The scurs were happy to see their diligence with the Weather Eye paid off with warmer temperatures. Will we reap the benefits for another week? Starting with Wednesday, mostly sunny with highs in the low 80’s and lows around 60. Sunny for Thursday with highs once again in the low 80’s and lows in the low 60’s. Continued warm and sunny on Friday with highs in the low 80’s and lows in the mid-60’s. Partly sunny becoming mostly cloudy on Saturday with a good chance for and evening shower or thunderstorm. Highs in the low 80’s and lows in the mid-60’s. Mostly cloudy and slightly cooler on Sunday with a moderate chance for showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the upper 70’s and lows in the low 60’s. Partly sunny Monday and cooler with a modest chance of an evening shower or thunderstorm. Highs in the mid-70’s with lows near 60. Mostly cloudy Tuesday with a continued modest chance for showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the low 70’s and lows in the mid-50’s. The normal high for June 1st is 75 and the normal low is 54. About time. This spring was starting to remind the scurs of Alaska. It appears the long johns can be filed away for future reference.

The weather this past week came just in the nick of time. There was potential for much snarling and gnashing of teeth if it hadn’t straightened out soon. As it was most are getting done planting or can at least see the light at the end of the tunnel. Some of the corn planted April 26th is pushing 2nd collar already thanks to the above normal temps over the past weekend. Corn planted May 6th and 7th has emerged and stands while not perfect appear to be adequate. Some of the soybeans planted in that timeframe have emerged as well. Rye seeded last fall as a forage crop began heading out and alfalfa has started to stretch, giving those short on forage a chance to exhale finally.

A large chunk of the garden at the ranch went in over the weekend. Saturday Kennebec, Pontiac and Gold Rush potatoes hit the ground first followed by 100+ hills of vine crops including squash, pumpkins, gourds and muskmelons. More garden went in following that including Indian corn, beets, carrots and cucumbers. Some sweet corn, tomatoes, and string beans plus whatever else we decide to mess with yet to go. We didn’t get done but we can see the end coming. Just like farming.

All the time I was planting there were plenty of birds around to keep me company. A brown thrasher must be nesting in the garden area as it sang its heart out the whole time, with nary the same song twice. The goslings down on the pond must be getting close to hatching as the geese put up a ruckus from time to time. No sign of wood ducks yet but they should show up soon. The Baltimore oriole migration apparently is complete as the jelly and sugar water consumption has taken a dive. They haven’t taken advantage of the string left out for their nest building activity so not sure if they’re nesting nearby or not. The orchard orioles have set up camp and with the sudden explosion of leaves on the maple tree, won’t surprise me if they nest there again. The canopy is so dense that seeing them disappear in it is the only clue we have that they’re here. A baby killdeer was spotted on one of my trips to the garden. A fuzzball on legs and cute as a button. His mom was doing the broken wing routine but I wasn’t buying it.

A robin has again built on top of a nest in the barn started initially 4 or 5 years ago. After skipping last year, the woven mud nest is now about 8” tall. Interesting to look at and at last check there are babies in it. The parents may be the ones using the rain gauge as a toilet. Lately they haven’t had time to plug it up. As cold as it was and as late as the ground thawed, there are already robin babies scattered all over the yard. One never knows when you’ll bump into one it seems. There are also scores of grackle babies and a Cooper’s hawk has caught on to this fact. The barnyard was in an uproar as one flew off with dozens of grackles in hot pursuit. No shortage of grackles or house sparrows so the hawks are free to help themselves.

Ruby and Fudgie definitely have taken a shine to this weather. When we’re around they’re free to spend time outside at their leisure. Ruby usually heads to the barn after a while to keep an eye on the sheep and Fudgie crashes on the back side of the house somewhere. Not sure where as she comes when the door opens. She also comes whenever a gate is opened, something that’s become a force of habit whenever we need to go out in the feed lot. The ewes are wise to this now and the last thing they want is a red and white Border Collie nipping at their heels when there’s plenty of grass to devour on the far side of the pasture.

The flowering crabs this past week were absolutely gorgeous with many yards boasting several in full bloom. Oddly enough the wind didn’t cut the season short as it has some years. Apple trees at the ranch appear loaded with blooms again although the Honeycrisp again has no blooms. Not sure what the problem is as the tree looks healthy as a horse. There was more bad news on the fruit tree front: All appearances are that Betsy’s dad, the area’s largest peach grower has declared his grove to be deceased. This means we may have to consolidate our operations. The huge peach tree loss will likely have a ripple effect on the economy. We won’t need as many crates or trucks to haul the peaches nor workers to pick them.

