Funeral services for Vida B. Tukua will be held at 1:30 p.m. on Friday, August 29, 2014 at Trinity Lutheran Church in New Richland. The Reverend Charles Espe will officiate. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service at the church.  Interment will take place at St. Peter’s Cemetery, New Richland. Friedrich Funeral Home, New Richland is in charge of arrangements

Vida passed away on August 6, 2014 at A & D Residential Care, in Antioch, CA. She was 93 years old.

Vida was born on August 9, 1920 to Peter and Bertha (Siffing) Hansen in New Richland. Vida grew up in New Richland, and graduated high school in 1938.  Following her schooling, she moved to follow Gilman Tukua to California where he was stationed before the war. The couple married on June 8, 1942, in Carson City, NV. When her husband returned from the war, they moved to different areas of the country, until returning back to California.

LeRoy “Babe” Alton Jameson, 84, of Hartland passed into eternal life Monday, August 18, 2014 surrounded by family at his home. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, August 22, 2014 at All Saints Catholic Church in New Richland, with interment to follow at Calvary Cemetery in Le Center. Father Raul Silva will officiate. Visitation will be held Thursday evening from 4 until 7 PM at the Friedrichs Funeral Home in New Richland, and one hour prior to the service at the church.

This year August will have five Fridays, five Saturdays and five Sundays. This is said to happen only once every 823 years. The Chinese call it "Silver Pockets Full" – oh, if only.

Denmark does consider August a lucky month, and at one time names like August and Augusta were given to their children because of it. My great Aunt Ellen had Augusta for a middle name, but she wanted no part of it. My mother, however, born on the last day of August, loved the Danish tradition.

What is a name? It is what we make of it. There is such a wide variety of names and spellings, I would guess it could drive teachers crazy at times. However strange as names may be, children seem to identify with their name as they grow up – it is all how you interpret it.

Some names are descriptive of what parents want for their children. Sometimes it is in honor of a relative, more than likely from out of the past. Some initials spell words of meaning, some even have just initials for names – both first and second, but predominately second. Some have a "trail" of names, which are hard to write in the tiny spaces on applications, legal papers and such. 

My cousin Rich honored his son, Michael, by naming him after his grandfathers. Fortunately the names were such that they sounded great together. Michael Paul Richard Charles is a respectable moniker. Rich’s girls were also “four-named” – Molly Elizabeth Robin Christine and Melinda Eve Rebecca Caron.

More mothers have begun to name her child with her maiden name. I think that is rather nice and serves the real purpose of names to let people know who you are – especially in a community of many Scandinavian names. There are hyphenated surnames, usually seen with separated families.

Sometimes names can turn out embarrassing, but perhaps those who possess them take them in stride.

Though I barely touched on understanding endeavors and happenings, it brought many thoughts to mind of famous names from our community or famous names duplicated. A stranger remarked about there being a "Dick Tracy," and it started a chorus of others who have "important" names like John Glenn, John Wayne, Willie Nelson, etc. And of course we can't forget Tracy Tracy; Tracy Utpadel, who married Scott Tracy, giving her the name Tracy Tracy.

If you look in the telephone book you can still be flabbergasted by the lists of names like Hanson, Smith, Johnson, Sorenson, Thompson, etc., especially if one lives in a community of Scandinavian heritage. It is surprising how many surnames have catapulted, and one wonders where they came from. Some have always been used, but with the growing population and the movement of families, other names pop up and are taking their share of space in the name category. All of a sudden it seems like you're reading a list of names and – surprise – they don't just end with "son" any more.

My mother remembers when a Vietnamese family moved to our area some years ago. When the family went to register for citizenship, not only did they give their children different names, they also added "son" to the end of their surname because they thought it was proper. The father’s reasoning was that his children would have a better opportunity with American names.

