Keeping their long johns at the ready was definitely a good idea for the scurs this past week. Will the ’74 Gremlin Weather Eye forecast our weather future once again? Starting Wednesday, mostly sunny with a high near 70 and lows in the mid-40’s. Mostly sunny for Thursday with a modest chance for a daytime shower. Highs in the upper 50’s and lows in the mid-30’s. Mostly sunny on Friday with a modest chance for an evening shower or thunderstorm. Highs in the upper 50’s and lows around 45. Mostly cloudy Saturday with a good chance for showers and thunderstorms. Highs again in the upper 50’s with lows in the mid-30’s. Mostly cloudy and cooler for Sunday with a chance for a lingering morning shower. Highs in the low 40’s and lows in the mid-20’s. Mostly sunny and continued cool for Monday and Tuesday with highs in the low to mid-40’s and lows in the upper 20’s. The normal high for April 15th is 57 and the normal low is 35. The scurs are waiting to see how far their tax refund will go towards buying coal for the upcoming heating season.

The 15th also marks the date of the Full Moon for the month. It generally goes by the name Full Pink Moon as the wild ground phlox was the first flower to blanket the woodlands. It also goes by the Full Egg Moon as well as the Full Fish Moon as the shad were running for the tribes of the northeast. Closer to home the Ojibwe called this The Broken Snowshoe Moon and to the Sioux, this was the Moon of Greening Grass, critical to their way of life on the prairie and reliance on the buffalo. At the ranch we are in the same boat, knowing this as the Moon of the Dwindling Hay Supply.

Progress towards spring continues to be made in the fields. The snow that once seemed perpetual has largely gone and evidence that the frost is indeed out in places is abundant. While this doesn’t mean fields are fit the table is set so we that we should be able to capitalize on a week – 10 days of warm, dry weather. Dry is the key word here as we picked up .48” of precip on the 4th between the rain and snow that fell. The thundershowers on Sunday night and Monday morning dropped another .47” of rain so early April has had a moist start in Greater Bugtussle. 

Even though the rain may not have moved us closer to fieldwork, it has likely moved the remaining frost down in areas where it has persisted as well as helping to melt the stubborn snowbanks around dooryards, groves and windbreaks. At the ranch this is important as the bottom wire on the electric fence remains embedded in the ice so it can’t be charged yet. This means the lambs have yet to be turned loose to run and hop. It also means they have yet to discover what those yellow insulators are all about. One of the old ewes still in the main pasture has figured it out though and has made a mockery of the fence near the house. The aforementioned green grass has appeared on the south slope and she is determined to blow through the fence at will. She doesn’t know it yet but her ticket has been punched for one of those expenses paid trips. After we can charge the fence of course and I have the satisfaction of seeing her get zapped a few times first.

For health reasons primarily, it’s been a while since I’ve been able to check out the action in and around the pond. Saturday presented one of those opportunities so I took it. The Gator was loaded with all the tools needed to clean and repair any birdhouses as well as new cedar shavings for the wood duck houses. The bluebird houses were a piece of cake and readied for new residents when they arrive. The wood duck houses were more work although seeing two pair of wood ducks swim out of the cattails provided additional incentive. There was also one lone ring-necked duck, likely moving through. The wetland has truly been a migrating waterfowl haven especially in the spring the last several seasons. Also spotted in the area has been a breeding pair of kestrels. Not waterfowl of course although a few years ago they occupied one of the wood duck houses. How do I know they are a breeding pair? Well, that’s exactly what they were doing.

We’ve had an owl at the ranch occasionally much of the winter and early spring. Friday night after I made one of those 4 a.m. trips to the bathroom that 50+ year old males make, I was relatively certain that I would have trouble falling asleep again. I tossed and turned under the blankets as my mind was racing. Suddenly I heard a softly spoken “hoooo, hoo-hooo” from atop of one of the spruce trees right outside bedroom. I listened as the owl continued to call and I suddenly started to feel drowsy. The owl eventually moved on to neighbor David’s and although the sound was farther away, its calling was still very soothing. Within minutes I drifted off once again. Checking with Al Batt, he felt it was likely a great horned owl, perhaps with young in the area. All I know is they probably don’t make sleeping pills any more effective than that.

Spring creeps along. Talking to a customer at the post office Monday a.m., she was proud of the fact she’d seen a robin pulling and angleworm from the ground. Western chorus frogs from the pond were heard on Sunday night, April 6th after the rainfall had danced gently off the shingles. Amazing to hear the frogs given the water temperature as I was wading towards a wood duck house just the day before. Breaking through the soft ice on the edge of the pond was a clue. However, between the frogs and falling rain there are plenty of sleep aids in the event the owl doesn’t return.

