The scurs continue to keep bringing some warm temperatures our way although some areas need some rain. Will they catch a passing shower? Starting Wednesday, mostly sunny with highs in the upper 70s and lows near 60. Mostly sunny Thursday with highs in the low 80s and lows in the lower 60s. Mostly sunny for Friday becoming partly cloudy with a good chance of evening showers and thunderstorms. Saturday, partly cloudy with a modest chance of a shower or thunderstorm. Highs in the upper 70s and lows in the mid 60s. Partly cloudy Sunday with another modest chance for a shower or thunderstorm. Highs in the lower 80s and lows in the lower 60s. Mostly sunny on Monday with a slight chance of a shower or thunderstorm. Highs in the mid 80s and lows near 60. Mostly sunny with a possible shower or thunderstorm. Highs near 80 and lows in the mid 60s. We continue losing daylight at slightly more than a minute per day, having lost 20 minutes on July 15th since the summer solstice. The normal high for July 15th is 83 and the normal low is 62. The scurs don’t care about how much daylight there is. They just want as much time as they can get in the hammock before the first frost.

My how things change in the fields in a week. Corn is now over waist high in most fields planted in our four-day May planting window and has shown some signs of moisture stress. Odd one might think given all the rain we had, but roots haven’t needed to reach for moisture so the root systems are shallow. This has also made nitrogen difficult to reach and some fields have benefitted from supplemental N applications. Soybeans continue to move along as well with many of the fields planted in June now beginning to blossom. By publication time, most will have thrown in the towel on soybean planting. Typically by July 10th, all bets are off for those who have planted beans after peas in this area. It’s time. Small grains continue to fill and head toward maturity. Planting date may have sealed the crop’s fate although with some cooler weather and a timely rain it may be better than it looks. We shall see. Contending with the prevented plant acreages has provided an additional challenge to the growing season. I had to laugh as I watched a neighbor go by with a large, folded up digger full of weeds, resembling a giant dump rake. Some are spraying first then working the fields while others need to work it down first as the fields are still pretty rough from last fall’s primary tillage. It’s a mess any way you slice it.

Area lawns and gardens have begun to show some signs of the hit and miss July rainfall pattern that has become entrenched the past two years. At the ranch the slope that had greened up first has, as predicted, dried out in spots. The growth of the rest of the lawn has slowed appreciably so that mowing once a week should be about right. Not that there’s time to mow it more frequently anyway, it’s just nice to think it could be. The seeds planted in the garden have taken off as well they should. The calendar will say mid-July shortly after press time and race is on for them to produce seed for the next generation. Every hill of cucumbers came up and the sweet corn has all emerged. While the string beans are a little uneven a soaking rain should remedy that. All the blue salvia, gazania and flowering kale made it into the ground while Mrs. Cheviot was away. Watering them became a necessity as the winds blew for much of the weekend. It should be interesting to see if the bunnies like blue salvia as well as they did the red stuff.

It has been a good summer for biting insects thus far. The mosquitoes can be counted on to come and find you if the breezes don’t cooperate. I don’t know what variety these mosquitoes are but they gang tackle you and waste no time about getting down to business. Even when the breeze does cooperate, the stable flies pick up where the mosquitoes leave off. Checking my legs and the back of my neck after playing weekend warrior, they are peppered with welts and bumps. As a result few things in life give me more satisfaction than swatting mosquitoes and stable flies. It’s just a darn good thing wood ticks can’t fly. There was an “insect” in the bathroom I could not identify the other day. Something was lurking on the counter behind some stuff so I had rolled a magazine up to smack it. Turns out it was just a hunk of my eyebrow with surgical glue still attached. I wondered why it didn’t move much.

At the feeders the new crop of orioles have showed up, both the Baltimore and orchard types. The young Baltimore orioles seem to show up anywhere and everywhere, in the trees by the house to in the barns and especially on the jelly feeders. I’m guessing neighbor David has provided much of their nesting habitat and we supply their favorite food. It’s just good to see them. We’ve been noticing some different behavior in the brown thrashers, namely their taking a shine to the ear corn feeder. More than once I’ve watched one pluck a kernel of corn, fly to the ground and proceed to wail on it with its beak to consume it.

I am much obliged to all those who have taken the time to express their condolences on my mom’s recent passing. Receiving all the hugs, e-mails, text messages, phone calls, cards and letters let me know how much people care. In particular those who watched out for me while Mrs. Cheviot was gone to Michigan kept me from staying home by myself and just working. Not that I didn’t work, it just wasn’t the only matter to be concerned with. I enjoyed taking a breather if only for an afternoon or an evening. While time heals all wounds, socializing is the salve that helps expedite the process and I am grateful.

