A little over a week ago, I was preparing to head home from the cabin after spending a few days of fishing with my grandson Dylan.

It had just began snowing that morning as we were packing for the ride home, but luckily we had already done most of the major things that need to be done when closing up the cabin for the winter. Before we pulled out of the driveway, the weather changed from a rain/snow mix to all snow. Once we began driving, you could see that the snow was already sticking to the grass and on the pine trees.

After we had been on the road for a while Dylan told me that he actually kind of liked traveling on a snowy day like today. I don’t know what it is about driving while the snow is falling, but I have always found that to be something that I too have always enjoyed. The ironic thing about what Dylan said is that I had been thinking the exact same thing a few minutes earlier.

Maybe it is the warm or cozy feeling that I seem to get when driving in a warm truck with the snow falling and the temperatures too warm to stick to the road, but cool enough to stick to the grass and trees. When Mother Nature treats us to the sight of snow-covered evergreen trees it is surely a picture that is hard to beat.

I guess I have always found the first snowfall of the season to be kind of an exciting time that still gives me that kid-like feeling of my youth. The neat thing about that day was that Dylan expressed that same fondness for driving in snow and shared it with me. It’s kind of like a good beer or a fine wine that a person can enjoy in moderation, but too much of a good thing – not so much.

The 2013 Minnesota deer hunting opener is just around the corner. From what I’ve heard when talking to some folks in the northern part of the state, there just doesn’t seem to be as many deer around. A hard winter coupled with an increase in the wolf and coyote populations would probably be a major factor in that.

With the firearms deer hunting season slated to open November 9, the Minnesota DNR has issued a news release reminding all hunters to make sure you have permission before setting foot on private land. I believe that any hunter who considers himself a sportsman would just automatically ask permission before setting foot on someone else’s land.

Hunters urged to review trespass law, ask landowners first

With Minnesota’s small game, waterfowl, and archery deer seasons underway, and the firearm deer season set to begin Nov. 9, conservation officers with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) remind hunters that there is one sure way to avoid landowner concerns associated with trespassing: “Always ask first.”

“Trespass is the biggest problem landowners have with hunters,” said Col. Ken Soring, DNR enforcement director. “It is critical for hunters to have good relationships with landowners, especially when you consider that in some parts of the state such as Southwestern Minnesota, about 95 percent of the land is privately owned.”

“If hunters and other outdoor recreationists would just make it a standard practice to always ask for permission before entering any private land, those relationships would improve a lot.”

Soring encourages all hunters and landowners to obtain a copy of the 2013 Hunting and Trapping booklet and review the trespass information beginning on Page 6.

“I can’t stress enough how important it is to be very familiar with the trespass law,” said Soring.

Trespass penalties range from a $50 civil fine to a criminal penalty of several thousand dollars, confiscation of vehicles and hunting equipment, and revocation of hunting privileges for two years.

Unlike urban law enforcement agencies, conservation officer response times to trespass calls may be longer, especially during the firearms deer season.

Callers are urged to contact the Turn In Poachers (TIP) hotline at 800-652-9093 to report any alleged wildlife violation, including hunter trespass. Cell phone users can dial #TIP.

Information must include precise time and location, along with a full description including a license plate number of any vehicle believed to be involved.

Until next time, with the deer hunting opener fast approaching and pheasant and duck hunting now open, be sure to obey the laws, “hunt safe” and enjoy the time spent 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 can't go outside. It's raining."

"You brought an umbrella. Use it."

"That wouldn't help. My umbrella is full of holes."

"Then why did you bring it?"

"I didn't think it would rain."

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: never judge an automobile by the sound of its horn.

I’ve learned

• Buying a toilet plunger is rarely an impulse purchase.

• If you want to hear a grandmother cuss like a sailor, go to a casino.

• You are never too old to learn something that is incorrect.

That time of the year

Halloween is over and daylight saving time has ended.

I fell back. I devoted the fall-back hour I’d gained over the weekend to reset the endless supply of timepieces that live with me.

It’s a bewitching time of the year. Magic tractors turn into fields.

A friend went as a big ceiling fan this Halloween. Yay, ceilings.

One Halloween a trick-or-treater came to my door dressed as "Rocky" of movie fame. He was attired in boxing gloves and satin shorts. Not long after I gave him some goodies, he returned for more.

"Aren't you the same Rocky who left my doorstep 20 minutes ago?" I asked.

"Yes," he replied, "but now I'm the sequel. I'll be back four more times tonight."

I hope that no Halloween candy comes back to haunt you.

Those thrilling days of yesteryear

We were fond of telling anyone who asked where we lived, how far we were from the nearest tarred road. I remember a fellow who told everyone that he lived one cigarette from town.

