The NRHEG cross country teams hosted the Gopher Valley Conference Meet at New Richland’s Riverview Golf Course Tuesday, Oct. 14.

Martin County West won the boys’ title with 23 points, followed by LCWM/Nicollet at 83, Mankato Loyola 85, Blooming Prairie 119, Maple River 146, WEM/JWP 156, United South Central 159, NRHEG 208, Medford 233 and Madelia-Truman 249.

Junior Tyler Schlaak, as he has all season, led the Panthers. He finished 28th in 18:45. Following for NRHEG: Zach Mely, 37th, 19:28; Josh Fleming, 42nd, 20:06; Ben Lewer, 49th, 20:38; Brenden McMann, 52nd, 21:03; Aaron Seath, 52nd, 22:53; Orin Mely, 65th, 24:47.

This past week I was able to spend a few days at our cabin with my son Brian. We originally planned to do some work on the cabin, but our stay wasn’t going to be long enough to start any large projects. It is sometimes better to relax and not have an agenda; this was one of those times, and it made for an enjoyable few days.

Brian is not one to just sit around and do nothing, he has to be busy all of the time; I guess he has always been that way even as a child. On the first day the weather was cold with a biting northwest wind, but we enjoyed a nice campfire and reminisced about other fall trips. Looking back, this was actually one of the better trips as far as the weather goes.

On our second day we headed to a pristine little lake a few miles from our cabin. The lake has no cabins but it does have some rustic national forest campsites that are available on a first come basis. There is no cost for camping with the only stipulation being your stay can be no longer than 14 days and you leave the campsite as clean as you found it. There were folks camping in a couple of different locations on the lake and this time of year they come to this area primarily for the grouse hunting, which has been pretty good this year.

We had taken our small boat to this lake and were fishing “old school” meaning no electronics just troll the weedline, which has always been my favorite way to fish. We managed to boat quite a few northern that day, but none in the bragging range. We did have a few “line breakers” that must have been monsters according to my unwritten rule (if you don’t see it the fish it can be as big as you want).

One of the campers had brought his boat and he was doing the same thing we were; just trolling the weed lines. When we passed each other we stopped the boats to compare fish stories and he was happy to share the fact he had boated 11 fish so far with 29 and 27-inchers being the largest. I could tell just by the excitement in his voice that this young man really enjoyed fishing and on a beautiful day with great fishing, what’s not to like?

All in all it, was a great day spent bonding with my son on a beautiful little Northern Minnesota lake.

— — —

This upcoming trapping season the DNR has agreed to allow trappers the use of traps such as conibair or body-grip and snare type devices on public walk-in land. I have spoken with Kevin Auslund, president of the nonprofit sportsmen’s group Sportsmen Take Action about this on a couple of different occasions and he shared with me his feelings on the matter, and what he felt could be a good compromise. He stated that the Walk-In Access program is primarily for pheasant hunting (although deer, turkey, duck and other small game is allowed). Our dogs, kids and we hunters shouldn’t have to deal with 7x7 and 10x10-inch jawed conibears, kill snares and tongue traps on these properties.

On Friday, Oct. 3, a compromise offer was extended to Governor Dayton that would keep lethal traps capable of killing dogs from being used on the Walk-In Access (WIA) public hunting program in exchange for allowing conventional leg-hold traps on these private landowner properties leased by the state for hunting pheasants and other game.  This compromise was offered by Kevin Auslund, president of the nonprofit Sportsmen Take Action, as a guest Commentary article published in Outdoor News to its 50,000 readers. Mr. Auslund describes this offer as a “Win-Win” compromise where landowners (and to whom they give permission) could still trap Walk-In Access lands with leg-hold traps, but dogs would be protected from lethal body-grip traps, snares and tongue-catching pipe traps that would not be allowed on these WIA properties. 

