Ellendale City Council

The last four letters in American spell, “I can!”

How true, especially in our area communities. It continues to amaze me, though. I don't know why it should by now with all the things our local citizens do for their fellow countrymen.

The recent fire in Hollandale which destroyed three warehouses brought out so many firefighters from over 20 different departments, many of them volunteers, who worked for over 8 long hours in brutal conditions — not only the heat of the day, which reached into the 90s — but the fire put so many of them in danger. It makes you wonder what would we do without these unpaid heroes.

Fire is fast, furious, as well as tricky at times. The whole town of Hollandale could have gone up in smoke if it hadn't been for these very dedicated individuals.

Look what happened to the 19 young professional firemen from Arizona that lost their lives just days before when erratic winds shifted and cut off their access to a ranch that was to have been their safety zone. We take so many things for granted.

I hope every day prayers are said for our many firefighters' safety and I hope thank yous are given often for the jobs they do. How many times are they called out, not only from their jobs, but from their slumber, not only for fires but other disasters that occur and require their help?

They are appreciated, even if we don't always let them know how much.

Then there was the letter to the Albert Lea Tribune from Sue Westrum, a classmate of mine, who grew up just a short distance from Geneva. She and her family started a "Community Sew Day" in Freeborn County where twice a year they ask for "sewers & doers" to come to the Senior Center in Albert Lea to sew up kits of various projects to be given away locally and to missions sponsored by many local churches and organizations. The seamstresses bring their own sewing machines and work on projects that are prepared ahead of time. They work on clothes, quilts and other items for local and other area needs here and throughout the world. Many of the quilts have been distributed during “Rock the Block,” which takes place in August. They also make little girl dresses that have been sent to Jamaica, along with numerous other items they have made and shared with our local retirement homes.

It is a commitment they don't take lightly. Westrum said, "Anyone is invited to come and join with others to use their talents towards a common goal. We are sponsored by the local Shinefest organization, which gives back time, money and talents to our local community." The next gathering is Saturday, August 10 from 9-4 at the Senior Center at the Skyline Plaza.

If you are not able to attend one of these annual community sew days, you may also sew at home or on special days at your local churches. If you don't sew you can at least contribute funds, thread, yarn, fabrics. and so on. There is always a need for more people and items needed.

Think of all the many local churches who still make quilts by the hundreds every year and then give them away so they can help others.

Then there is always a need for help for those who through no fault of their own or just down on their luck need help and someone comes in and organizes a benefit to bear some of the burden, especially in medical cases. We may live next door to the largest and one of the most knowledgeable institutions (Mayo Clinic) in the world, but the fact remains people still have to pay for all those medical appointments and tests.

We can have the best possible medical facility and personnel available, but if you can't afford the costs, it is less effective than olden days when the country doctors did what they could for a pittance because they knew the patient could only pay so much. Health care costs continue to rise.

Never forget the local food shelves. No one should have to go to bed hungry. There are so many local people who work very diligently to make sure this doesn't happen. Nutrition is key to help keep people healthy, especially children who will someday have to cope with our changing world. Don't forget the elderly who will make do with so little, which is not to their advantage. And of course, hard working, supporting families need the fuel to raise healthy children. I don't like to mention names because I might miss someone very important to this cause, but there are many dedicated people who do a great job filling the needs of others.

There are also those who need food for thought, shut-ins, the elderly, the ill, those in nursing homes, who need a touch of everyday experiences. Your visits or letters do make a difference!

We would be amiss if we didn't consider those who plan yearly events and fun things to inspire citizens to part with their pennies for the good many causes. Many of these are people have suffered the agony of something tragic and memorable in their own family and many do it "just because." Their undying dedication is a blessing.

God’s blessings on the American people who are asked to do so much and do. They are the “I can” people. They are always there to lend a helping hand, ever mindful that someday they may need that help as well, but are thankful that maybe they won't.

Which brings me to the another point. There is a growing need in our local churches, not just for attendance, which has spiraled down because of so many competing activities, but involvement.

There are those who would diminish the value that religion has played in establishing this country. Strength of religious beliefs was the foundation of the good we have today. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize the foundation that is strong and enduring is what will keep us standing straight, sturdy and caring. We just have to keep it from cracking!

There are others like the diminutive but active Vibrant Life "family" who built The Refuge purely on faith that the community needed a place for all the youth and others, regardless of religious affiliation, to come for food, fun, fellowship, and non-denominational guidance. We sometimes forget the costs needed to maintain this service. Buildings don't come cheap to build or maintain. Though they don't ask for help, I am sure it is always needed, acceptable and appreciated.