There is such a thing as time travel, it's called a memory. When I became a teenager, I dated in cars lacking seatbelts. I made SOB (Slide Over Baby) corners. They were made sharply.

Church basements

My wife and I attended a soup and pie supper at Concordia Lutheran Church. It might be the Concordia Lutheran Church that you are familiar with or it might be a different Concordia Lutheran Church. I love soups and pies and I love church basements. It was nice to be in a church basement for something other than a meal connected to obsequies. After enjoying a delightful repast, I was greeted by an old schoolmate, Mark Sorenson of Wyoming. I hadn’t seen Mark for years and it was great seeing him again. Church basements quickly fill stomachs and memories.

Gainfully employed

One in the family has a part-time job at Hy-Vee. Hy-Vee has a longtime advertising slogan, "Where there's a helpful smile in every aisle". Al Weisert, manager of the Hy-Vee store in Albert Lea added, "And a smirk on every clerk."

A confabulation of farmers

My father said that if there really was such a thing as reincarnation, he wanted to come back as an Allis-Chalmers, because an Allis-Chalmers never dies.

Someone asked Jerry Heideman of Hartland, "Are you done picking corn?"

Jerry, who is retired, answered, "I finished five years ago."

Jerry told me, "Now I just drive by to see what field they are on."

I’ve been reading

Bill Bryson’s "Made in America:" "During the war years, America had just nine television stations in five cities — New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and Schenectady — and just 7,000 sets on which to watch the meager programming available. In the autumn of 1944, for instance, on Wednesday and Saturday nights there was no television at all in America. On Thursdays only CBS was on the air, with 15 minutes of news followed by an hour of local programming and a half-hour show called Missus Goes A-shopping. On Sundays the American viewer could watch DuMont Labs' Thrills and Chills followed by Irwin Shane's Television Workshop, or nothing. With the end of the war, American TV was unleashed at last. By 1947 the number of television sets in American homes had soared to 170,000. In that same year a program called Puppet Television Theater made its debut. A year later it was renamed Howdy Doody and television had its first hit."

Nature notes

Marion Poellot of Red Wing asked how to distinguish house finches from purple finches. Here are a couple of simple things to look for. The female purple finch has a bold white eyebrow and a dark throat stripe. A purple finch male exhibits extensive red on the head and back.

Meeting adjourned

A little kindness not only goes a long way, it goes the right way.

The scurs had plenty of Halloween candy to blow through while enjoying a generally nice week of weather. Will their good fortune and candy last? Starting Wednesday, mostly cloudy becoming mostly sunny with a chance of morning snow showers. Highs in the mid 30’s and lows in the mid 20’s. Mostly sunny for Thursday with a slight chance of an evening snow shower. Highs in the upper 30’s and lows in the mid 20’s. Friday, mostly cloudy with a slight chance of rain and/or snow showers. Highs near 45 and lows in the mid 30’s. Mostly cloudy on Saturday with a slight chance of rain and snow. Highs in the low 40’s and lows in the upper 20’s. Sunday, mostly sunny with highs in the low 40’s and lows in the upper 20’s. Mostly cloudy for both Monday and Tuesday with highs in the mid to upper 40’s and lows in the lower 30’s for both days. The normal high for November 11th, Veterans Day, is 42 and the normal low is 25. Now that the World Serious and Halloween are over the scurs can get rid of their fake beards.

Daylight Saving Time came and went without my usual rant. It’s never too late however. My feelings about DST are about the same as for many federal government sponsored brain flatulence. More government meddling to make someone feel like they’ve done something while we pay for it financially and sometimes physically. After a long day and setting about a dozen clocks Saturday night I was shot and ready for bed. At least when I awoke before 7 on Sunday, the good news was I could do chores in the daylight again. The bad news later in the day was the sun set shortly after 5 p.m. so evening chores were done in the dark. In fact it starts setting before 5 on the 5th and our hours of daylight slip below 10 hours on the 7th. Oh goody.

Harvest continues to wind down although there are still plenty of fields of corn scattered around the countryside as of this writing. The June planted corn has hit the drying systems and it’s taking some time to dry it sufficiently. Much of this corn ranges anywhere from the mid-20’s to the low 30’s in moisture. With temperatures cooling down that’s not a good combination. Test weights tend to be lighter than normal and it appears the kernels are breaking up more easily running through the combine and augers if the amount of screenings and white rooftops on bins are any indication. I was amazed  the other day when a client brought in 4 ears of corn from a part of a field planted on July 2nd. Never would I have guessed that it would produce something even remotely resembling corn but it did. The ears are well developed and while they are likely light test weight the fact remains it wasn’t a zero.

