This is my 18th year of teaching junior high English at NRHEG. This is also my 18th year of teaching the American classic Tom Sawyer, by Mark Twain. This is a novel that is considered a must read by most English teachers, if only in preparation for one of the great American novels, Huckleberry Finn.

However, a couple years ago, publishers came out with new editions of these books, having changed some of the vocabulary. Set during the mid-1800s, both novels use a derogatory term for slaves. Tom Sawyer also has a negative word for Native Americans. Twain was portraying a realistic vision of life at that time, since he lived it. But because of that language, some areas have banned the books and created these new, “improved” versions.

Yuck. You’ll never see one of those in my classroom. I view this as a valuable teaching opportunity to show how the words we use can demean others, even if many think it’s okay. If you grew up in the 1840s, you might very well have used that type of language; your parents probably did. Much like I commented on last week with profanity, we learn at the feet of our parents what language is okay to use. Plus, we should learn the ugly parts of history that infected our country, not just the good things.

Censorship is a foul word. That might seem a contradiction after I ranted about swearing last week and how I change some words when reading to my son. Let me clarify: I wouldn’t teach Tom Sawyer to third graders. There are other books my students read that have profanity and other mature themes. I wouldn’t let my own kids read those until they reached my class either. But let’s be realistic: every one of those kids sitting in my classroom has either heard and/or used every word that is in those books.

Again, these make for prime teaching moments. Just because one of the antagonists in The Revealers gets upset at one point and cuts loose a bit doesn’t mean that it is not good literature. It might be looked on as unfortunate, but it’s realistic to hear a middle school student use that kind of language in anger.

Using profanity for the sake of shock value doesn’t hold much water with me. However, when it seems to fit a character and is not part of every chapter, I find it okay to suggest as reading. I ask people who protest the use of these books if they’ve ever watched TV with their kids where there is swearing or seen a movie like that. The answer is always, “Yes, but…”

But nothing. Use that as a chance to have a candid discussion with your child. Why is that language being used? What function does it serve? Is it okay for us to use it?

Early in my career, my friend and colleague, Mike Weber, had a novel he was teaching removed from his classroom by his administrator, based on the complaint of ONE parent about mature content. Guess what? The waiting list at the library was overflowing with students who wanted to finish the book. Censorship only serves to make kids want to read this supposed bad book. You want kids to read something? Tell them they’re not allowed to do so!

If we hide our children from all the ugly realities of the world, they will not be prepared to cope with those realities when faced with them. My 8th graders read a book called Tex, by S.E. Hinton. There are scenes of kids getting drunk and stoned. Teachable moments! The novel does a nice job of showing the after-effects of such activities, things that teens often don’t think about when making those choices.

I have always asked parents who have questioned my choice in reading material to read the book before decrying its validity. I invite them to keep a copy at home and have family discussions each night. Every parent who has taken me up on this has found that these books provide a great experience, especially when shared.

The old saying tells us not to judge a book by its cover. You need to delve in to find the gems inside, and banning books or changing them doesn’t allow those gems to be discovered.

Word of the Week: This week’s word is tragus, which is the small fleshy projection at the front of the ear, extending over the opening, as in, “The student kept scratching at his tragus as the teacher read the novel, not quite sure he was hearing things correctly.” Impress your friends and confuse your enemies!

Echoes From the Loafers’ Club Meeting

"Good morning."

"Possibly."

"Why the long face?"

"My short one is in the laundry."

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: he who hesitates isn’t at a stop sign.

I've learned

• Everyone is at a difficult age.

• Parents of great scholars or athletes are great believers and heredity.

• No two showers are alike.

The headlines from Hartland

• Football team produces a no-hitter.

• Choke ’N Chew Cafe cook arrested on two counts of attempted burger.

• The Witness Protection Bar, where nobody knows your name, opens.

Cafe chronicles

The poet, Thomas Hood, wrote, "No shade, no shine, no butterflies, no bees, no fruits, no flowers, no leaves, no birds, November!"

I added, "no food." I’d been driving since 3 a.m. and I was hollow.

I drove into a town filled with churches and beer joints. I stopped at one of those cafes where they know you by name and by order. I’d passed the pepper. I did it well. A man, who had lived in that city from little on up, occupied himself with biting a chunk out of strong coffee. "When a spoon stands straight upright in the middle of the cup, the coffee is just strong enough," he said. "If you have to shake the cup in order to get the coffee out of it then it's perfect."