See you next week…real good then.

By KATHY PAULSEN

Staff Writer

At 1:09 a.m. Monday morning, March 31, the Freeborn County 911 dispatchers received a report of a house fire at 81030 320 St. NE, Ellendale at the home of Greg and Maureen Riley. The home is located about two miles east of Geneva at the interesection of Freeborn County Road 35 and County Road 26.

The annual PTO Community Night out will be held at the Geneva Community Center on Saturday, April 5. It begins at 5 p.m. with a social hour and silent auction. At 6 there will be a catered buffet dinner. Comedian C. Willi Myles will be the entertainment for the night with the live auction beginning at 7. Tickets are available at the NRHEG Elementary School Office and will be $15 ahead of time and $20 at the door.

Ellendale City Council

By SCOTT GROTH

Contributing Writer

The Ellendale City Council met Thursday March 27, with Mayor Swearingen, Councilmen Reiter, Lassahn and Groth present; absent was Councilman Goebel. Also attending the meeting: Clerk Hojberg, Assistant Clerk Zimprcih, Municipal Liquor Store Manager Pete Paulson and Maintenance Supervisor Josh Otto.

After approving the agenda as presented, the council heard from Clerk Hojberg. During her report, Hojberg told the council the numbers have been steady and improving at the Municipal Liquor Store. Discussion was held and council members felt this would be a good chance to move some monies that were borrowed during the remodeling process. A motion was made to repay $5,000 from the Liquor Store Fund to the General Fund. The motion was passed.

By JIM LUTGENS

Editor/Publisher

NRHEG High School announced its winter sports award winners at the annual ceremony in the gymnasium Monday, March. 24.

They were, by sport:

Boys’ basketball

• Panther Award — Spencer Tollefson, Trevor Tracy

• Most Improved Player — John Cole

• Practice Player Award — Noah Krell

• Top Defensive Player — Ryan Patraw

Our community has much to be proud of, which was proved once again by the incredibly talented NRHEG girls’ basketball team’s second state championship in a row. Not only did they make history, they received deserved admiration in our area, statewide, and beyond. 

I couldn’t express the positive feelings I have for John Schultz and the team as a whole. I could not possibly repeat the many accolades that were expressed by the media, strangers and even the opposing teams. The real honor is more than all the wins and records set — it was the girls themselves. What a close-knit unit. Their conduct on and off the court was, in my opinion, greater than any trophy they received.

Carlie Wagner, always humble, was quick to share and give credit to her teammates. It was interesting that she was almost apologetic about breaking Janet Karvonen’s record. All of the girls showed admirable sportsmanship and never got big-headed, despite their success. We can all be proud of how the girls put NRHEG on the map.

I am proud of our spectators; it was great to see the support of our community, something else the media emphasized. Carlie and Jade will stay close to home as Golden Gophers at University of Minnesota next year, which wasn’t a difficult decision. They are loyal to their family and friends and it shows.

The tears shared when the girls realized this was their last game together really showed how much they care for their school, and for each other.

Pride also goes to another young individual, Jake Langlie, who received an EXCEL Award at the state tournament. It came as no surprise to those who know this young man, and it was an honor much deserved.

I am reminded of one day he joined a group of volunteers who were helping senior citizens with tasks that needed to be done before winter. Most of the volunteers were older, but there was Jake, a youngster, who was not only working hard but smiling, joking and obviously enjoying what he was doing — tasks that most young people would have passed on.

It’s amazing what young people can accomplish. These are the leaders of our future with the personality and pride that makes our community worthy of recognition. With young people like them the future is brighter and filled with promise, and sometimes we lack in giving them the credit that they are due. 

My uncle, Paul, had a philosophy. Whenever his kids wanted to do something and asked for permission, he replied, "Your mother and I will talk about it,” followed by, "Yes, if you have the time, energy and money to do so."

His idea was that if the child wanted something bad enough they would be able to achieve it and in so doing they would realize their own ability. He showed respect and faith in their competence and desire. Though criticized by family that said he was expecting too much, his method produced results. His kids spent summers in Mexico studying at an early age because they earned money doing odd jobs, babysitting, etc. Jim, the oldest, earned his pilot’s license before he had his driver’s license, and rode his bike 10 miles to Albert Lea, one way, where he mowed lawn and did odd jobs at the Albert Lea airport. He went on to accomplish much in life. His parents had faith in his ability and desire.  

Sometimes we don't give children an opportunity for independence by stepping in to help, or by teaching our own methods, when sometimes, it’s best to let them go about it in their own manner. 

