NRHEG Board of Education

By REED WALLER

Staff Writer

Discussion was heavy at NRHEG’s March board meeting Monday, March 17, as members considered some complicated issues.

The issue of school hours for last Wednesday’s Girls Basketball Tournament opener was dealt with quickly. It was approved to make March 19 a non-student day. Employees were required to work, attend the game in supervisory capacity, or take the day off.

iPads vs 2-in-1

Currently the district has a blend of iPad 1’s and 2’s at both locations. The plan is to have iPad 2’s in grades 1-9, and have a cart of 30 for Kindergarten use. The iPad 1’s could be passed to the band department, and repurposed as music display devices, cutting down the need for sheet music and books.

Echoes from the Loafers’ Club Meeting

I got a speeding ticket yesterday.

Didn’t you ask the officer for a warning?

I did. He said warnings were all along the road. The speed limit signs.

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: it does no good to bury the hatchet if you remember where you buried it.

The news from Hartland

• After making chairs for 25 years, Ken Tucky finally gets a desk job.

• Chiropractor’s office plays nothing but music by The Kinks.

• Snip’s Veterinary Clinic and Taxidermy Shop claims, "Either way you get your pet back."

Be proud of your school

Shel Silverstein wrote, "School. Rain and hail. Cold and snow. Are good excuses not to go."

It didn’t seem like we missed many days of school for any of those reasons when I was an uninspired student, but I’m pleased that I went to such a fine school.

Watching the local girls win the state basketball tournament for the second consecutive year gave many a tear duct a hair trigger.

Birthday on a bun

How many of you have ever had a birthday? Most of you, I’ll bet.

How many of you wanted to be president when you grew up? I suspect that few of you did and those who did have outgrown that desire. I never wanted to be president. I just wanted to be older. My wish has come true. My birthday is on St. Urho’s Day. St. Urho was created in northern Minnesota and Urho was credited with chasing the grasshoppers out of Finland and saving the legendary vineyards there. Some curmudgeons claim that St. Urho’s Day was created the day before St. Patrick’s Day to allow for two drinking holidays in a row. A statue in Menahga depicts the saint with a giant grasshopper speared on his pitchfork.

The good folks at the National Eagle Center made me a birthday hotdog. The candles were placed into the meat and "Happy Birthday, Al" was inscribed on a paper plate in mustard and catsup. It was a great idea and I was touched. The only fly in the ointment was that the candles melted into the hotdog.

Those thrilling days of yesteryear

Some of the township elders wore long underwear all year. They claimed it kept them warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Maybe so, but I noticed that they sometimes rolled up their sleeves in the summer.

It was in the days that if the phone rang after 9:30 p.m., it was never good news.

It was during a time when our house had a single fan for cooling and an AM radio for entertainment.

A time when my mother woke me by saying, "Get out of bed. It's Monday morning. Tomorrow is Tuesday. The next day is Wednesday. Half the week is gone already and you haven't done anything but sleep."

I wanted chickens. My grandmother gave me some. They came with chores--feeding, cleaning, and picking eggs. I gathered eggs from broody banty hens. They didn’t want to give up the hen fruit. They were the original angry birds.

The Hartland Herald

Tom Donovan of Hartland says that city needs a historical museum. There is no shortage of things to fill such a facility. Small towns are rich in history and museums preserve memories. Tom said that Lars Anderson, Rob Sibilrud, and others have many museum-appropriate items. Museums are important because we forget what happened yesterday.

Did you know?

"Weatherwise" magazine had an article titled, "The 10 Best Places in the World." It provided an evaluation of climates that are most suitable to human habitation. Number one on the list was Vina del Mar, Chile. Others on the list were Lisbon, Portugal, Casablanca, Morocco, San Diego, Calif., and, of course, Hartland, Minn. 