See you next week…real good then.

There are two types of people I really dislike. One is the people who sit directly behind me when I umpire, thinking they’ll have a great view of the strike zone so they can question every ball and strike they don’t agree with. (Guess what? It’s hard to see through both me and the catcher!)

The other is the people who sit down the baselines and think they can see the strike zone even better at that angle.  In addition, they also can see fair/foul extremely well. Amazing!

I’ve umpired baseball games for 17 years now, and I’m starting to feel more and more like I’d really enjoy a game where none of the parents were allowed to attend. It seems like I have to listen to and deal with more parents acting ludicrous all the time.

Understand this: if you want to officiate at any level, you need to have a thick skin. I’m not out to make friends; someone will always disagree with a close call, especially in a close game. Most of the complaints roll right off me; I try to be professional in dealing with controversy. If you respond to complaints from the crowd, they know they’ve got your ear and will continue. If you can ignore them, just like a bully, they might give up.

I’ve also found that the younger the level, the worse the parents can be. I’ve had to deal with more stupidity at a 13-year-old level than I ever have in a varsity game. And it’s not just the complaints, but also the parents who seem to think they know the game inside and out, yet aren’t in the dugout as a coach.

I was in Owatonna this year working a 13-year-old tournament. One of those first type of people I dislike was sitting right behind me, informing every player that it was a tight strike zone today. She disapproved of many of my calls and was consistently telling her son what he should do. During a time out, he happened to be coming up to bat, with his mom wagging her tongue again.

I mentioned to him that the only person he should listen to was his coach. He sighed. “I know,” he said. Then he turned to his mother. “Would you be quiet and let me do my job?” We didn’t hear the woman the rest of the game.

At least I wasn’t part of another game in Owatonna where the police had to be called after some parents were berating and threatening an umpire. Seriously?

I was trying to remember the last time I ejected somebody from a game. It’s been some time. I try to give people a chance unless it’s something egregious (swearing is an easy exit). There was a parent at a Legion game this summer who disagreed with my partner’s call on the bases. Even after the coach had argued and gone back to the dugout, this buffoon continued to yell, as if somehow that would change the call.

I finally had to turn around and tell him he was done. He needed to sit down and be quiet, or he would be gone. It took two warnings, but he finally shut his trap. I don’t want to eject anyone (okay, it is kind of cool when you do it right), but this was not a great example to set for our youth.

Have I ever changed a call? Certainly. I’ve had coaches come out and remind me that my interpretation of a rule is not correct. In that case, I’m more than happy to admit I’m wrong if it means the right call is made. Coaches have the right to question a close call or an interpretation. Fans do not, though I have no problem going up between innings to explain the rule.

Speaking of great examples, I got to see some prime parenting in Albert Lea this year for Jayna’s 12U softball. The parents from the other team (which was a more talented team, don’t get me wrong) were taunting our girls as their team thrashed us. They laughed if our girls made a mistake. It was disgraceful, but I talked to Jayna afterwards and reminded her to always show good sportsmanship, even if you lose.

Oh no. I’ve done it again. I have enough for another entire column! I guess you’ll have to wait until next week to learn the worst example of parent behavior I’ve seen this year!

Word of the Week: This week’s word is glabella, which is the flat area above your nose and between your eyebrows, as in, “The umpire tried to look at the glabella instead of the fiery eyes of the upset coach.” Thanks to my neighbor Karen Ibberson for this week’s word! Impress your friends and confuse your enemies!

Remembering the life of Harlan Berg….

Memorial Services for Harlan Berg of New Richland, will be held at 2 p.m. on Thursday, July 11, at the First Congregational Church in New Richland. Pastor Pamela Jensen will officiate. Interment will be in St. Olaf Cemetery. Friends may visit with family from 6:30-8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, July 10, at Friedrich Funeral Home, New Richland and one hour before services at the church.

Harlan died on Saturday, July 6, 2013 in New Richland. He was 92.

Marvin D. Manthe, age 92 of Pemberton, died on Thursday, July 4, 2013 at Pathstone Way in Mankato.

Memorial services will be held on Sunday, July 14 at 4 p.m. at St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in Alma City, with Rev. Keith Bilitz, officiating. Interment with military honors will be in the Alma City Cemetery.