See you next week…real good then.

NRHEG wins conference crown; Christenson, Bartz advance to state

The sport of high school clay target shooting is unique, and not just because the only "ball" is a bunch of BBs that are blasted at a flying clay disc.

Three years ago, when NRHEG last won the conference championship, there were only 29 teams with 700 athletes in the state. This year, NRHEG collected their second conference championship in their short four-year team history in a league with five classes, 185 teams and over 6,000 athletes.

Calling all athletes, health-conscious individuals, or those who would like to fulfill that New Year’s resolution to shed some weight: this summer, local residents will have the opportunity to participate in an exercise class.

Made popular in the 2010s, Max Interval Training (or High Intensity Interval Training) consists of intense bouts of exercise followed by a short rest period. Demonstrated to increase lean muscle mass and decrease body fat, this method of exercise provides large gains in a short amount of time due to the large number of calories burned per session.

The class is available to those of all levels of fitness age 14 and up. Personal trainer Tim Krohn will instruct the class and include modifications throughout to accommodate different fitness levels. Beginning June 2nd, the class will be held in the Ellendale gym on Mondays and Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. Each session will last 30 minutes. For more information or to register, please contact Marilyn Dobberstein, Community Education Director, at (507) 417-2667.

A Mass of Christian Burial was held Friday, May 2, 2014 at St. Teresa Catholic Church in Lincoln, Nebraska, for Mariana Hill, who died on April 27, 2014, after a brief hospitalization in Lincoln. Monsignor Joseph Namec Officated. Interment was at Calvary Cemetery in Lincoln.

Funeral services for Daryl V. Clausen will be held at 11 a.m. on Thursday, May 28, 2014 at LeSueur River Lutheran Church, New Richland. The reverend Brian Gegel will officiate. Visitation will be held from 4–8 p.m. on Wednesday at Friedrich Funeral Home, and again one hour prior to the service at the church.

Daryl passed away suddenly at his family farm on May 21, 2014. He was 52 years old.

Daryl V. Clausen was born on October 19, 1961 to Ronald and Lois (Brandvold) Clausen, in Waseca. Daryl attended and graduated from New Richland High School. He graduated with honors from Vermillion Community College and South Central College. He was united in marriage to Patti on August 6, 1983, and was blessed with two daughters, Callie Jo and Hailie Rae.

We recently had a "meeting of the minds" regarding the progression of the Ellendale Public School system.  There is a planned effort to recall some history from yesteryear that has developed into the school system as it is known today. We know that the first graduating class in 1922 was a class of three students, but there are other things to consider that we easily forget or never knew about.

For example, we remember when the Ellendale district paired and shared educational resources with the Geneva school, then with the combined district of New Richland-Hartland. But how much knowledge do we have of all those little country schools that closed and consolidated along the way?

Information from our readers who still remember when their neighborhood’s rural school became part of the Ellendale, and later Ellendale-Geneva, school systems, would be greatly appreciated. If we were to have a history of education, it would be best to acquire thoughts and memories while there are still individuals to share them. We tend to put these facts in the back of our minds; and of course some things were before our time. 

With 957 students in our present school system, a total of 473 at Ellendale and 484 in 6-12th grade at New Richland, it may be hard to vision what it was like back then. Geneva had two years of advanced education, or high school, in those early years. I remember my aunt Helyn speaking of attending school and staying with my Grandma Hanson’s brother, Hans’s, family. Unfortunately I didn't ask enough, and she can no longer talk about those early years. Is there anyone who can help fill in the blanks, so to speak? It would be appreciated.

We had a very impressive girls’ basketball team this year. We also had an impressive girls’ basketball team many years ago. Helen Johnson Davidson, Floyd Davidson’s mother, was one team member. How did it happen that when at one time, girls had competitive sports that were later dropped for a number of years? When did they start again as an organized competitive team instead of a physical education or noon hour mural game?

