Four score in double figures as NRHEG boys upend BA, 76-61

By DALE KUGATH

Sportswriter

NEW RICHLAND – The New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva boys’ basketball team found its home floor to its liking Friday. 

Coach Pat Churchill’s Panthers shot 65 percent from the floor in defeating Faribault BA 76-61 in New Richland. 

“We shot the ball extremely well tonight,” said Churchill. “Every shot we took was a good look, and we were knocking them down.”

NRHEG won its Gopher Conference opener and won its fourth consecutive game this season. 

FBA, which defeated the Panthers 70-35 and 65-52 last season, slipped to 1-1 in the conference and 2-2 overall. 

Panthers win conference opener

By DALE KUGATH

Sportswriter

The New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva wrestling team started defense of its Gopher Conference championship on a strong not. The Panthers bounced Medford in their first home match of the season last Thursday. 

Wrestling at Lamberton Saturday, the Panthers lost to Pipestone and Red Rock Central before defeating Ortonville. 

NRHEG is 1-0 in the Gopher Conference and 6-3 overall. 

Medford

NEW RICHLAND – NRHEG took advantage of five Medford forfeits to capture a 45-23 victory over Medford. The Panthers won 48-25 a year ago.  Three early Medford forfeits gave NRHEG a quick 18-3 lead.

Medford answered with a pair of pins and a technical fall to assume a 20-18 advantage. 

Grandpa Hanson comes particularly to mind this time of year because November 20th was his birthday and November 30th was when he left us for a better world.

Grandma Hanson was a driving force whose strength and activities and acts of kindness so often come to mind, that there are times one tends to put thoughts of Grandpa Hanson on the back burner until fall rolls around. I am reminded of things I know and experienced through him, along with stories about him related to me by others. I will try to picture in your mind the pictures I have of him in mine.

My mother looks at her square hands and thinks of her dad. His too were square, but with more calluses, slivers and blemishes, because a farmer’s life back then was hard. She remembers how warm and safe she felt when he held her in his lap, touching her with those work-scarred hands. She tells me of the many people who "knew him when," who tell her how much he was appreciated. He was a good and willing neighbor, always close at hand when someone needed him. He had 4-H connections and those 4-H boys and girls — now grown — have come forth to tell how much me meant to their life.

This is the time of year there was wood to put up, used to keep the house warm in winter. The big circle saw was used to cut off chunks of wood to be split and stacked. Butchering of meat for the winter was also a big event. There was slaughtering the livestock, which was then hung in the end of the corn crib until it was cut up and wrapped — because by that time of the year it was cold enough to do so. There weren't home freezers back then, but individuals could rent space in the locker plant in town.

Farming was different then. The farmer was more than a hard laborer; he was the veterinarian, the animal obstetrician, the one who mixed the homegrown grains, slopped the hogs and pitched the loose hay in the old barn. He was a carpenter and fixer of small things. He turned the sod behind a hand plow with one horse for power and he picked corn by hand, sometimes on moonlit nights when need be, because there never seemed to be enough hours in the day. He recycled the field by turning out pigs and cows and other livestock to glean the fields for anything that might have been missed.

There were straw sheds constructed using a woven wire base. He blew straw over it, making a cozy shelter for young stock for which there wasn't room in the barn. Farmers had to crack the ice (before tank heaters) in the cow tank so the cattle would have for water to drink when they were turned out for exercise, which helped to make it easier for barn cleaning.

How about separating the milk and cream by hand using a hand turned separator? Or milking by hand until a gasoline engine could take its place and run a milk machine, or using the tractor manifold if the power went out? Such progress. Cattle to feed along with young calves, sheep and cats to feed using a bottle. So many things come to mind.

There are mental images of Grandpa in his bib overalls, sometimes closed with a nail if the button was gone from the suspenders, and his denim jackets. He also wore long underwear and often one piece which may have included some wool content that controlled arthritis some but froze as a stiff skeleton of cloth on wash day on the clothes line in winter. He also wore yellow work gloves and a sheepskin coat as he delivered cream to Ellendale, often criss-crossing open fields and cutting fences because snowdrifts were too deep on unplowed country roads. It was a five-mile trip that not only involved the cream but also served to pick up things at the old grocery store, or mail that was undelivered, both for this family and neighbors.

It took the better part of the day going by sleigh and there were still chores to do when he got home. Sometimes there may have been a little time to read the paper before turning out the kerosene lamp and going through a cold hallway on the way upstairs to a not-so-warm bedroom. Flannel sheets and hand made quilts were used on the bed to help keep one warm so they could sleep through the night in preparation for dawn and the chores of the next new day.

