I don’t think a grandfather can ask for anything more rewarding than being able to spend time fishing with a grandson. This past week I was rewarded by heading north to the cabin with my grandson Dylan, and I’m pretty sure that Dylan had as much fun as I did. The fish also cooperated, and at times they seemed to be almost as hungry as the mosquitoes. I have to confess I am not a diehard walleye fisherman, but I will seek them out from time to time. I can tell that Dylan was largely influenced by me and Brad, his dad, because he loves to fish for pike, bass and panfish.

This week he was able to do just that. Our first day on the lake I visited one of my favorite lakes and although the weather was perfect, it was one of those days that can actually be a little too perfect. Sunny, warm and no breeze does not make for very good fishing on most of the clear water lakes of Northern Minnesota. Early morning and evening afford the best times to catch fish in those conditions.

As day turned into evening without much luck, we decided to head for the access. As we approached the access I told Dylan we should stop for a moment and cast ultralights in this little bay for a while. We immediately began catching bluegills, crappie and bass. My hunch paid off because past experiences have yielded good results in this area. We caught a lot of fish and kept a few for table fare.

The next day we got up fairly early and headed to another lake that has been a good panfish and pike lake in past years. Unfortunately, we were only on the water for about half an hour when a storm moved in. Luckily, we had just gotten the boat loaded when the storm hit. It continued to rain for most of the day so our fishing had to be put on hold. I don’t mind fishing in the rain, but being on a lake with thunder and lightning happening all around isn’t my cup of tea. Having a little down time gave Dylan the opportunity to force Grandpa into cleaning out his old brown tackle box and replace it with his newly acquired one. Now “old brown” had a lot of memories, but I had so much tackle in it that it took five minutes to find anything, let alone untangle the lure I was seeking. I believe it took more than two hours to re-arrange my tackle, but I have to admit that I do like it; you know what they say about old dogs and new tricks. The next evening I managed to find one of the hooks that had fallen on the floor. It ended up stuck in the side of my big toe – ouch!

I had heard the mosquitoes were extremely bad in Northern Minnesota this year, but I believe they exceeded my expectations. Every time you stopped to do anything outdoors they were like bees on honey and would always find the one spot you missed when spraying repellent on your exposed skin. Dylan said they could probably market Repel as the fisherman's version of cologne.

On our third day at the cabin we planned to visit Spider Lake and we decided to get up early, have a light breakfast and pack a lunch for the day. We had originally wanted to hit Spider on Saturday because that was the first day of muskie fishing, but because the weather didn’t look very promising we decided to fish it on Friday.

Once on the lake we fished a certain spot where I had always enjoyed good luck early in the season. It didn’t take long before Dylan had a nice pike in the boat that was too big to keep. All northern on Spider between 24-36 inches must be released, but you can keep one over 36 and three under 24. Dylan had on a rig he called a snell rig but an “old school” fisherman like myself would just call it a “Little Joe.” I tried my trusty shad colored Shad Rap and caught a perch and not much else. I finally decided to take a lesson from the student and try what Dylan was using. Let’s just say that you are never too old to learn a new trick or two.

For the day we caught well over 20 pike, and Dylan caught his first smallmouth bass. We also caught some largemouth bass and did keep two pike that were under 24” and just right for the frying pan. The shorter northern on Spider have always been nice and thick and a 23-incher is just perfect for the skillet. Dylan asked me how I knew about that spot and I told him it came from fishing the lake for many years. It’s all about spending time on the lake; the more time you put in, the better chance you have of catching fish. Dylan told me it was the best single day of fishing he had ever had, and that brought a smile to Grandpa’s face.

Dylan was really looking forward to fishing muskies, so on our last day there we decided to try North Star Lake, which is a good muskie lake. The weather was clear and warm, but the strong winds made it difficult to fish. We tried to fish protected bays, but there were numerous other folks that had the same idea. Even though we didn’t catch but a couple of pike that day, it was just great to be spending time on the lake.

