find someone with a strong back and a weak mind.

Speaking of that, the reason I was in the Twin Cities was to attend the North Central Weed Science Society meetings. The last one I attended was back in 2001 so was curious to see what was being discussed. In 2001 the topics were largely centered on glyphosate resistant crops. In 2014, the presentations were largely addressing glyphosate resistant weeds. There were also people I hadn’t seen for a long time so it was great to catch up and dispel any rumors of my younger days. After sitting through 35 presentations in 3 days, I remembered why I was always so tired after those meetings. There was a lot of information to absorb and then there were the presentations.

Coming off the NCWSS meetings was the MN Lamb and Wool conference that Mrs. Cheviot convinced me to attend in Chaska. Back to another stay at a hotel and another set of meetings. The best part of this one though was the presentation the first night by the chef. He had raised lambs in 4-H and had some excellent ideas for cooking with various spices and techniques. We got to sample his creations along with some locally produced wine and sheep cheese. Impressive! Lamb is not something we as Americans consume very much of anymore. As sheep marketing guru Brett Oehlke pointed out in another talk, we Americans consume more pounds of garlic per capita than we do lamb. Just goes to show there’s so much to know and limited time to learn it. A lot of shepherds at this meeting and although not a lot claiming to be wise men.   

See you next week...real good then.