Perhaps at one time the bedroom was shared by an incubator that hatched the chickens for the coming year. The eggs had to be rotated carefully and at a certain time. It was easier to buy them hatched and one could hear them peep in their boxes at the post office. Yes, they came parcel post and they peeped to let everyone know it. Later the chickens were ordered from the hatchery in New Richland. It was a big time labor and worry saver. Weather could raise havoc with a new batch of chicks in a brooder house warmed with a little kerosene burner. Many trips were made to the old chicken house to check on them to see if they were warm enough or had crowded together, which might make them smother. Of course every one of them had to be handled, their beaks dipped in lukewarm water so they would learn how to eat and drink.

Thanksgiving — “Giving Thanks Day” — is a time to reflect upon our blessings, not only our food, but our family and well-being. It is a time to reflect upon what we have seen in our lifetime, and the lifetime of those who came before us. I thank our hosts who so unselfishly "gave us this day our daily bread." I also thank my Danish ancestors for their traditions handed down and for memories too good to lose. Here in Minnesota, we know who we are, who our parents were, what they went through. That’s not true for much of the U.S. today. I think we would be a much better nation if we had that sense of our place among family, neighbors, and country. I thank my family for being there sharing the love and joy of Thanksgiving and instituting the beginning of the Christmas season. And most of all I thank my God for all.

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. 

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:

• Thursday, December 19th: LaJune Hagen, Kathy Peterson, Jerry Thompson, Sheryl Tracy, Loren Haroldson, Cheryl Utpadel, James & Barb Bremmer, Chris & Jennifer Paulson, Jerry & Bev White

• Friday, December 20th: Corlyn Paulsen, Kyle Johnson, Laurie Swift, Deb Whelan, Odean & Andrea Johnson

• Saturday, December 21st: Audriene Nelson, Nancy Rich, Liz Wangness, Darin Rhodes, Brandon Hagen, Dave & Tammy Peterson, Duane & Cheryl Lembke

• Sunday, December 22nd: Destiny Rita Hill, David Arends, Pam Cook, Gary Dobberstein, Tracy Dulas, Julie Jensen Wichman, Ed Nelson, Nikki Toft Schumaker, Barbara Zamora, Bryce Hanson, Jamie Jensen

• Monday, December 23rd: Vicki Richards, Jonika Otto Wing, Jess Dunlap, Paitin DuBois, Julie Cornelius, Keith Severson, Carol Schultz, Sophia Swift, Burt & Carla Scripture

• Tuesday, December 24th: Christmas Eve! Barbara Mrotz, Brooke Reese, Craig Paulsen, Anna Louise Fuerniss, Susan Oolman

• Wednesday, December 25th: Merry Christmas! Mitchel Gale Evans, Krista Lee Hardyman, Tom Reitveld, Makenzie Butler

• Thursday December 26th: Nadine Strenge, Gerald Edwards, Tom Hanson, Joshua Kasper, Jill Peterson Otterbein, Nicklas Hanson

• Friday, December 27th: Sue Bailey Billbray, Colette Hemingway Moudy, Mikkel Iverson, Jamie Hagen, Scott Christensen, Carly Titus, Stacy Osmundson Titus, Ron Peterson, Shannon Peterson Pederson, Brad Bothum, Joe Anderson

May your find joy and pleasure all around you on your special day!

Once again it seems as if the Christmas holiday has come roaring down the home stretch like a runaway locomotive. Not to say I haven’t been aware of it and, in fact, most of my gift shopping is actually pretty much done. After my first few years of marriage to Jean I realized that my taste in women’s clothes was not the same as hers, but for the first few Christmases I persisted in trying to buy that perfect “outfit” for my significant other only to have her return it shortly after Christmas. I eventually gave up the clothing idea and have moved on in my quest to find that ideal gift.

I will soon be going to my sister Judy’s house for our traditional lefse making day. We do this each year and it has become tradition that we make the lefse at her house and I host Christmas Eve at mine. As Christmas Eve approaches, I will have to start trolling the aisles of the local grocery store hoping to snag a few pounds of that mouth-watering delicacy known as lutefisk. I usually buy the fish about three days ahead of time and soak it in water for three days. This is the tradition that I grew up with because the fish used to be packed in lye for preservation before shipping. I still soak the fish because to me it seems to be more firm and flaky when I do that, but in reality it’s probably just a Norwegian not wanting to break with tradition.