 The Manthe Family will greet friends on Sunday afternoon from 2 p.m. until the hour of services at church. In lieu of flowers memorials preferred. Arnoldt-McRaith Funeral Home & Crematory of Janesville is handling arrangements.

Bernard E. Bolduan of New Richland, MN passed away peacefully on July 4, 2013 at the New Richland Care Center at the age of 83. A memorial service will be held at St. Peter's Lutheran Church in New Richland on Monday, July 8, 2013 at 1 p.m. with Reverend Scott Williams officiating. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service. Military honors will be accorded by New Richland Veteran’s Organizations.

NRHEG High School Principal Paul Cyr has announced the names of students selected to the Honor Roll for 4th Quarter 2012-13:

“A” Honor Roll

Grade 12 —Kiley Beenken, Marissa Claycomb, Hans Frank, Jarred Hanson, Emilia Hobbs, Hannah Lewison, Mikayla Lindell, Alicia Merritt, Kirsten Olsen, Brooke Olson, Crystal Olson, Brittany Reese, Raelin Schue, Riley Schue, Kalana Shurson, Tara Simon, Nathaniel Wallin

Grade 11 — Adam Anderson, Ross Chester, Emily Christensen, Carson Field, Presley Johnson, Noah Krell, Hannah Lundberg, Jadyn Nelson-Spies, Ryan Patraw, Laura Ranniger, Douglas Rudau, Jade Schultz, Abigail Solland, Morgan Staloch, Alexis Wyatt

Grade 10 – Nicholas Bartness, Jamie Beckstrand, Brady Beenken, Karina Gaona Quezada, Ryann Hagen, Jade Hill, Grant Kyllo, Jake Langlie, Melissa Malakowsky, Jordan Mueller, Sandra Quezada, Miranda Richards, Sarah Riecke, Anna Stork, Aurora Strom, Trevor Tracy, Jet Wayne

NRAHS to celebrate new library, state champion Panthers

The New Richland Area Historical Society will have a display at the new library during Farm and City Days, Saturday 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. and Sunday 11:30 a.m. until 2 p.m. The NRAHS will celebrate the renovation of the building for the IOOF library’s new home. There will be a display honoring the 2013 Farm and City Days parade grand marshalls – the state champion NRHEG girls’ basketball team. The NRAHS given many IOOF items from the state historian for the IOOF organization to add to the collection that will also be on display.

Ellendale Methodist to host musical act

Don and Donna Mohl will entertain at Ellendale United Methodist Church Sunday, July 7 at 9 a.m. The public is invited. The Mohls are from Fair Grove, MO and travel on weekends (and longer trips when they can get vacation from their jobs) to churches and other groups to present Jesus in song for church services. Their music is a blend of “mountain” style and folk style gospel. They play traditional and Biblical instruments. They also sing the good old hymns of faith, more recent gopel songs and some songs related to family values, the grace of Jesus, our Savior, and the love of God.

With summer finally arriving, it is interesting to note the average person eats 60 hot dogs a year. In fact, during the average summer festival in America, five tons of hot dogs, 20 gallons of mustard, 930 pounds of onions, 125 gallons of pickles, 40 gallons of ketchup, and more than 3,000 rolls are consumed.

I really don't think I qualify as average, but maybe I just never thought about it.

Lemonade has become a beverage of choice, summer or winter. Have you noticed how often it is served now? Perhaps this is so because many no longer drink coffee. 

Though I assume this is often made a la Country Time mix and is tasty, the real thing from the fruit itself would be a fruitful and healthy drink. I wonder if we really take the time to think about the many good uses derived from lemon juice. 

I always heard that the juice of a lemon in a glass of water every morning kept illness at bay. It seems that lemon strips the inner digestion system of the bugs that could make one ill. Of course a glass of water first thing in the morning is always a good wash. 

Long before the progressive invention of chemicals and chlorine products, lemon juice was used for cooking and drinking. It was also used for perfume and medical reasons as a cleansing agent. 

It is still popular. About one third of the world’s lemons are grown in the United States. California is still the home to most of the lemon trees. A lemon tree bears about 3,000 lemons a year. Now that is a lot of lemonade.

Sitting at the beach recently, I noticed the variety of swimwear and it made me wonder when people started swimming and what they wore back then. Well, it seems the first bathing suit was worn in Greece about 350 BC.

Later, togas were worn when swimming. Bathing suits reached the height of popularity in the ancient world. Now the trend in bathing suits is as little as possible.

