NRHEG girls one win away from state

By JIM LUTGENS

Editor/Publisher

Not many people gave the NRHEG girls’ basketball team much of a chance in Monday night’s sub-section title game against top-seeded WEM.

The Panthers surprised them — and the Buccaneers.

The NRHEG girls claimed the Section 2AA Sub-Section South championship by rallying past WEM and hanging on for a 55-52 triumph at Minnesota State-Mankato. The Panthers, who lost twice to WEM this season, improved to 23-6 and reached the section title game Friday at 8 p.m. at MSU against north sub-section champion Norwood-Young America (25-3).

“I’m extremely proud of this team,” said second-year NRHEG head coach Onika Peterson. “It was great to see them battle back and get the win. Going 0-2 against them throughout the season, I told the girls we only have to beat them one time; let’s do it during playoffs. Believe in yourself, believe in your teammates, play with heart, work for every possession and have fun. We beat a great WEM team. It happened to be our night.”

Last weekend I had a chance to catch a few fishing shows on Fox, and on one of them they were doing some fall musky fishing on Lake of the Woods. If this doesn’t get an old fisherman’s adrenaline flowing, nothing will. I’d guess you could say that I have come down with that dreaded virus some call “cabin fever.” That trip was followed up by a trip to Cass Lake where they were catching smallmouth bass, walleye and big pike. This was definitely a show that could get a guy lost in his daydreams.

I am afraid there will only be one cure for this dreaded virus and that is a trip to the cabin. I am not sure how much snow we have at the cabin, but I will probably not be going until I know that the road in will be passable. Our road does not get plowed out in the winter, so it can be pretty tough to get a vehicle back there. I have passed the point of no return as far as the snowshoe thing goes, so a clear drive is about my only option.

Once we had the cabin built, Trevor and Taylor, my two oldest grandsons, and I would take a weekend trip north in April. I always said that it was to check and see if we had any damage over the winter, but I have to confess I really couldn’t wait any longer and just had to go there. I guess I was like a little kid at Christmas time who is waiting anxiously to open his presents. We did this for two years running, then the boys decided that it was too far to drive just to spend two nights in a cabin that had no insulation and only a kerosene heater to keep us warm. If the lakes would have been open and you could have fished, I have no doubt that Trevor would have kept going, but with the lakes still frozen and a grandpa who wasn’t much of an ice fishermen there was just not much for them to do. It was a short-lived tradition, but a tradition nonetheless and one that their grandpa surely enjoyed and will always remember fondly. I have to say that any time I can spend time with one or more of the grandkids, it’s a good time.

Getting back to the fishing and looking forward to it; I have to say that either I wasn’t in the right place at the right time or the crappie bite just wasn’t as good this past year as it has been in previous years. The summer didn’t start out quite the way I’d like when it came to the weather and there were times when I’d try fishing crappie, the only thing biting were the deer flies and mosquitoes. On the upside, however, the pike and bass fishing was actually pretty darned good this past year.

The slow bite even carried over to some of our favorite lakes of the area surrounding our cabin. We fished a couple of bays that always produce on one of my favorite lakes and came up pretty much empty-handed. One particular nearby lake we have always had good luck on was very stingy when it came to giving up fish. I have to look at the age old saying “it’s not you it’s me” when it comes to laying out blame for a bad day of fishing.

I did, however, have very good luck on some of my other favorite fishing spots and once again Spider did not disappoint. I hit Spider a couple of times and both times the pike were there and waiting for me to drop them a line. On one particular trip I had my grandson Dylan and his little brother Caiden along. Dylan has become a diehard pike fisherman and his little brother wanted to follow in his footsteps.

On this particular day, grandpa was king of the pike fishermen. I absolutely couldn’t lose on that day. Every so often a fisherman, for some reason or another, will catch fish after fish while the other folks with him aren’t quite so lucky. I use the term “lucky” because that is what I attribute most of my success to. I am a firm believer that catching fish all boils down to being in the right place at the right time with the right lure or bait.

I know that most fishermen these days have all the sophisticated technology you need to take the luck factor out of the equation, but that’s not me. I have a low-end locator, which I use primarily to tell me the water temp, depth and if there are any fish in the area, which can sometimes be misleading. There have been many instances when I have spotted fish holding on an area and not gotten a bite. Then there are the times when I have seen absolutely nothing on the screen and have caught fish. Would I call that skill or luck? I attribute my fishing prowess to the latter with time spent on the water also factoring in.

