The moment was upon us. Every parent dreads this moment; every child squirms upon hearing the topic of the imminent conversation. That’s right; it’s the birds and the bees talk, and it’s one that is happening less and less.

Before Jayna started 6th grade this year and arrived at the “big” school in New Richland, Michelle and I decided we’d better start down that path and have a straight talk with her about sex. As the old Schoolhouse Rock cartoons used to tell us, “Knowledge is power!” If kids know the facts about sex, they are less likely to make decisions that can be costly.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, they surveyed high school students across the nation in 2011 and found that 47% of those surveyed had engaged in sexual intercourse, including 33% in the previous three months, of which 40% did not use birth control.

Stop and think about those numbers for a minute. Then think about this: 2009 saw 400,000 girls ages 15-19 who gave birth. I’m sure many of them have become fabulous parents, but it’s a tough road to start down at that young age.

In addition to that, every year in the United States, there are 19 million new STDs, half of which occur in 15-24 year olds. That’s another difficult situation for too many people.

Other studies, however, show that when parents become involved at a young age and open the door to conversations about sexual behavior, the numbers go down tremendously. In an article in Reader’s Digest a number of years back, one teenager said that she was not as curious and eager to experiment when it came to sex after her mom sat down and talked to her about it. There is something about hearing about these things from your parents (who we always TRY to think of as non-sexual beings) that makes the prospect much less attractive!

I’ve taught the novel Tex, by S.E. Hinton, for many years in my 8th grade class. In the book, the title character tries to make a move on his girlfriend, but she firmly puts him in his place and says she’s not ready for that. It often leads to a class discussion that frequently shocks me at the lack of knowledge students have. When I ask how many have had a talk about sex with their parents, the number is always between 10-15%.

There are students that young who are testing the waters. There are students younger than that who are trying things out! It’s something most people don’t want to think about or talk about, but if kids don’t know the basics and the risks involved, they are much more likely to find things out their own way.

Did we talk about everything with our daughter? Of course not, but we opened that door. It was a difficult door to crack open, both for her and for us, but it’s not a door we mean to shut any time soon. Our hope is that now that she understands the basics, she will feel comfortable asking us as new situations arise and that she will think before she acts. There will surely be more uncomfortable conversations as she gets older, starts dating, leaves home, and other perilous status updates.

That’s the best we can hope for in today’s sex-saturated society. Life is all about choices. We want our kids to make the best choices all the time, but that’s not always realistic. Everyone does things they will regret, but I always tell my students when it comes to sex, alcohol, etc. that if you decide to make that choice, at least be as safe as possible. Use protection, get a designated driver, talk about the potential repercussions. Know what might happen before you do something.

I’m not eager to be a grandparent until I’m in my 50s. If it happens, I will help make the best of the situation, but I truly believe that kids want to know about these strange and mysterious subjects. We don’t help matters by not talking or by simply saying, “Don’t do that.” Discussion is the key.

At least we have a few years before we get to sit down with Anton for this same talk…

Word of the Week: This week’s word is quondam, which means former, as in, “The child didn’t think of his parents as being quondam teenagers, having gone through all the same struggles as he currently was.” Impress your friends and confuse your enemies!

The scurs changed from the winter Studebaker thermostat in the Weather Eye but it took a while to work through the system. Will the temps warm for all that extra daylight we’re being promised? Starting Wednesday, mostly cloudy with highs in the mid-20’s and lows near 10. Mostly cloudy on Thursday with a slight chance of snow. Highs in the upper 20’s  and lows near 20. Friday, a slight chance of snow. Mostly cloudy with highs in the upper 20’s and lows around 10 above.  Saturday, mostly sunny and cooler with a highs around 20 and lows near 5 above. Sunday, partly sunny with a slight chance of daytime snow. Highs near 30 and lows around 20. Monday, partly sunny and warmer with highs in the mid-30’s and lows near 30. Mostly cloudy on Tuesday with highs around 30 and lows in the mid-teens, above zero of course. The normal high for March 9th  is 36 and the normal low is 20. The scurs are sure the weather will warm up now we have an extra hour of daylight.

Yes it’s that time already. Just when it was getting to the point where stumbling around in the dark was no longer an issue, we get more of the wonderful government we keep paying for. It still strikes me as one of those unnecessary intrusions into my daily routine that does absolutely nothing positive for me. I mean if it actually meant some useable time in early March, it maybe wouldn’t be such a big deal. This time around however there isn’t the faintest notion that we’ll see ground fit to plant anytime soon if the snowbanks in and around area farmyards are any indication.

February snowfall totaled 16.2” at the ranch, exactly the same as we had for the month of January. Since November the total stands at 44.6” with the normal for the season at just over 52” as recorded at the SROC in Waseca. Will March get us to that average number? Very likely. March has actually become our second snowiest month based on the 1981 – 2010 30-year normals. The trend is more of our March precip has fallen in the form of rain than it once did. December has taken the No. 1 spot for snowfall as a result. This certainly doesn’t mean heavy wet snow won’t still happen in March. 

