In my thoughts today, probably because we are now officially in the season of Christmas, is the privilege to visit any number of care centers and assisted living facilities that are not only in my heart but are also thought provoking. Hopefully I can make the time to double my efforts to visit others during this holiday season.

It comes to mind that I have observed very good things about many of these facilities but have also observed some little things can and do make big differences. Full care and assisting living centers are understandably different, but my thoughts today center around the afternoon coffee — an event I feel is more important for socialization than food.

My thoughts keep coming back to the fantastic way a facility in Waseca serves their dinners so beautifully attractive it would put elegant restaurants to shame. What a wonderful way to invite the residents to come out of their rooms and enjoy their meals. But I guess I was talking about afternoon coffee, wasn't I?

At one of the assisted living units in Owatonna, I have seen ever so many come out at coffee time because there is such a variety of items to choose from. Coffee, tea, cocoa, juice or just refreshing ice water and cookies are also as varied, with healthy choices. Fruit cups, fresh fruit, tiny round sandwiches and roll ups, various cookies including oatmeal raisin, a favorite. There are always leftover bars and desserts from meals too. I guess the thought is, coffee time doesn't have to be something with sugar and is as varied as a day. Impressive. The best part about coffee time is that people come out and enjoy conversation with their friends.

I also thought about the sweetener packets of sugar and substitutes. Substitutes often scare me because of the things I have read that say they have side effects and can contribute to sweet desires or problems with insulin. There are natural sweeteners that do not have that effect — like Truvia or Stevia — no more expensive but safer and also usable for cooking and baking. Using slightly less sugar in baking and cooking, or substituting applesauce for some of the shortening or oils, allows the use of things like apples and pumpkin, making attractive tasty treats while incorporating fruits or vegetables in the diet.

Fresh vegetables are always good, especially when combined with a low-calorie dip. Plain yogurt with chopped veggies for natural color and flavor is always enjoyable. Fresh vegetables and fruits can be a part of the daily food balance and tasty as smoothies, juice or munchies. Chop, if need be, to make them easier to chew or swallow.

I realize there are regulations, budgets and time elements to consider, but the health and welfare of those we value is the prime reason for varied, special afternoon breaks.

Coffee time doesn't have to be coffee or sweets. The important thing is socialization. Getting people out of their rooms is important because there is more to life if you share it with others.

Healthy cookies or bars are a consideration for those who have problems handling some foods because of handicaps and sight abilities. 

Recently I read about a "Double-the-Oat Oatmeal Cookie.” I haven't tried it yet, but I will. I may also try some variations. Here’s the recipe:

Mix two eggs with 1 tablespoon vanilla extract, 1 cup packed dark brown sugar, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 1 cup vegetable oil, 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ground cardamom, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 3 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats, divided, 1 1/3 cups dried cherries and a generous cup of pecan halves, coarsely chopped (you may substitute 1 1/2 cups of dark chocolate chips and 1 cup of chopped walnuts for the dried cherries and pecans).

Whisk the eggs and vanilla until frothy. Add sugars and oil. Mix well until blended and creamy in appearance.

In a separate bowl, mix together all of the dry ingredients, except the oatmeal. Add the dry ingredients to the sugar and egg mixture. Mix in two cups of the oats and mix well. Then add the cherries and pecans, and the remaining 1 1/2 cups of oats. Mix well. The batter will be stiff.

Drop the cookie dough on cookie sheets, leaving 2 inches between cookies. Bake at 350 for about 14-15 minutes until brown but still soft.

Here's a second "whatever comes to mind." Maybe it was the red, white and blue Christmas trees at Whispering Oak or the thought that too much of the things we are apt to buy this holiday season are made in a foreign country, often China, when it could and should be made here in the good old USA!

We are in the biggest shopping season of the year, and I would like to think that just as we consider whether to use high fructose items from our food resources, it is equally important we read labels when it comes to the merchandise and gifts we buy.

There are hundreds of American makers, artisans and small businesses who stand out and serve as inspiration for others. We should be so grateful and mindful of people here whose creativity and craftsmanship should not only be prized but encouraged to flourish. By not buying foreign merchandise, we let them know we are buying quality U.S. products with American money.

Sometimes, American-made products are not more expensive and are of better quality. We should be united in our mission to support American makers and workers.

It would, and should, make a big difference in keeping jobs right here in America.

