The scurs had the Weather Eye functioning at peak levels last week. When it was supposed to be warm it was warm and so on. Will they need to reinstall the Studebaker thermostat? Just so long as they don’t put in the old water pump that leaked. Starting Wednesday, mostly cloudy with a slight chance of rain/snow mix. Highs in the mid-30’s and lows in the low 20’s. Mostly sunny becoming cloudy for the first day of spring on Thursday with a modest chance for evening snow, sleet, rain or all of the above. Highs in the upper 30’s and lows in the upper 20’s. Mostly cloudy on Friday with a modest chance of rain and snow. Highs near 40 and lows in the mid-20’s. Partly sunny on Saturday and cooler. Highs in the lower 30’s and lows in the upper teens. Sunday, partly sunny with a slight chance of snow. Highs near the freezing mark with lows around 20. Mostly cloudy for Monday with highs in the low to mid-30’s and lows in the upper teens. Mostly sunny and slightly warmer on Tuesday with highs in the mid to upper 30’s and lows in the middle teens. The normal high for March 20th is 42 and the normal low is 24. The scurs will be standing their eggs on end in celebration of the vernal equinox.

The snow left last week at a fair clip, especially from darker colored fields. Some were positive that since the sun has more bite to it, we’d be running in the fields soon. Obviously they need to check the thermometer and the frost depth. There’s still nearly 3’ of frost and there were yet more reports of water lines and septic systems freezing up as of last week. With temperatures running in the 30 – 40 degree range, especially without much sun forecast for this week, it’s similar to thawing a Thanksgiving turkey in the refrigerator: It’ll be a while. Not necessarily a bad thing. Freezing and thawing tends to release the snow melt in a metered fashion. The silver lining in all this presently though is the lack of snow cover to the south. Temperatures have been in the 70’s as close as Nebraska so once it decides to warm up, it could do so quickly. That could make the frost a memory before we know it. Then the question becomes, how much rain and how long will we have to endure before soils become fit?

The planets are putting on a spectacular show when the evenings are clear enough to see them. At 10 p.m. lamb check, Mars is still low in the eastern sky. Jupiter is high overhead and trending towards the west a little more each night. The Big Dipper is in the northeastern sky and nearly standing on its handle. The dipper will tilt more to the left reputedly bringing the spring showers. Now that we’re on DST, Venus is once again a feature in the morning sky when we’re bumbling around in the dark. That’s about the only thing Daylight Wasting Time is good for.

In the yard at the ranch, the birds have shifted gears rapidly with the diminishing snow. The large groups of sparrows have left although their tendency to toss the safflower out of the bird feeders has played into the cardinals hands er, beaks. It looks like we may have a pair looking things over. The pheasants appear to have scattered once again although there are still a few showing up to feed at the ear corn feeder. There have been four goldfinches some mornings which is the most we’ve seen since last fall sometime. Lone pairs of geese have been seen scoping the area out. With little open water they were just lookers. 

March 25th marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of Norman Borlaug. I read with interest an article on his life in the most recent edition of CSA News. As a 7th grader, I remember Dr. Borlaug being featured in the Current Events magazine for winning the Nobel Peace Prize and becoming known as the “Father of the Green Revolution.” What was even more remarkable was the opportunity I had at the U of M to hear Dr. Borlaug speak in a rather small, crowded meeting room in the Soil Science building. It must’ve been in the late 1970’s or early 1980’s. 

I could’ve blown it off, but my then boss Jerome persuaded me that this was deserving of my time. Was it ever. I still vividly recall Dr. Borlaug asking us to think about the money spent on just one F-16, the premier fighter jet of the day and what kind of an impact it could have if just a few of those dollars were spent on research such as he and others were involved in. Far-fetched, I thought at the time, given that the Cold War was showing no signs of changing and a grain embargo was soon to be heaped on the backs of America’s farmers. Still, the message struck home. Since then he proved to be a visionary, being awarded many international honors for his accomplishments. In retrospect, I was glad I took the time that afternoon to listen to this man of peace. His message was simple yet powerful. While some have tried since to detract from his mission, their efforts pale in comparison to Dr. Borlaug’s remarkable lifetime of achievements, not to mention all the starving people they saved. 