Mr. Auslund went on to say, “On Oct. 11 I discussed the WIA trapping issue with Gov. Dayton in the lobby of the Worthington Event Center on how the DNR will allow nearly any type of lethal trapping on Walk-In Access lands. He seemed surprised. I proposed on behalf of Sportsmen Take Action and Minnesota’s hunter dog-owners that leg-hold traps of the long-spring and coil-spring variety are acceptable to us because of the ease in removal but that body-grips and snare type devices that can kill or injure dogs is unacceptable to Minnesota’s pheasant and waterfowl hunters. He appeared to be receptive to these concerns and said he would discuss this with Tom Landwehr.”

You can learn more on this issue by visiting Sportsmen Take Action at www.sportsmentakeaction.org  (see YouTubes on traps and Key Issues section entitled “Dog-Killing Traps”).

I feel that a sportsman should be able to hunt with his or her dog on public land without worrying about the animal being killed or injured when being caught in a trap.

The fall colors are at peak in our area of the state so it’s a great time to slow the pace and maybe take a drive in the country or visit a park and enjoy the moment.

Please take a little time to remember those who served, those who are serving now and those who gave the ultimate sacrifice so that we are able to enjoy all the freedoms that we have today. 

I really don't know how I could be more impressed with the teaching staff at our local school. We seem to always have exceptional teachers here.

When I read the resumes of the new teachers I have met so far this year, I could hardly believe we could be so fortunate to attract these great teachers. They seem to bring such high expectations and experience with them to their classrooms it excites me. I feel like I want to go back to school again.

Their enthusiasm, goals and background are commendable. They sound very eager to share what they have learned with their students.

Some of the new teachers are local residents, a couple in fact graduated from our school district. I feel that is a plus because they know the territory and the trends that are here. Yet some are from distances far enough away that they have brought many new ideas with them.

Several new teachers come from parents with educational backgrounds. In fact, Emily Dahle’s mother is also teaching in our local district.

Emily, the new Minnesota Reading Corps tutor for the 4 and 5–year-old preschool class, spent a year in Africa with a mission team, bringing morality and knowledge into the classroom of a territory unlike our own. Emily, who is also schooled in business, taught English to young children in Africa.

It wasn't just about going on a mission. Emily had to first make the decision to go and then apply. She then had to wait patiently to see if she would be accepted. Once she got the word, she had to find a way to raise the money she would need to make the trip a reality. These wonderful traits are bound to rub off on her students.

Brenda Dobberstein, another local resident, had previously taught in Blooming Prairie and Owatonna, as well as in her home, as she is a mother or three highly motivated and mature young boys. She's taught them well and one can see the same qualities in how she teaches her students. She believes that it is important to connect with each of her students.

Drew Paukert, what can I say? This remarkable young man moved in to the territory as soon as he knew he would be part of the community. He likes that small town feeling and the welcome he has received. He also believes that sports also provide an education too and his involvement is to his credit. His goal of growing as an educator makes a positive influence on all of his students.

Drew’s parents too, are in education and he credits them with being great educators and instilling in him his passion for teaching.

When Jillian Freeman was trying to decide on a career, her father laughed and said, "I  always knew you'd be a teacher. You've played school since you were a child and you always wanted to be a leader.”

And so she is with strength and experience teaching fourth grade at Ellendale. A former teacher gave her encouragement to apply at NRHEG.

Coy Hupfeld celebrates learning. He doesn't give tests but conducts "Celebrations of Learning." I for one have found that tests just did not reflect my knowledge of the subject. Others have told me that tests just make them "freeze." He believes learning should be fun and he brings thinking to his classroom with humor. His goal is to inspire his students to be lifelong learners who think outside the box and gain an overall knowledge  of what is going on in the world. His interest in history and political science is his motivation.

And I still have a couple more teachers — Molly Eckhardt and Samanatha Klukow — yet to meet, and I look forward to learning all about them too!

We have also been touched by great instructors who have retired and moved on to other things, secure in the knowledge that these new teachers are like a fresh breath of air, adding to the experiences of the former teachers.

Currently our local district is comprised of 37 instructors in New Richland, 44 in Ellendale, plus 15 office staff and three administrators.