Nature notes

Tom Jessen of Madelia wrote, "I witnessed two cottontail rabbits doing their bunny hop. They seemed to like performing on the driveway as it afforded room for the leaping and bouncing. Are these males trying to prove who's the better guy or is it a male and female on the dance floor?" The answer to your question would be yes and yes. During the mating season, males often fight with one another. The male and female also perform a kind of mating dance. The male chases the female. Eventually the female stops, faces the male, and boxes at him with her front paws. At some point, one of them leaps into the air and then the other does the same. Sometimes a number of males pursue a single female. As mad as a March hare is what they become.

Meeting adjourned

Tell people something nice for their own good.

I was having coffee the other day with a couple of friends when my pal Russ and I began reminiscing about some of our experiences. I always love taking a step back in time to remember the good times, and occasionally someone will bring up an instance that was not all that memorable.

In this case however, it was all good and definitely something we both can sit back and laugh at. It was late June in the summer of ’76 and my wife Jean was about a month away from giving birth to our second son, Brad. The previous year we vacationed with Russ and his wife Sue at Big Sand Lake in Northern Minnesota. Because of the impending birth of our next child, we felt it would not be wise to venture too far from home.

Sue’s parents had a cabin on Lake Tetonka in Waterville and they were nice enough to let us stay there for a week. I had brought my little 14-ft. car-topper boat along, so after we had settled in Russ and I in all of our wisdom had decided we would carry that light little boat down the steep hill to the lake. Now this seemed like it would be a piece of cake for two intelligent, strong, agile and macho guys like us, so off we went. The boat only weighed 110 lbs., so there should be nothing to it. Somewhere between the top and the first landing we discovered that even a light boat was still shaped like a boat and navigating around bushes and tree branches was no easy task. Have you ever started to do something and then about halfway into it realize that it may not have been all that good of an idea? Did I mention macho?

After wrestling that boat down the hill we came through almost unscathed except for a few scratches and scrapes from the branches. Now all we had to do was carry the motor down and we would be fishing before you knew it. I have to say that even though the motor was heavy, it was easier to carry than that little boat.

It was pretty warm out and after that workout a nice shower was looking pretty good to us. Unfortunately, the water heater was on the blink so it was a cold shower or no shower. After resisting the urge to take a cold shower, it was finally time to face reality and jump in with guns a blazing. No blazing there; those cold streams of water coming out of the nozzle felt like needles being stuck into your body. I believe it was the coldest water I had ever felt so it was in and out without spending a lot of time getting wet. Did I forget to mention macho?

Once we were settled in, we began fishing and right away we began to catch some nice striped bass. We caught quite a few fish that week, which made overcoming a few obstacles almost worthwhile. One morning when Russ and I were out we started catching walleye, but they were just a little too small. It was kind of unique because I’ve never had a whole school of walleye follow my lure all the way to the boat like they did in that instance.

There was another time when Russ and I decided to take a short trip to a little lake not too far from Tetonka. The lake is named Fish Lake and is located just west of Tetonka Lake. It is a small, very clear lake that has bass, northern, crappie and a lot of small sunnies in it. The lake also has a horsepower restriction limiting motor size to 10 hp or less.

Once we launched the boat I decided to troll and I put on my favorite bait at the time; a Beetle Spin tipped with a minnow. Russ was using an old gray (it was once white) twister tail with about half a dozen split shot located about 8 inches from the jig. Upon seeing that, I just shook my head and mentioned to Russ that I really didn’t see him catching anything with that rig. He just shrugged it off and went on fishing, saying that it would be just fine. Now I, after all, was the one that had a subscription to In-Fisherman magazine and had pretty much put Al Linder on a pedestal, so I should know what I was talking about ,but I just left him alone thinking he’d change when I was catching all the fish. Did I mention macho?

Unfortunately for me, as the day unfolded, it was Russ that was reeling in fish after fish while I dragged the same dead minnow around all day. After that day I no longer offer up any “free” advice unless I am asked first. Sometimes no matter how much you think you might know about fishing (Did I mention macho?) there is just no way of knowing what will work on any given day. Russ said he finally lost that old Twister a few years ago. Thanks, Russ!