Good luck Panther girls at the State Basketball Tournament!

See you next week…real good then.   

Funeral services For Wesley R. Crowe, age 77, of Albert Lea and formerly of Hartland will be held at 10:30 a.m., Friday March 21, 2014 at the Cross of Glory Lutheran Church in Hartland. The Rev. Dennis Frank will officiate.  Interment will be in the Hartland Cemetery with military honors accorded by members of the American Legion and VFW Honor Guard. Visitation will be from 4-6:00 p.m., Thursday, March 20, 2014 at the Bayview/Freeborn Funeral Home. Online condolences are welcome at www.bayviewfuneral.com.

Wesley died, surrounded by his family, on Tuesday, March 18, 2014 at his home from complications of stomach cancer.

Everal Mae Lageson, 77, peacefully passed away on March 14, 2014 at Clara House in La Crescent, MN. She was born May 12, 1936 in Geneva, MN to Mervel and Bernice Cornelius. She is survived by her loving husband, Lenard, children Diane (Rob) Kestner, Elaine (Rick) Zimmermann, Vicki Krauss and Allan Lageson, many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. 

Everal was a loving mother and wife, she had a great sense of humor and was passionate for caring for  others.

She is preceded in death by son, Roger, her parents, and  others.

The family will have a private celebration of her life. Schumacher Kish Funeral and Cremation Services of La Crescent is assisting the family with arrangements. Online condolences may be sent to www.schumacher-kish.com. 

The family wishes to thank the staff at Clara House for their loving care.

Arnold R. Loken, 90, was born on August 6, 1923 on the family farm, the youngest of eleven children of Jens and Cecelia (Hagen) Loken. He was a life long member of LeSueur Lutheran Church in rural New Richland. He graduated from New Richland High School in 1942. He enlisted in the United States Navy on January 18, 1944 serving on a Liberty ship in the Pacific Theater until his discharge in October, 1945. Arnie was accompanied by his nephew, Bob Loken, on the Honor Flight to Washington D.C. to view the World War II memorial.

Virginia A. Motl of Blooming Prairie died March 12, 2014 at Prairie Manor Care Center. Mass of Christian Burial is set for 10:30 a.m. Monday, March 17, 2014 at Holy Trinity Catholic Church at Litomysl. Friends may greet the family on Sunday March 16, 2014 at Brick – Meger Funeral Home (1603 – Austin Road, Owatonna) from 4 to 8 p.m. and one hour before the funeral liturgy on Monday. A parish rosary will be recited on Sunday at 3:45 pm at the funeral home. Interment will take place at the church cemetery

By JIM LUTGENS

Editor/Publisher

Usually, when people speculated about the college athletic career for Jade Schultz, they talked softball.

Somehow, that all changed during the last year.

Now she’s looking at playing basketball — at the Division I level.

“We thought for sure softball is what she would do,” said her father and NRHEG head girls’ basketball coach John Schultz. “I guess missing last spring and summer took her off the radar for that.”

NRHEG School Board

By REED WALLER

Staff Writer

At a brief special meeting held Monday evening, NRHEG Superintendent Dr. Dennis Goodwin announced he was recommending making Wednesday, March 19 a non-school day if the NRHEG girls’ basketball team is victorious on Friday and are seeded first for the upcoming state tournament.

Until now, pairings for the Class AA state tournament have been set on a predetermined rotation. But this year seeding has been approved for Class AA, and on Sunday, March 16, participating coaches will decide on seeding from strongest to weakest. 

The first game of the Class AA tournament, featuring the top-seeded team, will be held at Mariucci Arena, University of Minnesota, Wednesday, March 19 at 2 p.m.

Fundraising supper March 18

By KATHY PAULSEN

Staff Writer

Think local history isn't interesting?

Think again.

The Clarks Grove Area Heritage Society is making plans to build a museum for their community. The site has been selected, the floor plan is drawn, and now they need help to raise funds for the project.

The society is inviting everyone to Clarks Grove on Tuesday night, March 18, for a pancake supper.

LeRoy Sommers will be flipping pancakes, served with sausage, coffee and milk, from 4:30 to 7 p.m. at the First Baptist Church. Boy Scout Troop #219 has volunteered their help.