Sign honors state champion Panthers

The Ellendale Lions Club, along with the Ellendale Commercial Club, made an addition to the Ellendale entrance signs in honor of the NRHEG girls’ basketball team winning the Class 2A state championship in 2013. “We thought everyone needed to know how proud we, and everyone else, is of this accomplishment,” said Lion Allie Larson. Pictured from left: Dale Waage, Jani Waage, Bob Wayne, Cheryl Peterson, Sandy Becker, Gail Skroch,Mary Lerberg, Cynthia Nelson, Nola Roberts, Andy Lerberg, Millie Paulson and Scott Groth. (Submitted photo)

New Richland City Council

By CARRIE GILBERTSON

Staff Writer

The New Richland City Council held its second meeting for the month Tuesday, May 28. All members of the council were present.

The council was informed a new director of nursing was hired at New Richland Care Center. Peggy Qual has 19 years of nursing experience and has spent the last 10 years as Director of Nursing at St. John’s Lutheran Home in Albert Lea. She will begin here June 17.

Also at NRCC, Susie Abbott has also been moved from activities to the open Human Resources position. The council voted to approve the use of a temp agency to address other staffing shortages. For the month of June, All Temporary Midwest, Inc. will fill the unstaffed hours. The cost will be $30 per hour for approximately 100 hours weekly.

By KATHY PAULSEN

Staff Writer

The 2nd Annual Geneva Cancer Run is ready to roll this Saturday, June 8, starting at Geneva Bar & Grill. It promises to be another fun-filled event, fighting cancer. This is not to be confused with the Matt Felt-Dillon Gordon Run, which will take place July 13.

Riders came from many different areas last year and it is hoped many more will turn out again this year. A total of 87 bikes made the trip last year and even more enjoyed the evening entertainment.

The "riders," be they on motorcycle, or in cars, trucks or vans, are asked to gather at Geneva Bar & Grill starting at 10 a.m. A $10 donation to cancer will be accepted for the 2013 Cancer Run.

Leagues forming for youth, adult volleyball

Volleyball players wanted: as you may have read, the Girl Scouts will be refurbishing the volleyball court at Legion Field in New Richland as well as adding a second court. Now, Troop 23601 is sponsoring a teen co-ed volleyball league for grades 7-12. Teams need to be a minimum of four people. There can’t be more guys on the court than girls per team. Teams provide their own ball and a line judge. Team shirts or uniforms are optional. The league will be held Tuesday evenings from June 11 to July 30. Cost is $20 per team and sign up is due by June 4. To sign up or for more information, call (507) 456-0500.

An adult league is also being planned, organized by Kim Schlaak. She estimates the start of that league to be the week of June 10. To sign up your team or for more information, call Kim at (507) 461-2095.

Parade schedule set for NRHEG Band

The 2013 summer parade schedule has been announced for the NRHEG Marching Band.

The band will perform:

• Friday, June 14 - Lake Crystal, 6 p.m.

• Saturday, June 15 - Owatonna, 11 a.m.

• Saturday, June 22nd - Rogers, 12 noon

• Friday, June 28 - Rochester, 6:15 p.m.

• Saturday, June 29 - Ellendale, 4 p.m.

• Wednesday, July 3 - Albert Lea, 6 p.m.

• Thursday, July 4 - St. Peter, 10 a.m. AND Apple Valley, 1 p.m.

• Saturday, July 13 - New Richland, 5 p.m.

• Saturday, September 21 - Waseca, 12:30 p.m.

Church Guest Night June 12

Grace Lutheran Church of Waseca will host its annual Guest Night Wednesday, June 12 at 7 p.m. The program will be presented by Jan Jerdee and Company from Albert Lea, and the program is “150 Years of Stoves and Aprons.”  Jerdee separates the program into 25-year segments. She includes the price of eggs and flour at that time, highlights some of the key inventions, who was president, and who was governor. Pictures are shown of what stoves looked like at that time, aprons are shown from that area and music is played from that time period and the audience is invited to sing along. All are invited to attend and enjoy a trip down memory lane, some fun and good fellowship. Grace Lutheran is located at 300 East Elm Avenue in Waseca.  