Catching fish is fun and that’s the ultimate goal, but enjoying the beauty of the area and taking it all in is what it’s all about for me. I know Dylan had a good time and that we will both have some great memories to look back on. We are both looking forward to getting back to the cabin again soon and making some new memories.

Until next time; any time is a great time to enjoy a little fishing and now is a perfect time to introduce a kid to fishing. Remember to play safe and if you’re in a boat be sure to wear your life jacket.

It doesn’t have to be a special holiday 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

You are long on appetite and short on manners. Pass the mashed potatoes.

No.

Please pass the mashed potatoes.

Eat something closer to you.

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: we should never mistake vanity for culture.

The cafe chronicles

I was in a small-town cafe in North Dakota. I wrote down my order and bussed my own table. I hoped to make employee of the month and get the coveted parking place.

The server growled that bacon, eggs, and hash browns would go to the highest bidder.

The ruminants were seated at their favorite table.

"If I say it, you can believe it," was said in all capital letters by the one most likely prone to telling falsehoods. He had one of those beards that grew so wild that I couldn't help but do a visual search to see if something was peering out of it.

A couple of experienced women sat down at the next table.

One said, "This is my favorite restaurant. I almost always sit at this table. I come here all the time. I’d come here even more often if the food wasn’t so terrible."

In the neighborhood

The neighbor didn’t have a telephone. He didn’t believe in having a lot of things that cost money. If someone needed to call him, he’d share my phone number. It worked. Any time someone called me and left a message for my neighbor, I’d send my neighbor a letter.

Car talk

A friend, Bruce Aird of Lake Forest, Calif., and I were talking about a certain kind of car. It's a popular car that you’d recognize if I said the name, but I'm going to spare the car the embarrassment. It probably has a family who doesn’t need to read such things. Bruce described it as a car that should be sold only in pairs and each should come with a hitch so that it could tow the other when it stopped running.

I was the sorriest

I was walking behind three friends from England as we strolled around Vienna. They exemplified the famed English politeness, apologizing quickly for any possible infraction of manners.

I blurted out, "I’m sorry."

They asked a collective, "Why are you sorry?"

I replied, "Because I'm behind you."

"Why should that make you sorry?" they asked as a group.

I explained that I was sorry because I’d have liked to have been in front of them.

They were sorry they had asked.

A week later, I was headed home from Carrington, No. Dak. Traffic was moving along at a brisk pace when suddenly it came to a complete halt about 30 miles north of Minneapolis. We creeped and beeped for a many miles. I wished I could have walked on ahead. Childish doofuses changed lanes with every three cars they managed to squeeze by, zigzagging their way to their destinations. I tried not to judge them. I imagined them apologizing each time they made a move. I wished good things for them and their blessed offspring. I try not to growl about traffic. There might be an accident ahead of me. If I complained, I’d feel like a complete jerk when I saw an ambulance.

Spectacles

I stopped at the eyeglasses place to have my cheaters adjusted. They were irritating my nose, chewing into the flesh on both sides.

I explained my problem to the nice person working there.

She thought she’d be able to solve my predicament posthaste.

She fussed with them some before asking, "Is this the same head you had when you purchased the glasses?"

Lemon bar

I devoured a lemon bar at a feed near Melville, No. Dak. Lemon bars are good and this one was particularly so. It had a plethora of powdered sugar. So much, that with each bite, powdered sugar filled the air. It looked like snow flurries in June. That's why I was on The Weather Channel.

Did you know?

Canada's population is about 11 percent of that of the U.S.

Nature notes

"Do any birds hibernate?" Not really, but the common poorwill slows its metabolic rate and drops its body temperature, going into a hibernation-like state known as torpor. In periods of cold weather, a poorwill may stay in torpor for several weeks, which allows the bird to go without food when insect prey is unavailable.