Another thought comes to mind. I remember when a hot, or even not so hot day, would bring out swimmers and sun bathers like a plague.

We used to use beach towels to save a place on the shore and every kid took swimming lessons. What happened? I suppose it was a recreation of choice at the time.

A strange thing sticks in mind. My folks always told us to be careful in the water.

The lifeguard/swim instructor always ended our lessons with some roughhousing. His philosophy was that it taught one the benefits of being able to cope with a stressful or frightening situation should it ever occur. Something to think about?

As kids, my sister Kaye and I lived in the water, first at Beaver Lake and later at St. Olaf. I have such fond memories of camping in a renovated old school bus at "Minnie’s" at Beaver Lake. (That was before motorhomes were popular).

I could write a book about "Life in a Swim Suit." Our mother loved it! No laundry.

We just changed from one wet suit to a dry one. We made many of our swimsuits using our sewing machine. I remember my cousin, Mark Christensen, bless his soul, even slept in a swimsuit. 

When did Park and Rec quit taking the kids by the busloads to St. Olaf Lake? Lack of interest? Cost? Insurance? 

I can still see the park full of kids waiting for the bus that would take them to the lake shore in the summer. That was before parents had dual jobs that prevented the kids from having transportation to get them there.

It was the place you wanted to be with your friends and classmates. Inner tubes were popular inflatables, but now they are pulled behind motor boats. 

Life was simpler then. Of course I will always think our time in the sun was the best time, but times weren't so hectic and pressured back then. 

It was just "the good old summer time." What are your summer time memories? 

My mother remembers going swimming at the beach in the evening to cool and clean off after spending the day "shocking" grain. Bathtubs and showers weren't as plentiful back then. 

They were lucky to have a pump for running water in the house and still had to heat water on the cook stove if you were to take a nice hot bath.

In the summer, a double dip ice cream cone was a real treat. Chocolate or vanilla were the flavors.

My, how time has changed. Now an ever growing number of flavors might include anything from "sauerkraut" to "bear tracks." A single dip would reveal a price 10 times that of my day. I still believe ice cream is a popular choice of desserts and a standby in everyone's freezer.

Dolly Madison created a sensation when she served ice cream as a dessert in the White House during an inaugural ball in 1812.

One used to have to go to an ice cream parlor. Incidentally, the first ice cream parlor opened in New York City in 1776. What an event that must have been. The Chinese invented and wore sunglasses more than 2000 years ago, so that makes ice cream a youngster in comparison.

It is the Fourth of July. Summer is half over and it seems like it has just begun. Before we know it, with fairs taking place, the businesses will soon be stocking their shelves in preparation for school to begin.

Oh, summer goes by so fast.

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.

Birthdays and anniversaries:

• Thursday, July 4th: Happy 4th of July!  Bethany Miller, Carlie Sevcik, Pam Nelson, Trina Churchill, Ellie Rose Meiners, Brent Meiners, Brian Meiners, Denise & Scott McGowan.

• Friday, July 5th: Emma Harold, Abby Harold, Jessica Wayne, Brad Tufte, Burt Scripture, Chad Sommer, Russell Thostenson, Rhonda Grunwald, Issac Paulson, Danny Burns.

• Saturday, July 6th: Kylie Titus, Brenlee Knudsen, Austin Nord, Linda Aronson, Scott Briggs, Gary Grosland, Wendy Kammer, Travis Hanson, Paul Richards, Darrin Stadheim, James Van Riper, Kyle & Bethany Miller.

• Sunday, July 7th: Collin Christensen, Elizabeth Eder, Cheryl Boverhuis, Casey Johnson, Chad Quam, Scott Reese, Jon Spatenka, Anna Jacobson, David Anderson, DeAnn Skroch.

• Monday, July 8th: Zaine Augustine Briedenbach, Parker John & Payton Lorraine Bunn will be 8 in 2013, Barb Hagen, Al Lee, Adam Arends, Jacob Terry Phillips, Deacon Thomas Lang, Summer Paulson, Deb Jacobs, Marlene Jensen.

• Tuesday, July 9th: Larry Otto, Corey Pence, Mavis Knudtson, Joni Calderon, Lisa Worke, Dale Peterson, Jenny Bunn, Julie & Dean Hunt, Jennifer & David Lageson.