Our teachers focus on the needs of each of the students, from those with special needs on to those with the exceptional learning abilities.

And let us not forget the community efforts. Shawn Larson, a 6th-grade teacher, is also a member of one of our local fire departments. Shawn again organized a great instructional program for Fire Prevention Week. The kids were included in hands-on activities, which makes for improved learning and remembering.

The local P.T.O. is such a plus as they help bring fun and adventure to education. They provide needs that might not be there except for their efforts.

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.

Birthdays and anniversaries:

• Thursday, October 23rd: Jacklynn Kress, Marian Dahl, Gene Grubbish, Kimberly Kilian, Grant Ver Hey, Stewart Hatch, Rick & Lana Thompson, Dan & Tina Schmidt, Gary & Deb Nelson

• Friday, October 24th: Noelle Mae Brekke, her 4th; Jacob Keith Rigby, his 5th; Jeff Dobbertstein, Bobby Dobberstein, Joseph Bailey, Dan Willert, Eunice Hanson, Bob Wayne, Ashley Ashton, Gil & Kay Nelson, Lorna & Russell Reistad

• Saturday, October 25th: Mavis Bartsch, Jady Beenken, Dean Van Hal, Charlotte Haberman, Heidi Crabtree Owen, Mikaela Krikava, Spencer & Barb Kubat, Dean & Sandy Jensen, Breanna & Timothy Breidenbach, Heidi & Jason Owen

• Sunday, October 26th: Jannell Tufte, Jeanne Holland, Heather Hove, Reece Gabriel Routh, Jake Andrew Wiersma, Kevin Hamor, Conner Dean Phode, Jamie & Andrea Mettler

• Monday, October 27th: Jason Born, David Anderson, Bruce Yanke, James Bremer Jr., Mitchell & Amy Edwards, Donly & Joanne Cromwell

• Tuesday, October 28th: David Thompson, Jan Sorenson, Lisa Morin, Rick Horan, Randy Horan, Todd Brotizman, Rich Weckwerth, Sue Westrum, Tanner Jorge Wilson, Lyle & Darlyne Paulson, Jane & Jeff Allen, Amanda & Paul Rovnak

• Wednesday, October 29th: Ann Anderson, Scott Klocek, Mark Motl, Bob Haried, Kayli Rose Johnson, Bailey Ann Davis, Warren & Mary Torgerson, Craig & Jennifer Torgerson

• Thursday, October 30th: Lilly Jane Wacek, Gordon Goette, Angie Broskoff Klemmensen, Allen & Barb Dobberstein

• Friday, October 31st: Happy Halloween! Kyra Barbara Kotsmith, Brooke Hanson Berg, Heather Wayne, Emily Smith, Carrie Thompson, Roseann Kasper, Lorraine Lent, Kaye & Mike Cady, Vonda & Andrew Komba

Hoping that your special day puts a song in your heart to last the whole year long!

Echoes from the Loafers’ Club Meeting

What are you doing today?

I'm tying flies.

I didn't know you were a fisherman.

I'm not. I enjoy binding insects.

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: I know it’s harvest time when I mosey to town and spend far more time looking out the side windows than I do peering through the windshield.

Shopping with Allen

My job when we go grocery shopping is to stay by the cart. My wife picked up a bag of sugar and placed it into the shopping cart. I read the back of the bag.

"Just look at the sugar content in this," I said in feigned outrage.

Comments like that are why I often go shopping alone. One day, I bought light bulbs, nothing more. The friendly cashier asked, "Is that everything for you?"

I replied, "Yes, I'm a light eater."

The secret to eternal youth is to lie about your age

Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "The years teach much which the days never know."

I went to my Aunt Edith’s funeral. She died nearing her 106th birthday. My cousin Richard Lewis officiated. He told us, "The young may die, the old must."

"What's it like being 90?" I asked a friend one day.

"It's like being 17, 73 years later."

I said that we become old if we’re lucky.

He said that he’d become old in July. That was when he moved into the nursing home.

He played baseball for a farm team. Johnson Brothers Alfalfa Farm. He told me, "One day, you realize that you're never going to play in the World Series."