Meeting adjourned

"Forgiveness is the economy of the heart. Forgiveness saves the expense of anger, the cost of hatred, the waste of spirits."--Hannah More.

I attended a funeral for a dad just before father’s day. The special music was a song, “You Can Let Go Now Daddy.” Part of the reading was an ode to the deceased father:

God took the strength of a mountain,

The majesty of a tree,

The warmth of a summer sun,

The calm of a quiet sea,

The generous soul of nature,

The comforting arm of night,

The wisdom of the ages,

The power of the eagle’s flight,

The joy of a morning in spring,

The faith of a mustard seed,

The patience of eternity,

The depth of a family need,

Then God combined these qualities,

When there was nothing more to add,

He knew his masterpiece was complete,

And so, he called it “Dad.”

In this modern world, what used to be two things for certain (death and taxes) is now three things, with the addition of change.

When we purchased a cabin at Beaver Lake in 1976, the beach was one busy place. You had to get there early on weekends and holidays to stake out a place by putting down a big blanket. If you got there in the P.M., it was standing room only. There was a line at the concession stand three or four deep at all times. Parking the car was also a problem. The lifeguards were very, very busy.

Thirty-eight years later (with change one of the three certains) the beach at Beaver Lake will have (for the first time) no lifeguards. If you use the beach, you do so at your own risk. (Geneva Beach and St. Olaf Lake will have lifeguards.)

Speaking as one of the volunteers who recycle magazines at Mayo in Albert Lea, we need your help. Please leave your used magazines with the lady at the desk as you enter and we will distribute them within the facility. Thanks.

Many of us drink bottled water. We take it for granted that there is something special about the water – like from a spring or an Artesian well. One of the major brands states that the source is a municipal water supply. To me, this means out of a tap. I like Hope Butter, how about Hope water right out of the tap? What are your thoughts, Victor Mrotz, owner of Hope Butter?

How about those Twins? Granted they aren’t a first-place contender, but they are playing good baseball.

F.R.O.G. of Central Freeborn Lutheran Church will be sponsoring a coach bus to Lutheran Night at the Twins July 21, leaving from behind Slumberland in Albert Lea at 4 p.m. Seating is home plate view with the bus parked nearby. The cost is $45 per person paid in advance – no refunds. Call Bob Hanson at 373-8655 for reservations.

———

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.

We all know what it’s like to get behind the wheel of an unfamiliar vehicle. We climb into the driver’s seat and immediately find the seat needs to be moved forward or back, and that the rearview mirror needs to be adjusted. The real trick, of course, is the controls. With luck, it’s a funny moment rather than a frustrating one when we attempt to turn on the headlights and instead see the windshield wipers going back and forth. 

Well, now pretend the “unfamiliar vehicle” is an entire school district, with about 150 employees, an annual budget of over $10 million, and enough rooms and resources to house an army…of children. You can guess that the past year has brought me my share of “windshield wiper” moments, but I’m glad to say that with a lot of help, guidance, and persistence, I have come to feel like things are rolling along reasonably well. I feel truly privileged to be “at the wheel” of a district with the community support, high-quality staff, and stable finances which are needed to keep any public endeavor operating smoothly. 

The obvious reason to get behind the wheel of any vehicle, of course, is to take it somewhere. And with many of the preliminary turns out of the way, the next question presents itself as prominently as a giant highway sign: Where do we go from here? 

To answer this question, the school district recently assembled a group of stakeholders who represented the school board, administration, and teaching staff for four intense planning sessions. The members of the strategic planning team examined our district, its resources, its strengths, and the obstacles it faces, all for the purpose of clarifying where we are, determining where we want to be, and mapping out a route to take us there. 

Many of the group’s conclusions are summarized fairly succinctly on the school web site; a quick perusal of the home page at www.nrheg.k12.mn.us will show you a link called “Strategic Plan.” I invite you to explore that information and to contact me with any questions. 