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 5th: Finnegan Fladger, Bodie Jaxon Newgard, Phyllis Hanson, Rick Aaseth, Rosalyn Johnson, Kathy Lee, Christian Conroy, Shannon Jensen, Kelsey Loverink, Ron Farner, Larry & Mary Richards

•  Friday, December 6th: Sharon Johnson, Rodger Hill, Katie Marlin, Tony Jackovitch, John Lerum, John Kaplan, Sue Klemmensen, Chris & Marie Wallace, Emily & Jeffrey O'Brien

•  Saturday, December 7th: Katie Olson, Tracy Holland, Sam Peterson, Angela Hensrud, Wanda Schwartz, Helen Schmidt, Kara & Eric Grant, Ron & Theresa Langlie, Dawn & Eric Degan

• Sunday, December 8th: Kathy Glynn, Teri McDonald, Jeff Schei, Tracy Haddy, James Olsen, Mike Flugum, Meghan Baumann

•  Monday, December 9th: Eva Buendorf, 2012; Carrisa Christensen, Paitan Janis Glynn, Al Paulson, Robert Robertson, Rusty Besco, Mark Ribbe, Tony Phillips, Courtney Thompson, Brian Strand, Chuck & Cynthia Crabtree, Steve & Terri Engel

• Tuesday, December 10th: Cody Dobberstein, Steve Lee, Valarie Otterson, Karla Osmundson, Art DeNeui, Philip Olsen, Scott & Melonie Crabtree

• Wednesday, December 11th: Jane Nordhorn Allen, Justin Hove, Geoffrey Ramaker, Marty Shultz, Rick Johnson, Janice Paulsen, Beth Scripture Klucksen, Jake Thompson, Theresa Van Ravenhorst, Larry & Emily Otto

• Thursday, December 12th: Torie Richards, Jean Groth, Addison Gayle Lyman, Bernard Falksen, Allen Paulson, Matthew Butler, Barbara Lageson, Judith Johnson Tetzloff, Kim Seath, Christopher Nelson, Mark & Cheryl Johnson

• Friday, December 13th: Deb Bunn, Dan Carroll, Jake Pence, Eleanor Koster, Spencer Wayne, Maks Robert Edward Hanson, Michael Kelly, Mike & Michelle Peterson, Candy & Darin Baker

• Saturday, December 14th: Makenna Marie Smith, Alexander Jayce Quimby, Keith Bengston, Randy Lehmberg, Elizabeth Falksen Brockoff, Richard Conroy, Wayne Reese, Tina VanRiper, Catherine Lageson, Jim Ladlie, Rich Krikava, Peggy Radjenovich

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

Most of the time while writing this column I like to look back to my days as a youth and reflect on those times. The other day as I was shopping I happened to bump into Jim Foley, an old friend whom I have known pretty much all my life. He said that I often write about the things we did as kids and how it seemed like those times were much simpler and more laid back. I have to agree with him wholeheartedly because as kids we didn’t have a lot of electronics or even organized sports for that matter that stood in the way of our just being kids.

Growing up in the ‘50s and ‘60s, we would make our own entertainment and create our own fun. There were no video games or schedules we had to follow. There were many times when I’d hurry home from Hammer School to quickly change, hop on my bike and head to Jim’s house. Jim lived on a farm just a ways east of the tracks on Hammer Road. We’d usually play in the hay barn, explore the creek or, on days when we were feeling brave, we’d harass the sheep until the ram had enough and would chase us off before Jim’s Dad caught us.

Whenever we’d get into trouble there were no “time outs” because we were subject to spankings or, if you swore at my house, you had to wash your mouth out with soap —  which only happened to me one time. I was a quick learner and discovered early on I didn’t like the taste of an Ivory bar. I don’t remember being in trouble a lot, but when I did it was my mom that handed out the punishment. She would make me go and get the yard stick and with the spanking came the story of her having to go out to the willow tree and pick her own branch with which to get a spanking. That story never made it hurt any less, but I believe I did find a lesson in her words; I guess it was the “reap what you sow” thing.

I hope you all had a nice Thanksgiving and, with another one in the books, we can now turn our focus on Christmas. This Thanksgiving reminded me of a time when my cousin Bill Christensen and his wife Cleo lived in Conger. We had gone there for Thanksgiving and after dinner Cleo’s Cousin Dennis and I took my folks’ car and went driving around the countryside. I don’t know why I remember that particular Thanksgiving so vividly, but I recall it being very cold and sunny and there was no snow on the ground. Maybe it stood out to me because it wasn’t the typical Thanksgiving when we would go to my Uncle Harvey and Aunt Ruby’s, which was right next door to our house.