Another fellow related the cautionary tale of his neighbor who toppled from a stepladder while he was cleaning leaves from gutters, and fell through the picture window of his house. The homeowner was injured, but the window had no pane.

It was a fine eatery. If I’d been hungrier than I should have been, they’d have given me a bowl of alphabet soup, all in capital letters.

We all hoped for a nice winter. In the words of Emily Dickinson, "Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings the tune without the words and never stops at all."

Emily pretty much summed it up for all of us.

Questions

• When you visit Hawaii, greeters drape a lei around your neck. How should visitors be greeted in your neighborhood?

• Would Lassie have been able to find Waldo?

• Minnesota has a state muffin. If yours had a state sandwich, what should it be?

School daze

Back when some families were so large, the houses they lived in had stretchmarks. Back when every other person did a Yogi Bear impression and men smacked their tavern bellies proudly and bragged that it was all paid for. Back then, my rubber band pistol, that I’d fashioned from a clothespin, was confiscated by my arithmetic teacher because it was a weapon of math disruption.

The World Series

I rooted in vain for the St. Louis Cardinals to defeat the Boston Red Sox. I grew up listening to the Cardinals on 1120 on the AM dial KMOX, the voice of St. Louis. It was a 50,000-watt signal that found its way to my transistor radio, 482 road miles away. It brought me Hall of Fame announcers Joe Garagiola, Jack Buck, and Harry Caray, who brought the game to life.

Did you know?

• Glabella is the smooth area between the eyebrows just above the nose.

• According to a survey conducted by Harris Interactive, 9 percent of people would drive naked.

• Only 3.9 percent of U.S. men are 6 feet 2 inches or taller.

Nature notes

"Why do we have robins here during the winter?" It might be that your robins flew south and were replaced by those that migrated south to your area for the winter. You might have Canadian robins wintering in your yard. They are bigger than our summer robins. Some researchers say that there are robins that migrate and those that do not. Robins overwinter in ravines and wooded areas where there is an open water source. They feed on the fruit of buckthorn, crabapple, cherry, mountain ash, hackberry, sumac, hawthorn, rose hips, etc. during the winter. When I accompany my wife grocery shopping, my job is to stay by the shopping cart. I’ve learned that it is always a good idea to get a cart. There are no shopping carts for birds, but it's not a bad idea for a robin to stay near the food. With food, it can take cold. Migration is a perilous journey, a regular robin roulette.

Meeting adjourned

"Kindly words, sympathizing attentions, watchfulness against wounding men's sensitiveness--these cost very little, but they are priceless in their value."--F.W. Robertson

The deer hunting season opened this past Saturday and with the waterfowl and pheasant season already underway, it would seem fishing has taken the back seat. This however isn’t totally true as evidenced by the number of people fishing the channel between Fountain and Albert Lea Lakes. The perch bite has been very good and a number of walleye are also being caught. For the most part the smaller walleyes have been very aggressive with a few nice ones mixed in. The sportsmen among us release the smaller ‘eyes with only one over 20 inches being a legal keeper. Legally there is no minimum size on walleye in these waters but I would hope that common sense would prevail.

I have also heard that there are some nice perch and pike being caught on Pickerel Lake. It wasn’t that long ago that the lake was killed off and the DNR plan was implemented. It doesn’t really seem like it has taken all that long for that lake to start producing some descent fishing. This is an exciting time for area fishermen and it looks like things will only be getting better in the future.

When I look back to my days as a youth walking the shores of Fountain Lake, I never dreamt these lakes would become the fishing lakes they are today. As a kid, I can remember catching sunnies and crappies and an occasional northern or bass, but in those days they were few and far between. It seemed like you couldn’t drop a line in the water without catching a bullhead or two. Hey, except for getting stung more times than I could count (math may not have been my best subject) I was still catching fish.

There were also those times when I’d ride my bike back to the mink farm, which was where Bancroft Bay Park is today, to go fishing for a day. The Schneider kids, classmates at Hammer School, lived there and their dads worked at the mink farm. We’d buy a chunk of horse meat and Willy Schneider would cut it into small chunks for us. The big sunnies and bluegills really liked that horse meat and it was tough enough to stay on the hook for many a fish. It sure was a lot of fun catching those big sunfish and bluegills, but we also caught some big old yellow belly bullheads. To be honest, we didn’t seem to care what we were catching as long as it was fish and not a mud turtle, which could really put a damper on things. I don’t believe any one of us kids ever figured out an easy way to take a turtle off the hook. A kid could definitely waste a lot of valuable fishing time on a turtle.