There are people who valued education and gave their all to support it, including those who taught classes that are no longer offered or absorbed into other classes. Names like Dr. Ertel, L. A. Arnold, Mr. Skovbroten, Martina McIntyre, and David Garceau come to mind, but there were others in the shadows that were a part of this school’s history. Students today who sometimes turn up their noses at healthy, delicious breakfasts and lunch would hardly believe what the first hot lunches were. Many times it consisted of soup or hot dish cooked in dark corners of the school’s maintenance and furnace room by Eliza Schultz, who led her blind husband to the school each day to cook that kettle of food to be served to students. It was a beginning – or was it? The next day, the leftovers or potatoes brought from home were heated in the old jacketed wood stove in the country school during the winter.

Office classes, like typing, shorthand, and bookkeeping were taught by Agnes Frei at one time, and by Alma Tollefson later in Ellendale. This also included cutting stencils, mimeographs, and copies made by hectograph. Students would be far sighted if they saw machines today that only require a flip or a punch of the finger to do it all.

When first invented, pencils were used more than pen and ink, and teachers did a lot of writing and preparing work and tests that may not have been already printed.

My mother remembers at least 25 years ago, she was taking college classes in Waseca when an instructor said, "We have the capability to teach today by mechanical methods that would be easier and result in a better education where students will learn more and quicker, but it is doubtful it would be accepted because there will always be a need for human intervention."

One wonders where we are headed now and what will one day be obsolete. Education includes learning to live in the times. Home schooling, year-round school, charter schools, private schools and religious schools are non-traditional yet important methods of education.

Are today’s children brighter, more talented and better trained to handle a more complex world? Of course they are in many areas, but not all. If one has access to some of the old books in libraries from those early years, it might surprise you what the student was expected to know by grade levels in those days. More? Less? Different, because the world and expectations have changed. Your thoughts and memories will be appreciated.

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

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

This week’s birthdays and anniversaries include:

• Thursday, May 22nd: David Eliason, Christine Thompson Krause, Lori Lembke, Scott Dirksen, Pat Horan, Mark Christensen, Jim Obermoller, Michael Sarver, Roger Thompson, Andrew Grunwald, Karla Hanson, Dick Swift, Chuck & Susan Grubish, Toni and James Perschbacker

• Friday, May 23rd: Stephane Paul Martin, her 5th; Will Richard Utpadel, his 7th: Ilsbeth Wayne, Jeanne Simonson, Melissa Shaunce, Burton Borchert, Orville Langlie, Karen Quam, Rodney & Peggy Sorenson, Duane & Janice Morreim, Jeff & Sara Miller, Rebecca & Tim Brekke

• Saturday, May 24th: David Christensen, Marlyn Swearingen, Reta Draayer, Nina Widlund

• Sunday, May 25th: Dakota Matthew Kath, his 9th: Riley Dean Disher, his 7th; Jack Harpel, Jackie Johnson Miller, Jim Pichner, Cara Christensen, Valerie Peterson, Richard Fetterly, Bill Nechanicky, Rick Miller, Deb Parks, Paul Reese, Troy & Kelly Utpadel, Dave & Barbara Van Gorkom

• Monday, May 26th: Jeff Wayne, Roger Wangsness, Natalie Hanson, Jim Cummins, Jennifer Beaber, Jeremy Beaber, Melissa Redmon, Karey (Kalakian) & Chris Shearman

• Tuesday, May 27th: Eileen Bergland, Lisa Hanson, Steve Jepson, Shane Callahan, Stacy Wobschall, Rev. Beaber, Theresa Kasper, Rick Loven, Carolee Broitzman George, Tracy Marcus, Lisa Hanson, Steve Jepson, Michael Butler, Steve & Karen Quam, Megan & Joel Cooper

• Wednesday, May 28th: Sara Beth Carlson, her 4th; Lily Lee Olson, her 4th; Madalyn Kehne, Madison Catherine Knudson, Susan Schmidt, Marie Fowler, Rick & Jenny Loberg, Gerritt & Kathy Molenaar

May your special day blossom with many reasons to smile!

This past weekend I had the pleasure of attending the 67th Annual Minnesota Governor’s Fishing Opener in the Nisswa/Brainerd Lakes area. The community really went all out this year to showcase their area to the media and visitors for this weekend event. The opener was headquartered out of Grand View Lodge on Gull Lake and they did a super job, but unfortunately they couldn’t find Governor Dayton a walleye.