Waseca Relay for Life meeting June 20

Relay For Life Of Waseca County is having a combined Committee and Team Captain Meeting at the Waseca County Fairgrounds in the Creative Arts Building Thursday, June 20th, 5:30-6:30 p.m. This meeting is for both Committee Members and Team Captains.

GPS event displays latest tech benefits for farmers

Area corn and soybean farmers will find out how they can increase production while decreasing costs at “Farming with GPS,” Wed. June 12 at Farmamerica, the Minnesota Agricultural Interpretive Center. The event begins at 8 a.m. with an overview of new capabilities and benefits of GPS. Farmers will learn about how the combination of global positioning technologies, sensors, and computers can enable higher precision, use of less fertilizer, and improved yields at lower costs, according to University of Minnesota Extension Educator Brad Carlson. Breakout sessions and demonstrations by Ag Leader, Case IH/Trimble, John Deere, and Precision Planting will be followed by a free lunch. Farmers can then stay for individual tutoring and “ride and drive” opportunities. “Farming with GPS” is sponsored by Farmamerica.

My mother has finally decided that now is the time to start her own history book.

This idea stems back to my dad. Dad kept a file of funeral brochures in his suit jacket’s inside pocket. 

Over the years, he managed to collect quite a number of them. When he was in conversation with my aunt Helyn one day several years ago, she also quickly produced her ever growing number of these memorials of people passed. Yes, she had the information. 

My dad thought this was a worthwhile hobby and the saving in earnest began. All these years later, the number grew in number by leaps and bounds. Mom recently said she thought she should put them in the plastic pages that fit into a notebook, and file them alphabetically, so the information would be easier to locate.

Here is a history that is not apt to appear in history books. Even so, it does hold valuable information about the people who have lived, especially those in Southern Minnesota.

Morbid? Not a bit. 

It is very interesting reading. The people come alive in memory and are not forgotten.

 I would guess mom is about a third of the way through with this project of putting the brochures into a notebook. As she files them, she reads them again and remembers those she knew in this part of our community. The binder is staggering in size already.

Memorial Day was first started to remember the soldiers who defended our country. It has now grown to also remember those in our community who were a part of its growth, changes and lives of those who made a difference.  Everyone makes a difference, good or bad. They all deserve to be remembered.

Ruby Jensen, a former Geneva resident, made scrapbooks from things she found in the newspapers that were interesting to her. I believe she had made 18 scrapbooks filled beyond capacity of events that took place before she passed away. 

When she died she left them to Warren Sorenson, as they were important to him too. He read many of the articles and then he passed them on to the Ellendale Historical Society, as he thought that others would also like the opportunity to look back at many of the local events that had happened over the years.

Ed Jensen has been thoughtful enough to share these books of local history with many of the local residents in Whispering Oaks. As Ed said, "Better to have people enjoy these things than to just put them in box where nobody sees them."

 Ed has also been credited with searching for pictures and articles about the old school houses in Ellendale and the people who attended there. He also was a great sports player and has added lots of facts, articles and pictures of many of the old ball teams.

How have those days changed? How will they change in years to come? The child who is encouraged to keep a journal is to be commended. 

Being able to put one’s thoughts down on paper is an exciting adventure, now and when looking back on the pages years from now. Not everything is good, but being able to look back at those other times when things weren't so good, it does help one remember that they were able to make it through.

One needs to remember that if something devastating happens, it is just a temporary setback and that they can see through it and move on and experience other great things.

Birthdays and anniversaries:

• Thursday, June 6th: Steve & Kari Vanden Heuvel, Stacy & Shannon Wobschall, Dean & Roberta Lembke, Hope Kilian, Eric Sorenson, Cheryl Louks, Steve Lonning, Todd Born, Owen James Wheeler, Blake Rolland Baudoin, Isiah DuBois.