My mother used to refer to the mink farm as “Coney Island” because that was where she and my aunt Ruby and their cousins would go to swim and hang out. According to some old pictures I have there was even a swimming raft. I would guess this area was used for recreation long before someone picked up a Frisbee and created disc golf. I like to drive back to that park from time to time just to reminisce about those days.

Legacy dollars leaving lasting legacy in northern forest

When Minnesotans behold the vast forests of the north, they look much as they did before voters passed the Legacy Amendment to the state constitution in 2008.

Yet the difference is huge and reassuring for recreational users and resource managers who view these lands by looking at property ownership maps.

“What you don’t see from the road is the visionary public policy that has protected more than 210,000 acres of forest in the name of public recreation, sound fish and wildlife management and sustainable supplies of timber for the wood products industry,” said Forrest Boe, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Forestry Division director. “That amount of protection would not have happened without the Legacy Amendment.”

It was five years ago that citizens voted to impose a sales tax of three-eighths of 1 percent on themselves for 25 years. Since 2009, when tax revenues began to flow, the Legacy Amendment has generated more than a billion dollars for clean water, parks and trails, habitat conservation and Minnesota’s arts and cultural heritage. Of that amount, $200-plus million has been appropriated to the DNR for its direct use. And of that amount, $41.4 million was allocated to a pioneering project called Minnesota’s Forests for the Future.

“Legacy funds were used to protect 207,441 acres of forest with permanent conservation easements,” Boe said. “Another 2,746 acres were protected by fee acquisition. At an average protection cost of $254 per acre, there was strong support in the hunting, timber industry, legislative and natural resource communities that this was a good investment in Minnesota’s future.”

That investment took the form of appropriations to the DNR totaling $18 million in 2009, $18 million in 2010 and $5.4 million in 2011. These dollars went primarily to a forest conservation easement purchased from the UPM/Blandin Paper Co.

Specifically, Legacy dollars were used to protect 190,000 acres of working forest land in Itasca, Aitkin, St. Louis, Cass, Beltrami, Koochiching and Clearwater counties called the Upper Mississippi Forest Legacy Project. They were also used to protect another 20,000 acres through smaller projects.

Until next time, hunt safe and enjoy some of our areas many natural resources. It’s always time well spent in our great 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.

I am often asked, "How do you think of so many things to write about?" It is easy, because one thing leads to another.

I had a rather unique situation recently to try and locate Ashley Meyer of Meyer Textiles. I knew she was out there, but no one seemed to know where. I checked with people who usually know those things. I checked at the post office as well as the computer and was surprised and pleased to find her living close by on a farm that had been the home of good friends. (I had even helped make horseradish with their neighbors a few years ago.)

It was only fitting this farm should be home to this interesting enterprise. Who would have thought "Aprons?,” an article that Martha Stewart Living magazine did, and Meyer Textiles Inc., was a nominee for an award? I couldn't be more proud of Ashley’s success if she were a best friend or family member.

I remember my Grandma with all her aprons. She, too, made them from scratch and to suit her purpose. In her day and age, aprons had lots of purposes. People laugh when you talk about all the things that Grandma’s aprons did at one time. They wiped sweat from the brow, tears from the eyes, congestion from children’s noses, and served as potholders to remove things from the oven. They carried wood and corncobs for the stove, and gave a quick dust if someone came to the door. They also protected the Sunday church dress from spills, as they could be washed so much easier than a whole dress. If there was a chill in the air an apron was handy for personal use, or for comforting a feverish or tired child. The pockets held hankies, treats, matches, and even money - if you had any. 

They also carried garden produce like potatoes, carrots, radishes, etc. from the garden into the house. They served as bibs, as towels and washcloths, often using whatever liquid was available, including spit, to clean or remove the dirt from dirty faces, hands, merchandise or produce.

An apron also held the eggs you gathered and was a protectant from biting hens as you did so.

There are family heirloom pictures of ancestors who all wore aprons, including men, women and children alike of different style, for different uses. 