You may have noticed I did not mention anything about walleye fishing when talking fishing success. This can be attributed to the fact I usually don’t spend very much time seeking the wily walleye. I would rather fish for bass or northern when I am fishing, but then that may be attributed to the fact that I take the easy way out by trolling or casting, which are my two favorite ways to fish.

There were many years when I would go to Spider Lake and fish walleye right out of the gate and there were times when it paid off, but other times it took me a couple of days to realize they just weren’t going to bite. Over the years I have caught more walleye on that lake while trolling Shad Raps, Beetle Spins tipped with a minnow or Little Joe spinners fished with a minnow or crawler.

Just thinking about the upcoming season gets the old adrenaline flowing. I guess the only thing to do is to break out the tackle boxes; it’s time to organize and take inventory. I just know that there have to be some lures or jigs that need replacing and if not I know that someone has come up with a new “sure fire” lure that I just have to add to my collection.

Until next time, the weather is warming, the snow is melting “again” so it’s a great time to get out and enjoy spending time in the great Minnesota outdoors.  

Please remember to keep our troops in your thoughts and prayers, not only during the holiday season but for the rest of the year. They are the reason that we are able to enjoy all the freedoms that we have today.

Call me "Whiney." No, don't call me "Whiney." Call me frustrated, discontented, or Kathy.

What brought this on? I wonder why I am paying a lot of money to watch commercials that have gotten so overwhelming. They sometimes overlap and are often so strange you wonder when one commercial ends and another starts. Once upon a time, commercials were sometimes more interesting to watch than TV programming. You not only have to wonder about the content of commercials – and whether they are appropriate – but whether they are effective. Did the commercial inform the buyer? Did it make the buyer want the product? Have you ever watched a commercial, then asked, “What was that company selling?”

It is hard to believe that we can have hundreds of stations available on cable or on Dish, but there are few things worth watching on our television sets. Obviously, SOMEBODY must watch some of the offbeat channels, but I resent them being packaged with popular shows. I question whether people would actually pay to subscribe to these channels.

At times like that, I shut off the television and listen to the radio. Not always great, but I can at least get the news and weather – and like the newspaper — it is LOCAL news of interest.

They get you coming and going. Unlike the fact that many good changes have come out of refusing to buy food with ingredients you feel are undesirable, with TV they could care less if you turn it off. The big companies still make their money and you can't coerce them into changing because you shut it off.

Get what I am saying? I know it is confusing, but it sort of upsets me to think I am paying big money for commercial programming that is already making big money to use television as an advertising outlet.

Sort of a double take and at the consumers’ expense. If you turn off your television, it is really no problem for the business. I can appreciate they all want to make money, but I feel they are taking advantage of the consumer.

Are there good things on TV? Of course, but is it enough to put up with the junk that contaminates and influences our lives and our children?

The television content that parents are supposed to supervise and remove so their children aren't influenced is difficult to block. It is pretty hard for parents always to be there to change the channels, especially so when the advertisement for the garbage can come on at any time. Children shouldn't be glued to the TV without adult supervision, but it would save a lot of time and trouble if it wasn't there in the first place.

Enough about television, but writing something out on paper, or on your computer, helps me cope with what is bothering me. Misery loves company!

There has to be something better to share with you than my frustrations.

The weather? If there is never anything to talk about we can always talk about the weather. We may not be able to do anything about it, but it is always a topic of conversation. 

We have had an eclectic winter this year. The weather has been so varied day to day, but I won't complain. I can only feel empathy and concern, and pray for those all around us who have had more than their share of weather conditions out of their control.

Living in Minnesota and its often frigid state, we are at least more apt to realize and cope with even unseasonable or unreasonable conditions.  Weather here shapes us – who we are, how we approach life. We take precautions when summer or winter storms approach. When weather gets TOO bad, we simply hunker down and wait it out. It makes Minnesotans prepared, accepting, stoic, well-mannered, and believers that there are some things in life too large for us to control. When the bad weather passes, it gives us greater enjoyment for the good weather that follows.