Enough said. A short sermon. God is good and so are His people. Pray for a good harvest, but continue to hoe! 

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 news 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.

• Thursday, July 18th: Anika Christine McDonald, Nancy Anderson, Matthew DeShane, Katie Dobberstein, Michael Graif, Luke Rye, Roger & Betty Davies, Mark & Mandy Boehme

• Friday, July 19th: Charlie Glenn Fuller, Cheryl Dunlap, Natasha Marie Peterson, Nicholas Pete Johnson, Carolyn Plunkett, Alyssa Mumm, Travis Jensen, Michael Beckman, Ryan Schmidt, Warren Farr, David Cooper, Angie & Michael Kath

• Saturday, July 20th: Pam Muri, Paul Marcus, Wayne Sommers, Brad Eder, Richard Nelson, Cody McCartney, Howard Gallentine, Elvern & Jeanne Holland, Cory & Colette Bauers, Mark & Teri Ravenhorst

• Sunday, July 21st: Julie Langlie, Riley Marzloff, Violet Elise Aronson, Lindsay Smith, Marilyn Sullivan, Trudy Abel Holm, Marcia DeVriendt, Randy Anderson, Michele Granowski Domeier, Mike Collins, Nicholas Miller, Micki Heimer, Ed & Nancy Ver Hey, Katie & Paul Troe, Mike & Amy Glienke

• Monday, July 22nd: Warren Torgerson, Colleen Brekke, Jodie Hohansee Waalkens, Shari Crabtree, Jeff Olson, Joanie Ayers, Jesse Collins, Tyler Joshua Lair, Carl Anderson, Vicki & Kory Kress, Tara & Scott Peterson, Tara & Chad Cliff

• Tuesday, July 23rd: Barb Kubat, Jackie Layland, Diane Broskoff, Jim Brown, Ron Kraiser, Kelly Pitcock, Carl Glienke Sr., Nathan & Michelle Jacobson, Brooke & Isaiah Lundberg, LuAnn & Keith Miller

• Wednesday, July 24th: Marilyn Goslee Jurrens, Robert Carter Edwards, Katie May, Joy Peterson, Pat Schulz, Jeff Thompson, Phillip Briggs, Denise & Richard Olson, Trisha & Casey Johnson, Greg & Shari Lassahn

• Thursday, July 25th: Sue Hill, Kari Janka Hareid, Stan Mork, Ivy Oland, Ann Falksen, Rick Hagen, Cole Pospesel, Kristine & Jesse Routh

• Friday, July 26th: Jordyn Marie Wobschall, Kristine Broskoff Routh, Mark Bartness, Jane Osmundson, Amy Radke, Jean Smith, Scott & Cheryl Christensen and Clara White, her 103rd! Wouldn't it be nice if we all could shower her with special greetings on her bid da? Cards, letters and special greetings can be mailed to Clara at the Onalaska Care Center, 625 Sandlake Road, Onalaska, Wisconsin, 54650.

Let your door open to every joy your special day can bring.

Here it is the middle of July and it seems like summer is just getting started. I haven’t quite shifted into panic mode yet but it seems that after the 4th of July passes the summer season seems to speed up and many of the things that I had wanted to get done are still in the planning stages. I know for a fact I haven’t gotten up to the cabin as much as I’d like, but then there are just some things that I can’t seem to get enough of.

Once we pass the middle of July we head into what some may call the “dog days” which are usually associated with August. Over the years there have been a few old wives tales concerning the dog days of August. One such tale says that the northern lose their teeth in late summer which is supposed to explain why they seem harder to catch at that time. There is no scientific data to support this claim, but in more likelihood the fact is that the larger ones seek deeper colder water while the smaller ones remain along weed lines. One thing that is a given when it comes to fishermen is they can always come up with an excuse. Personally, I feel the challenge of finding the fish is really what makes fishing fun.

Whatever you believe, the bottom line is the fish are there to be caught if you can locate them. Over the years I have caught northern trolling deep running lures over 20-plus feet of water and I’ve caught August walleyes fishing open pockets in shallow weed beds. I believe each lake has its own particular pattern and that pattern can change not only from year-to-year but day-to-day. I have fished Spider Lake for many years and each year I find the fish may not be in the same place at the exact same time as the year before.