I have always been impressed by the community supper held on Friday evening. It is a free event that brings together not only media folks but families from the surrounding communities who are there to take it all in. I overheard one fellow saying to his wife, “I didn’t know dat dis event vas dis big.” A young father with three little kids was heard saying, “I can’t believe this is all free.” There are vendors passing out all sorts of free gifts to visitors. I am always impressed by the number of volunteers, the ones who make this weekend such a success. The process of hosting this event is not an easy task and it all starts at least a year ahead of time. This year there were not only many event organizers from the community but over 400 volunteers who gave their time to make this a very successful event.

Fishing generates an estimated $2.4 billion in direct retail sales annually in Minnesota, supporting 35,000 jobs statewide. It is estimated this weekend’s event will have brought in about $2 million in revenue to the Brainerd Lakes Area, which has the two largest chains of lakes in the Midwest with the Whitefish and Gull Lake chain of lakes. There are over 500 lakes in the area to pick from when choosing a vacation. No matter your outdoors preference, this area has it all. Not only does it offer a great area for summer vacation, it has great hunting, summer fishing tournaments and hosts the largest ice fishing contest in the world – the Brainerd Jaycees $150,000 Ice Fishing Extravaganza held in January on Gull Lake and benefits the Camp Confidence Learning Center on Gull Lake. The DNR stocks 2.8 million walleye annually in Gull Lake and has been home to some of the state’s most famous anglers; one such fisherman is Dan Eigen of the Nisswa-based Walleye Dan’s Guide Service, who was actually fishing with family the morning of the opener.

“The Brainerd Lakes Area is loaded with lakes that are full of many different species of fish and the area is also loaded with many talented fishermen/women,” Eigen said. “Because of the lakes and landscape, the BLA attracts people with a passion for the outdoors.”

Before he was an area resident, Eigen would come up on family vacations each summer. He said his favorite hangout spot was Marv Koep’s bait shop in Nisswa.

“I believe Marv Koep and his family were very instrumental for putting this area on the map and for spawning so many awesome fishermen/women,” Eigen said. “From Al and Ron Lindner, Gary Roach and the many, many fishing guides to Nick Adams and Lindy-Little Joe Tackle Company, Babe Winkleman, Lindner Media, In-Fisherman and loads of other people and companies that contribute to the fishing mecca that we are blessed to live right in the middle of.”

I once again met up with Jeff Anderson, a radio announcer and friend from Watertown, S.D. who I have fished with at this event for many years. After attending the community picnic we later paired up with our fishing host for Saturday’s event. This year we were paired with Dave Peterson, who has been a resident of this area his whole life and is an avid hunter, fisherman and outdoorsman who was right there to volunteer his time putting up with two media guys for most of a day, which couldn’t have been an easy task.

He also said that he volunteers to help with the Ice Fishing Extravaganza each year. This past year they drilled 17,000 holes in about five hours; that’s a lot of drilling!

We didn’t exactly hammer the fish this trip and with the late ice-out the walleyes were actually spawning in many lakes. I did manage to catch a couple of small pike which kept the dreaded skunk away, but I don’t think Dave was impressed with my ability to catch that particular species. He did all he could to get Jeff a fish and eventually hooked a crappie and gave Jeff the rod telling him to reel. I wonder if he thought that fishing with us was like hosting a take-a-kid fishing event.

He told of how he grew up loving to fish and hunt and attributed that to his dad who he said was also his best friend. He said that he was so fish crazy as a kid that one day after a rain he ran home and got his fishing pole and began casting in the ditch that was filling up with rain water. He said he took some good natured ribbing from folks but took it all in stride. Dave said that as a kid he did yard work for different cabin owners and from time to time they would ask him where the fish were biting which led to him taking them fishing which in turn led to him becoming a fishing guide. He eventually had to get a “real” job but still has a guide service called Anglers Advantage Guide Services and does some guiding when time allows.

After spending most of a day with him I could tell that he is a true outdoorsman in every sense of the word. Besides fishing he loves to hunt almost any species and he bow hunts deer and also hunts bear, pheasant and turkey. Dave also raises and trains his own Labs and he said that hunting waterfowl is probably his favorite sport of all. Dave said that one of his most memorable experiences was a trip to Alaska a couple of years ago and a return trip is definitely on his wish list for the near future.