When my uncle was serving his country in the New York area he used to laugh about how tragic a small amount of snow was to New York drivers. They had never learned how to drive under those weather conditions. And of course they didn't have the equipment or knowledge needed to minimize the effect on the area.

So what else is new, or old, but needs to be thought about? My heart goes out to anyone who has suffered from cancer or other health problems. I especially think about the parents of children with health problems who have had to suffer with their children. Currently, Connor Weckwerth especially comes to mind.

It is heartwarming when we hear of young people who have taken up a share of love to help others. They don't have to, but often live under adverse conditions to help give faithful service to others, as Hannah Lundberg recently did.

I asked the ladies in the church kitchen what will happen when those older “standbys,” and those who do all the things they do, are no longer with us. They said they didn't know because today’s generation is so busy with jobs and other activities. Perhaps as they get to that stage of life they will slip in quietly and fill the vacancies.

Heroes aren't always honored in the headlines. They can be found washing dishes, making coffee, knitting or crocheting afghans, making quilts, collecting food and providing help for the needy. They often are doing it so quietly and so often we just take them for granted.

Don’t hesitate to give them kind words of appreciation.

Birthdays and annivsaries:

• Thursday, March 10th: Julie Stieglbauer Dahl, Sue Misgen, Aaron Callahan, Travis Johnson, Michelle Olson Bedney, Tom Vavra, Heidi Mattson LaFave, Chuck Hanson, Gayle Dummer, Douglas Schmidt, Linda Anderson, DeLynn Johnson Rohrbacher, Hannah Emily Brunsen

• Friday, March 11th: Arielle Lynn McClaskey (2011), Elsie Jacobson, her 3rd; Marian Mast, Carolyn Flesche, Leroy Folie, Kari Thostenson, Jon Carlson, Michelle Meyer, Larry Richards, Tim Simon, Joan Ahlstrom Diderrich, Tanya Swearingen, Tom Arbogast, David Callahan, Dean Lembke, Spener Sebastian Sommers, his 12th; Doug Blouin, Wendell Kuehni, Paul & Shirley Nelson

• Saturday, March 12th:  Sadie Jaymelynn Arends, David Paulson, Jason Bowman, Terri Engel, Robert Hall, Harla Stanley Malz, Spiering Brody Sundbland, Gary & Barb Paulson, Jack & Virginia Jensen

• Sunday, March 13th:  Joanna Ver Hey, David Mangskau, Lynda Kruckeberg, Darla Waltz, Jessica Liverseed, Craig Lunning, Tony Tonsing

• Monday, March 14th:  National Potato Chip Day!; Laura Katherine Worrell, Connor Duane Klemmsensen, his 8th; Sierra Christine Krause, her 6th; Brian Cerney, Brent Huber, Marcia Hutchins, Lee Loverink, Mary Finch, Kathy Molenaar, Trevor Titus

• Tuesday, March 15th:  Angie Haberman Lyman, Marvel Beiser, Andy Ditlevson, Robin Jepson, Judy Lunning, Tim Phagan, Steve Clausen, Tony Motl, Julie Peterson, Don & Cindy Gould

• Wednesday, March 16th: Ava Pospesel, Blair Pospesel, Al Batt, Cortnee Langlie, Judy Waage, Tyler Lewis Hagenbrock, Jackson Taylor William Churchill, Harold & Pat Wayne, Hugh & Karen O'Byrne

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

It was “poutin’” time again so a-poutin’ Genie and I did go. We left Albert Lea (for the four-day event) early Thursday, February 18, 2016. The Eelpout Festival was Thursday-noon Sunday, on Leech Lake, Walker, Minnesota.

Can you imagine a town of just under 1,000 trying to find parking for 14,000 people? The weather was in the high forties Friday and Saturday, after about eight inches of snow the previous weekend. This was the 37th Annual Eelpout Festival and the second time vehicles were limited on the lake. Because of the snow, thinner-than-normal ice (about 24 inches compared to 48 inches) and warm temps with rain, the decision was made to restrict traffic on the lake beginning at noon on Friday. Traffic was limited to four-wheelers, snowmobiles and on foot. It took at least a half hour to find a car parking place within walking distance of the lake activities.