In past years I have written about Christmas passed and growing up as a boy of Norwegian decent. Each year our family would have to visit both sides on Christmas Eve. My dad’s side always had the gathering on Christmas Eve and so would my mother’s side. I have to believe that there had been attempts to move one to Christmas Day, but being strong willed Norwegian families, no one would budge. When it was time for the festivities to begin we would load our gifts in the car and head to the Herfindahl side for lutefisk, lefse and all the trimmings. Now this in itself was always a fun experience for a young boy because there were treats of all kinds that I would only get to experience at this time of year. After the feast we would get to the one event us kids had been waiting for – the opening of gifts. After the gifts were unwrapped and the gift givers were properly thanked, it was time to get Dad to tear himself away and head to my Mom’s side for the other half of Christmas Eve.

Once we arrived at “the farm,” which was just a few blocks from our house on Hammer Road, we would arrive in the “nick” of time for the unwrapping of presents. I can still hear my aunt Millie saying, “Just what I wanted,” about every gift that she opened. Now my Uncle Orv and Aunt Millie would let their kids open all of their gifts on Christmas Eve, which I always suspected were to show everyone what nice things they had been given. There were footballs, sweaters with reindeer on them, games, wagons, dolls and the one thing that a kid wanted to unwrap least at Christmas – more clothes. Now all of their children were quite a bit older than I was so I jumped at any opportunity to be included in any of the games they may play. One of the best parts of Christmas at the “Farm” was all of the treats that a kid could pretty much graze on non-stop. I can still see the quart bottles of Tom Moore soda sitting on the counter by the kitchen sink. There was root beer, orange and ginger ale and I made sure that I sampled them all; usually coming back to the root beer in the end. Once the festivities at the farm had come to a close, we would load the car and head home. After I had settled into bed for the night with visions of Santa dancing in my head, Dad would usually drive back to my grandma’s for more visiting and I suspect a little more Christmas cheer.

I don’t believe that I can ever recall a more peaceful feeling than when driving through town with my folks on Christmas Eve. It seemed like there were lights on almost every house in those days and seeing those lights, even as a kid, reminded me of why we celebrate Christmas.

On December 19 our family will be tuned in to the show Jeopardy, which airs on channel 3 at 4:30, to watch my niece Jenna Johnson. She is from Minneapolis and flew out to California to tape the show. Jenna is a four-year graduate of Northwestern University in Evanston, IL and is presently attending the University of Minnesota Law School. She isn’t allowed to tell us how she did, so we are excited to see how it turned out.

Until next time, have a very “Merry Christmas” and a joyous New Year.

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

Echoes From the Loafers’ Club Meeting

"I’m not getting my brother-in-law anything for Christmas this year because he didn’t like what I got him last year."

"What did you get him last year?"

"A cold."

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: I got my wife a belt and a bag for Christmas. She won’t be pleased, but she’ll be able to use the vacuum cleaner now.

I’ve learned that

Minds are lost in the search to find perfect gifts.

Santa Claus has put the yeti on his abominable list.

If you gift wrap gift-wrapping paper, the recipient won’t know when to stop unwrapping.

M-I-C-K-E-Y

I sat at a meeting. The presenter threw out initialisms left and right. Initialisms are a type of abbreviation made from the first letter or letters of a string of words. Examples include FBI, NFL, FYI, PR, NBA and CIA. Acronyms are abbreviations that are pronounced as words. Common acronyms include NATO, NASA, NIMBY, and OPEC. The presenter used unfamiliar initialisms. As the meeting wore on, each time the presenter used an initialism foreign to me, a voice in my head followed it up with "M-O-U-S-E."

Kinformation

Gary Crumb of Matawan and I were talking about a shared relative (twice removed), who we think might have gone to college for a moment. Gary said that the guy’s collegiate endeavors were NFL — Not For Long.

She still has her fingers

My wife loses gloves on a daily basis. Her gloves have one goal and that is to escape She Who Must Be Obeyed’s pockets. My wife and I were doing a program at an elementary school in Belle Plaine. As we walked the hallways, I noticed a great number of gloves and mittens strewn about the floors. I thought to myself, it’s important that I kept some thoughts to myself, that my wife could go to school there.

In a roundabout way

I was looking at the world through a windshield as I traveled about the country, stitching together a day. The sun came in small increments. I wanted poetry, but was given strong winds instead.