Until next time, it’s spring so get out and enjoy the outdoors so you can start making a few memories of your own.

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.

When I was young and we’d go for a car ride to our grandparents or some other location, I could count on a couple of things. One was that Dad would have the radio tuned to WCCO if Sid Hartman was on, or he would have KNUJ or KDHL on for some polka music. The other thing I could usually count on was a smooth ride; it got easy to tell how long it would take us to get to a location.

The communities of New Richland, Hartland, Ellendale, and Geneva have been on a smooth ride the past three years following the NRHEG Lady Panther basketball team. I’m typing this up after coming home from our third straight welcome home pepfest following another run at the state tournament.

This has been unbelievable for everyone involved. The seniors on this team not only have talent, but have led by example on how to carry yourself on and off the court. I realized, with sadness, that tonight was the final time I would announce Hannah Lundberg, Paige Overgaard, Jade Schultz, and Carlie Wagner as members of the basketball team. When that thought struck me, I had to pause in what I was saying; I was getting a little choked up.

Here’s the thing in a group of communities like NRHEG: we grow very attached to our students and our athletes. This group has been so open and has never walked around like they’re better than everyone else. They’d feel free to joke around at the scorer’s table or in the hallways at school, even with the nut at the microphone.

Hannah is the epitome of what a coach wants in a player. She does so many little things right on the court, even if she doesn’t stuff the stat box. Hustle counts for a lot toward winning, and “The Badger” is the best there is. Couple that with her strong Christian beliefs, and you have a great person for kids to admire.

Before her junior season, I commented to Paige that I thought the team would go as far as her contributions would take them. If she battled for rebounds, played solid defense, and contributed 8-10 points a game, nobody would stop us. She looked stunned (but still with her ever-present smile). But it’s held up. Paige has been so consistent and made all the difference in how the defense is run, and she’s gotten better continuously over the last two years.

Jade has certainly battled to be out on the court. She worked so hard to get back from her injuries last season and looked stronger than ever all year. Her presence has helped drive the girls to give her the same opportunities she missed out on by being on the court for the championship again this year. The work ethic of “The Blade” is a great ideal for younger kids to look up to and surely has played a role in her ability to play at the U of M next year.

And then there’s Carlie. So much has been said and written about “The Dagger,” but here’s a little more. Carlie is a genuine superstar, but her humbleness is what places her above other high school stars. She gets approached for autographs often, and saw even more of that at the state tournament this year. I’ve never seen or heard of her turning anyone away. Here’s a girl who is a three-time state champion (don’t forget her high jump championship!) and still would rather hang out with her friends and family than anything.

We may never see another Carlie here at NRHEG. We’ve got talent all around, both in boys’ and girls’ athletics, but Carlie is something very special. Her hard work and great attitude have gotten her a scholarship with the Gophers, but her personality is what will earn her continued success in life.

Since the whole sweater vest superstition started with Jade and Carlie all those years ago, I’m thinking it might be time to retire that tradition; thanks, girls, for the fun that went with it! My hat’s off to all the seniors for taking us on this smooth ride over the past few years!

With that said, though there will feel like something’s missing next year at the home opener, it’s now time to open a new chapter in Lady Panther basketball. There are some superb characters left from the last story. Here’s to continued success and new traditions!

Word of the Week: This week’s word is edacity, which means greediness or a good appetite, as in, “Panther basketball fans showed their edacity by continuing to hope for more state tournament appearances.” Impress your friends and confuse your enemies!

We have been “super sizing” in regards to our food, and look where it has got us - right around the middle. Isn't it about time we pay attention to the actual amount we should be eating? It may come as a shock, but it has hit our health interest hard, as well as our pocketbook.