All the planned activities out on the ice were held. You had to walk through slush and water, keeping in mind that old saying, “The show must go on.”

The Friday and Saturday night dance with live entertainment was a success after sump pumps were used to pump off the water on the ice floor (the dance was held under a big tent out on the ice).

The Polar Plunge had about 400 plungers. Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton impersonators were at the plunge but they refused to jump into Leech Lake. Both gave the excuse “it would wreck their hairdo” (between $40-50 thousand was raised for breast cancer).

The largest eelpout caught was 13½ lbs. Because of having to park off the lake, the Walker businesses did quite well. It was estimated that about $2 million was spent in Walker.

There was a traffic warning sign as you came into Walker stating, “Beware of heavy traffic.”

We stayed the four nights at the Palace Hotel (as we usually do) in Cass Lake, Minnesota. Once again the employees treated us with a “welcome back,” a handshake or a hug and “it’s good to see you.”

We visited Sandy Roscoe in Longville, MN. Sandy is a former resident of Albert Lea and an associate member of Central Freeborn Lutheran Church, rural Albert Lea. 

We attended the Sunday service at Trinity Lutheran Church in Cass Lake. Please say a prayer for Charlie and Grace (members of Trinity with health problems).

Short shorts:

Who is the most well-known man of the cloth in the Cass Lake area? Father George Ross, that’s who.

Who is the “key” man at the Palace Hotel? Frank, the maker of room keys, that’s who.

Who is the Hy-Vee employee that is in the TV ad for Polar Plunging? Kellon Kassa of Albert Lea, that’s who.

Who is the ruffled grouse that has adopted the mailboxes in Puposky, Minnesota? Fred, that’s who.

———

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.

Echoes From the Loafers' Club Meeting

You look familiar.

Oh, yeah?

I think I've seen your face somewhere else.

I don't think so. It's never been anywhere other than on the front of my head.

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: Brenda Kampen of New Richland makes these nifty signs for the house. They look spiffy hanging on a wall. I hear them called boards, but they seem much more than that. Whatever they are, they are wonderful. My wife and I just picked up another one at a charity auction. It reads, "It is what it is." Whether a sign or a board, it is what it is. Someone important to me, used to say, "It is what it is. It ain’t what it ain't." She wasn’t my English teacher.

The cafe chronicles

"What would you like for breakfast?" asked the friendly waitress.

"Four strips of crispy bacon, two eggs over easy, hash browns and English muffins with peanut butter."

"Nice try. Here’s your oatmeal."

It’s all part of my education

Our shop teacher was involved in a chess game against a student. I wasn’t playing him. I’d lost the previous match to our instructor. Losing was a wise move for an underling.

Seeing as how my mystery woodworking project was in a standby position after having been glued and clamped, I had a bit of free time. Besides, my creation needed proper aging to define its identity. It turned out to be a stick and not a good one. Knowing that idle hands are the devil’s workshop, I needed another project. I found a magazine. I used tin snips to cut out some of the larger letters from the periodical and utilized wood glue to paste the letters onto a sheet of notebook paper. This way, I fashioned a ransom note to leave for the home economics teacher. It read, "We have your scissors. Will exchange for cookies."

Taking the elevator up

I was going up in an elevator in a tall hotel when I thought about the elevators of my youth. They were grain elevators, the skyscrapers of the rural landscape. Most small towns had one. There was an elevator in the largest city near our farm, Albert Lea, which was of a different kind. It was in a building and business both titled, Skinner, Chamberlain and Company. This department store, which seemed the size of the world to me, advertised itself as having "Everything to eat and wear."

It also had an escalator. My memory told me that it was an optimistic escalator and went only one direction — up. The elevator was similar to the one I rode in at the hotel, only with a shorter route.

I’d just received a call from a cousin about a death in the family. I instantly felt the loss.

The hotel elevator stopped at a floor to let someone off.

Life is like an elevator. On your way up, you have to stop and let others off.

As your age gains more experience, the elevator makes more stops and more people get off.

Tales of a traveling man

After I’d absentmindedly said, "Yabba-dabba-doo," I needed to explain who Fred Flintstone was to a fellow as we waited outside a pay toilet in Hungary. The Hungarian was impressed, I’m sure, that I knew that Fred Flintstone was a bronto-crane operator at the Slate Rock and Gravel Company. I hope that I didn’t do too much damage to international relations.