But in case you’re hoping for a straightforward summary of the group’s conclusions, here are some highlights. 

• Our district is sound and stable, has assembled a powerful set of physical and financial resources, and has worked hard to meet the needs of its students and the communities they come from. 

• The people of our communities are committed to assuring our children are provided with the resources, support, and guidance they need to build their futures. 

• We live in changing times. It will take vigilance and insight to both maintain what we have achieved and keep moving forward. 

Over the next three to five years, the district will look for ways to take what has always been strong and make it exceptional. 

• We want a higher percentage of our students to graduate (right now, just over 87% of our freshmen complete the requirements to receive their diplomas within four years). 

• We want our students to earn higher scores on standardized tests. 

• We want our kids to recognize that learning is a lifelong process, and to feel ready to navigate the global society which is becoming their reality. 

To build toward these goals, the district will 

• Continue upgrading our facilities to assure our students are safe, comfortable, and have the tools they need to continue learning. This is likely to include improving building security, dehumidifying many of our existing classrooms, and maintaining our facilities. 

• Make it possible for staff members to collaborate about our students and their needs. 

• Expand class options and explore teaching methods which will help assure all students can find suitable, relevant learning opportunities. This will mean different things to different learners, ranging from more demanding academic goals to more opportunities for hands-on learning. 

• Encourage community members to contribute their talents and knowledge to the process of education. 

• Allow students to use their abilities to contribute to their communities, including having older students interact with and teach younger students. 

So there you have it, a summary of our plan. We want to make our school better in many practical ways so our students will have more opportunities to grow, learn, and experience personal success. We want to be a reflection of the communities we serve, so we intend to be practical, determined, and persistent in our efforts. We want to reach our “destination,” so we will be attentive and pro-active, evaluating our progress along the way and looking for the most efficient route to our goals. 

As I mentioned above, many of the details are available on the school web site. We welcome your input and suggestions, and obviously we hope for your support and understanding as we move forward with our goals. There’s much more to tell you, of course, so watch for more articles like this one over the next several weeks.

As a fantasy football enthusiast, Paul Charchian is a familiar name as a leader in that industry, and I follow him on Facebook. I don’t just do this for fantasy sports reasons, as Mr. Charchian often comes up with dialogue on other topics that is interesting, usually outside the world of sports.

And so it was that I first saw the news of California striking down the tenure law for teachers and got to be part of a lively online discussion on the pros and cons of this polarizing issue.

Tenure varies in some ways from state to state, but in Minnesota, it is basically this: A new teacher is considered probationary for the first three years of his/her career. At the end of each school year, a district can choose not to renew that person’s contract without having to give any reason. This is done often, sometimes for monetary reasons and other times because a teacher is not doing the job well.

Once a teacher is offered a contract for a fourth continuous year in a district, tenure rights kick in, and it becomes much more difficult to dismiss a teacher. Also, if a teacher has gained those rights and chooses to change districts, those same rights occur beginning in the second year in that new district.

What does that mean? If Mr. Bunn decided his junior high English teacher wasn’t doing his job well, as principal he’d have his work cut out for him to cut me loose. There is a progression of steps that must be followed, by law, and even then it’s a crap shoot.

I wasn’t surprised by the negative outburst that I initially saw online, directed at teachers, after the California story broke. We have some job security that most people would envy. We also have a job that most people wouldn’t want to do.

There is always frustration with teachers who just seem to be going through the paces. Every district likely has some teachers who are not good, and these are the ones brought to the fore when issues like tenure rights rise up in the news cycle. The reality, especially in smaller districts like ours, is that this is not as big a problem as it’s made out to be.

Teachers have an amazingly important job. As a parent, you always want an excellent teacher working with your child. Does that always happen? Of course not, but I’m convinced NRHEG has a large number of exceptional teachers. My own kids have been blessed with tremendously talented teachers all the way through; believe me, I’d be knocking on some doors if I didn’t think my kids were getting the best education possible.