Speaking of uses – my great uncle Hans, at about age 3, was traveling from Denmark by ship to New York before heading west to Minnesota. Hans brought his little apron full of flatbread that had been given to him by another traveler, to my great grandmother’s cabin on the ship. The traveler gave the flatbread to Hans because she felt his family (my great grandma and her children: Esther, 8, my grandmother Krista, 5, Hans 3, and Ellen, just 6 weeks) could use the extra food. 

How proud he must have been, this little boy with his apron full of food to share with his sisters.

I loved the story of Ashley Meyers I was assigned to write. It is so reminiscent of bygone days whose popularity has come alive again. I can see school children aprons for purpose and style. I see jeans aprons made from the backside of worn-out jeans, aprons made from the back legs of jeans and worn like chaps to accommodate todays fashion or to cover fashion jeans. There were coverall aprons, T-aprons, bib aprons, fancy aprons, and all served their purpose.

Something else that comes to mind in connection with aprons: smocks. They, too, had their purpose. A smock was quick to slip on over whatever one was wearing, with short or long sleeves depending on the season. If one was going to do some dirty work it was a quick fix to protect the clothing, available to help take off a chill, and used by mothers-to-be to cover up their pregnancies. It was a comfortable and practical garment to wear. 

Children looked ever-so-cute in their little smock tops - called "butcher boys" at one time, for some reason. We had a picture of my Aunt Phyllis and cousin Barbara in their butcher boy outfits in pink and yellow with cotton smock tops over colored cotton pants, taken on a trip to Wisconsin when they were toddlers. 

Smocks have now been probably replaced by T-tops to wear over jeans. With modern washing facilities and not having to iron knits, there is less worry today about extra laundry. Maybe that’s why they’ve disappeared from the scene.

Thank you, Ashley. Your story is like opening a box filled with ideas, memories and thoughts that are priceless. You made my day brighter because the apron story made me so happy.

Birthdays and anniversaries :

• Thursday, Nov. 14: Brickyn Moen, Cassandra Hill, Dakota Tracy, Kaye Larson Allen, Jill Ottesen Kehne, Kim Anderson, Gloria Tufte Keehn, Dawn Farr, Brandon Grunwald.

• Friday, Nov. 15: Eli Fussy, Sydney Ann Collins, Greg Riley, John Flor Jr., Daniel Mucha, Lee Waage, Cynthia Callahan, Jacob Douglas Bell.

• Saturday, Nov. 16: Ross Sletten, Asa Daniel Russell Johnson, Matthew Marcus, Betty Brandt, Ronald Johnson, Fred Schmidt, Miranda Dubois.

• Sunday, Nov. 17: Presley Ann Broskoff, Brynn Routh, Mikayla Sue Brouwers, Stuart Kubat, Nathan Larson, Milton Wayne, Gloria Jensen, Nathan Schmidt, Elvern Holland, David Kasper, Jim Olson, Daniel Ingvaldson, John Nelson, Trisha Cyr, Brad & Donna Borchert.

• Monday, Nov. 18: Edrea Marae Kubista, Toni Wayne Smith, Stella Langlie, LeRoy Peterson, Kim Lehmberg, Ernest Anderson, Paul Groth, Allen Schewe, Gordy & Karol Carroll.

• Tuesday, Nov. 19: Sidney Ellen Schultz, Kolby Dale Boverhuis, Deb Schmidt, Leah Scott, Roger Dulas, Jennifer Kycek, Chanelle McCamish, Darrin Peterson, Mandi Wobschall, William Conley, LaShawn & Gretchen Ray, Jeff & Julie Cornelius.

• Wednesday, Nov. 20: Chuck Pence, Howard Pence, Eric Simon, David A. Hanson, Angie Blouin Sikel, Dennis Blouin, Scott Brekke, Malinda Fennert, Alisha Waalkens, Heather Crabtree Krenke, Kristine Kelly, Rachel Nelson, Holly Mattson.

May God bless you with a beautiful year to enjoy!