While visiting the Wright Brothers Museum in North Carolina, I wondered if there would be any paper airplanes if it hadn’t been for Orville and Wilbur. I knew that thanks to origami, kites and people like Leonardo da Vinci, paper airplanes had preceded the Wright's flight at Kitty Hawk.

I was in Anchorage, Alaska, population 301,010 and 1,000 moose, where I’d arrived wakeful and blurry-eyed at my sleeping accommodations, wondering if I wanted 2B or not 2B? I ended up in room 2A.

Nature notes

"Why are birds banded?" Research and management projects find bird-banding data useful. Individual identification of birds aids the study of dispersal and migration, behavior and social structure, lifespan and survival rate, reproductive success and population growth. Sampling wild birds helps determine the prevalence of disease in the population. An annual analysis of banding information from game birds is essential for developing hunting regulations and detecting changes in waterfowl populations.

Meeting adjourned

"It is higher and nobler to be kind." — Mark Twain

For the past few months, my communications have focused on the strategic planning work happening in the NRHEG school community. In my December letter, I shared the importance for having a strategic plan and wrote:

A thoughtful and purposeful strategic plan developed with the input of stakeholders across the school district is essential for our sustained success and growth as a school community.  Understanding and believing in a clear vision of what we want to achieve in the future is critical to our continual improvement.  Knowing and committing to a shared mission or purpose is also essential to growing and improving what we do for our children throughout our communities.  Finally, and perhaps most important is acknowledging what we believe and value collectively as a school community.  This is especially important in organizations like a public school district that employs a diverse workforce and also serves a diverse stakeholder base.  Public school districts are some of the most diverse organizations when you consider not only the students that are served, but also the communities at large. Having shared beliefs and core values as a school community enables you to work together more effectively in achieving your vision.

I am proud of the work that has already been accomplished, highlighted by the engagement of our employees, students, parents, and others throughout our communities in providing input and feedback to the School Board by responding to the Community Survey and/or attending the listening sessions held on February 18.   Thank you to all those who have participated!  If you would like to view a summary of the survey results, you can access the power point presentation presented to the School Board by School Perceptions on February 16 on the front page of our School District website.  You will find a letter summarizing the results on the website as well. 

The next step in the process rests with the Strategic Planning Advisory Committee.  The purpose of the Committee is to lead in assisting the School Board in analyzing District performance data, the input from the Community Survey, and the input from the listening sessions that were held on February 18, in order to develop our strategic plan.  The Committee will be tasked with crafting vision, mission, and belief statements, and indentifying goals and objectives for the school district.  

The Committee will meet three times, and each meeting is open to the public.  The dates, times, and locations of the meetings are:

• Monday, March 21, 2016, beginning at 6:30 p.m. at the Elementary School in Ellendale

• Tuesday, March 29, 2016, beginning at 6:30 p.m. at the Secondary School in New Richland

• Tuesday, April 12, 2016, beginning at 6:30 p.m. at the Elementary School in Ellendale

The School Board conducts its regular monthly meeting on the third Monday of each month.  The location of the meeting is rotated monthly between the NRHEG Secondary School Media Center in New Richland and the NRHEG Elementary School Media Center in Ellendale. The March 21, 2016, School Board meeting will be at the Elementary School beginning at 5:30 p.m., which is one hour earlier than the regular time due to the Strategic Planning Advisory Committee meeting scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. in Ellendale. 

Thank you for all you do to support our students!

That magical feeling is in the air again as we travel through March and toward April. What’s that, you say? Is it March Madness, a great time to be a basketball fan? Is it spring training, foreshadowing another fabulous season of baseball? Why no, it’s testing season in Minnesota, which means it’s time for my 4th annual rant about standardized testing.

Since last we walked this path in this space, much has changed in educational testing, though it seems like we’re standing still. The federal government at long last got rid of the hated No Child Left Behind law. This brainchild of former president GW Bush stated that EVERY child will meet a basic level of reading and math. Everyone in education knew that this was bound to fail. There are so many students with special needs of varying levels that it was impossible to reach 100%.