We have seen changes in first names, as well. Back in the early days, and still today, many children were named after a grandparent, mother, father, etc. We named our first daughter Krista, after her great grandmother. When my grandmother was born in Denmark, her parents named her Krista, and she went by that name for five years. Then her family moved to the United States and when she started school her teacher renamed her Christine, as she didn't want the children to have so-called "old country names." She thought they should have a new American name, and she went by that name for close to 95 years.

The child with an abnormal spelling of his or her name will likely spend their lifetime automatically spelling their name when making appointments or picking up prescriptions and such.

Will there ever come a day when people will be named by numbers, such as U2?

— — —

Birthdays and anniversaries:

• Thursday, August 14: David & Carrie Paulson, Mark Sorenson, Lucille Nechanicky, Gretchen Oswald Thompson, Peter Kasper, Leah Berg, Wes Neidermeier, Alison & Chad Muilenburg

• Friday, August 15th: Roger Wayne, Obert Osmundson, Kaye Dee Hanson, Nancy Nelson, Stephanie Peterson, Rhonda Shelton, Cade Shelton, Brian Warnke, Dorrie Horan, Michael Suelter, Larry & Kathleen Jensen, Kellie Benning, Brian Warnke, Maverick Harold Knutson

• Saturday, August 16th: Kaven Dean Vanhal, Haley Deml, Alexander James Dufresne, Mary Lerberg, Shayla Ann Marie Pachoel, Julie Arnold, Wayne & Marie Dobberstein, Harold & Janice Jensen, Mark & Diana Sundwall, Jeff & Julie Schlei, Donny & Gail Turvold

• Sunday, August 17th: Cole Brody Thompson, Katie Klemmensen, Julie Osmundson, Luke Wiersma, Carol Nelson, Dillon Matthew Kubiatowicz, Abbey Beaber, Jackie DeVrient, Sonya Peterson, Cheryl Spurr, Steve Ladlie, Daniel Whelan, Rod & Cheryl Thompson, Tira & James Smith, Tina & Todd Wangen

• Monday, August 18th: Ron Johnson, Rick Johnson, John Ross Vermedahl, David Klocek, Michael Ingvaldson, Kelly Schmidt Janning, Connie Robertson, David Rietsema, Gary & Kathy Anderson, Ryan & Jill Hanson, Tamara & David Jepson, Simon & Arlean Lee

• Tuesday, August 19th: Daxter Carter Lee, Jason Langlie, Michelle Peterson, Jennifer Popiel, Cheri Krejci, Ruth Enzenauer, Cynthia Grubish, Lois Johnson Aitchison, David Cooper, Alyssa Kay Jensen, Larry & Karen Carlson, Jackie & Travis Olson, Andy & Julie Arnold, Larry & Mary Ellen Walton, Kayla & Patrick Krause

• Wednesday, August 20th: Dale Nelson, John Scrabeck, Tammy Bergland Techau, Andy Christensen, Diane Cleven, Delbert Karsjens, Jozie Annamarie Johnson, Kim Jensen, Jamie Nelson, Larry Pierce, Tianna & Joshua Kubicek

May your day be filled with everything you enjoy the most.

Another Freeborn County Fair is in the books and as a youth that usually signaled the beginning of the end of summer for me. Once the fair was over I knew that a new school year was on the horizon. Although the end of summer vacation was fast approaching, there was still plenty of summer weather left to enjoy.

I actually feel that August can be one of the better months because the days are warm and the nights cool off nicely. This can be a great time to do some serious bass fishing if you know where to look. This time of year you can usually find bass in heavy cover, especially early morning when they are top-water feeding for insects and frogs. As the day warms they can be found on underwater dropoffs close to weedlines. One technique that I read about years ago was to find open pockets in heavy cover and plunking top-water lures into the open area. Another method is flipping a “pig ‘n jig” or plastic worm into that same area. I have spent many hours on the lake during the “dog days of summer” and I’ve found it a great time to be fishing, although I don’t actually think that there is really a bad time.