Try leaving out that one extra potato you peel "for good measure." Consider the recommended amount of meat that should be eaten; it is advised to only eat beef one day a week, and in fact, no meat one day of the week cuts calories and costs.

It is not hard to find a lot of foods that contain high fructose corn syrup. You will find them listed in the first few items in the ingredient listing. If you find it listed there, put it back. You don't need it!

All this came to be because it often makes a product cheaper, but it has also been proven it causes addiction to sweeteners.

Frozen juices often have high fructose corn syrup in them. Eating the whole fruit is more beneficial than juice. Juice is also something we tend to drink more of than is necessary. Health experts advise adding a little water to the juice, as it is stronger than need be. Smoothies contain real fruit, thus retaining the fiber.

Supermarkets today are busting with an assortment of food items. It should be exciting to view all the things you can purchase, but should you?

Shopping for food for the family has become a scientific task, and I am still not sure I have it right.  Labeling helps, but there is controversy over them. Labels are being updated, which is long overdue.  Let’s hope the new labels are more complete and easily understandable.

It can be a stretch to buy conventional grown foods or pay the price for organic. With grocery buying getting higher priced, one wonders if it is worth the difference. I believe it is, but it gets to be a juggling act.

Experts recommend that everything be washed before consumption, but that may not solve everything. Fruits and berries are good for you, but are very hard to clean. How they are grown has become a big deal. 

I have washed fruits and vegetables in "fresh wash", supposedly a cleaning alternative, and I've also washed in "local water" with vinegar, which probably helps - but I wonder if it is enough. The bread I buy says no fructose, corn syrup, artificial colors or bleached flour. It may be whole wheat, but it doesn't say “no GMO,” and it bothers me.

The milk I buy is labeled, “From cows without artificial hormones.” When I purchase canned goods I look for B.P.A. free food. I also look at the labels of food in boxes, glass jars or frozen foods to see if they are safe as some specially marked cans state that fact. 

Then there are "root vegetables" - are they safe? No. Unless its organic, the ground they were grown in may be contaminated with chemicals and pesticides.

Often, vegetables are sprayed while growing, and when they are harvested it is like a storehouse of chemicals that washing won't cleanse.

A family garden is a big help. You can control what goes in there. Mulching is a labor and moisture saver and good use of otherwise discarded items like egg shells, fruit and vegetable peelings. The exercise provides added benefits, and you know where the food you are eating has come from.

The food coop handles vinegar, honey and other necessities that are all organic or not processed, which destroys the goodness of the product. So how do you budget your buying? Think realistic portions or sizes; meat consumption can be downsized by using smaller amounts in salads or hot dishes.

Are many of the illnesses and problems faced health-wise a result of less-than scrupulous-marketing? Suggestions to the probability is certainly "out there" to consider.

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, March 27th: Kim Weckwerth Farr, Jim Ottesen, Verona Winegar, Tom Lund, Tina Jensen Wangen, Jodi Loverink, Neil Born, Ralph Randall, Todd & Sheri Utpadel, Wes & Julie Schroenrock

• Friday, March 28th: Jordan Brye Wagner, Katie Ann Lee, Daryl Van Ravenhorst, Alan Olson, Paul Marlin, Josh Stevens, Daniel Suelter, Richard & Lisa (Long) Hocking  

• Saturday, March 29th: Emily Eder,Taran Waalkens, Heather Lyn Shearman, Dylan Lee Ingvaldson, Becky Johnson, Amanda Bergerson, Judy Strenge, Dorene Richards, Bruce Jensen, Linda Seykora

• Sunday, March 30th: Leah Brittan Moststad, Gretchen Jensen Ray, Darrell Hanson, Kim Roberts Sletten, Aiden Michael Berg, his 7th, Matthew Cornelius, Fern Robertson Sommers

• Monday, March 31st: Jinny Nielsen, Hannah Haroldson, Melissa Collins, Carson LaShawn Ray, his 6th; Jill Anderson, David Hemingway, Ross Johnson, Shane Johnson, Doug Hunt, Joanne Neuhart. Mollee & Joseph Tscholl