NCLB was replaced this year with the Every Student Succeeds Act. The main thrust of this legislation was giving states more power in determining the education schools taught. Previously the federal government linked all sorts of measures with funding to schools. However, upon closer look, the ESSA still maintains many of the same requirements, just couching them in terms to make it look like the feds are giving up control.

Many areas of the new law say that states can determine what will be used to fulfill requirements. However, most of us realize that departments of education will simply maintain the course they’ve set since they’ve done all the legwork to get here. It’s not likely that many states will overhaul the overbearing system of testing they put in place as a result of NCLB. Would you do more work if what you had was acceptable?

So we’re still stuck with annual testing in grades 3-8 in reading and math as well as one more shot in high school. There will still be science tests three different times, even though many schools scaled way back on their science curriculum in elementary school because of NCLB. There is, however, one possible bright spot that I noticed as I combed through the ESSA.

This new law allows states to allow schools to use adaptive testing instead of standardized tests. What’s the difference? On a standardized test, every student has all the same questions. (On a side note, Minnesota has been notorious about adding “extra” stories on the reading MCAs, trying to figure out good ones to use in the future. This angers me since it forces kids to take even longer on a test they hate. These extra stories don’t count in their score, but they don’t know which are the extras. My calls to the Minnesota Department of Education have fallen on deaf ears. “What’s the big deal?” seems to be their mantra.)

An adaptive test is a much better measure of a student’s progress. We’ve gone through a battery of different options at NRHEG. We started with the NWEA test, using it 2-3 times a year to see how kids were progressing. We moved to the FAST test last year, mainly because of pricing, but it has proved to be ineffective. We are now looking at STAR testing, which looks to be a good product, providing us plenty of data that we need, not only for our regular base of students, but also for special education testing.

Adaptive tests change based on the individual student. If that student gets a question of two wrong, the test adjusts, trying to find the level the child can attain. If the student continues to answer correctly, the test becomes more difficult, again trying to find the ceiling on the student’s ability. It’s a great measuring stick and really provides a much better glimpse into each student’s ability.

The funny thing to me is that, over the years, when I look at adaptive test scores of my students, I see great progress and meeting levels of expectations. Those same kids take the MCA tests and don’t fare nearly as well. Wait, what? The adaptive tests are taken three times a year (and still don’t take as long as an average MCA test), so even if a student is having a bad day and bombs out once, you will likely see that aberration and note how, outside of that instance, there is increased ability or not, depending on the child.

The big question is, will Minnesota realize the value of these adaptive tests and give the go-ahead to use them? I’m guessing no, at least not right away. Why? It’s money. I’m not sure for how long MDE has a contract with Pearson, the big standardized testing company, but you can bet your bottom dollar that we won’t see a sniff of change until that’s up. I’d also guess that MDE will be hesitant to give up that ghost since the legislature would likely cut their budget even more.

That’s one thing good our state did last year was cut MDE’s testing budget. That helped eliminate some extra tests that only kept our kids filling in bubbles more than usual. Hopefully our state can also regain its progressive attitude toward education and give local districts more choice in how to test our students. If wishes were fishes…

Word of the Week: This week’s word is hebetate, which means to grow dull or stupid, as in, “The student felt he hebetated more and more with each year of MCA testing.” Impress your friends and confuse your enemies!

The scurs tweaking on the Weather Eye made everyone happy. Temps over the weekend and early week were well above normal as advertised. Will our trek towards an early spring continue or is trouble looming on the horizon? Starting Wednesday, partly sunny with highs in the upper 40’s and lows in the mid-30’s. Thursday, partly sunny with highs in the low 50’s and lows in the mid-30’s. Mostly sunny Friday with a slight chance of evening showers. Highs in the low 50’s with lows in the low 40’s. Saturday, partly sunny and warmer with a modest chance of showers. Highs in the mid-50’s with lows in the low 40’s. Mostly cloudy Sunday with a slight chance of showers. Highs in the low 50’s and lows in the low 40’s. Monday, mostly sunny and warmer with a slight chance of a morning shower. Highs in the upper 50’s with lows in the mid-40’s. Partly sunny skies for Tuesday with highs in the mid-50’s and lows in the mid-40’s. The normal high for March 13th is 38 and the normal low is 21. The scurs are thinking the ice fishing season is about shot. You’ll just have to settle for store-bought ice from now on.