Starting with Fountain Lake, there are many good lakes in our area that can offer some very good bass fishing. When you hit the lake early on an August morning you may be greeted with a layer of fog as the cool morning air greets the warmth of the water. As the mist of morning fog touches my face it gives me a peaceful feeling that makes me feel like everything is right with the world.

The Minnesota deer hunting season is already on the minds of many hunters and this year the Minnesota DNR has made changes that it hopes will rebuild the dwindling deer population across many areas of the state. Licenses went on sale Aug. 1st and the Minnesota DNR has issued the following news release pertaining to those changes:

Conservative deer season set

Hunters can expect a conservative 2014 deer season designed to rebuild deer numbers across much of the state, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources said.

“Hunters should check the 2014 hunting regulations closely because only one deer can be harvested in 95 percent of the state,” said Leslie McInenly, big game program leader for the DNR. “To shoot a doe, hunters may have to apply for a permit in areas where they haven’t in the past and, in some places, no antlerless harvest will be allowed.”

In 69 of Minnesota’s 128 deer permit areas, hunters must be chosen in a lottery to shoot an antlerless deer. Only bucks can be hunted in 14 areas. In 38 areas, hunters have the choice of shooting a doe or a buck. Bonus permits allowing hunters to shoot more than one deer may only be used in seven permit areas and for some special hunts.

Northeastern Minnesota hunters will feel the greatest impact from a bucks-only season. In bucks-only areas, no antlerless deer may be harvested by any hunter, including those with archery or youth licenses. McInenly said that most of these areas are now below goal and that this year’s conservative approach is consistent with the DNR’s long-term commitment to manage deer populations at established goal levels.

Hunters can enter the lottery for antlerless permits beginning Friday, Aug. 1. The deadline to apply is Thursday, Sept. 4. Hunters may apply using both their firearm and muzzleloader licenses. If hunters are selected for both licenses, they must select the one season in which they want to shoot an antlerless deer.

Deer hunting licenses, lottery applications and special hunt applications are available at any DNR license agent, by telephone at 888-665-4236 or online at: www.dnr.state.mn.us/hunting/deer/index.html. Lottery winners will be notified in October.

Permit area breakdown

Bucks-only deer areas in 2014 are deer permit areas 108, 117, 118, 119, 122, 126, 127, 169, 176, 177, 178, 180, 181 and 199.

Lottery deer areas in 2014 are permit areas 101, 103, 105, 110, 111, 152, 155, 156, 159, 171, 172, 173, 179, 183, 184, 197, 203, 208, 213, 229, 234, 237, 238, 242, 246, 247, 250, 251, 252, 253, 258, 259, 260, 261, 262, 263, 264, 265, 266, 267, 268, 269, 270, 271, 272, 273, 274, 275, 276, 277, 278, 279, 280, 281, 282, 283, 284, 285, 286, 288, 289, 290, 291, 294, 295, 296, 297, 298 and 299.

Hunter choice deer areas in 2014 are permit areas 157, 201, 209, 210, 214, 215, 218, 219, 221, 222, 223, 224, 225, 227, 230, 232, 233, 235, 236, 239, 240, 241, 248, 249, 254, 255, 256, 257, 292, 293, 338, 339, 341, 342, 344, 345, 347 and 348.

Managed deer areas in 2014 are permit areas 114, 287 and 343.

Intensive deer areas in 2014 are permit areas 182, 346 and 349.

The DNR strongly advises hunters to review new deer hunting regulations, permit area designations and boundary changes before applying.

The DNR strongly advises hunters to review new deer hunting regulations, permit area designations and boundary changes before applying. Current and up-to-date information is available online. Information about deer management and upcoming deer population goal setting during the next two years is available online.

Until next time; there is still plenty of summer left so take some time to enjoy the great outdoors with a weekend camping trip, do some fishing or just spend a day at one of our areas lakes.

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

Echoes from the Loafers’ Club Meeting

I’d give $5000 to someone to do all my worrying for me.

I'll do it. Where's my $5000?

That's your first worry.