Each year on my first visit to that lake I would be thinking walleye first and at times I would be successful and other times not so much. The down part for me of seeking out the wily walleye is I tend to spend way too much time trying to find the hungry ones and waste valuable fishing time in the process. Spider in particular has some very good crappie fishing and when you get into a school of those hungry slabs there is no better table fare to be had.

I grew up fishing panfish with a simple hook, sinker and a bobber tipped with a minnow or a worm. Over the years I have gotten away from that method and have been using light tackle with a jig and a twister. I don’t feel that there is a better way to fish than tossing light tackle and when a fish hits it I always get tingle of excitement no matter what the fish. My favorite jig is a 3/32 oz. jig with a Northland swirltail twister. My favorite jig color is pink and the plastic color may vary from day to day and lake to lake but I do prefer the white speckled one.

Fishing kind of reminds me of hockey because both sports allow the participant to be creative. Over the years I’ve seen fishermen come up with some pretty bizarre lure combinations and thought to myself “this surely won’t work” only to have that person out fish me. I eventually learned that you’re better off not offering too much “free advice” to a fellow fisherman.

I would take my grandson Trevor fishing a lot when he was small and I like to think he learned a little bit about fishing from old grandpa. He wasn’t very old before I realized that he was going to be a very good fisherman as he was always changing it up and trying different things. When we were trolling he was never satisfied waiting for that big strike; he would be in the front of the boat casting while I dragged my lure behind the boat doing the anticipating. It seems that there isn’t a week that goes by when he isn’t texting me a picture of a big fish that he has caught and released on one of our area lakes. One day it could be a 28-inch walleye and the next a 34-inch northern and he has also caught some very nice bass.

I do believe that the one important thing that he may have learned from me about fishing is to not be one dimensional; change it up!  I really think its Trevor’s turn to take grandpa fishing and show him a few of HIS secrets for putting fish in the boat.

Fishing report:

Albert Lea - Anglers are pulling some good-sized northern pike from Fountain Lake. Panfish have been active in lakes throughout the area. But the big news has been the number of large walleyes coming from the Edgewater Park, Island, and "The Mermaid" areas of Fountain Lake.

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Until next time, take a little time to relax and enjoy a little fishing and watch a bobber as it bounces lazily in the breeze; what a great way to experience the 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 lost all my money in one of those Ponzi schemes."

"Cheer up. It could be worse."

"How could it be worse?"

"It could have been my money."

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: if someone uses a cellphone while driving 60 miles per hour, is he talking a mile a minute?

I've learned

A bird in the hand is the best way to eat chicken.

Not to test the depth of a cow manure pile with both feet.

Every cemetery ought to have an annual tour.

Painting diamonds

"How are you doing?" I asked the couple.

"Staying busy," the husband replied, "by ignoring things until tomorrow."

His wife looked at him and said, "Is your finger broken?"

He didn't reply. What he did was to zip up his fly.

Every family has a code for that sort of thing. Men need reminders because we have a lot to remember.

While he went to retrieve their car, she told me that she’d had her portrait painted recently. She’d always wanted to have that done. She had the artist, a man she called "very talented," add a diamond necklace, diamond earrings, diamond bracelets, and a diamond pendant to the portrait. I replied that she was fortunate to own such niceties as that jewelry.

She responded, "Oh, I don’t own any diamonds. I had them added in case I die before my husband. I know he’d remarry and I want his new wife to drive herself crazy looking for those diamonds."

From here to there

I was driving through a local township when I saw a roll of toilet paper on the roadside. I was happy to see it. It’s about time we had a rest area.

I drove past an old farmhouse that made me smile. I like seeing clothes hanging out at a discount laundromat — a backyard clothesline.

I was on my way to a store. I had to go shopping for pants.

That's how I always go shopping — when I have to.

I hadn't worn out all my old pants, but it was imminent. They had pocket gophers.

Those thrilling days of yesteryear

I sat on the bumpy bus. My grade school self bounced in concert with the vehicle’s seat. A note was pinned to my shirt. I might have known what its purpose had been, but if I did, I’d forgotten. My teacher had pinned it there to make sure my parents saw it. That could have been good or bad. I considered pulling the pin out and looking at the note, but feared I wouldn’t be able to run the pin back through the original hole. That meant there would be more than one hole in the paper and my parents wouldn’t have to hire Dick Tracy to tell them that the note had been opened.

And adults think kids have no worries.

