The NRHEG Early Childhood Family Education program will have its registration kick-off with a Vehicle Fair on Tuesday evening, September 17, 2013 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. (Rain date is Thursday, September 19th). The kickoff this year will be held at the Beaver Lake Parking Lot.

This Vehicle Fair will be for children (who are too young to attend school at this time) and their families. There will be a variety of vehicles: fire truck, farm implements, tractor, ambulance, school bus, semi, 4-wheeler, and many more to explore.

New Richland City Council

By JIM LUTGENS

Editor/Publisher

The proposed 2014 tax levy for the community was foremost on the minds of the New Richland City Council at its first meeting of the month Monday night at City Hall.

Not far behind was the old library building and what to do with it.

Both items — and several others — were discussed at length as Mayor Christine Gislason, all council members and several guests were present.

The bottom line for the proposed 2014 levy was the adoption of Resolution 13-24, approving a 6.29 percent increase from 2013, when taxes shot up 9.51 percent. The total amount is $341,877, a number that can be reduced but not raised before the 2014 budget is finalized in December.

Ellendale City Council

By SCOTT GROTH

Contributing Writer

The Ellendale City Council met in special session on Thursday September 5, with Mayor Swearingen, Councilmen Rieter, Groth and Lassahn present. Councilman Goebel was unable to attend. Also in attendance were Phil Kohl, City Attorney; LeAnn Hojberg, Assistant City Clerk; Pete Paulson, Municipal Liquor Store Manager; Josh Otto, Maintenance; Cindy Goebel and Ed Reiss.

The council had two items for discussion, the first was the proposed budget for 2014 and the second was discussion on the City Clerk position, vacated when Brian Louks abruptly resigned at the August 22 council meeting. 

NRHEG wins 21-12, improves to 1-1

ELUSIVE — The Panthers’ Dillon Parpart (30) breaks loose on the outside as WEM’s Patrick Parsons (10) tries to stop him in Friday’s game in New Richland. (Star Eagle photo by Chris Schlaak)

By DALE KUGATH

Sportswriter

NEW RICHLAND – The New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva football team showed why you play the game. Despite both teams losing their opening games, the Panthers were a big underdog against Waterville-Elysian-Morristown.

Coach Dan Stork’s Panthers defeated the Buccaneers for the first time since 2007, capturing a 21-12 win at New Richland Friday. 

“We were able to run the ball and we didn’t make many mistakes,” said Stork. “We were able to control the ball on the ground and really shut them off on third down plays.”

It was the opening game in Gopher/Valley AA Conference play, leaving NRHEG tied for the top with Medford and Maple River. The Panthers evened their overall record at 1-1.

By DALE KUGATH

Sportswriter

Coach Onika Peterson’s New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva volleyball team continues to struggle with mental errors. 

The Panthers won a five-set match against Waterville-Elysian-Morristown before getting swept by Blooming Prairie. 

The WEM match was a non-conference match so the Panthers are 0-1 in the Gopher Conference and 2-2 overall. 

“We must cut down on our mental errors,” said Peterson. “We are not communicating, making setting errors, missing serves and committing net violations. These are mistakes we need to correct.”

WEM

WATERVILLE – NRHEG overcame a 2-1 deficit by winning the final two sets to claim a 3-2 victory over WEM in Waterville Sept. 3. 

The Buccaneers slipped to 1-1 for the year. 

NRHEG cross country

By DALE KUGATH

Sportswriter

MONTGOMERY – If you can survive the thundering herd at Montgomery, you should have a pretty good year. New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva senior T.J. Schiltz should have a pretty good season. 

Schiltz and his Panther teammates journeyed to the Redbird Invite in Montgomery last Thursday. The meet features 30-plus teams and nearly 300 runners in the race. 

Schiltz, Adam Anderson and Katharine Lewer all cracked the top 100 finishers in their respective races

The Panther boys captured 21st place, while the girls had an incomplete squad of just four runners. 

Sometimes things that "come to mind" pop up in a variety of seemingly unrelated ways.