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: don't take the scenic route if you don't have the time to look.

I’ve learned

It's always dullest before the yawn.

To forgive what I can't forget and to forget what I can't forgive.

Cheerful people have fewer colds. The surly bird catches the germ.

The cafe chronicles

He was a roll model down at the bakery and claimed to be the valedictorian of his class at the school of hard knocks.

He said, "I’ve finally discovered what’s wrong with my brain. On the left side, there is nothing right, and on the right side, there is nothing left."

I enjoyed my visit. He offered the discernment of age mixed with the boldness of a boy. He had no plans for the day other than being there.

An episode from a marriage

My wife and I have a strange and wonderful marriage. I'm strange and she's wonderful.

I told her that there had been an earthquake during the night. It had given me quite a fright.

The same earthquake returned the next night. It turned out to be a young guy driving by in a Pontiac Grand Am with the windows rolled down and the bass of its radio turned way up.

Nearly raining at the gas pump

It was so cloudy, I couldn’t have given a bottle of suntan lotion away. I knew it was going to rain. Ants carried umbrellas. Butterflies formed rowing teams. Chipmunks wore lifejackets.

I played a spirited game of 20 questions with a gas pump. I pushed this button and that button. Once, I pushed the wrong button and had to start over. I wasn’t unhappy about that. My misbehaving forefinger made me happy that I hadn’t become a surgeon.

At the next pump was a young man wearing a T-shirt reading, "Will be quiet for $100. Will be awesome for free." Some folks can talk for an hour on any subject. He was one of those who could talk for an hour without any subject. He said that he’d been named employee of the year at his workplace. He added, "I work for my Grandma."

Beloved sweet corn

Our house looks lived in. The burners on the stove all work (that hasn’t always been the case), but the toilet handle needs jiggling. Our abode is a smile in siding and shingles. Things aren't perfect, but we get sweet corn.

Is the first sweet corn of the summer really that good or is it because we want it to be that good? Or is it a delectability enhanced by anticipation?

Working at the fair

I nodded at people walking by. I bobbed my head. I was pretending it was Al Batt bobblehead night at the fair. I struggled to get a signal good enough to return calls on my cellphone. I may have moaned and groaned.  

"You don't own one, do you?" I asked the man sitting nearby, as I nodded or bobbed towards my cellphone.

The man smiled and replied, "No, but seeing how much enjoyment it brings you, I'm going to get one as soon as possible."

Adjusting the rearview mirror on an old address

I took driver training from Mr. Lillesve. He stressed the importance of adjusting the rearview mirror. All good driving instructors did that. I paid attention. Whenever anything goes wrong with my car--stuck in snow, won't start, etc.--I adjust the rearview mirror.

I received a letter improperly addressed. It carried a post office sticker telling me that I was fortunate that the letter had been delivered. It was my old address, the one I’d had before the county moved me from Rural Route 1 to a 911 address that’s supposed to make it easier for others to find me whether I want to be found or not. I called the outfit that sent the letter. I’d requested a change of address many times over the years.

"What do I have to do to change the address on my account?" I asked.

"Move," replied the customer service representative.

Did you know?

During its five seasons, "The Brady Bunch" received marginal ratings, reaching number 34 in Nielsen ratings at its peak.

Nature notes

Leaves of three, let it be. Leaves of five, let it thrive. Poison ivy has three leaves, Virginia creeper five.

Meeting adjourned

"Forget injuries; never forget kindness." — Confucius

F.R.O.G. (Fully Rely on God) is a mission outreach of Central Freeborn Lutheran Church of rural Albert Lea. The mission is to promote fun and fellowship.

With Bev and Wayne Indrelie, plus Genie and Bob Hanson (co-chairs of F.R.O.G.), a bus trip to Lutheran Night at the Twins was planned for Monday, July 21st, leaving from behind Slumberland in Albert Lea at 4 p.m.

As with all organizations, there must be a mission statement. Ours was, “Together we will come, together we will see, together we will conquer, together we will happily arrive back at our starting point.”