Ideally, administration will work with a teacher during the three probationary years to steer them in an effective direction. I know that my style and classroom management were severely lacking when I first started, but I had some good guidance from administrators, as well as other teachers and paras. I still don’t feel like I’m perfect and am constantly looking for ways to improve what I do.

Unfortunately, there are sometimes teachers who get burned out and simply reach in the file cabinet for what they did the previous year. These are the teachers who are targeted when tenure laws are attacked, and for good reason. Even I think the laws should be tweaked to make it easier to divest a district of someone sleepwalking toward retirement.

However, there is always some fear that a teacher could be cut based on salary. A district looking to save money might cut a teacher who has been around for some time and makes a lot more than a newbie out of college. Tenure was put in place to keep that from happening, as well as keeping personality conflicts out of the equation. A teacher could be excellent in the classroom, but doesn’t get along with the principal; that’s not necessarily a good reason to lose one’s job.

The new teacher evaluation system in Minnesota will take some steps to help find ways to improve as teachers, even though it’s an incredibly complex system. Districts will now have new avenues with which to help teachers improve. We’re moving away from teaching in isolation (which happens an awful lot) to collaborating more and more to become more effective in our classrooms.

Change can be good. Drastic change like in California is a slippery slope to travel though. It’s best to chip away and create something new out of the old instead of just chucking the old. After all, isn’t that what we should do as teachers?

Word of the Week: This week’s word is sciolism, which means pretentious display of superficial knowledge, as in, “Sciolism was prevalent throughout the online discussion, as many people seemed to think they knew more than they really did.” Impress your friends and confuse your enemies!

The slight chance of showers for Monday exceeded what the scurs predicted. For the scurs, “slight” is a relative term. Will we see more rain or will Mother Nature back off? Starting Wednesday, partly cloudy becoming mostly cloudy with a good chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs on the upper 80’s and lows in the upper 60’s. Thursday, mostly cloudy with a continued good chance for showers and thunderstorms. Highs near 80 and lows in the mid-60’s. Mostly cloudy Friday with a slight chance for showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the upper 70’s and lows in the low 60’s. For the first day of summer, partly sunny with a slight chance for showers and thunderstorms. Highs near 80 and lows in the low 60’s. Sunday, partly cloudy with a modest chance for a daytime shower or thunderstorm. Highs in the upper 70’s and lows near 60. Monday, partly cloudy and pleasant. Highs in the mid-70’s and lows in the mid-60’s. Tuesday, more of the same but slightly warmer. Mostly sunny with highs near 80 and lows near 60. The normal high for June 21st is 81 and the normal low is 60. The scurs will be wearing their Coast Guard approved floatation device while napping in the hammock just in case.

Monday’s thunderstorm was a nasty one. It’s never a good sign when the solar lights come on at 5:30 in the afternoon. It pulled no punches, snarling and growling as it moved across the prairie. While strong straight line winds did substantial property and crop damage, it could’ve been worse. Some large limbs were down as we gazed out the window while Ruby and Fudgie went to their Border Collie “safe places.” They do not like storms and waste no time hiding. We were just thankful nothing major was wrecked and all the beings in our care came through the storm alive. In fact, sometime during the storm, another lamb was born and a ewe lamb at that. Stormy would seem an apt name for her.

Area corn crops had that Jekyll and Hyde appearance to them this past week. Fields that were worked a little too wet began to show signs that their roots weren’t reaching the nitrogen that was in higher concentrations below.  Wheel tracks in the direction of those tillage passes were evident and were likely impeding the progress of those roots. A few cool days thrown into the mix probably didn’t help matters. Headlands in particular look ugly and unfortunately no amount of additional nutrients applications will change that. Additional nitrogen will suddenly be the hot topic however for the rest of the field in most cases. Soybeans were beginning to show some signs of iron deficiency chlorosis although the recent heavy rains will likely make that a short-lived phenomenon this year. So far at the ranch and in town at the Mall for Men we are closing in on 8” of rainfall for the month. Given the forecasts, it appears likely we will surpass that.