My sister was just here for a short visit, recuperating from double hip surgery and taking an opportunity to see her only granddaughter before she started kindergarten. It was interesting to see how well Ava and the other "grandpa" she inherited enjoyed so many things together. 

It was also hard to keep from saying, "When you start school you will have to..." Not a good thing to say, because I am sure those words can appear threatening to a child. 

There are so many things for those little minds to think about and changes to be made. There will be differences in time schedules, the foods they eat and when, as well as getting to know so many new people. But somehow they handle it.

I am sure many of the things both students and parents have been worrying about will soon slide into place with the help of skillful teachers. I wonder how well we as adults would be able to handle such a big transition in our lives, but we once did, and we seemed to have survived. But things are probably harder now because there are so many more things to learn.

The official end of summer may well be a few weeks away, but many believe it ends when school starts.

I was very pleased to hear our local bus drivers provided that personal touch recently and called each of the families on their route to let them know that they would be their bus driver this year. It may seem like no big deal, but it really is.

Can you imagine what it is like for those little kindergarten students, many who not only have to catch one bus, but also have to make the transition of catching a second bus? All buses are yellow and look alike. Yes, they are numbered but it can be difficult during those first few days to find the correct bus to get on. Soon they will recognize their bus drivers’ faces, and the bus drivers will get to know them as well.

Homecoming is close at hand. (Do alumni still recognize it as a "homecoming" event? Now there are so many sports involved besides just the big football game.) Homecoming seems to be a school event many remember long after they have graduated. They may have forgotten some things they learned in school, but can recall scores, players and games they were involved in or attended. We are blessed in our communities to have so many outstanding athletes and students who don't mind going that extra mile to make our school outstanding.

Success comes from hard work and dedication and it encourages others to do their best as well. 

Celebrating birthdays recently was fun, especially when we dragged out photo albums and laughed about things that used to be, about how we looked back then and how we look now, about how everyone had grown and changed, and it gave us reason to talk about things — and we did! Some things are so simple we forget to do them, and yet so entertaining if we remember.

Ever had a phantom feeling in a body part that isn't there? You don't want to. How can something hurt so bad when it isn't there? If you know, I don't have to explain — if you don't, you really don't want to know! After 30 years those feelings still come back from time to time. Not complaining, but explaining. At least it lets me know I’m still here.

With shorter days and less sunshine, it’s time to think Vitamin D. The sunbathing craze has somewhat gone its way, but now the consensus of medical doctors is that we need some of that sun for natural vitamin D. It is important for us to pick the times of day and the length of time spent in the sun. Technically this vitamin is more like a hormone, due to the fact that our bodies can create a certain form of it through exposure to sunlight. 

Most people get enough vitamin D through sunlight exposure, but many don't, especially those who typically work the 9-5 desk jobs. People with darker complexions require longer sunlight exposure than people with the lighter skin. People tend to stay indoors when the sun is out and bright and hot. If they are outside and the temperatures rise, they try to stay in the shaded areas. The amount of sunlight changes with the weather, the time of day, how bright the sun is shining, which changes as the seasons change. Overcast days won't burn your skin, but they also won’t provide enough vitamin D. 

It is estimated one in three Americans of European descent suffers from a deficiency of this vitamin vital to bone health, to preventing immune dysfunction and certain preventable cancers, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, heart disease and even the common cold. What we weigh also makes a difference. Body fat binds to vitamin D and prevents it from entering our bloodstreams. The older we get, the harder it is for our bodies to generate vitamin D from sun exposure.

A mere five to 10 minutes of sun exposure a day gives each of us 3,000 units compared to 1 cup of vitamin D fortified orange juice, which typically provides 137 units; a cup of vitamin D fortified milk equals 115-120 units; 3 ounces of cooked sockeye salmon equals 447 units; 1 large egg yolk, provides 41 units; a typical multivitamin equals 400 units or 2 sardines canned in oil equals 46 units.