Stifle!

Her life had been edited severely. She was 103 years old. I asked her what was the secret to her longevity. She smiled and replied, "Not dying."

She had been a librarian. I love libraries.

I recall going into an old Carnegie library and being shushed upon entry. That was OK. It seemed right.

Customer comments

Ric McArthur of Morpeth, Ontario told me the world’s shortest ghost story, "The last man on earth sat down in his room. Suddenly there was a knock on the door."

Camera cannon

I paused on my Alaskan hike to visit with a photographer using a camera the size of a Civil War cannon. He was from Nova Scotia and we shared an appreciation of birds. I pulled my camera from my backpack. It was dwarfed by the size of his device. He looked at my camera, suspecting that I’d gotten it in a box of Cracker Jack that promised, “A prize in every box.” I smiled and said, "Keep at it and one day, you might have a camera just like this baby."

Nature notes

Glenn Ausen of Hartland spotted a hawk that was nearly all white. It was a red-tailed hawk exhibiting leucism. Leucism is an abnormal plumage caused by a genetic mutation that prevents pigment, particularly melanin, from being properly deposited in feathers. This results in birds that don’t have the normal, classic plumage colors shown in field guides. A leucistic bird may have white patches where the bird shouldn’t have any, a paler overall plumage, or an overall white plumage with little other discernible color. 

Meeting adjourned

Use the time you might spend complaining to be kind.

Genie and I watched the July 3 parade go by while we were sitting on the lawn in front of Zion Lutheran Church in Albert Lea. The NRHEG Marching Band kept a lively in-step march as they went by. Morgan, on drums, did a good job of keeping the band in step.

Our vote for the most humorous parade entrant was the old vehicle with an outhouse on the back. The outhouse door was partially open, with a man using catalogue pages as the finishing touch!

A classic example of “making lemonade out of a lemon” was the hot dog stand in front of Zion Lutheran Church in Albert Lea. The parade and all the parade watchers made it impossible to use the church facilities – thus the refreshment stand in front on the lawn. Did Genie and I make a purchase? You bet your Hormel Hot Dog we did!

How about this for “making lemonade out of a lemon?” I listened to two farmers discussing how it was too late to plant beans or corn. They were going to plant radishes as a cover-the-ground crop. Thy both planned on letting 4-H clubs harvest the radishes and sell them at local farmer’s market with the 4-H club keeping a percentage of the sales. Both farmers planned on letting people dig and keep radishes for a fee. Who said local farmers only have corn and soybean mentality?

We listened to the 4th of July Over-60 Band perform in the band shell by Fountain Lake in Albert Lea. After observing who some of the band members were, we now know why they’re so long-winded in speaking. They’re just performance practicizing!

Following the band was the 45-minute fireworks. I counted about 275 individual shootings with the last 20 being the best and loudest. We noticed a few people left just before the end, due to the noise that would cause irregular heartbeats by their pacemaker.

I took a drive on July 4, 2012 to look for corn about knee high – couldn’t find any. I took a drive on July 4, 2013 to look for corn about knee high – couldn’t find any. (In fact, I had a tough time finding cornfields!) I’ve been told only about 40 percent of the planned planting in this area was actually planted.

Ah, yes, how sweet it is – the season of the local county fair. We plan on attending the Freeborn County Fair in Albert Lea beginning Tuesday, July 30. We try to attend the country music shows in the grandstand. I will be working the Lions Bingo stand on Friday, Aug. 2 and Saturday, Aug. 3 in the evening. Stop by and say “Hi!”

Instead of going out for coffee and talking smart Saturday morning Aug. 3 – get your nourishment at the Old Thompson Boat House at Beaver Lake starting at 9 a.m. It is guaranteed there will be nourishment for both the mind and the body. The conversation will be both fact and fiction with pictures to back it up. Anyone who has ever been to Beaver Lake is most welcome even if Saturday, Aug. 3 is your first time.

Here’s an ad read on TV’s “Good Morning America” newspaper goodies (as appearing in the International Falls, Minn. newspaper): “Native Floridian moving to your town, looking for fully furnaced apartment.”

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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.