Looking back on those days, I realize we could never host Thanksgiving or Christmas because our house was just too small. Christmas on my mother’s side was always “up at the farm” which wasn’t very far away either. We called it the farm because it was where my mother, Aunt Ruby and Uncle Orv grew up. The old farmhouse still stands just south of Hammer Road, but I have no idea who lives there now.

Getting back to Thanksgiving; just a few years ago Bob Hillman, my old neighbor, called to tell me about the good luck he’d had while fishing on Thanksgiving Day. While he was driving home from church he had passed over a bridge on the Shellrock River; it was an unusually nice, warm, sunny day so he decided to try a little fishing. He went home, changed, grabbed his fishing gear and headed back to that bridge. In a matter of an hour or so he had taken his limit of nice walleye and he decided to share that story with me.

There are times when a person can spend weeks planning a fishing trip and it will never turn out as good as one that just happens on a whim. This holds true for a lot of things that happen on the spur of the moment.

MUSKY TALK

The December meeting of Cross Roads Chapter 54, of Muskies Inc. will be held on Wed. December 4 instead of the regular meeting date of the 11th at Eagles Club in Owatonna, at 7 p.m. (due to schedule conflict) Our program is, 'Favorite Trip' night. It includes where, when, and what worked and a recap of 2013 musky season with lots of musky talk!

Our regular meetings are the second Wednesday of each month and includes informative speakers, updates, door prizes and a raffle. You need not be a member to attend! Bring a friend and help improve musky fishing in Southern Minnesota.

Until next time, be careful when venturing out on the thin ice. It’s always time well spent when you spend it in our great Minnesota 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 have a toothache."

"Why tell me? I'm an eye doctor."

"Oh, then I guess there's something wrong with my eyes, too."

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 do first things first, but not necessarily in that order.

I’ve learned

To chop wood the first thing in the morning because the early bird gets the warm.

Cellphone calls are irritating unless they are mine.

If I learn something new each day, I’ll have more to forget.

Thankful for this

At a family gathering after Thanksgiving, my wife's cousin Kay Hickler of Litchfield presented my bride with an old baseball glove. It may have seemed odd gift as my wife's baseball career had stalled before it began, but she was thrilled to get the battered glove. Why? The glove had less form than an oven mitt and was flat as a pancake. It was a Young Leaguer Model K302. A genuine cowhide job with a thin strap of leather tethering the forefinger to the thumb. The other three were free-range fingers. What made the glove special were the initials written on it. GLN. The initials of her late father, Gene Nelson. The glove had been a dream come true for a young boy. Years later, it has become a precious memory for his daughter.

Everything depends on everything

Scott Seiberlich of Burnsville was born at midnight on December 31 or on January 1, depending on your outlook. The doctor asked Scott’s father if he wanted his son to be born in the year ending or the year beginning. Scott’s father considered the tax deduction a child provided and Scott's birthdate became December 31.

You wouldn’t think that such a simple decision would make much difference in a life, but it did.

The Selective Service System of the United States conducted a lottery to determine the order of call to military service during the Vietnam War. The lottery consisted of 366 (including February 29) slips of paper placed into plastic capsules, which were put into a large fish bowl. The capsules were extracted one at a time and determined the order in which young men would be drafted. September 14 was the first date picked, followed by April 25. Scott’s birthday of December 31 was the 100th capsule drawn. January 1 was the 305th picked. Men born on one of the first 195 dates drawn were called to serve.

Talking traffic

Iris Tarvestad of Albert Lea and I were talking about the ever-increasing traffic. Iris said that her husband, Terry, explained the growing number of wheels on roads this way, "Nobody wants to be where they are."

Iris added that while visiting Germany, she and Terry were on one side of the street attempting to get to the other side. The traffic was so heavy and there was no relief in sight. Iris asked a fellow pedestrian, "How do you get to the other side of the street?"

The man replied, "You have to be born there."

Customer comments

C.E. Vollum of Albert Lea told me that he was as sharp as a tack — the pointed end. I was glad that he was recovering from a health issue. C.E. said that he was like morning breath. He never goes away completely.