• Tuesday, April 1st: April Fools Day! Madison Hanson, Irene Paulson

• Wednesday, April 2nd: Harold Wayne, Leanna Burns, Deb Nelson, Luke Miller, Joyce Tufte Sorenson, Sonja Larson, Teresa Jensen, Kaleb Smith, Dwight Schewe, Greg Nelson, Matthew Halla, Genevieve Wayne, Bill & Pat Draayer, David & Shelly Mangskau, Brian & Lois Nelson

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

Hey there, readers. Has it been forever since I’ve written a column, or what? If I’m being honest, it’s more due to my bad habit of procrastinating almost everything rather than my not-so-busy schedule. I do apologize, and I’ve already prepared for future columns so as to maintain at least some consistency.

If you’ve read any of our recent issues, however, you already know I’ve been writing/working for the Star Eagle again. I’ve had some of you comment on my articles when I’m out and about the community, and we even received a couple hand-written letters complimenting articles and the paper in general. I can’t express how great it is to hear your kind words! I don’t think I could ask for better motivation – thank you.

Other than my change of employment (I’m no longer working in Clarks Grove or Ellendale, mainly because of the distance), life has been pretty monotonous for a while, and I’m more than ready to stop running in place. I’ll be 21 in August – the 23rd in case you’d like to send a gift. . . just kidding! – and it’s time to do something with my life.

It’s not like I’ve done nothing, but I’ve wanted to go back to school for a long time, so the plan is to finally get there next year. I’ll be starting at a local community college, as my performance at the end of my high school years was less-than-satisfactory, and not even close to the ability I have and the standards I hold myself to.

After generals, I’ll most likely transfer to a four-year school. I say “most likely” because I’m still not 100 percent sure what I want for a career, but I think something involving writing will be a good fit. I’m leaning toward journalism; I already have experience, and I feel that with more education, I could potentially go far with my writing.

I’m often asked why I want to be a writer. It wasn’t a decision that I made one day; ever since I can remember, I’ve enjoyed reading and writing. In kindergarten, I asked my teacher if I could read a book to the class, because I was so proud that I was able to read the whole thing. She agreed, and after that she had a sign-up sheet for anyone who wanted to read a book of their choice to the class, which went over surprisingly well.

In second grade, I discovered the “Junie B. Jones” books by Barbara Park, and loved them so much that I made my own “book” with a similar style but my own characters and setting, complete with illustrations. 

When I was in fourth grade, I made my own newspaper – on Word Pad, it wasn’t fancy by any means – which I’m slightly embarrassed by. My dad was impressed, though, and even took copies of it to the Albert Lea Tribune, where he was a sportswriter before buying the Star. After that, writing was just one of my hobbies. Countless hours were spent writing stories when I was younger, which I never even considered might be out of the ordinary. It was just fun.

To this day, I have yet to find anything that comes more naturally to me than writing. Not only do I enjoy it; I’m fairly confident with my writing ability, which is rare for me, as I’ve always been my own worst critic. I just can’t really see myself doing anything else.

The scurs with their ’74 Gremlin Weather Eye performed admirably. Little snow although they still need to find that warmer thermostat. Will it be this week? Starting Wednesday, partly sunny with highs in the upper 30’s and lows in the mid-30’s. Thursday, cloudy with a good chance for a rain and snow mix. Highs again in the upper 30’s and lows in the mid-20’s. Partly sunny and slightly cooler on Friday with a slight chance for snow in the forenoon. Highs in the mid-30’s and lows in the lower 20’s. Mostly sunny and warmer on Saturday with highs back in the low 40’s and lows in the lower 30’s. Sunny and beautiful on Sunday with highs finally near 60. Clouding up by evening with a slight chance of rain. Lows in the upper 30’s. Cloudy and cooler for Monday with a modest chance of rain. Highs in the upper 40’s and lows in the mid-30’s. Mostly cloudy on April Fool’s Day with a chance of rain. Highs in the mid-40’s with lows in the mid-30’s. The normal high for April 1st is 49 and the normal low is 29. The sun will rise again before 7 on March 30th, the same as it was doing February 24th before we messed around with the clocks. The scurs are now saying we will have no more snow and the spring will be perfect after this week. Do you doubt them?