March came in like frozen lambs at the ranch and put everything to the test over the past week. A few days with highs near zero and it really made one wonder what the calendar really said. Couple the cold weather with the alien that Mrs. Cheviot and I continue to do battle with and we are exhausted. Food continues to be something with temperature and texture only with the occasional faint salty or sweet taste. When a cup of coffee tastes like it was brewed with sawdust, you know you’re having a bad day. The cold has also meant needing to haul warm water for the buckets in the lambing barn, usually four five-gallon buckets twice a day. It seems like I’ve become some kind of a pack animal. The good news was stepping on the scale after a week of this nonsense led to the sudden realization that 10 lbs. can come off in a week’s time going at this pace. No pills or special diet needed. 

The pheasants continue to be fixtures daily in and around the yard. Not only do they sail by the windows on the house, they also are flying across the yard, over the barn in addition to hanging out in the trees. Watching a rooster trying to walk the tightrope on a branch Monday morning was entertaining. After a while he just gave up and clucked until he decided there were some hens to check out. They certainly have become right at home and use the cover we’ve planted to get safely from point A to point B. Almost like we planned it that way.

I keep getting questions about the Studebaker Lark progress. It ebbs and flows and recently it’s been more ebbing. A very kind local gentleman sandblasted some small parts recently so we have been making some small progress. Some have asked if we grew up with Studebakers and truth be told my dad was always a Buick guy. He even had a Buick farm wagon he had made from the chassis of a late 1920’s model he had owned. The first car I remember clearly was his 1957 Buick. It was a beautiful car, salmon colored on top with a cream colored sides. Lots of nice buttons to play with in it as a kid including the cigarette lighter. The next Buick was a blue 1963 Invicta station wagon. It had lots of snort and was the family roadster for many moons. It hauled 4-H projects and kids to many a county fair. Spacious plus lots of gadgets and gizmos in this one too when we were left to our own devices as Mom ran her errands. 

The Studebaker Lark was added some years later when Dad decided another vehicle would allow us to make the early morning school events we were involved in. Why something as mundane as a 6 cylinder 4 door Lark? Given our track record, one could rest assured we were certainly never going to see a supercharged ’57 Golden Hawk or an Avanti with an R3 in it. The cigarette lighter burns left on the seat of the ’57 Buick were a clue.

See you next week…real good then.

The funeral for James P. “Jim” Svelmoe will be 11 a.m. Saturday, March 8, 2014 at Salem Road Covenant Church in Rochester officiated by Pastor Mark Evinger. Friends may call one hour prior to the service at the church on Saturday. Burial will be in Oak Grove Cemetery, Mitchell, Iowa.

Mr. Svelmoe, age 91 of Rochester died Wednesday, March 5, 2014 at Seasons Hospice.

Funeral services for Orrin Roy Ribbe of New Richland, MN, will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, March 7, 2014 at the Trinity Lutheran Church in New Richland. Pastor Charles Espe will officiate. Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service at the church. Interment will be in St. Olaf Cemetery, New Richland. Military honors will be accorded by the New Richland Area Veterans.

Orrin died Friday, February 28, 2014 at his home in New Richland, MN. He was 85 years of age.

Joyce (Brigger) Dombroske, passed away at the New Richland Care Center, her home for the last seven years, on March 2nd, 2014.

She was born on October 22, 1932, to the late Art and Leona Brigger of Minnesota Lake, MN. Joyce graduated from Wells High School in 1950. She married Robert (Bob) Dombroske, her high school sweetheart, on January 7, 1951.

School closed consecutive days as storm hammers area

WINTER BLAST — Larry Goehring of New Richland, above, uses his snow blower to clear downtown sidewalks last Friday. Roads were closed, school was cancelled and events postponed as a two-day blizzard hit the region. (Star Eagle photo by Jim Lutgens)

By JIM LUTGENS and KATHY PAULSEN

Of the Star Eagle Staff

Feeling a little edgy lately? Notice anybody else acting a little cranky? Blame it on the weather. Welcome to the winter that will not end.

The winter of 2013-2014, already the ninth coldest on record with more sub-zero temperatures in the forecast, added a new twist in the region last week — a good old-fashion blizzard that dumped some 7 inches of heavy, wet snow, causing road closures, school closings last Thursday and Friday and dozens upon dozens of automobile and truck mishaps.

NRHEG School Board

By REED WALLER

Staff Writer

Facing pressure from disappointing test scores and new state laws mandating performance evaluation, the NRHEG School Board heard arguments at Monday’s meeting for adding two new positions.

In a report to the board, instructor and Education Minnesota representative Deb Bently detailed the requirements of the new Minnesota law.