• Wednesday, July 10th:  Kalene Larson, Ethan Green, Brett Dunlap, Sally Hanson Sadden, Suzanne Skroch Larkin, Carley Ray Talamantes, Holly Swearingen, Anna Uetcsh, Todd Borchert, Kym Cameron, Paulette Nelson, Ryan & Amy Crabtree their 7th, Dustin & Jenna Quimby.

Hope you have a day filled with things that make you smile! 

It seems like we have spent most of the spring stuck in Minnesota’s version of a monsoon season. I have been tossing around the idea of calling the DNR and asking them about stocking my basement with walleyes. Last week I wrote about some of the funny things that can happen to a guy (me) over many years of fishing. I’d be willing to bet that if you were to talk to any fisherman, he’d have a funny tale or two to share.

One of my darkest moments of fishing came when fishing with my grandson Dylan on a little lake not too far from our cabin. We had just launched the boat and as I was backing away from shore I noticed water seeping into the back of the boat; that’s when the little light bulb in my head clicked on and I realized we were in big trouble. I had forgotten to put the plug in and the water was fast approaching the top of the transom. I quickly turned the throttle to the max in an attempt to get it on plane and suck the water out, but it had already taken on too much water. It was about that time that bad thoughts started to flash through my mind. I remembered the bilge pump and turned it on and it started working. After a couple of minutes I was gaining on the water, all the while buzzing up and down the small lake. I finally managed to get it on plane and thus rid it of most of the water. That was the closest I have ever come to sinking a boat and although I’d rather not travel down this particular memory lane, Dylan still reminds me of that day from time to time. It won’t be my favorite, but it is another “up north” memory both of us will always have

Yes, I’ve had my share of bad or humorous moments, but I’ve also witnessed some that could probably top those. One of those incidents involved a friend of mine named Larry who had a camper at Best Point in Waterville at the same time I did. He liked to partake in a few spirits from time to time and, on one occasion, he and a friend decided to go out for a little evening fishing venture. After a couple of hours they decided to call it a night and headed in. I was down at my boat when they were attempting to put his boat on the lift. I could hear his motor revving up, but he couldn’t get it on the lift; then his friend noticed the trolling motor was still down in the front. He had pretty much cut it in half trying to get the boat on the lift so, needless to say, Larry was not a happy camper (pun intended).

Another incident that could have had serious repercussions was the time a boat could definitely be considered overloaded with only two people on board. It seems this person who was a regular camper each year had customized his old 12-footfishing boat by adding two captain’s chairs out of an old pickup truck. Those puppies were mounted in that little boat on plywood, which made them sit quite high out of the water. The guy decided to try out his new invention by taking his buddy fishing. This buddy must have weighed well in excess of 300 pounds, so when he sat in the front of that little boat the stern sat a little high in the water. As they were fishing, a boat went speeding past creating a wake and when that little boat met the wake, the stern (rear) of the boat came out of the water and at the same time the big guy in the front lost his balance and toppled out. In a knee-jerk reaction, the front of the boat went straight up in the air, the rear went under and the boat went straight down like a rock. The boaters around them were able to get to the two guys, but they couldn’t get the big guy into a boat so they had to tow him to shore. I don’t believe there were any spirits involved in this incident, but there wasn’t a lot of common sense either.

Yes we can laugh at these incidents now, but with a little bad luck there could have been some serious consequences. Use a little common sense while on the water and save the spirits for the nightly campfire.

I have to say that almost every time I have been up north at the cabin doing some fishing I have gotten a text from my grandson Trevor. He has sent me pictures of big bass, northern and walleye that he has caught on the lakes in our area. It’s tough to justify driving 300-plus miles and not get fish like he gets right at home.

I have said many times that it’s not all about the catching, but the fishing when I’m up north. So far this week as I sit in the cabin writing this column, I have to say that the fishing has been spotty at best. I have noticed the vegetation like lily pads and pencil reeds are barely making an appearance and it is almost July. I have to think the late spring has really had an effect on every lake in this area to some extent. A good example of the way fishing is was posted on the bulletin board at Frontier Sports in Marcell. Usually by now there are numerous fish pictured on the big billboard at this time of year, but thus far there are very few. Most of the folks in the area say the fishing has been pretty spotty so far this year, but hopefully it will turn around as the summer goes on.

The rain has been hard on us in the southern part of the state, but as far as fishing goes it has been very good. Almost every species of fish has been biting and that is a good thing if you are a fisherman.

Now is a good time to wet a line and get out and enjoy one of our many area lakes.

Please remember our service men and women who serve our country so that we may enjoy the many freedoms that we have today.