The “together we will come” was accomplished when 55 Twins fans boarded a 56-passenger coach bus with Marilyn Matson, the bus driver. As part of the “together” part, “Happy Birthday” was sung by all to Darlene Nicolai. 

Coming together even more so was the drawing of various Twins prizes (21 in all). Evan Fell, Christopher Jamtgaard, Samantha Jamtgaard, and Nathan Vanek were selected to go out on the field and lead in singing the pre-game National Anthem. Brad Bjerke won a backpack; Gary Goodnature and John White each won a fanny pack; Milaya Thompson, Jerry Heideman, Tony Stevens and Rob Myers each won a water bottle; Bob Anderson won a Twins baseball cap; Dick Haug won a Twins cowboy hat; Diane Olson won a Twins ladies floppy hat; Bruce Olson, Lucy Grippentrog and Jenny Vanel each won a Twins bobble head; Lois Jamtgaard won a Twins bell (she was one great bell ringer); Chris Amorosa won a Twins ladies wrist watch; Steve Thompson won an old-time Twins bobble head; Sheila White won Twins printed material.

“Together we will see” was watching our four young people lead in singing the National Anthem. Darlene Nicolai was recognized as having a birthday that day on the Twins scoreboard. Central Freeborn Lutheran Church was also on the scoreboard in the fifth inning.

The “together we will see” was a great ballgame. Cleveland tied the game 3—3 in the top of the eighth. The Twins got a home run in the bottom of the eighth to pull ahead 4—3.

“Together we will conquer” was accomplished when Cleveland failed to score in the top of the ninth; thus, the Twins won 4—3. 

“Together we will happily arrive back” fulfilled our together mission statement. 

FYI – for your information – Genie and Bob Hansen were on their way to an E.L.C.A. Ladies Convention in Charlotte, NC, so they weren’t on the bus. Bev and Wayne Indrelie did a great job hosting (per my spies on the bus). Wayne apologizes to the two bus passengers that followed him as he made a wrong turn leaving the stadium.

The next planned activities are: the Social Even of the Year at Central Freeborn Lutheran Church in September, a soup and pie supper; Christmas by the Lake in Clear Lake, IA will be Saturday, December 6th with a bus leaving from behind Slumberland at 3 p.m.

Watch for flyers on the above events.

Thanks to Slumberland, McDonalds, Dairy Queen and KFC for the coupons on the Twins bus. They know how to promote “Minnesota nice.” 

———

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 scurs thought they’d found the right colored wire on the Weather Eye last week but alas, it was a dangling wire leftover from a cassette. Will they dampen the spirits of fairgoers for the Steele County Fair? Starting Wednesday, mostly sunny with a high near 80 and a low around 60. Mostly sunny on Thursday with a slight chance of a shower or thunderstorm. Highs in the upper 70’s and lows in the low 60’s. Friday, partly sunny with a slight chance of an evening shower or thunderstorm. Highs in the mid-70’s and lows in the mid-60’s. Saturday, partly sunny becoming mostly cloudy with a slight chance of showers and or a thunderstorm. Highs in the low 80’s and lows in the mid-60’s. Mostly cloudy Sunday with a modest chance for showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the low 80’s and lows in the mid-60’s. Monday, mostly sunny with a high in the mid-80’s and a low in the mid-50’s. Mostly cloudy and cooler Tuesday with a high near 70 and a low in the upper 50’s. The normal highs for August 15th is 81 and the normal low is 60. We dip back to 14 hours of daylight on the 15th, about the same as we saw back on April 27th. The scurs will continue napping in the hammock for at least another few weeks.