It didn’t take long to know that Dave is a true outdoorsman and that he is also concerned about the future of the outdoors when it comes to our youth. In the past he has invited groups of area youth to his land to experience deer hunting for the first time. I was truly glad to meet a person who is genuinely concerned about the future of our outdoors heritage and is doing his part to help. Getting more youth outdoors and away from the electronic media world that we find ourselves becoming slaves to is a big step towards preserving our outdoors heritage.

Until next time; remember that no matter how much things change we will always have the memories. This is indeed a great area of our state and I can’t think of a better place to start making new memories that will last a lifetime.

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

Echoes from the Loafers’ Club Meeting

My sister just got married for the third time. All three of her husbands have been named Charles.

Don't say it.

Yup, she's a regular Chuck magnet.

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 don’t mind change as long as it doesn’t involve changing.

The news from Hartland

• Cat obedience school closes.

• Bible study group walks on their hands in order to save soles.

• Martial arts center offers a senior division called the high belt class.

The shot clinic

I went to a shot clinic. It's a clinic where they give shots that is within a clinic. I went there to get a herd of inoculations. I sat in the waiting area. Some people were there for their children. Some people were there because they had children. Babe Ruth of the New York Yankees supposedly called a shot, a home run he hit in the fifth inning of Game 3 of the 1932 World Series at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Ruth pointed his bat toward the stands, but the exact nature of his gesture remains undetermined. When I met with the doctor, she put things in terms she thought I’d understand. The shot clinic doctor was better than Babe Ruth, she called every shot.

I didn’t miss the point.

Stand Still Parade

Every May, Whalan, Minn. has its Annual Stand Still Parade.

The parade doesn’t move, the spectators do.

Whalan, population 62, wanted a parade. The problem was that the city was only a couple of blocks long, which would mean the parade would be over quickly unless it immediately formed into a traffic jam. Having no parade route can put a crimp in a parade. The spectators stand still or sit in lawn chairs before strolling around the stationary parade units. A friend told me that you know the parade is over when the color guard carries their folding chairs to their cars.

Signing autographs

I had just finished teaching a writing class when a group of students asked if I’d be willing to sign autographs for them. I responded that it would give my life purpose. I signed their autograph books, book bags, and a Kindle cover in my characteristic childish scrawl. My comment about the act giving my life purpose wasn't meant to be snarky. I was sincere. It made me feel as if I had served a purpose and I was delighted to spend time with such fine young writers.

At a highfalutin hotel and I’d left my hoity-toity ways at home

I worked in Scottsdale, Ariz. My employer put me up in the ritziest of places, The Phoenician, situated near the Camelback Mountain. It was a luxury resort of the kind so nifty that I didn’t even dare ask the room rate, for fear there would be a charge for asking questions. There was a loan officer on the premises. Charles H. Keating Jr. built the Phoenician. His name brought back memories. Keating went to prison and symbolized the $150 billion savings-and-loan crisis that came to a head in the 1980s. He was imprisoned after fleecing thousands of depositors with the regulatory help from a group of U.S. senators known as the Keating Five. Keating hired Alan Greenspan, who later became the chairman of the Federal Reserve. Greenspan compiled a report saying that Lincoln’s depositors faced no foreseeable risk and praised its seasoned and expert management. He was wrong. Way wrong. Keating called on five senators who had been recipients of his campaign largess, the aforementioned Keating Five—Alan Cranston of Calif., Donald W. Riegle Jr. of Mich., John Glenn of Ohio, and Dennis DeConcini and John McCain of Ariz.—and they pressured the bank board to relax the rules and kill its investigation. That was naughty. Keating may have been crooked, but The Phoenician appeared both plumb and senatorial.

Customer comments

Ric McArthur of Morpeth, Ontario wrote, "Four out of five people suffer from diarrhea. Does that mean the fifth person enjoys it?"

Nature notes

"Why don’t all birds fly?" About 40 species, including penguins, ostriches, emus, and kiwis are flightless. It’s thought that these birds lost their ability to fly due to the lack of predators. There are no flightless species in North America.

Meeting adjourned

"How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant of the weak and the strong. Because someday in life, you will have been all of these."--George Washington  

Lately here at the Star Eagle, we’ve gotten various inquiries, comments, and some complaints about the later arrival of papers. Many have grown accustomed to a certain time frame, a schedule you’ve had for years, which has been upset as papers delivered to houses and P.O. Boxes have been arriving on Thursday instead of Wednesday. I know it can be frustrating when the things we come to expect suddenly change, and we extend our apologies to the community and ask for patience and consideration as we continue to work through an adjustment period.