It was a good week to pay attention to the birds though. At the kindly neighbors’ pasture, the bluebirds were getting close to leaving the nest. Not sure if the parents were looking at another nesting box or if another pair had moved into the area. At the ranch on Monday morning a house wren was singing in the windbreak, the first one heard since the earlier in May. It just isn’t summer without a wren now is it? Checking the wood duck houses there was still no sign of them leaving the nest. One of the nests may be abandoned with a full clutch of eggs in it while the other still has a hen faithfully setting on it. While looking in the nest, the toads were extremely loud. I was curious to see for sure if that’s who they were and was able to snap several shots of one puffing his vocal sac while trilling for all he was worth. It’s still breeding season for American toads apparently and given the abundance of water, it should be ample for the females to lay up to 20,000 eggs apiece. For those viewing the photo, I apologize for the quality of the picture but when trying to avoid dropping the cell phone in the drink, that’s what happens sometimes. 

One good thing about all the rain is the pastures have been lush thus far and the ewes are fat as a result. Fertilizing the pasture at home was a paying proposition too with the grass lasting longer into the season and helping to keep the hay bill under control. The hay we seeded has looked a little better with each rain, the underseeded alfalfa filling in the gaps with orchardgrass beginning to appear as well. It should be a better year for forages in general if we can just find enough time between rains to allow hay to dry.

Mrs. Cheviot has outdone herself on the flower beds and pots around the house. The bees, butterflies and of course the hummingbirds have all been grateful for her diligence. Even though the storms beat the foliage up the plants have maintained their integrity fairly well and will come back. It’s Mr. Cheviots job to prevent unwanted pests from ruining her hard work. And no matter how bad Mr. Cheviot beats on them, they also keep coming back.

See you next week…real good then.

Keyboard recital Sunday

A recital will be presented on June 29 at 2:30 p.m. at Vista Covenant Church, rural New Richland, by the students of Shirley Groskreutz of Hartland. Students from Waldorf include Sophia Carter, Aubrey and Raquel Fischer, Ben and Anna Groskreutz, Sarah and Hunter Evers. Those from the New Richland area include Doug Rudau, Autumn Thompson, Sam and Jack Olson, Grace, Elizabeth and Isaac Nelson, and Betsy and Benjamin Schoenrock. Waseca area students include Jordane and Kala Kouba. From the Janesville area will be Kelly Koplen. Those from Mapleton include Taylor and Jordan Thompson. Performances will include piano solos and duets, an organ solo, accordion solos and duets, and singing. There also will be a surprise guest performing. The public is welcome to attend.

‘Fun Nuns’ presentation June 24 in Ellendale

Join the “Fun Nuns,” Sister Michelle Meyers and Sister Kay O’Neil, for “Life is too short not to have a good time. Developing the Art of Affirmation.”

Accept, appreciate, and applaud the people with whom we live and work! How we think about others influences whether we appreciate or disparage them. As we focus on the positive qualities of others, we can learn to validate them. Practicing the art of affirmation makes a difference. We can make that difference with everyone.

Little Miss/Mr. Contest one of many new Farm & City Days events

By JIM LUTGENS

Editor/Publisher

It will be a little bit country, a little bit city — just like the celebration it kicks off.

A new event, The Little Miss/Little Mister Pageant, will open 2014 Farm and City Days festivities on Thursday, July 10 at 7 p.m. at New Richland City Hall.

It’s open to youth age 4-7 who have a New Richland address and includes two divisions, Little Miss/Little Mr. Farmer and Little Miss/Little Mr. City.

“It’s something everyone should come and see, young and old,” said event organizer Jennie Johnson. “We hope to see a lot of people come and watch these children.”