The scurs actually called for rain over the weekend and we received a generous helping, to the point where our cup runneth over, among other things. Will we be so blessed this week? Starting Wednesday, mostly sunny becoming partly cloudy with a steamy high in the low 90s and an equally uncomfortable low in the low 70s. Partly cloudy on Thursday with an increasing chance of a shower or thunderstorm as the day wears on. Highs in the upper 80s and lows again in the lower 70s. Partly cloudy on Friday with a modest chance for showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the mid 80s and lows in the mid 60s. Mostly sunny for Saturday and cooler with highs in the lower 80s and lows in the mid 60s. Partly cloudy Sunday with an increasing chance for showers and thunderstorms into the evening hours. Highs in the lower 80s and lows in the mid 60s. Partly cloudy Monday with a good chance for showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the lower 80s and lows in the lower 60s. Tuesday, mostly sunny and cooler with highs near 80 and lows in the lower 60s. On the 20th we slip back below 15 hours of daylight, about the same as we experienced on May 22nd. The normal high for July 22nd is 82 and the normal low is 62. The scurs should recover from their tummy ache from the Farm and City Days parade candy by then.

The Full Moon for the month of July falls on the 22nd this year and goes by several names. Known by most sources as the Full Buck Moon, so named for the month when white tail bucks begin growing their antlers. It is also known in some circles as the Full Thunder Moon for the numerous thunderstorms common during the month as well as the Full Hay Moon for obvious reasons except if your alfalfa winter killed. The Sioux knew this moon as the Moon When Wild Cherries are Ripe and the Ojibwe called this the Full Raspberry Moon. Indeed there are black raspberries ripening under the lilacs, apparently the result of some avian visitor once upon a time.

The weekend rain caught most of us off guard. When the chances were reduced to 20% Friday night, one didn’t expect rainfall amounts of over 3” in spots. In the fields crop progress is becoming readily apparent. The heat plus the rain has had the desired effect on the corn, namely making it tall enough so you can’t see the big holes from the road anymore. Corn has stretched to a height of 4’ and up to 5’ in places. Some of the early planted sweet corn has begun tasseling with most of the regular dent field corn not expected to tassel yet until closer to the end of the month. Soybeans are flowering like crazy although some of the later planted fields have yet to bloom. The rain also seemed to encourage a growth spurt in the soybeans as well as another flush of small weeds. Small grains are starting to show signs of turning in areas and the rains were also beneficial for them.

The rain was also wonderful for the late planted gardening attempt at the ranch. The string beans show signs of filling in the gaps in their stand and the squash have turned green after having been a sickly yellow color for much of their duration in the ground. The cukes are growing rapidly after emerging like a house afire as well. Even the tomatoes have set fruit on the vines even though they’re less than a foot tall. The flowers have taken off with the rains halting what was promising to be a lot of watering. After munching on the gazania the bunnies have been conspicuously absent. Apparently they dislike the shots ringing out from the school book depository or perhaps the recent appearance of an old friend. 

The feathered friends in the yard are very subtly changing their pattern. No longer are the robins singing at the top of their lungs at 5 a.m., with their song period becoming shorter and of lower intensity. Their second brood is scattered around the yard and keeps them hopping. The wrens continue to pick up some of the slack as do the common yellowthroats. They remain well concealed, rarely seen but frequently heard. Something had the entire yard in a tizzy shortly after dusk on the 10th. A great horned owl was perched on the granary and the barn swallows in particular were taking exception to its presence. Of course I was glad to see it as great horned owls prey on my nemeses, the striped skunks and bunnies. The enemy of my enemy is a friend of mine.

It has been difficult to keep lawnmowers operational this summer. Last summer I purchased another one just so we’d always have one that worked. Well that didn’t go quite as planned. It appears Howard blew a head gasket if the puddle of oil underneath it in the garage was any indication. Not to worry. Whitey was still functional even though the battery wasn’t charging; fine as long as the battery charger was handy. Whitey’s status suddenly changed when turning around some trees in the backyard, it became apparent that steering it was no longer an option. Thankfully it didn’t happen as I was doing my outrigger crew impression on the road cut. Again, not to worry. 

Whitey Jr. hadn’t been run for a few years so it was time to pump the tires up and dig it out of the shed to see if we could get it to commence. A new battery was procured and we’ll be working on getting it online once again. If that doesn’t work, there are posts and at least a couple hundred feet of electric fence wire in the shed. It would take roughly 10 minutes for the entire yard to be fenced in. Of course it wouldn’t take the sheep 10 minutes to devour all the trees and flowers, but at least the lawn would be mowed.

See you next week…real good then.

I know many people were looking forward to part two of my rant about parent behavior at ballgames, but sometimes things occur that need pondering, so you’ll have to wait a week.