There’s a surprising amount of work and people involved in putting together this publication every week; I’ve been around newspapers my whole life, and I’m still learning. One obvious (I say this because it’s printed at the top of every page) but often overlooked/forgotten thing about the Star Eagle: Thursday is the official date of publication. Since the papers are already out on Thursday, it’s essentially a Monday for us as we prepare for the next issue.

Everything that will be in the current week’s paper – articles, columns, ads, etc. – has a Tuesday deadline; the pages are edited/proofed on Monday and Tuesday and electronically transferred to the printer Tuesday afternoon. On Wednesday morning, I leave at 8 a.m. for House of Print in Madelia where I pick up the papers, separated into bundles of various sizes with several bundles sorted into large, opaque plastic-like Post Office bags (these can weigh up to 70 lbs.) before driving back to New Richland.

If there are no delays, I get to town around 10:30; my first stop is the New Richland post office, where I drop off all but 3-5 post office bags in two bins – one for New Richland P.O. boxes/addresses, the other for out of town (or state) addresses. Then I go to the Star Eagle, print out postal statements and gather everything I need before going back to the post office for some stamps and signatures. By the time I’m done, it’s usually between 11-11:30, and I still have about half of the workday left.

Counter sales, a.k.a. papers we sell at area businesses, take up the remainder of what we refer to as the “paper run.” Since Nancy Jane’s Bakery is conveniently located two buildings down, I go there first. I do the same thing at every stop: pick up remaining papers from last week, subtract the number from the total number of papers they received, and multiply that number with the store’s price per paper to determine the amount to be collected. The majority of businesses get a receipt with these numbers and the amount paid, which are also written on the counter sales sheet for our records. Before leaving, I replace the old papers with this week’s, which are separated into bundles for each.

This process of exchanging papers and collecting payments usually takes 5-10 minutes, depending on how busy the store is at the time. After the bakery, I drive to the following locations (in order): New Richland Drug, Wagner Foods, One Stop, Ellendale Post Office, Lerberg’s, Gopher Stop North, Geneva Foods, Gopher Stop South in Clarks Grove, Hartland Post office, Gopher Stop (Nielsen’s Conoco); and finally Waseca Kwik Trip.

We’ve been using the same routine for years, with many adjustments along the way to try and accompany everyone’s needs and/or requests.

A big part of the paper run is knowing the schedules of businesses, as many have different closing/lunch hours. For example, the Ellendale Post Office closes for lunch from 11:30-1 p.m., which used to be an issue, but since new employees started they’ve made sure at least one person is in the building during that time so I can drop off their papers when I’m going through town (something I appreciate incredibly much!). Gas stations can be very busy around noon, so I try to get to them earlier to avoid the rush, but this isn’t always possible.

By the time I get back to New Richland and all the papers have been delivered, it’s around 2 p.m. and I’ve been driving for roughly six hours. I hope you can understand my frustration, then, when complaints are received about papers basically not arriving early enough – and remember, folks, we’re under no obligation to distribute the papers a day early, and could have chosen to make our jobs easier years ago and started waiting until Thursdays to deliver them. But we appreciate all of our subscribers, advertisers, and those who contribute to the Star Eagle in any way, so we continue to provide this service.

The biggest adjustment we’ve made in regards to the paper run – we’re still trying to work out the kinks, but there seem to be new ones all the time – was our change of printers. About a year ago, we had to choose a new printing company, as the one we worked with for years went out of business.

After many trials and errors, we’ve finally got a routine that is the most efficient. Unfortunately, due to the Hartland Post Office’s closing time of noon, some papers that get mailed out/put into P.O. boxes arrive the next morning. However, we’ve been able to deliver new papers to all the local businesses and post offices on Wednesday morning/early afternoon, and we’re going to keep the system that runs smoothest as long as we can, even if that requires a little sacrifice. After all, I’d love to take the day off, like the other employees (our office is closed on Wednesdays) do; however, I need the money, and I feel it would upset too many people to put the process off until Thursday. 

It’s hard to adjust to change, but change is also necessary in some way at some point, and a little flexibility, patience, and understanding are key in dealing with it.