Hit and miss (mostly miss) showers continued this past week and concerns about soil moisture are mounting. Cooler temperatures are definitely helping us to make the most of what there is, but eventually it needs to rain and warm up to finish this crop. Corn is to the R3 stage in places and soybeans are still setting pods yet in the R4 stage. For their height, the soybeans tend to have a lot of pods on them. Size doesn’t necessarily matter when it comes to plant height. Soybean aphid numbers increased last week although the populations have not exploded. This is somewhat puzzling given the crop growth stage, favorable temperatures, lack of moisture and relatively low presence of beneficial insects. Disease pressure is also very low in both corn and soybeans. Dry weather appears to have taken its toll on third cutting hay. Regrowth is short and the crop will likely follow suit. Leafhopper numbers have been low. Considering we’ve had little southerly flow much of the summer, that’s not totally surprising.

At least the garden has been a bright spot. The cukes, zukes, string beans and the occasional tomato have graced our table. Powdery mildew has been increasing in the vine crops so the yield on those is likely to be negatively affected. Probably time to move the garden as the trees are shading the area too much. It is amazing what a little rain can do though. After planting winter radishes and snap peas on the 3rd then receiving .61” of rain on the 4th, the winter radishes were emerging on the 7th. The snap peas tend to take more time although they were starting to poke through on Monday. More planting was accomplished on the 9th with mixed greens, lettuce, collard greens, kohlrabi planted along with four varieties of radishes. .3” of rain the next day certainly won’t hurt their cause.

Bird numbers continue to slow at the feeders. Goldfinches are faithful even though they are seen frequently feeding on their favorite thistles that are shedding their plumes. Not unlikely that the goldfinches are using some of that thistle down in their nests right now. The last three bluebirds at the kindly neighbors’ are getting close to fledging. The parents have been scolding me the past couple weeks when I venture over to the rain gauge that’s attached to the same post as their house. Bluebirds are among my favorite summer guests. Perhaps it’s because they were so rare when I was a kid. It’s just gratifying to see them making a comeback and knowing the habitat we’ve provided is to their liking.

Speaking of summer guests, I was privileged to have a couple Brazilians visit last week. They’ve been coming through this area the past several years doing a crop survey somewhat along the lines of the Pro Farmer Crop Tour for a company in Brazil. A few weeks earlier I’d invited them to have supper at the ranch when we concluded taping a television interview Friday evening. I was delighted they’d accepted my offer even though I had to fly solo with Mrs. Cheviot gone to the Iowa State Fair. Of course I wanted make a good impression, representing our area accurately yet in the best light possible. For a couple small gift items, I picked up a couple current copies of the Star Eagle and with the gracious help of Matt at the bank, was able to track down a couple copies of the little book calling New Richland (Bugtussle) home. Both Heitor and Daniele pored over the printed material as I fired up the grill, chatting in their native Portuguese about items they’d point out to each other. Not a clue what they were talking about but I’ll bet it was interesting. I gave them the dollar tour as the coals were getting ready. Ruby entertained as Fudgie kept her distance while we showed them the sheep as well as the large garden. When we finished with that the coals were ready for the shish kebob assembled earlier that afternoon. 

The meal definitely put the area and Minnesota in general front and center. Fresh sweet corn from my neighborhood sheep shearer, with string beans, cucumbers and zucchini from the garden, onions and peppers from the local area, Hope butter, and of course our homegrown lamb. As we dined we visited in English of course about a wide range of topics. Apparently the food was to their liking as they jokingly asked if they could come back the next day. When I offered them some Schwan’s frozen yogurt for dessert, they were stuffed. We visited a while longer and after showing Heitor the grill (he also loves to cook), it was time for them to head back to the hotel for the evening. It had been a long day for them trekking through Iowa before making their last stop here in South Central Minnesota. Was just glad we were all able to exhale for a bit. In an environment that pressures us to focus on working long hours, we frequently don’t get enough time to let out hair down and be ourselves, let alone with international friends from Brazil.

See you next week…real good then.

The first pet I remember having was a mutt named Benji. Like many people my age, I have fond memories of the Benji movies. When we got a family dog, he looked so much like the movie pooch that we had no choice but to name him the same.