Living a beautiful life is easier than you think. Wouldn't it be wonderful if there was a switch you could flick for success? A touchpad you could tap to make your dreams come true? There is! You've got a built in "app" for a happy future: believing in it. When you say yes to dreams, dreams don't say no! (Women’s World)

Wishing everyone a great year at our local schools, as well as a beautiful fall season, which will soon be upon us!

P.S. Thank you to the lady on the KATE party line who suggested using a hair dryer to loosen those "stuck on" labels that are often so hard to remove. Just a little heat works wonders.

Birthdays and anniversaries:

Thursday, September 12: Stacy Kubiatowicz, Joan Vanden Heuvel, Chloe Sue Walterman, David Wacek, Robert Kasper, Courtney Thostenson, Nikolas Zimprich, Eric Hunnicutt, Jennifer Wallerich, David Jepson, Tuyen Vu, Kris Klocek, Ken & Marian Hoffman.

Friday, September 13: Tali Wayne, Jaxon Richards, Russell Goette, Jason Ingvaldson, James Plunkett, Clifford Tufte, Sherre Utpadel, Lisa Zamora, Andrew Zinke, Korey Peterson, Amber Stohr, Lisa Ritz, Ruby Troxel, Ann & Rodney Hamilton, Rhonda & Derike Shelton.

Saturday, September 14: Rick Wangsness, Reece Breidenbach, Issac Wacek, Chris Hanson, Linda Pederson, Jill Peterson, Jack Jensen, Caleb Lunning, Ethan Lunning, Johnny White, Gerald & Becky Edwards, Rick & Charlotte Miller.

Sunday, September 15th: Korbin Wayne, Aiden McClasky, Daniel Hemingway, Ryan Johnson, Nancy Nelson, Tyrel Peterson, Wendy Schultz, Eric Nelson, Jarred Hanson, Dorothy Reichl, Roger & Patty Langlie. 

Monday, September 16: Evon Damon Lucas, David L. Christenson, Carmen Fetterly, Emily Laudon, Howard & Carrie Peterson, Shane & Kelly Christensen.

Tuesday, September 17: Duane Edwardson, Karen Hemingway Core, Al Routh, Kara Ladlie, Allen Brandt, Sue Tasker, Brock David Routh, Terry & Marlys Van Kampen.

Wednesday, September 18: Torsten Wayne, Laura Groth, Carla Scripture, Kevin Christenson, Ron Farr, Chris Larson, Becky Axmann, Laura Davis, Julia Spande, Randy & Cindy Horan, Andrea & Nick Miller, Todd & Mary Wayne, David & Malinda Hanson, Jill & Brian Wolff, Nicholas & Katie Wayne.

After spending a few days in Northern Minnesota, I am re-charged and ready to go. Go where? I don’t really know, but I always feel revitalized after spending time in the north woods. There is just something about it that makes being closer to nature feel right.

Over the past several years I have made an annual trip north in October and at that time of year the weather can go either way. There have been years when it’s been sunny with fairly good temperatures and then there have been the snowy, windy and cold days. The one predictable thing about fall weather in the North Country is that it is totally unpredictable.

One of the most memorable October trips I have taken was with my eldest son, Brian. We had planned a combination hunting and fishing trip and were staying in a cabin on Spider Lake. It had snowed a few days prior to our arrival and the temperatures never rose above the high 30s the whole time. Brian was into bow hunting for deer at the time and Dave, the resort owner, had told him of a place where he could put his stand that would give him the best chance of spotting deer. Spider is in the middle of the Chippewa National Forest which is public land.

Each morning Brian would rise early and take that short drive to his stand where he’d sit for a couple of hours waiting for a good shot. The place where he had put his stand was actually on a well-worn deer trail, and in the time we were there he had seen quite a few deer but wasn’t able to get a clean shot at any of them. After a couple of hours in the stand he would come back to the cabin for breakfast and then we were ready to hit the lake. Now I still have vivid memories of the time spent on the lake trying to get my cold fingers to bait a hook or tie a jig; it was like my brain couldn’t convince my fingers to follow directions. I don’t think that we could spend more than two hours at one time on the lake. It was windy and cold with a few snow squalls thrown in just to make it that much more memorable. As I sat on the lake with “corn snow” pelting me in the face I thought that this must be what it feels like to get shot by a bb gun.