"When did that happen to you?" I asked,

"Just yesterday," he said.

Football follies

The coach said that whenever a police car drove by the practice field and some of his players tried to hide in the crowd, he knew he was going to have a good football team.

I listened to a coach on something called "The Coaches' Corner" on the radio. I pictured a forlorn coach sitting in the corner until he learned how to win.

A day in the life of a newspaper columnist

I was at Kirby's Café in Emmetsburg. The waitress took my order. I told her that I wanted unsweetened iced tea. She smiled and said, "You're in luck. That's one of the two flavors we have."

I visited with Barb Thompson of New Richland. I noticed the small TV mounted on the wall. I asked why she didn't have a larger one. Barb said, "I like to watch a little TV."

Members of my family visited with Swan Tollefson of New Richland. He asked my sister-in-law Donna who she was. She replied, "I'm Duane Swenson's daughter." It’s too easy to misspeak, but I had to laugh. She's married to Duane Swenson.

My young grandson, Crosby, was visiting his great-grandmother Lorraine Nelson of New Richland. He’s a talker (Winston Evenson said that he is our family’s spokesperson), but he's a listener, too. The talk moved to memories of his great-great-grandmothers. Crosby listened for a while before asking, "How many grandmas do I have?"

Customer comments

• Henry Armknecht of Hays, Kansas, said he sometimes forgets that he doesn’t remember as well as he used to.

• Rob Bute of New Ulm and I watched a basketball game from front row seats. The game was fast and rough. The referees hadn’t swallowed their whistles, but had given them a game off. Perhaps they felt it’d build character. Naturally, from our seats, we could see fouls much better than the referees who were paid to do that job. After a particularly brutal foul went unaccompanied by a whistle, Rob said, "I could referee this game and I was a wrestler."

• Ric McArthur of Morpeth, Ontario sends, "My neighbour was knocking on my door at 2:30 this morning. Luckily, I was still up playing the bagpipes."

• Dennis Galagan lives within the city limits of Albert Lea, but he still has the north 40 and the south 40. Each one is 40 inches of garden space.

• Charlotte Olerud of Haines, Alaska told me about an 80-year-old woman who gave the graduation speech at a high school and said, "Your senior moments aren't my senior moments."

Nature notes

"Does a bird sweat?" No, it controls its body temperature by panting with opened mouth and via heat loss from featherless legs and feet.

Meeting adjourned

"Your true worth is determined by how much more you give in value than you take in payment." — Bob Burg

Genie and I decided to celebrate the first anniversary of our 50th anniversary. 

We were going to celebrate the day (Sunday, Sept. 28) of our anniversary only, but then we decided it was worth at least a week-long celebration. But after second thoughts, we decided a continuous week of celebrating was more than our ages could handle. We decided on a two-week celebration with days of rest within the two weeks.

Following is our two-week celebration:

Saturday, Sept. 27 was the 10th anniversary of my fiftieth graduation from New Richland High School. Lynn (Jeddeloh) Bartness, LaJune (Strand) Hagen, Bill Goette, Bob Hanson, and Dale Newgard were the local organizers (Four of them did such a good job in letting Lynn do most of the work!) of the reunion held at the American Legion in Albert Lea. After an hour of conversation (consisting mainly of trying to remember), an excellent meal was served by the Legion staff.

The after-dinner program was very good. Merlyn Proechel tried to get us to remember our senior year – he was the only one to remember! An anonymous class member gave everyone a present: a five-dollar Minnesota Lottery scratch ticket plus a penny to scratch it. Andy Mucha was the big winner, as he was two cents away from his first million. (Spouse Doreen matched his penny, so he made it!)

Paul Arnfelt asked his fellow classmates, “Would you like to look ten years younger?” He then passed around the class picture of ten years ago! It was decided our next class reunion would be in two years, when we would celebrate our thirtieth year of being age fifty. Darlene (Molkenthin) Johnson agreed to chair the event.