Everyone was either speeding or texting. There was snow on the road and the temperature was pushing 10 below hard enough to bruise it. Sand and salt were being applied to roads. Ice forms when the temperature of water reaches 32 degrees Fahrenheit. When salt is added, that temperature drops. If you sprinkle salt on ice, it melts because the salt lowers its freezing point. If the temperature of the roadway is lower than around 15 degrees, the salt doesn’t work, as solid salt cannot get into the structure of solid water to start the dissolving process. I watched homeowners toss wood ashes onto driveways. This adds traction and the dark color absorbs solar heat to melt ice.

I entered the fine city of Blue Earth, which has three roundabouts on Highway 169. There are about 120 roundabouts in Minnesota. Approximately 46 in Iowa. Brown County in Wisconsin, where Green Bay is located, has 47. Wisconsin has around 270. Roundabouts claim a 39 percent decrease in crashes and handle traffic with less delay than stop signs or signals. Idling decreases, which reduces vehicle emissions and fuel consumption. When entering a roundabout, yield to vehicles already in the roundabout and don’t enter until traffic from the left has cleared. Use your turn signal when exiting.

Customer comments

Keith Wakefield of Burnsville told me that life is good. He has a wife and a car. And they both work.

Chris and Becky Kehr of Belle Plaine have this stenciled on the wall of their home, "Home is where our stories begin."

Did you know?

Brontosaurus means, "thunder lizard." Scientifically speaking, there was no such thing.

Studies suggest that yawning between dogs and their owners may be contagious.

To promote the women’s basketball team’s home opener, Kansas State University handed out free bacon before tipoff.

Nature notes

Omer Hamer of Clarks Grove watched a blue jay swallow 18 kernels of corn during one quick visit to a feeding station and asked how it did that. A blue jay carries food in its throat and upper esophagus in an area called a gular pouch. It’s capable of storing two or three acorns in that pouch, placing another in its mouth, and carrying one more in its bill. In this manner, it could haul five acorns at a time to cache for later.

Meeting adjourned

Keep kindness unwrapped. Merry Christmas.

On a cold Saturday of 5 degrees above zero, 48 people got on a coach bus headed for a warmer climate south of the border. At the helm was the great driver, Marilyn Matson.

Each passenger received a Christmas by the Lake flyer at random, each numbered from one to forty-eight, with the personal phone number of Santa (951-262-3062).

“Deal or No Deal” was played for prizes on the way south. A prize was shown, and a number between 1 and 48 was drawn. If the number drawn was the same number as the one on your flyer, you had a choice of either Deal or No Deal. If you chose Deal, the prize was sold for a cash prize later, plus any other prizes, including leftovers from the KFC food buffet later on, as your number was placed back with the eligible numbers.

Thirteen drawings were held for prizes. Winners included: Roger Jemming, Rhonda Jacobson, Stacey Jacobson, Marie Carlin, Erica Truesdell (?), Gerri Gilbertson, Bob Hanson, Lori Shaunce and Carol Miller. The cash drawing winner was Cheryl Schnarr.

Food coupons were given to each person on the bus. (Perkins from the Clear Lake Chamber, Dairy Queen from Jamie in Albert Lea, and KFC shaped like a Christmas stocking from Guyla in Albert Lea.

We arrived at our destination (Marilyn parked the bus such that the lighted Christmas parade and fireworks could be seen from the seats) with about an hour to partake in the various activities. Horse-drawn rides, strolling Dickens characters, trained geese, a petting zoo, chestnuts roasting on an open fire, and shopping were just some of the activities. 

The lighted Christmas parade at 5 p.m. was followed by excellent fireworks shot from the ice on the lake. The fire ball with a loud blast at the end was so loud and long that many people claimed their teeth rattled. By now, you readers should have figured out all this took place south of the border in balmy Clear Lake, IA, with a temperature of 11 above zero and no wind. The sky was clear with a partial moon above the fireworks – an excellent evening for outside viewing. It was also an excellent night for long johns and cuddle-duds.

From the lake, we took the bus to KFC in Clear Lake. Kelly and Staff treated us like royalty with an all-you-can-eat buffet. Kelly even sent leftover buffet food containers, which were raffled off on the bus.

As we departed Lowell, Elmer gave a candy cane to all nine of the KFC staff. Bill Groskreutz led us in singing, “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” to the staff as we gathered to leave. Just as we finished, the KFC staff sang the same song back to us. Needless to say, it was most touching.

The evening concluded with the bus being met by Pastor Vern Harris as we drove through the 20th Live Nativity at the New Life Christian Church on Marshall Street in Albert Lea. 