Our spring weather continued to be missing in action once again last week. Highs below freezing over the weekend with single digit lows made it difficult to make much progress towards thawing frozen soil. There were 24” of frost in the ground yet as of St. Patrick’s Day although the soil temperature at 40” according to Tom Hoverstad was starting to warm. As of March 24th, the frost depth measured there was only 15” so it apparently has indeed warmed from below. This may make some including me breathe a little easier as there were still reports of frozen water lines coming in yet the middle of last week. 

Luckily we have lost most of our snow cover. This should help speed the process along once it does decide to warm up. Snow depth has fallen from 20” at the ranch back on March 5th to about 2” on the 21st. Looking across the landscape however the road ditches are full yet, the windbreak has huge drifts and the snow piles are still 3' - 4' deep. March has so far given us slightly above average snowfall with 13.5” recorded at the ranch with 10.2” being normal for March at the SROC. Precipitation overall though has been running below normal for the month at .96”, where normal is 2.49”. For the most recent 30 and 90 day outlooks, NOAA has us in the better than even odds of below normal temperatures with even chances of above or below normal precip for those same timeframes.

The birds in the yard in the yard continue the slow changeover from winter to spring. There are still lots of juncos and woodpeckers. However we counted 10 robins the other morning. They must be surviving on the berry and crabapple crop. The birds do have preference for the Red Splendor crabapples versus those on the Indian Magic tree. The former has been picked clean, hence the reasoning behind planting more of those a few years ago. Large groups of red-winged blackbirds have appeared and spend much of their time picking at the leftover safflower under the bird feeders. Grackles made their debut at the ranch on the 20th. Not as numerous as some years for the calendar date although that will likely change. The cardinals are around early in the morning and later toward dusk under the feeders. They are spooky though with any movement detected in the house, they’re gone in an instant. Little Jerry IV (or is it V?) the famed rooster pheasant was seen walking across the driveway in front of the garage Saturday morning. How do we know it was Little Jerry? He was flappin’ his wings and struttin’ his stuff. 

The alien that struck Mrs. Cheviot and I back in late February continues to slowly but surely show signs of abating. We still have some coughing fits but at least they are confined to occasional status. It does however continue to make us very tired by the end of the day. Moving the last of the ewes and lambs down to the loafing areas about did us in and hitting the sack that night couldn’t have come soon enough.

Speaking of that, the lambs have all been moved from the lambing barn to the loafing barn. The tails are docked, the ear tags are in and the vaccinations are complete for now. Moving the ewes with lambs usually involves the Border Collies and this year has been no exception. The little icy mud balls they become caked with are also no exception. They’re a bugger to get off and it’s best to let the dogs warm up a while before even attempting it. Each dog has their own little ritual during the wipe down process. Fudgie likes to vocalize, letting out little ‘woofs’ as one gets close to completing the task. Ruby likes to stand on her hind legs which makes it easier to wipe her down underneath. Since she’s smaller and faster, she’s almost always dirtier so that’s a plus. It also gives her an opportunity to give kisses when her tummy is cleaned off. Not such a plus. Oh well, at least the ewes and lambs are in position to cause the dreaded gawker slowdown once the snowbanks melt and their overhead door can be opened once again.

Congratulations to the NRHEG Girls Basketball team on their repeat championship at the State Tournament. Just making it to the tournament is an accomplishment, to say nothing of getting there 3 years in a row and winning it twice.

See you next week…real good then.