Sunday, Sept. 28, was the actual day of our wedding. We celebrated by serving the coffee hour at Central Freeborn Lutheran Church. Pie, ice cream, breakfast rolls, anniversary cake, and other sweets plus beverage was the menu.

Monday, Sept. 29 was a day of rest, with a power nap in the afternoon.

Tuesday, Sept. 30 was a repeat of the previous day.

Wednesday, Oct. 1 was the “Same T’ing” of the previous two days.

Thursday, Oct. 2 we were school guides at the Rendezvous in Albert Lea. My cousin Cheryl (Hanson) Davis from Sacramento, CA arrived for a week in Minnesota.

Friday, Oct. 3 was another “Same T’ing” day of rest.

Saturday, Oct. 4 was another “Same T’ing” day of rest.

Sunday, Oct. 5 was Church Day at Central Freeborn Lutheran Church.

Monday, Oct. 6 was lunch at Trumble’s with cousins Cheryl and Doug Olson.

Tuesday, Oct. 7 was an evening of dinner and dancing at the country club in Austin. (We are members of the Dance Club “Cotillion” in Austin.)

Wednesday, Oct. 8 was lunch at Macy’s in Minnetonka. Aunt Lois (Hanson) Farrell, matriarch of the Hanson Tribe, treated cousin Cheryl, Genie and me. She then took us to her “Eighth Floor Lady Cave” for ice cream and cookies.

Thursday, Oct. 9 we were part of Reader’s Theater at Hawthorne School in Albert Lea.

“Sam T’ing” is our current vocation!

———

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.

When Michelle and I moved from our apartment in New Richland to our house in Ellendale all those years ago, we were amazed at how much stuff we had accumulated after being married less than a year. We had been thinking we’d have lots of room in our new house after living in a two-bedroom apartment – not so.

If we moved now, I’d really be frightened. Our stuff has grown exponentially. That is somewhat natural with two children and a cat along the way. There are plenty of old toys the kids have outgrown, as well as clothes and other items we’ve failed to rid ourselves of at various garage sales over the years.

Michelle and I have talked about downsizing and really going through all this stuff and making the tough decisions on what we really need to keep. She always rolls her eyes when I clean through my closet; the number of T-shirts I have is astronomical, somewhat of a by-product of having successful sports teams and buying all those conference/state shirts!

My sister Angie has been discovering this lately as well. She and her family are waiting for the finishing touches on their new house. Meanwhile, they’ve been living in an apartment with the bare minimum; it’s not as easy to go from a house to an apartment as the other way around. She’s realized just what they can get by on, and that attitude could carry over when they move in the new house next month. Or maybe not.

We tend to fill the space we have. We throw things out as they get old or donate gently-used items to make way for new items over the years, but could we clean out enough to have an empty room in our house?

I wrote earlier this year about my grandma moving from her house into a senior apartment complex. This past week, she had an auction to get rid of much of the stuff that had been in her house, garage, shed, etc. When asked if she’d miss any of the items, many of which belonged to my grandpa who died 25 years ago, she said, “I took what I wanted to my apartment.” What a refreshing thought! So many times we get nostalgic over items that we’ll place in a box and not look at again for years. That doesn’t seem to make much sense in many cases.

Grandma was worried that nobody would show up for a Thursday afternoon auction, but 107 bidders were there to vie for the many tools, antiques, and various other items, including appliances and furniture. Grandma was constantly amazed when people would pay large amounts for things she didn’t think much of (a Schell’s beer baseball player-shaped keychain brought $30), but barely anything for big things like chairs and tables (some of which went for $1).

I told her it’s all about what somebody cares to add to his or her stuff. Ultimately, I would bet that much of the stuff from Grandma’s auction will end up on somebody else’s auction someday! What else would you eventually do with a hardcover guide to how to fix old TV sets? If you paid $25 for it, you’re not going to recycle it!

Pardon an aside here: Auctions are fascinating social events. People prowl around the hayracks for a couple hours prior to the auction, looking not only at the things for sale, but also at the competition. The auction started at 3, but I was outside about 1:30, keeping an eye on things and people watching. I wasn’t bored for one minute!