The next planned F.R.O.G. activity is a Valentine’s Day party with pizza, pop and an ice cream bar with Norwegian Bingo on Saturday evening, February 8th at Central Freeborn Lutheran Church.

The Christmas by the Lake bus trip in 2014 is scheduled for Saturday, December 16th.

Captain James Brickson of the Salvation Army, Albert Lea, MN: your record of 105 hours ringing a Salvation Army bell is fantastic. You are truly a professional bell ringer. Are you a professional hard water walleye fisherman at Lake of the Woods in Baudette, MN?

Many, many moons ago at this time, Mary and Joseph were really in a bind, as she was about ready to deliver a son and they couldn’t find an inn to stay at. The little feller born in a manger was named Jesus. Please remember the reason for the season.

———

Bob is a retired AAL (Aid Association for Lutherans) agent, currently working on his master’s degree in Volunteering. His wife, Genie, is a retired RN, currently working on her doctor’s degree in Volunteering. They have two children, Deb in North Carolina, and Dan in Vermont. Bob says if you enjoy his column, let him know. If you don’t enjoy it, keep on reading, it can get worse. Words of wisdom: There is always room for God.

“Every Who down in Who-ville, the tall and the small, was singing!”

This is what the Grinch hears from the top of Mount Crumpit in Dr. Seuss’ holiday classic. EVERY Who was singing, even though he had stolen everything they had related to Christmas.

Singing, even when things aren’t going your way – what a concept! I’ve written before about the importance of music, and what better time than the Christmas holiday season to reiterate that ideal.

Singing is something almost all of us do at some point. People sing in the shower, in the car on the way to work, and while listening to their iPods. There was a great Saturday Night Live skit years ago of someone driving and singing along with the radio. Then the radio was taken out, and we got to hear what most of us probably really sound like!

It takes a lot to sing in front of a group of people. Just look at all the people on shows like American Idol. They not only have to be good at singing, but also mentally tough to do that in front of a national audience. I always admire our NRHEG students who step up to sing the National Anthem before sporting events. Kids like Alexis Wyatt and Lillie Nielsen really do “The Star-Spangled Banner” proud when they take the microphone.

I wish we had more students who would do that. I wish more people would feel comfortable singing outside the shower, period! I can understand the fear of performing in front of a large group, but what about other places?

I lead my church in song, whether it’s with the keyboard or starting a song acapella and hoping I hit the right opening note. I’m sometimes disappointed in the volume of voices. To me, a vibrant church includes many people singing loudly and to the best of their abilities.

When my father-in-law was alive, he often said, “God gave me this voice; He has to listen to it.” That’s so true! I don’t feel like I have a great voice. However, I know this much: my voice has gotten better with practice and just general use.

I went through a stage in college and beyond a little bit where I didn’t really sing in church. I realized I was drifting away from my faith, and the lack of singing was a big part of that. Our previous pastor, Fr. Swami, said that singing is like praying twice. That makes a lot of sense; I know it helped me get more in touch with my faith when I resumed singing.

When I query some people about a lack of singing, they will say that they’re not very good. Yet last weekend, Matthew Misgen approached me after church and said that he gives it his best, even if he’s not a great singer, and he would like to hear more music. I wish everyone had that attitude; it’s difficult to get into my playing and singing when I can pick out voices instead of hearing a clamorous congregation.

Christmas is a great time of year to renew the spirit of singing. Even if you’re not a church-going person, you will probably engage in some caroling this time of year, maybe just singing some “Jingle Bells.” My Aunt Karen told me how she read that singing is supposed to help keep your brain healthy and ward off dementia and other mental deteriorations. So sing, if for no other reason than it will keep you sharp!

And he did hear a sound rising over the snow. It started in low. Then it started to grow…but the sound wasn’t sad! Why, this sound sounded merry! It couldn’t be so! But it WAS merry! VERY!

I wish all my readers a very merry Christmas! Celebrate it by singing!

Word of the Week: This week’s word is tremulous, which means shaking with fear, as in, “The singer was tremulous as she started the song, but her nerves quickly wore off and she performed well.” Impress your friends and confuse your enemies!