The weird weather year put us in a bind to locate something to bed the sheep with for the upcoming winter. Small grain fields were few and far between and waiting around to see what might come off the prevented plant acres was not an option. Luckily for us one of our friends decided to bale up some small square bales of cornstalks. We’ve used them before and absolutely love the way they keep the barn dry. Not only that but the sheep spend a lot of time fishing through the stalks for ears and kernels as well as devouring many of the leaves so primarily the stalk is left behind. Given the chocolate covered raisin design of sheep feces, they tend to rattle through the stalks keeping them away from the woolies’ bodies when they snuggle down on those cold winter nights. We stacked the last of the bales in the barn Saturday afternoon so we were grateful for a kind friend’s act. Now we need to settle up. I wonder how many bred ewes he would like in payment?

The high winds on Sunday precluded me from picking up the screenings at the kindly neighbors so Plan B was set in motion: Mowing the long grass in the yard and grinding up the leaves. With Howard back on the unable to perform list and Whitey still on injured reserve, that left Whitey Jr. and I to tackle the project. Fortunately the leaves were crispy dry and there really was no time limit. When one can only take 38” at a time and move at a snail’s pace it’s just not conducive to being in a hurry. Even getting started takes a while. The asphalt chunks knocked into the ditch from the road construction needed to be picked up, ditto with the apples and the downspouts needed to be removed before we could commence. Whitey Jr. sputters, coughs and bangs when idling but once the blades are engaged it becomes a lean, mean mowing machine. It was so windy that the grass and leaves that weren’t in my eyes were dispersed to parts unknown instantly. At least when we were done it looked nice. The leaves were gone and the grass shortened so anything that falls from now on should blow off or collect in areas where it won’t matter. It was reputedly 50 degrees but with the wind howling you could’ve fooled me. I finished up wearing a pair of insulated coveralls. A harbinger of things to come I fear.

There is more bird activity once again at the feeders. One of the tiniest downies I’ve ever seen has made regular appearances recently and his larger cousin the hairy has been frequenting the suet as well. Saturday the large blue jays were back also and at first glance nearly leghorn sized. A chickadee was hitting the sunflower feeder like a kid with a new toy as well, ruffling the feathers of the goldfinches in their olive drab winter colors. The wind on Sunday kept all the birds away but I have a hunch once the snow begins to fly, they’ll be making a beeline for their favorite chow. About like the little fat buddies on Prime Rib Day at the Willows, Walleye Friday at the Lunchbox or Rib Tuesday at the Hartland Cafe. Once the weather turns cold and harvest is done, you can almost set your watch by it. 

See you next week…real good then.

Last week, I wrote about my abounding love for comic books. I’ve been passing along that enjoyment to my children, and Anton has really taken to them. We sit and read new comics all the time; he enjoys Thor, Iron Man, Captain America, and anything Avengers. Anton, at age eight, is certainly old enough that he can handle reading them on his own, but there’s something cool about sitting and reading them and then talking about the stories after we’re done.

One thing we don’t talk about is how Dad changes some of the words. He’s often so busy looking at pictures that he doesn’t see I change a word to heck or darn instead of what is printed. Unfortunately, this is taking away somewhat from this otherwise enjoyable pastime.

 Have you noticed this trend toward more profanity everywhere? There was a time when you could sit down as a family between 7-9 p.m. and not worry too much about what your children might hear. Now it’s commonplace to hear words that would have gotten my mouth washed out with soap had the nuns at school heard me use them! In reality, there are very few words that you won’t hear at some time on television; only one comes to mind that I haven’t heard on cable, and that’s the one that can be used in some form as every one of the seven parts of speech.

I enjoyed a new show this summer on FX called The Bridge. It was an addictive mystery series that involved characters that lived across the border from each other in Texas and Mexico. I heard a lot on that show, including learning the Spanish versions of many swear words.

Is this reality now? Do so many people make profanity such a regular part of their vocabulary that it’s hardly noticeable? I saw an X-Men movie in the theater, and it seemed like hardly anyone blinked when the f-bomb was dropped during a PG-13 film. I still sit up and take notice when I hear so many of those words being broadcast in some form.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not some holier-than-thou preacher. I’ve been known to utter some profanities, mostly in anger. When I was a teenager, I know my mother would have blushed to hear me with my friends sometimes.

Maybe it’s my background in language and vocabulary, but it always seems like swearing is a shortcut instead of an idea that is well thought out. Much like many people, especially teenage girls, tend to insert the word “like” between every other word, others do the same thing with profanity. It seems the easy way out; maybe the person thinks they sound cool.