It’s fun watching people getting caught up in bidding wars and paying much more than the actual value of something just so they can win. And only at an auction would you watch two people related to one another bid against each other for an ashtray with an old family business name on it!

Anyway, my eyes were opened more than ever after Grandma’s auction. She didn’t seem to have problems parting with all this stuff. Hopefully my parents and my own family can follow suit. Auctions can be fun, but wouldn’t it be better to not have so much stuff to worry about in the first place?

Word of the Week: This week’s word is accouterment, which means personal clothing or accessories, as in, “The columnist realized how boring the word stuff was and found a good synonym for it in accouterment.” Impress your friends and confuse your enemies!

Last week’s judicious use of PB Blaster on the Weather Eye heat control cable apparently paid big dividends for the scurs. Weather this past week was absolutely gorgeous. Will their new found remedy continue to yield results? Starting Wednesday, sunny becoming cloudy with a good chance of a shower developing after midnight. Highs in the upper 50’s and lows in the upper 40’s. Mostly cloudy on Thursday with a good chance of morning showers. Highs in the upper 50’s and lows in the mid-40’s. Then the beautiful weather comes back. Mostly sunny on Friday with highs in the upper 60’s and lows in the mid-40’s. Sunny on Saturday with highs in the mid-60’s and lows in the mid-40’s. Sunday, mostly sunny becoming mostly cloudy with a slight chance for an evening shower. Highs again in the upper 60’s with lows in the upper 40’s. Partly cloudy and cooler on Monday with a modest chance of a shower. Highs in the upper 50’s with lows in the low 40’s. Tuesday, mostly sunny with highs in the low 50’s and lows in the mid-30’s. The normal high for October 25th is 55 and the normal low is 34. In a month the normal high will be the same as the normal low for October 25th. With corn harvest upon us the scurs anxiously await the roar of Bugtussle’s very own ten-man dryer.

How our weather fortunes have improved! Progress in the fields picked up steam as the week wore on. Soybean harvest is now nearing completion in most of the area including the replants. Corn harvest has begun in earnest with moistures running in the low to mid- 20’s. Test weights have been a little on the light side with many reports of 52–53 lbs. Several potential reasons for this given the loss of nitrogen following the heavy June rains, an early frost in some areas and stalk rot, also catalyzed by the wet June weather. Standability has become an issue in some fields and as was mentioned in previous editions, one will want to stay on top of corn harvest and not be waiting for corn dry enough to put it in the bin. Travels over the weekend also revealed a potential major problem over much of Southern Minnesota. It appears we could be one 40–50 mph windstorm away from a lot more down corn.

On Saturday, with corn harvest commencing it meant getting the screening wagon back to its rightful owner for a refill. This is almost always more difficult than it should be. First the tractor wanted to be persnickety about starting. Seems the solenoid is going and it takes some finesse to get it started. Of course the skid steer that I had repaired the week before was dead as a stone. Again, after getting nothing from putting the battery charger on it and some head scratching, I remembered a 30-amp fuse on it had blown 10 years ago. It exhibited the same symptoms so after fishing around the odds and ends drawer I located a 10-year-old package of 30-amp fuses. Replaced the fuse and voila! Back in business and able to move the wagon out of the space it was cramped into. The trip to beautiful downtown Matawan was all that it could’ve been and more. The wagon trailed well and actually made it to the destination in one piece. Well almost. The piece of electric fence wire holding the chute up had broken. Luckily I always carry a spare. It’s an unwritten rule that if you borrow something and it breaks you’re obligated to fix it. The former mayor of Waldorf and his sidekick seemed pleased to see it was restored with factory original parts.