My sisters and I loved Benji, much like many young children. He romped around our place in the country, enjoying the fresh air and chasing the cows and sheep around the pasture. He was somewhat partial to cowpies for some reason.

But then he bit some people. It never seemed like he was being mean, but you don’t want to take chances. When we were on vacation, Dad had a neighbor come over and take care of our beloved pet. I understood why it had to be done, but that was tough.

I was never eager to have a dog again after that. This was in part deference to Benji, but also after a couple of bad experiences with dogs. I watched my dad save an older lady who had been attacked by a dog on her way to church. I also got jumped by a big dog in the neighborhood. I’ll admit to still being a bit jumpy when the dog looks capable of taking me out.

We showed sheep for 4-H for many years. They may be the dumbest animals on the face of the earth, but when you’re nine or ten, you can grow attached to the beasts. I clearly remember bawling like a baby after my first show animal was loaded to ship off after being sold at the 4-H auction. It was a little tough, those first few years of showing, to say goodbye to an animal that I worked with to prep for the fair. (Okay, I didn’t work with them as much as I should have, but still…)

I grew to understand that the sheep sometimes had to be handled in a physical way. We had a tough old buck who we named E.T. This was not because he resembled some squat alien, but instead stood for Extra Tough. He was mean, plain and simple. He would wait and attack me or Dad when we went to feed all the sheep. Dad once took a crowbar to his forehead to keep from getting pummeled, and it didn’t faze the buck! I even had to jump off the manure spreader and ride him away from Dad once!

When the kids were young, we got them a couple of goldfish, Poppy and Lucy. Poppy didn’t last long and had to be replaced by Poppy II. When Lucy died, we didn’t replace that fish and figured it would only be a matter of time before we were fish-less. However, Poppy II lived over five years, ancient for a goldfish!

It’s surprising he lasted that long once we moved ahead and got our cat. Michelle and I debated long and hard and even did research on what type of pet to get the kids. A dog was out because of how much we’re on the run; if we lived in the country it might be different, but keeping the dog cooped up in town without as much companionship kept us from that path. We even looked at rabbits, hamsters, gerbils, and other smaller, furry creatures.

I have to admit to not being fond of the idea of a cat. I’ve got some allergies and Jayna does too. Still, cats are pretty easy to take care of, and once we went to the Humane Society, it was a done deal. Jayna picked out a cat named Taz (which should have been foreshadowing), and he took to her like a fly to manure.

We wanted to give him our own name, and after some debate, Chewbacca became part of our family. He just turned four and has basically taken control of the house. He’s got a routine that must be followed for fear of tripping over him in his desire to get your attention. There are a couple places in the house where there’s a special towel put down because he likes relaxing in those locations.

I was skeptical to start, but I’d really miss Chewie if he were gone. He’s a beautiful big cat, and he brings a lot of joy to our home. As I reflect on all these pets (and notice a startling sequence of movie characters’ names), I realize how much pets bring into our lives. They give love unconditionally, and it’s no wonder we are sad when they leave us. Happy birthday, Chewbacca George Jumpster Shedding Menace Domeier! (Yes, that’s officially his full name, according to the kids.)

Word of the Week: This week’s word is pabulum, which means simplistic ideas or writing, as in, “The columnist thought writing about just a cat would be an example of pabulum, so he expanded to other pets as well.” Impress your friends and confuse your enemies!

Ronald George Eckart, 80, of Northfield, MN and formerly of Morgan, MN passed away July 30, 2014 at his home after a long battle with Parkinson ’s disease. The oldest of five children, he was born January 23, 1934 in Albert Lea, MN to Leo Glen Eckart and Meletha (Schendel) Eckart. He grew up in New Richland, MN, graduating from high school in 1952. While in high school and college, he worked for the local theater and for his dad in the ready mix business.

In his sophomore year at Mankato State, Ron along with his communication class was instrumental in starting the college radio station. He graduated from Mankato State in 1956 and took additional courses at Mankato, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, and University of Duluth.