After spending time on the lake in those conditions, that warm cabin with its oil stove was a welcome relief. We would warm up and have a bite to eat and settle in for a little nap before hitting the lake again for another couple of hours. We didn’t catch a lot of fish on that trip nor did Brian bag that deer that he was seeking, but I still cherish the memory of that trip and the time that we spent together one cold week in October.

Now that we have a cabin of our own, Brian and I have almost made that October trip a yearly tradition. He hasn’t bow hunted for a few years but likes to hunt grouse and waterfowl. Over the past few years we have been able to get out fishing a few times and the late fall northern fishing has been pretty good on some of the area lakes we like to frequent.

There is something that just feels right about spending time at the cabin with a fire burning in the woodstove while snowflakes flutter past the window. I have been at the cabin many times over the years when there has been some snow on the ground and although it lessens the desire to fish, there is still something special about that experience.

I don’t know if Brian and I will make that trip this year, but I am planning on heading to the cabin in mid-October with my grandson Dylan and hopefully Brad, his dad, will be able to go along too. Dylan has become pretty excited about musky fishing so hopefully the weather will cooperate and we’ll be able to spend at least one day at Spider Lake searching for the toothed ones. Late fall is supposed to be the best time for big musky and if you are seeking a trophy of almost any species it is the best time of year to get that “wall hanger”. I have had pretty good luck fishing late in the fall and now I hope that I will be able to see Dylan catch that “lunker” he is looking for.

— — —

Until next time, fall is a great time to enjoy a little time in the 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’m headed to Geneva."

"It’s a good day for it."

"How far is Geneva?"

"From where?"

"Never mind. Does it matter which road I take?"

"Not to me it doesn’t."

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: those who forget the past have a difficult time finding their car in a parking lot.

I've learned

• The softer the bread, the harder the butter.

• Not to point a finger until I’ve offered a hand.

• If you are holding all the cards, they haven't been dealt yet.

Those thrilling days of yesteryear

It was hot. I sat under an oak tree, waiting for the house to cool enough to make sleep possible. A fan whirred in my bedroom. It provided white noise more than anything. I knew it wouldn’t be long before I’d be diagramming sentences and slicing frogs.

I’d heard a visitor say, "I have to get home in time for the news."

I don’t hear that said much anymore. TV news is never-ending now.

People scrambled to prepare a snack or go to the bathroom during the commercials. TV news wasn’t a must-see event in my family. Radio was big in those years and not just in popularity. The radio was often a large appliance. We listened to WCCO Radio regularly while I was growing up. WCCO was a powerful, statewide station that provided news and weather and more weather. I listened to that station because it told stories. Isak Dinesen said, "To be a person is to have a story to tell." 

Cat tales

A gray cat begs at our front steps. It’s friendly, but not ours. I wish it would go home. It wants food from me. The feline has decided to switch servers.

I feel guilty about not rolling out the red carpet for the cat. I’d like it to live indoors, but I don’t need another cat. It reminds me of the man who cheated his business partner out of $1000. One night, his conscience bothered him so much that he couldn’t sleep. He got out of bed, wrote a check, and placed it in an envelope addressed to his old partner with a note reading, "I haven’t been able to sleep because I cheated you out of $1000. Here’s a check for $500. If I still can’t sleep, I’ll send you the other $500."

The bumper sticker said

A work van passed me. It advertised "Superior Flopping."

That wasn’t the real name. The Superior part was actual, but I made up the Flopping portion. I think the modest people who were around for my boyhood would have found it difficult to name a business Superior anything, unless it was in Superior, Wisconsin. The best they could have come up with would have been "Not Bad Flopping."

Not long after the van superiorly passed me, I spotted some bumper stickers.