My long-time readers know that I find solace in difficult times through writing (See: my dad’s heart attack, Sandy Hook, etc.), which is why I’ve taken keyboard in hand to talk about a tragic passing.

I was barely a member of NRHEG a month when I experienced the first death of a student, Amada Motl. I hardly knew what to do, so I just had my high school students write about their memories of her. A couple years later, one of my first seniors, Anne Broitzman, was killed in a car accident. At the wake, Gary Nordlie, former English teacher, told me to expect plenty of these during my career.

I couldn’t believe it. Sure, there might be an occasional accident, but there couldn’t be that many. Sadly, that thought was wrong, as it seems like an average of one student/former student a year has passed from us. It gets more difficult each time, since the longer you’re in a community, the more people you know and the more you really care about all these people, even if you don’t know them well.

Our communities have certainly come together in good times (building new schools, state basketball tournaments) and bad (tornadoes, floods, deaths), and that’s something I love about NRHEG. As I think back to the wakes and funerals of kids like Steph Hanna, Bryan Kormann, Matt Wilson, Amanda Ryan, Jake Bushlack, Russell Witke, and Dylan Johnson, as well as others that don’t pop into my head right now, I remember most the great outpouring of emotions.

Seeing students in a vulnerable state is extremely difficult. So is having them see you that way. Still, we are all human, and these emotions help connect us. I’m known as a man of many words, but I tend to be at a loss of what to say at a wake. Everything seems so clichéd, but I know from experience that every kind word helps, and when you’re on the other side of the receiving line, nothing seems clichéd.

And now Markus Misgen. I won’t pretend that I knew Markus well; he was just getting ready to experience the world of 7th grade English this year. However, I’ve known the family for some time, and I had his older brother Payton in class last year.

Markus had his locker right near my classroom door last year, so I saw him multiple times every day. He never said much, and getting a smile out of him or even a hello was my goal most days. Seeing him play the lead in Aladdin last spring was amazing – who was this kid? I barely ever heard a peep, yet there he was, a natural in the spotlight on stage.

I sat last night as sleep evaded me and tried to imagine life without one of my kids. It certainly didn’t help me fall asleep. As parents, we only get one shot with each of our children, and we have to make the most of it.

I just heard a commercial on the radio yesterday about how kids whose parents spend time with them achieve more and stay out of trouble more than those who rarely see and interact with their parents. It comes back to me now as I think that we probably can’t spend enough time with our kids. Work and other activities call us away often, so we should enjoy as much as we can with them.

We don’t know how long we have with each other. I vow to enjoy every tedious piano lesson I sit through and every easy game of checkers I’ll win against my kids. I pray that everyone pulls together again and helps the Misgens, not just now, but in the more difficult times ahead when most people move on with their lives. Check back in with people who have lost someone a couple months from now, a year from now.

And most importantly: hug your family members. Tell them you love them. You might not get another chance.

In the spirit of enjoying every moment, a very happy birthday to my wonderful wife, Michelle. You are my lobster, and my life is infinitely better with you in it.

Word of the Week: This week’s word is abnegation, which is to be selfless, as in, “The community showed great abnegation in helping the bereaved family.” Impress your friends and confuse your enemies!

Markus Allan Misgen, 12, of Ellendale, died Thursday, July 11, 2013 at Owatonna Hospital. 

He was born February 23, 2001 in Owatonna the son of Mark and Sara (Degen) Misgen. Markus was a handsome boy with beautiful big blue eyes and a smile that lit up the room. He was a leader in his family and among his friends, taking charge whenever he was needed. He was a natural organizer. Markus was busy playing summer baseball with his school friends, taking swimming lessons with the goal of becoming a lifeguard, and spending time with his siblings, cousins and friends. He had the lead role in his school play, Aladdin, and played the drums in the school band. He loved music so much that he recently began taking guitar lessons.

Lorraine C. Lewer, age 87 of New Richland, died with her family by her side on Saturday, July 13, 2013 at the New Richland Care Center.

Born in Rice County on October 18, 1925, Lorraine was the daughter of Alfred and Edna (Niner) Wolf.  She was baptized in November 1925 at the North Morristown Trinity Lutheran Church, and was later confirmed in March 1940 at Trinity Lutheran in Faribault. Lorraine attended North Morristown Country School. Later, her family moved to Faribault where she graduated from Faribault High School. After graduating, she worked at Coast to Coast Hardware Store in Faribault.