The scurs were tracking well until after the weekend and then the wheels came off. Will we see more of the mid-December prelude or return to more typical November weather? Starting Wednesday mostly sunny with highs in the upper 30’s and lows in the upper 20’s. Partly sunny on Thursday with a slight chance of rain or snow. Highs in the lower 40’s and lows in the low 30’s. Friday, mostly sunny with highs in the mid 40’s and lows in the low 30’s. Partly sunny Saturday with a slight chance of rain or snow during daytime hours and a modest chance for rain showers in the evening. Highs in the upper 40’s and lows  in the upper 30’s. Mostly cloudy Sunday with a fair chance of rain. Highs in the upper 40’s and lows in the lower 30’s. Mostly cloudy Monday with possible rain and snow showers. Highs in the mid 30’s and lows in the upper teens. Colder for Tuesday with highs in the low 30’s and lows falling once again into the mid-teens. The normal high for November 15th is 42 and the normal low is 25. The scurs have officially put their Speedos in mothballs for the season.

With Venus in the southeast sky at dusk, the 17th of the month marks the Full Moon, commonly known as the Full Beaver Moon. It was at this time that the early settlers and traders spent much of their time trapping for warm fur pelts. No Thinsulate in those days. The Ojibwe called this the Freezing Moon and the Sioux knew it as the Moon of Falling Leaves. It will be both at the ranch if the temps don’t change and the leaves continue to come off the trees. Grinding up leaves in the snow doesn’t exactly sound like my cup of tea.

Did it look like Christmas early this past week? It sure felt like it. The low temp of 6 at the ranch on the morning of November 12th was indeed normal for December 25th. The snowfall added some insult to injury with about an inch of snow being measured. It contained about .19” liquid equivalent. This will likely mean some greasy soil surface conditions after the snow melts for a few days. Luckily the forecast calling for a warm up later in the week should allow much of the remaining field work to be completed before the ground freezes for good. The fly in the ointment may be the predicted rainfall over the weekend, making the opportunity short lived. The clock is ticking.

Fudgie was less than impressed with the snow and cold like most of us as we age. She moves more slowly and her attitude reflects the weather. Fudgie was downright surly Tuesday morning when the ewes got close to “her” gate. She’s more amicable staying inside where it’s warm to eat, drink and nap. Ruby on the other hand is more like a kid, where the snow is something to tear around in when not tearing around in the house. I remember many times being told to go outside to play and blow off some steam. Same goes with Ruby. Watching her flip and empty oil bottle and pink plastic bear in the air I’ve come to the conclusion that Border Collies are simply reflections of their human masters in furry clothing. While they may not say much they don’t have to. Their actions truly speak louder than words.

This also means for many of us it’s time to get matters in order for winter including those of us at the ranch. A couple more loads of hay were tucked away over the weekend so we should be ready for a while anyway. Both the winter and spring type radishes were harvested, cleaned up and put away. Apples were picked with anticipation of the pies sure to follow. Space was made to afford everything with a motor in it a place to sleep. I dislike snow this time of year. It has no useful purpose other than to serve as a reminder that there’s no time to rest. Still, the emerald evergreens Monday morning stood in stark contrast to the white backdrop left behind by the fast moving storm system.  Much as I hated to admit it, it was pretty. There was plenty accomplished, to the point it was time to take a deep breath and admire the beauty of it all.

The birds are slowly coming around too, adding to the Christmas card atmosphere of that first snowfall. The goldfinches are hanging out at the feeders more and the lone chickadee appears to be a resident. Downies and hairies frequent the suet regularly. Blue jays keep the sunflower feeders busy and the resident squirrels have found the ear corn when they’re not contending with the juncos under the feeders. Not everyone is seeing the same things however. I received a phone call from “A” of A & P fortune and fame earlier in the week expressing concern over the lack of birds at his feeders. I came up with several possible explanations but nothing concrete. When we were sitting in the sanctuary before church on Sunday I mentioned to Mrs. Cheviot that “A” had called wondering why he had no birds. She knew exactly why: He didn’t have his sheep yet! When I told him that I thought he was going to fall out of the pew.

See you next week…real good then.

Dale Franklin Hansen, 48, of Owatonna, died Tuesday, November 12, 2013 at his home in Owatonna.

He was born December 11, 1964 in Owatonna, Minnesota the son of LaVerne and Marlene (Wencl) Hansen. He graduated from Owatonna High School in 1983. After high school, Dale worked at Happy Chef and Hart’s Bakery. He then went to work at Lakeside Foods where he worked his way up to Sanitation Supervisor. Dale worked there for over 27 years until a year ago when his health began to deteriorate.