"On your mark, get set, go away."

"Sorry for driving so close in front of you."

"I’ll bet Jesus would use turn signals."

I read a "Wall Street Journal" article about a car sporting a bumper sticker reading, "I brake for fish." The story was about the Amphicar, a German import produced 1962-67. There were about 4,000 built and around 500 survive. I rode in one once. The driver drove it right into a lake. The car was capable of hitting 70 miles per hour on land, but only 7 miles per hour in water. I was floating in the propeller-driven auto when we were passed by a bullhead.

Did you know?

• Chicago allows a $50 surcharge to riders who vomit inside a taxi.

• The percentage of American households with a microwave rose from 82 percent in 1992 to 97 percent in 2011.

Nature notes

Rick Mammel of Albert Lea asked how small birds can eat large sunflower seeds. Goldfinches are capable of handling sunflower seeds too large for some other species of a similar size. A goldfinch holds the seeds with the long axis parallel to the beak, which has cutting edges that crack the hull. A chickadee uses its feet or a crevice to hold the seed like a vise while it hammers it open. Black-oil sunflower seed is the most popular of the bird feeder fare. The outer shell of a black-oil sunflower seed is thinner and easier to crack than that of the gray-striped sunflower seed and the kernel from a black-oil seed is larger than one from a gray-striped.

Meeting adjourned

Kindness doesn’t need a reason.

In getting ready for our annual trip to the Big Horn Mountains above Sheridan, Wyo. for a week’s stay at Arrowhead Lodge, Genie and I reminisced about all the great things we have seen on our travels. Following are just a few of the better ones (As you read this, we should be at Arrowhead Lodge.)

• A beautiful moonlit evening with huge silver dollar snowflakes coming down as we’re enjoying a Valentine’s Day evening meal at Sportsman’s Lodge on Lake of the Woods.

• Driving the car across the top of the Big Horn Mountains above Buffalo, Wyo., as we drive through clouds.

• Being in an earthquake in the Green Mountains of Vermont and seeing where the quake caused the highway to heave up.

• Seeing a fully-grown coyote jump up in the air and pounce on a mouse at the top of the mountain above Shell Falls, Wyo.

• Being inside the Igloo Bar and Restaurant, and fishing through the ice at the same time, on Lake of the Woods.

• Old Faithful erupting in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming.

• A redwood tree so big that we drove our HHR car on the road right through the middle of it in Northern California.

• While in a small plane (on our way to teach vacation Bible school through Lutheran Association of Missionaries and Pilots (L.A.M.P.) in Canada), an adult bald eagle with very white feathers flying right alongside us, just below the wing of the airplane.

• A plump woodchuck sitting on top of a wooden fence post by the source of the Mississippi at Itasca, Minn.

• A double rainbow, just as we sat down to eat prior to dancing at the Cotillion Dance Club at the country club in Austin (Call us if you’re interested in joining).

• An ice heave that we heard coming (it sounded like a jet approaching), and then the ice heave as it went by, close to our fish house on Mille Lacs Lake.

• A newborn baby mule deer on a crisp April morning in the Big Horn Mountains – so new that steam was coming off the body as Mama Deer was licking her just-born baby.

• A bear board in the U.P. of Michigan that looked so real, we thought it was. Then it moved and we knew it was a live bear.

• In taking a picture of the full moon in the sky over Beaver Lake we could also see the full moon in the water. Yes, the picture showed the full moon in the sky and in the water.

• Drifting sand covering a miniature golf course on the outer banks of North Carolina. (They use a road grader with a big blade to move the sand off the road.)

Short Shorts:

A. To the exact date, a 50th Wedding Anniversary at Central Freeborn Lutheran Church. Whose? Genie and I invite you to attend Saturday, Sept. 28. From 2-5 p.m.

B. Monday, Sept. 30, the Area Social Event of the Year at Central Freeborn Lutheran Church, from 4-7 p.m. (Also known as Soup and Pie Supper.)

———

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.