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, April 3rd: Solvieg Sorenson, Linda Goodnature, Mikayla Moon, Joanne Christensen, Randy Kronberg, Patty Slater, Jase Dean Knudson, Kevin Born

• Friday, April 4th: Daryl Paulsen, Jena Richards Thompson, Erik Smith, Rachael Nicole Roades, Erin Elaine Peterson, Nathan Spande, Theresa Kasper, Danny Larson, Don Larson, Ann Michelle Larson, Diane & Dave Broskoff

• Saturday, April 5th: LaVada Jensen, Colette Bauers, Samuel Thompson, Alyssa Haried, Brian Schultz, Duane Nelson, Mike Johnson, Gary & Sue Hunnicutt, Dick & Judy Wacholz, Dale & Nancy Kelly

• Sunday, April 6th: Skip Cromwell, Spencer Kubat, Eric Crabtree, Duane Lembke, Dean Westrum, Andrew Haried, Paul Underland, Laurie Wayne, Paul Highum, Chris Phillips Carlson

• Monday, April 7th: Janye Villarreal, Janice Jensen Skovera, Lou Hanson-Vu, Katie Lembke, Michael & Kari Ingvaldson, Gary & Sonya Peterson

• Tuesday, April 8th: Sarah Collins, Ivy Obermoller, Dick Tracy, Nick Vreeman, Tim Stollard, Mark Hemingway, Sherri Carlson, Karen O'Byrne, Bob Donovan, David Pitcock, Alice Grosland, Dale & Vivian Dulas, Paul & Karissa Dolan

• Wednesday, April 9th: Becky Larson, Justin Tufte, June Lageson, Abby Paige Christopherson, Raianna Thomas, Jim Kaplan, Kiersten Knudson, Mike Nechanicky, Larry Sarver, Clarice McGrath, Tiffany Chrz, Joe & Mandy Moon

It is your special day — take a break and celebrate!

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

It seems as though in the past couple of years “old man winter” has been determined to make sure that we will not forget him. Last year I fished the opener on a lake that was still half ice covered and now we are experiencing below average temperatures for this time of year. Almost everyone that you speak to these days says they are ready for summer and they wonder if winter will ever end? I guess that’s just speaking Minnesotan!

Although I’ve never been fortunate enough to visit Alaska I usually speak with my brother-in-law Lynn Johnson, who is from Nome, Alaska at least a couple of times a week. Those conversations usually make me feel a little better about our weather here in Minnesota. The last couple of years, however, it seems as if we have been getting Nome weather and they have been experiencing Southern Minnesota type weather. When we were going through that run of below zero weather Lynn would call periodically to remind me that it was in the 30’s in Nome. This coincides with our runs of 90 degree weather when he would make sure that I knew it was also beastly hot in Nome – 70 and sunny to be exact.

This winter he said that he was actually wishing for a little more snow which I believe they have finally been getting in the past few weeks. Lynn likes to hunt, fish and trap in the winter months so a normal Alaskan winter is something that he looks forward to. Lynn told me that he has set out a few beaver traps and has also put out a few crab pots that have already yielded some results. Last year he caught quite a few fox so I had to ask him if he had any plans on trapping them this year. He told me that there haven’t been as many fox around this year as there were last year and the weather just hadn’t been all that cooperative.

This past weekend he and his wife Margaret, who everyone calls Sister set out on a snowmobile trip to hunt caribou and do a little fishing. They went north out of Nome heading to their cabin in a remote part of the area. After going about 70 miles they arrived at the village of White Mountain which is still about 30 miles from the cabin. He was pulling a sled with provisions on it and when he came to a stop the sled he was towing jackknifed and he ended up rolling the snow machine busting the windshield. Luckily he wasn’t injured and with the help of the store owner was able to upright the machine and fix it. After filling it with gas and oil they were once again on their way.

After they had settled in at the cabin they went hunting for caribou and managed to bag one. Most of their time, however, was spent fishing which he said  proved to be the best ice fishing he has had in few years. They caught some dandy pike, limited out on grayling and also caught some ling cod. He said that they had a great meal of fish while they were there and knowing the way that Sister can cook I don’t have any doubt about that.

After a couple of days they headed to Gallivan which is Sister’s home town and where her mother still resides. Gallivan was 56 miles by snow machine from the cabin. They spent that night at Gallivan and then started the 92 mile trip back to Nome.

Along the way they broke the hitch for towing the sled at least twice. Lynn was able to use a rope to connect the sled to the snow machine and make it work the rest of the way back to Nome.  With all the trouble that they were having it took them about 5 hours to get home.