I don’t take offense when adults swear around me; it’s their choice. I just find it a bit unnerving that it has seeped so deeply into our society that I find kids in school who don’t think it’s wrong to say “hell” or “damn” as a regular part of their speaking. In fact, as I type this, I’m thinking that when I was growing up, I never would have seen those words I put in quotation marks in print in a newspaper! But there they are.

When students tell me something “sucks,” I’ll suggest they find a better way to phrase that, some way that sounds more educated. Maybe we can make an effort to do that with harsher words. It seems so many kids hear the adults around them swearing a blue streak that they don’t realize how much trouble it can get them in during certain social situations. It might not impress that date, it might not sound good in a job interview, and it might be said without realizing there is someone behind you that you’d rather not have hear you speaking that way.

There will come a time when Anton will call me out on what I’m reading. We’ll talk about it and speculate on why He-Man might say that, but I’ll hope to not set the example of sounding that way around my kids.

Word of the Week: This week’s word is lapsus linguae, which means a slip of the tongue, as in, “The teacher had a lapsus linguae when he meant to talk about a pirate ship, which turned his face quite red.” Impress your friends and confuse your enemies!

In Loving Memory of Teresa Marie Van Iperen

Teresa Van Iperen was born on July 31, 1962 in El Paso, Texas to Dale and Jeanette Raimann Wallace.  That same year the family moved to Albert Lea, MN. In 1967 the family moved to New Richland, MN where Teresa graduated from New Richland-Hartland High School in 1980.

She went on to attend Mankato State University, graduating in 1985. She then made her home in Pemberton, MN. On June 4, 1994 she and Jerry Van Iperen were married at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Saint Clair, MN. Teresa worked for Blue Earth County as a social worker in Mankato. Following their marriage they remained in Pemberton until 2001 when they moved to an acreage near Edgerton, MN. Teresa enjoyed the time she spent home schooling her boys.

Funeral services for Bonnie (Pollei) Kofstad, of Hartland, will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Monday, November 11, 2013 at Hartland Evangelical Lutheran Church. Pastor Shawn Stafford will officiate. Interment will be in Hartland Cemetery. Visitation will be held from 4–7 p.m. on Sunday at Bonnerup Funeral Service, Albert Lea, and again one hour prior to the service at the church. 

Bonnie died Wednesday, November 6, 2013 at the New Richland Care Center. She was 88 years old.

Bonnie was born January 12, 1925 to Henry and Emma (Randall) Pollei. She attended and graduated high school from Mankato.  Following high school, Bonnie was united in marriage to LeRoy Kofstad on May 12, 1946. To this union, five children were born.

Funeral services for Orvin A. Morstad, age 92 of Albert Lea and formerly of Hartland will be held at 11 a.m., Saturday November 9, 2013 at the Cross of Glory Lutheran Church in Hartland. The Rev. Dennis Frank will officiate. Interment will be in the Hartland Cemetery.  Visitation will be one hour prior to the service at the church on Saturday. Online condolences are welcome at www.bayviewfuneral.com.

Orvin died on Tuesday, November 5, 2013 at the Albert Lea Good Samaritan Society.

The funeral service for Gladys (Tesch) Battey will be held on Wednesday, November 6, 2013 at 11 a.m. at First Lutheran Church in Waldorf. The Reverend Michael Matthews will officiate. Interment will be in the First Lutheran Cemetery. Visitation one hour prior to the service at church. Friedrich Funeral Service in New Richland is assisting the family.

Gladys Battey passed away on Saturday, November 2, 2013 at Colony Court Memory Care in Waseca. She was 98 years old.

U.S. Senator Al Franken will be the guest speaker at a Veterans Day program at New Richland Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva High School Monday, Nov. 11 at 10 a.m. in the high school gym. It is open to the public.

In addition to the Senator's address, winners in the school's eighth and 12th-grade essay contest, "What Veterans Day means to me," will be announced during the event.

The NRHEG choir and band will perform, students will read Veterans Day essays and New Richland area Legionnaires will conduct a flag folding ceremony to honor those who have served in our nation's armed forces.

The Agri-Business Committee of the Waseca Area Chamber of Commerce is looking for nominations of individuals who have a strong agriculture leadership background.

The Agri-Business Committee knows the importance agriculture has played in Waseca County.  It is important to recognize individuals who have been strong agriculture leaders.

This Agricultural Leadership Award is to recognize and honor distinguished individuals who have dedicated their life to the advancement of agriculture. These individuals have shown a commitment to outstanding leadership with their significant contributions to the community and the advancement of the agriculture industry in the Waseca County area.