Bruce Langlie of Hartland was at a funeral when he ran into a woman that he hadn’t seen for years. The lady asked Bruce who he was. He identified himself. She said, "No, I knew Bruce Langlie. He was good-looking and had curly hair."

Larry Nelson of Waldorf said that his grandfather, Logan Huxford, once operated a Standard gas station in that city. When customers stopped during the noon hour, Logan greeted them this way, "Come on in and watch me eat."

Doug Bushlack of New Richland saw his young granddaughter, Isabel, with a cookie in each hand. Doug told her, "No more cookies." Isabel agreed readily. There weren't any cookies left.

Nature notes

"How can I tell a fox from a coyote?" A fox has a tail nearly as long as its body. The body color of a red fox may vary, but it always has a white tail tip. It has black behind its ear tips. The gray fox, seen less often than the red, has a black tip on its tail and orange behind the ears. A coyote’s tail is much shorter than its body.

Meeting adjourned

Be patient in a moment of anger and save days of heartache.

On Friday, Nov. 8, Genie and I headed north from Albert Lea on our annual Sabbatical to the North Woods. (Genie calls it “Extended Socializing,” I call it “Deer Hunting.”)

The traffic north of Minneapolis was bumper-to-bumper, as the next day was the opening of Deer Hunting through Sunday Nov. 24 where I hunt, on the shore of Lake Winnie by Bena, Minn.

We stopped at McDonald’s on the shore of Lake Mille Lacs at Garrison, Minn. for a late lunch. The parking lot was filled with vehicles occupied mainly by men in orange clothing headed to the North Woods. An employee asked Genie and a lady in front of us to please let him know if they wanted to use the women’s restroom. This confused us, so we walked back to the restrooms and then we understood. “Women” had an orange jacket hung on the door so as to read “--Men.” I guess you could call it “double or nothing” in regards to restrooms!

Prior to leaving, Santa Claus asked me to help him on his “Naughty or Nice” list of the employees at the Palace, where we stayed at in Cass Lake, Minn. The list results are at the end of this column. (951-262-3062 is the number to listen to Santa.)

While there, we attended Trininty Lutheran Churh on Highway 2 just west of Cass Lake the three Sundays of our Sabbatical. It was understood that as a mebmer of TLC you were expected to be in church if you weren’t a deer hunter, or if you got a deer during the three Sundays of the deer hunting season.

If you’re in the Cass Lake area on a Sunday, attending TLC is a must experience. Wayne, the organist, played a faster, more upbeat tempo of “How Great Thou Art” as we stood facing each other while singing with gusto at the end of one Sunday service. How many Sunday services have you attended where they clapped for the organist and choir?

Socializing kept us busy. Genie attended the “Does Only” champagne brunch at Patrick’s in Longville with Sandy Roscoe, former member of Central Freeborn Lutheran Church, Albert Lea. They both met Brenda Bauer, also former member of Central Freeborn, at Park Rapids for lunch.

We drove to Grand Forks to visit and have lunch with Alex and Jack Knudson, graduates of Albert Lea High School and student at the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks.

We drove to Baudette, Minn. for lunch with Carol Edstrom at the Holiday Extravaganza at Lake of the Woods School on the scenic Lady Slipper Highway 11 west of town.

We attended some of the Veterans Day Nov. 11 activities, including the evening meal at the American Legion in Cass Lake.

Genie and I, along with Grace and Charlie, TLC members, took advantage of the Shrimp Special dinner at the Big Fish Supper Club on Highway 2 by Bena, Minn. As we left, I asked how many of the 10 guys dressed in orange bellied up to the bar were good deer hunters – no answer. I asked, how many were no-good deer hunters – no answer. I asked how many were part of the famous Zarn Deer Hunting Group from the Sleepy Eye, Minn. area – no answer. ‘Twas then I knew, there was a deer hunters Liars Club in Sleepy Eye.

Many thanks to Becky for helping us get up-front seats to the band “Gloriana” at the Northern Lights Entertainment Center in Walker, Minn.

Per Larry the Weatherman: summer was on a Monday in 2013 in the Cass Lake Area.

The first Wednesday of deer hunting was a “grouse, pheasant, goose, duck” type of experience – where you are startled and just point the gun and shoot, getting nothing cause the air is full of what you’re hunting. Four deer came walking by in front of me – I was so startled, I just pointed the gun and shot. A doe just walked into the bullet, thus my limit of one deer was satisfied. Thanks to LeRoy and Jeff for helping get the doe into the back of their truck.