The first thing that Lynn did after getting back to Nome was check his crab pots. He said he had caught a few but was optimistic that using some better bait (herring) would get him some better results. I am looking forward to getting a picture of a “full” crab pot in the near future.

Lynn retired in February and if you are retired and an outdoorsman like him there couldn’t be a better place to spend your time. I have always considered myself a fairly active outdoorsman but I have to believe that Lynn takes it to another level. Many of the experiences that he has had would seem more like an adventure than an experience.

Lynn also has a plane (or two or three) and flies quite a bit in the summer. Along with flying his boat is always a big part of his summer and he uses it to fish and it also helps him get to hunting areas that are more easily accessed by water. I do believe that if you made a documentary about some of Lynn’s “adventures” it would be a pretty darned good one.

Until next time, it’s spring (according to the calendar) so get out and enjoy the outdoors.

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

I slipped and fell while ice fishing.

Did the other fishermen laugh?

No, but the ice made a couple of cracks.

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: there are few more beautiful winter sights than a plowed road.

The news from Hartland

• Building contractor specializing in tree houses for the elderly declares bankruptcy.

• Gourmet broth maker becomes bouillionaire.

• Study finds that seismology is on shaky ground.

Cafe chronicles

I sat in the "come as you are" section. I ordered a steak as a birthday present to myself. The waitress brought a steak the size of Wyoming. I gave it a look. It reminded me of a Chihuahua that once kept me company. The neighbor had 12 Great Danes. My young son called them deer. The Chihuahua looked at them with that "What is that?" look. I gave that look to a steak bigger than its plate.

Orange they nice

The blizzard caused a school bus ahead of me to stop, back up, turn around, and head south in the northbound lane of the freeway. The bus carried the school's name. Thanks to consolidation, the smaller the school, the longer its name.

I rode a school bus every day. I recall the day that I took a green snake to school for show-and-tell. I carried it in a box with holes punched in it so the snake could have all the air it needed. I’d handwritten "snake" on the side of the box in burnt umber crayon. Arriving at school, I gave the box a slight motivational shake before showing its contents to my teacher.

I’ve grown accustomed to your faith

People talk about giving things up for Lent. Some people claim to be giving up giving up things for Lent. When I was a lad, we had meatless Fridays in the school cafeteria. We were served salmon sandwiches or fish sticks every Friday. It was a penance aimed at Catholics, but it crossed all lines of religious beliefs. We noticed the absence of meat, but in those days, there was separation between church and steak.

Changing

Years ago, I read "The Metamorphosis" by Franz Kafka, a story of a traveling salesman, Gregor Samsa, who awoke to find himself transformed into a monstrous insect-like creature, not necessarily a cockroach. Man is capable of turning into other things. Simon and Garfunkel sang about a man who turned into a sandwich. In "The Boxer," the song began, "I am just a poor boy."

A cow whisperer

Betty Morstad of Albert Lea grew up on a farm. As a girl, one of her jobs was to feed the cows. She gave them a special treat, a mixture of ground feed from a couple of 5-gallon buckets. The cows loved the stuff.

One day, the cows got out of the pasture and onto the road. The men in the family scurried about, ready to pursue the cattle on foot and chase them back home. They groused a bit as it was during a particularly busy time on the farm.

Betty grabbed the 5-gallon buckets, banged them together, and the cows came home.

Customer comments

• Ric McArthur of Morpeth, Ontario wrote, "Never lend anything you can’t afford to lose."   

• Paul Piper of Minneapolis said that while in college, he ate heavily-buttered and toasted, ketchup sandwiches.

Did you know?

• In Minnesota, 16 percent of adults smoke, ranging from a low of 7 percent in Nicollet County to a high of 35 percent in Mahnomen County.

• Minnesota ranks fourth and Iowa tenth in a Gallup survey, the Well-Being Index. The Index gave perspectives on 55 unique measures of well-being. North Dakota rated number one.

• Minnesota ranked 11th for per capita personal income and Iowa 22nd, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce.

• Florida records more lightning strikes than any other state.

• Wrigley Field is older than the Hoover Dam.

• Katie Francis, a sixth-grade student from Oklahoma City, sold 18,107 boxes of Girl Scout cookies in seven weeks. Her secret was time, commitment, and asking everyone to buy. She sold 12,428 boxes last year.

Nature notes

"Last summer, I drove many miles with a lady beetle clinging to my car’s windshield. How did it do that?" The pads on its feet create surface tension. It’s akin to placing wet paper on a table. Dry paper would be easy to lift, but wet paper clings to the table.

Meeting adjourned

A kind thought unexpressed is like a breath not taken.