Bird migration continues to roll along. There are still lots of robins and now that it’s warmed up a little, they’ve focused their attention to the earthworms that have become more willing to some above ground. Oh sure they’re still feeding on chokeberries, but they do enjoy their earthworms. Bluebirds aren’t as plentiful of course, but their softly spoken call makes one aware of their presence. It also reminds me of the broods that were fledged both at the ranch and the kindly neighbors’. Hopefully next year will bring even more. The fox squirrels continue to give Ruby and Fudgie something to occupy their spare time. With a little help from the blue jays the little rodents have cleaned up all the acorns under our trees, eating some but probably distributing them to points unknown. Finding the flat cap from one of the red oak acorns on the patio, one can only imagine where the seedlings might turn up.

Gardening has slowed primarily due to lack of daylight hours after work. The snap peas have disappointed with only a couple rubbery pods resulting after the heavy frosts. There are still carrots to dig and they look promising. The longer they are left in the ground the sweeter they seem to be. Soil conditions are such that one of these weekend afternoons we’ll need to take advantage of that. And we’re still enjoying the last of the tomatoes while sampling more of the new spuds. One softball sized red Pontiac is enough for a whole pan of fried potatoes. Combined with onions and some fried eggs on the side, it’s a combination that always qualifies as comfort food when one runs out of ideas for a quick supper. There are still lots of apples remaining to pick too so there can be some pies and baked apples. Did manage a trade of some apples for some excellent pears. While small they were very sweet. Even after the trade it still didn’t look like we had picked any apples. 

Sunday meant a whirlwind tour to SE MN, the land of rolling hills and limestone bluffs. Taking MN 30 to Stewartville, U.S. 63 to Spring Valley and the back road to Chatfield via Fillmore is about as good as it gets. The return route west out of Chatfield on MN 30 made for an encore performance as we wound our way along the Root River valley and climbed up the Cummingsville hill. The entire journey colors were at their peak and with every turn and bend in the road, a new panorama unfolded. The red oaks combined with the flame orange maples and yellow basswood were breathtaking with contrasting green pockets of white pines interspersed. Our return to the ranch coincided with the firing up of the corn dryer at neighbor David’s. Some say that it seems awfully loud but it’s just part of the furniture. Actually it qualifies as a sleeping aid. Upon my head hitting the pillow and hearing the hum of the dryer, it’s like singing a lullaby to a baby. The evidence: Sunday evening within a matter of minutes I was out like a light. The perfect end to a perfect day.

See you next week…real good then.

With the upcoming election on Tuesday, November 4, candidates for NRHEG School Board were given questionnaires by the NRHEG Star Eagle. Seven candidates are running for four open seats. The following are their responses:

Name: Karen Flatness

Age: 35

Family: Husband Brandon, children Cale Zander Nora Tucker and Stepson Gage

How long have you lived in the area? All my life

What is your occupation?  Co-Owner of Olson Excavating/Stay at home Mom

Have you help a school board position in the past?  Yes, the last 4 years

What do you consider the most important part of this job? To provide the best education for our children, while remaining financially responsible.

NRHEG plays Tuesday at Maple River

By JIM LUTGENS

Editor/Publisher

The high flying Blooming Prairie Blossoms came and left New Richland with their undefeated record and high state ranking intact.

But it wasn’t all that easy.

The NRHEG football team gave the Blossoms their closest game of the year while falling 35-20 at New Richland Wednesday, Oct. 15 in the final game of the regular season.

“What a battle,” said Panthers coach Dan Stork.

That it was.

Memorial services for James A. Follmuth of New Richland, MN, will be held at 11 a.m. Monday, October 20, 2014 at the Bonnerup Funeral Service Chapel. Deacon Mike Ellis will officiate. Visitation will be held Sunday evening from 4 until 7 p.m. at the Bonnerup Funeral Service and one hour prior to the service. Interment will be in Greenwood Cemetery, Glenville, MN.

James died Thursday, October 16, 2014 at the Albert Lea Good Samaritan Center. He was 61 years of age.

James was born June 2, 1953 in Albert Lea, MN, the son of Berton and Marion (Cragg) Follmuth. He was a graduate of Glenville High School. James had been employed by the DME, Rock Island Railroad as an engineer for over 30 years. He had spent most of his life in Freeborn County and the past 23 years in New Richland.