Time for the dreaded time change once again over the weekend. Many crabby, tired people cheated out of another hour of sleep. Oh but it’s so nice to have that extra hour at night, some say. It is? All that tends to happen is we stay outside and work for an extra hour after getting up and bumbling around an hour earlier in the dark for a few weeks. I have an idea: Since some of these presidential candidates are such a bunch of brain surgeons (actually the brain surgeon dropped out), why don’t they come out against this foolishness and see how many votes it would get them? At least promise to leave it one way or the other. They’d have my vote.

Another weekend of phenomenal weather for early March. It was nice last week that it at least stayed frozen in the mornings and into the afternoon in some cases, allowing for some manure hauling to take place. The weekend warmth along with the breezes changed the landscape quickly. Snow is a rare sight, having retreated to some fencelines, tall grass areas, windbreaks and north sides of buildings. At the ranch there are vestigial snow piles that are disappearing rapidly. Not a lot of sod or gravel in them either which is a good thing. However it appears I did do a pretty good job of thatching the yard while I was at it. I’m sure it needed it. 

One possible concern in the fields for those with cattle or sheep though is the breaking of dormancy by the alfalfa. If daytime temperatures continue on their present trajectory, odds are it will happen soon. Not a bad thing necessarily although if temperatures are to suddenly nosedive, it could put the crop in jeopardy. Yes, if it kills out alternatives can be seeded. However, talking to most farmers over the years when this has happened, almost to a man they’d much rather have the alfalfa than some alternate source of forage. It’s an extra hassle and expense most would just as soon not incur.

The skies have definitely been full of signs of spring. Over the weekend, I saw killdeers could hear some sandhill cranes to the south of us. An eagle has been making the rounds lately too, feeding on some roadkill deer on Steele Co. 21. Sunday I saw my first ducks of the spring flying in formation heading northwest. When I came outside for nighttime lamb check about 10 p.m. I could hear the whirring sound of their wings along with their quacking as they passed overhead. The local ponds weren’t open yet so it was hard to say exactly where they might be going. March 6th is awfully early for migrating ducks in SC MN. Usually we’re just talking about seeing robins. Incidentally, they officially have one snow on their tails to their credit.

In the lambing barn it looks like we’re about halfway there. We’ve processed one group and moved them in order to make room for the next wave. With the warm relatively dry weather, it has been easier going than some years. Probably the worst thing about it being warm is the ewes feel no obligation to go inside to lamb. It’s too warm inside and they can sneak off to lamb out in the pasture. It’s OK as long as there aren’t complications but when one has to coax the ewe up out of the pasture and into a pen, it gets old if it happens with any frequency. We’re not getting any younger.

We did have one ewe that complicated matters with a set of triplet buck lambs. She was an older model and wasn’t in good enough condition to handle all three. They were extremely aggressive and the ewe went down, almost smothering one of the lambs. Not wanting the headaches that go along with feeding three buck lambs, we called Auntie Mar Mar to see if her Mom, Agnes, might be interested in taking one or more of them. It sounded like she was up to the task and at last check was thrilled to have them. We were just tickled she’d take them. 

Extra work is not something either of us need right now. Keeping the lambs already on the ground alive not to mention what’s still yet to come takes enough time as it is. Feeding 3 bottle lambs 4 – 5 times a day, multiplied by 15 – 20 minutes by the time you mix up the milk replacer, warm it up, walk out there, feed them, walk back in, clean the bottles out and put them in the rack to dry amounts to over an hour a day. They don’t give lamb milk replacer away either. It’s about double the cost of calf milk replacer. While we donated the first batch of milk replacer, we really appreciated Agnes’s kindness. It’s always comforting to know that the lambs went to a better home than we’d be able to provide them.

See you next week…real good then. 

Registration forms for NRHEG Summer Recreation — T-Ball, baseball, softball — can be found on the NRHEG website (www.nrheg.k12.mn.us). Go to Community Education and drop down to Summer Rec. Forms are sent home with all children attending NRHEG Elementary School in Ellendale. If you have a preschool child and you would like a form go onto our website or contact the school to have a registration form sent to your home. Girls softball (grades 3 and up) will be handled by Wendy Schultz and those forms will come home later in the spring.