The way things are going, the scurs are contemplating just reusing last week’s forecast. They are, after all, noted re-gifters. What kind of present will they have wrapped up for this week? Starting Wednesday, mostly sunny with a high near freezing and lows in the upper teens. Thursday, cloudy with a moderate chance of accumulating snow. Highs in the upper 20’s and lows in the mid-single digits. Friday, colder under partly sunny skies. Highs near 10 above and lows slightly below zero. Partly sunny for Sunday with highs near 15 and lows around 5 above. Monday, mostly sunny with highs in the lower 20’s and lows in the mid-single digits. Tuesday, Christmas Eve Day, partly sunny with highs in the mid-20’s and lows in the upper single digits. A sneak peek at Christmas Day calls for partly sunny with highs in the mid-20’s and lows near 10. The normal high for Christmas Eve Day is 24 and the normal for the night when Santa arrives is 7. After retrieving the Festivus pole from the crawlspace the day before, the scurs will be thinking it may be time to start thinking about shopping.

The winter solstice will be upon us on December 21st at 11:11 a.m. According to Deanne Morrison from the U of M Institute for Astrophysics, the sun reaches its southernmost point over the Tropic of Capricorn. Due to irregularities in the earth’s orbit, the sun will already be setting later by then and has been since the 14th. Other astronomical happenings include Venus being at its brightest and Jupiter rising earlier as the month wears on, appearing a mere 20 minutes after sunset by months end. We may or may not be treated to an appearance of the comet ISON as it passes closest to the earth on December 26th. As she quoted famed comet hunter David H. Levy, "Comets are like cats; they have tails, and they do precisely what they want."

Dogs also have tails and Ruby and Fudgie seem to be wagging theirs extra hard with the holidays approaching. The snow adds to their playtime fun. Along with that, it’s easier to figure out what they’ve been up to. Like a couple kids, it’s time to worry when they’re out of sight and the noise stops. The old-style Weber used to grill the Thanksgiving turkey is still on the brick patio. Not too long ago both dogs began showing up with sticky stuff stuck in their fur, smelling like they’d attended a barbecue. Following the tracks in the snow it was obvious they’d been cleaning out the ash pan on the Weber, getting basted by the barbecue sauce that had dribbled through the vents. Busted!

Old friends returned to the bird feeders at the ranch and others reported the same. We had sightings of white-breasted nuthatches, an odd Harris sparrow mixed in with a bunch of juncos, a red-bellied woodpecker, lots of chickadees and last but not least a male cardinal. This prompted me to put out some corn screenings in hopes that he would continue to grace our viewing pleasure. More rooster pheasants also appeared with their numbers growing to five at last count. The ear corn feeder was filled in response to a possibility of a weather system moving through later in the week. Snowfall hasn’t buried their food deeply yet, although there was much less ear-droppage last fall, not to mention fewer acres of corn actually planted in the area this spring.

Snowfall this last week was frequent while significant accumulations were not. It snowed some almost every day at some point and managed to accumulate less than an inch. That’s O.K. by me. Shoveling snow and moving snow in general are both overrated. For now it’s just nice to look out the window and see the flakes lazily falling, making the landscape look a little more like a Currier and Ives winter scene every day.

Some have been curious how the sheep adjusted to the recent cold weather. Just fine, thanks. Realizing that they have about 10 months’ growth of wool right now, they really don’t seem to care much about the temperature unless it’s windy. The wind cools their ears down and while not the brightest bulbs on the tree, they go back inside after eating to snooze and chew their cud, not unlike my little fat buddies. Their ears get cold too.

December 23rd will mark the celebration Festivus. This holiday of course is highlighted by “Feats of Strength” and the “Airing of Grievances”. Most think this is a made up holiday. Turns out it actually was conceived by writer Daniel O’Keefe, whose son Dan went on to write the concept into an episode of Seinfeld. It’s no different in that respect than Kwanza or some of the other excuses people come up with to get off work. At this point I’ll take almost any excuse I can to get out of work, maybe even take a long winter’s nap. It’s another Festivus miracle!

See you next week…real good then.

Funeral services for Krista Ann Reineke, of New Richland, will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, December 21, 2013 at Friedrich Funeral Home, in New Richland. Father Raul Silva will officiate. Interment will be at the Lansing Cemetery, Lansing, MN. Visitation will take place at 12:30 p.m. the day of the service, at Friedrich Funeral Home in New Richland.

Krista died Monday, December 16, 2013. She was 34 years old.

New Richland Police Chief Scott Eads released the following press release Tuesday:

On Dec. 16, 2013, at approximately 4:15 p.m., the New Richland Police Department was dispatched to an apartment at 140 N. Broadway Ave. in the city of New Richland to take a report of a deceased 34 year-old female.

Following normal procedures the body was sent to the Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s Office for further examination.  No foul play is believed at this time and the investigation is continuing.

Cause of death will not be released until the investigation is complete and the name of the deceased is being withheld until all family notifications have been made.