The Santa Claus “Nice List” included most of the Palace employees. Sad to say, there were three employees that were a notch below the Nice List, but a notch above the “Naughty List.” 

“So (you three) be good for goodness sake!”

Once again, many, many thanks to all for treating Genie and me like special guests – we feel you are special.

On our way home we stopped at Olivia’s Restaurant in Owatonna. The food was good, the service excellent – plus we got to meet Mr. Olivia (Chef Logan). What a treat!

———

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.

Last week, I mentioned a number of teachers that had an impact on me, especially as an educator. There’s one more who influenced that job and another, that of announcer for Panther varsity events. As we begin the winter sports season, my busiest behind the microphone, it’s appropriate to look at the importance of my Oral Interpretation class at Winona State, taught by Vivian Fusillo.

Vivian was and is a dynamic personality. Her class was a mixture of education and theater majors. The purpose of the class? We had to learn to read with vigor and learn how to change our voices to fit our speaking. There was probably no other class in college that better set me on the path I walk than that one.

Vivian drove her students. We weren’t done with a project until she was satisfied we couldn’t do it any better. She would make you stand in front of the class and redo something until you reached that point. She was a true example of making sure every student reached his or her fullest potential.

This class gave me free reign to be as crazy as I wanted. I had been gregarious before, but Oral Interp opened me up to be free of worry about what others thought. For my final exam, I chose the theme of Spider-Man and “performed” three different pieces of written work about the wall-crawler. I read from a comic, read a poem, and read/sang the old theme song from his cartoon show. As I did this, I donned a Spider-Man mask and leapt from desktop to desktop.

Vivian’s class was my absolute favorite in college, and I quickly realized how important it would be to me at NRHEG. I love reading to my classes and adding touches that I learned how to do in that class.

A bigger stage was waiting though. Former AD, Ted Pelzl, happened to ask me during my first year if I could step in and announce a couple of playoff basketball games we were hosting in NR. None of the teams were from here; we were a neutral site. I asked why he would ask me, and Ted was honest in saying that he just really needed somebody and didn’t know who else to ask.

I hesitated before accepting. Fate does funny things sometimes. What if I had not happened to run into Ted that day? What if I would have said no? I actually considered that answer. Me announce? In front of hundreds of strangers? What would I say?

After I finally said yes, I thought again back to my WSU days. Not only did I think back to Vivian’s class, but I thought about the WSU announcer, Brice Wilkenson. Brice was a crazy man at the microphone. He really got into the starting lineups and was beyond excited for big plays. Ted gave me some basic directions to follow, and then I added in some of the things I heard Brice say at Warriors’ games.

And the rest is history. Before then, we didn’t have play by play at basketball games too often. I started to do that when I could and helped out with football games occasionally when Chuck Crabtree couldn’t make it. Now I make it to every game I conceivably can and love every minute of it, whether the home team wins or loses.

I continue to strive to refine my work and get better, but most of my best stuff is off the top of my head. I love to be the Voice of the Panthers!

By the time you read this, the boys’ basketball team will have played already, and the girls’ home opener is now Dec. 5 – today! Come and watch both teams as well as our wrestlers throughout the season – it’s money well spent, and it should be another exciting winter sports season! Thank you for your kind attention, and please read the rest of the paper safely!

Word of the Week: This week’s word is amaranthine, which means unfading or everlasting, as in, “The announcer’s amaranthine dedication to the home team was evident in his boisterous support.” Impress your friends and confuse your enemies!

The scurs were pretty close last week in that it decided to be warmer over the weekend and even hit the snow showers for Monday correctly. Will we be so fortunate this week or has our luck run out? Starting Wednesday, mostly cloudy with possible snow showers. Highs in the upper 20s and lows in the mid-teens. Thursday, partly sunny and colder with highs near 10 and lows falling just below zero. Partly sunny for Friday and colder. Highs in the upper single digits and lows near 5 below. Saturday, partly sunny and continued cold. Highs again in the upper single digits and lows near zero. Mostly cloudy on Sunday and warmer with possible snow shows once again. Highs in the mid-teens and lows in the mid-single digits. Monday, mostly cloudy with a slight chance of snow. Highs in the upper teens and lows near zero. Partly sunny for Tuesday with highs once again in the upper teens and lows around zero. The normal high for December 7th is 29 and the normal low is 13. The scurs will be adding those temperatures to their Christmas wish list.

There actually were some field operations taking place over the weekend in the neighborhood. Some of the prevent plant acreages were baled up and the bales hauled off the fields. One had to wonder the way November was behaving what we were going to see. All in all though it was a dry month at the ranch and across most of greater Bugtussle. We tallied .81” of precip at the ranch for November with about 1 inch of snow. Frost depth is variable according to those trying to complete some last minute projects before it’s too late. Under sod the frost depth was only a few inches. In areas where the ground is bare with high amounts of traffic, up to a foot could be found. St. Olaf Lake has been frozen over since before Thanksgiving, earlier than normal. Even the geese must’ve taken the hint. They usually spend better than a week keeping the water open. This year they were there only a week or less according to some of the resident and highly trained goose observers.

The 9th of December marks the day Studebaker announced their plant in South Bend, IN was closing 50 years ago. Within 11 days the assembly lines there ground to a halt for good and Studebaker moved its operations to Hamilton Ontario. What a sad day that must’ve been for workers who were suddenly without jobs just before Christmas. Studebaker had been a part of the South Bend landscape for a long time. It was a major manufacturer of horse drawn transportation starting in the 1850s. It was one of the early automakers, initially producing electric automobiles. It was a company that had manufactured 63,000 engines for B-17 bombers during World War II. It’s also a little known fact that Studebaker was the first manufacturer to come with an entirely new lineup of automobiles for 1947 following the war, beating the Big 3 to the punch. The cars were popular and sold well. Things looked very bright for the future at that time.  Poor management and labor decisions however in the early 1950s would spell what would finally be the end of the company in 1966.

Last Friday I was talking on the phone to my little fat mechanically inclined buddy who happened to be working on the Studebaker at the ranch. As he left that afternoon he’d noticed a group of sheep out in front of the barn. Having never seen them there before he mentioned it in our conversation and he was definitely right: The sheep were out! Not to worry. As long as they stayed out of the road until I could get there from town, we were fine. When I drove up, sure enough there were ewe lambs grazing away on the side hill around the well. Rather than try and chase them around myself I got Fudgie and Ruby out.  Within seconds the sheep were back in their enclosure where they belonged. Dogs 1, sheep 0. 

The weekend manure hauling didn’t go quite as planned. Unable to use the skid loader, the lambing barn had to be pitched out by hand; a slow 3 ½-load, 2-day process. A delay in barn cleaning had a ripple effect as it frequently does. My original plan had been to clean the lambing barn Saturday and bring the ewes home from the kindly neighbor’s on Sunday afternoon. Monday morning meant hauling a few of the aforementioned escapees to Morgan’s Meat Market so the trailer was hooked up anyway. Having shut the ewes in the night before, they were ready to load after I dropped off the slaughter lambs. Finally, something went right for a change after a weekend of frustration. The lambs unloaded easily at the market, the ewes at the kindly neighbor’s were cooperative about loading and, aside from sliding around on the greasy soil, it came off without a hitch.

With nightfall bearing down we unloaded their feeding equipment, closed up the lambing barn and took the ram out of the trailer along with a couple ewes to cull. The ram decide it was a good idea to tangle with the young buck next door, so the youngster was moved to a pen where they couldn’t get at each other. More than once I’ve seen a young buck with a snapped neck as a result of jousting against superior firepower. Climbed the ladder to change a burned out light bulb, put the tractor away and shut off the lights. It had been a long several days, but with barns cleaned and everything home I could finally breathe a sigh of relief. Winter could set in anytime and we were ready for it.

See you next week…real good then.

The girls' basketball game between NRHEG and USC has been moved from Feb. 21 to Thursday, Dec. 5 in New Richland. Game time 7:15 p.m.

A year after one-win season, NRHEG football team finishes 5-4

By DALE KUGATH

Sportswriter

NEW RICHLAND – Coming off a one-win season in 2012, the New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva football staff wanted to see improvement this fall. The Panthers passed many expectations with a 5-4 season in 2013. 

“We still have a ways to go to get Panther football where we want it to be,” said NRHEG coach Dan Stork. “But, we have a lot of good young players in the program and we think the future is bright.” 

Stork completed his 11th season as the Panther head man. He improved his career mark to 62-46 at NRHEG. 

The Panthers finished 4-1 in the Gopher/Valley AA Conference, good for second place. Their lone loss was an overtime defeat to Maple River.