• Friday, June 7th: Chris Blouin, Daniel Eliason, Jesse Langlie, Roger Sommers, Faye Thompson, Paul Stollard, Trisha (Gross) Gilbertson, Brandon Gross, Katie & Kevin Knudson, Holly & Jake Dau, Richard & Karen Holmes, Irvin & Joan Diderrich, Richard & Bonnie Peterson, Jeff & Lynne Draayer, Jim & Joanne Pichner.

• Saturday, June 8th: Deb Wallace, Steve Hagen, Owen Ryan Krueger, Monty Miller, Sandi Meyer, Rodney Wayne, Steve Lembke, Morgan Hutchinson, Michelle & Damon Gowlland.

• Sunday, June 9th: Torsten & Melissa Wayne, Rhonda (Lund) & Troy Thevenot, LeRoy & Gladys Peterson, Lexi Wayne, Ahinka Jensen, Sharon Lageson, Bennett Ver Hey, Carrie Paulson, Karen Swearingen Cox, Dana Waltz, Greg Smith, Tait Ingvaldson.

• Monday, June 10th: Arnold Lund, his 93rd; Warren Wayne, Samantha Mae Schumacher, Kathy Allard, David Ellis, Chuck Groth, Jamie Weller, Margaret Reese, Forest Peterson, Adam Wacek, London Avery, Sarah (Cornelius) & Rob Routh, Marv & Pat Schulz, Missy (Lonning) & Paul Richards.

• Tuesday, June 11th: Angie & Thad Aaseth, Rick & Becky Johnson, Andy Lerberg, Zoie Marie Jensen, Diana Ritz, Matthew Horan, John Xavier, Mary Simon, and Karen Carlsen.

• Wednesday, June 12th: Nancy Ver Hey, Hanna Gail Crabtree, John Wallace, Charlotte Hill, Grant Pavek, Keith & Teresa McDonald, Ryan & Amanda (Reese) Beavens and Ron & Julie Peterson.

Wishing you quiet moments of beauty on your special day!

This past week I headed north with my brother-in-law Ron Johnson to his cabin to help with his dock and do a little fishing. Mark Runden, a friend of both Ron and I went with us. The first part of the week was rainy, windy and cold but we managed to get his dock in and also get the old dock, which Ron was nice enough to give me, ready to haul to my cabin, which is a little farther north.

Because it was raining and fishing wasn’t looking like much of an option Mark and I decided to take the old dock to my cabin. On Wednesday the weather finally broke and we were off to try our luck at Woman Lake. The fishing wasn’t proving to be hot and heavy but we did manage to catch a few small walleye and some northern.

The next day we had planned to head to a little lake north of Leech Lake to try our luck. This little lake came with some pretty good history because it had been featured on a couple of Al Linder’s fishing shows. The little lake didn’t produce many fish on this day with the exception of a few northern and a dandy largemouth that I caught and released.

Ron had been telling us how he had just about given up on Winnie because he hadn’t had much luck the last couple of trips that he had taken to that large body of water. After fishing most of the morning with no walleye boated Ron hinted at going to Winnie but I reminded him of the statement that he had made earlier so we decided to try Leech.

It was actually a good day to fish the big lake because the wind was just about perfect for drifting. Now I do not consider myself a hardcore walleye fisherman; I guess you could say that I fish “at it” and hope for good results. Ron, on the other hand knows how to fish walleye and I was confident that if anyone could put us on fish it would be him.

After launching the boat at the access near Battle Point we headed west to the spot that Ron thought would be an ideal place to try our luck. On the first full drift Ron landed a 22-inch fish and in afterthought he said we should have thrown out a marker. I reminded him that he caught the fish quite a ways back but he could do it on the next one. On the next drift Ron had one hit his bait only to have it on for a brief moment and let go. He said “that was a big fish” and I said jokingly “if you don’t see it then it can be as big as you want” and at that moment I had a big one on. After about two minutes Ron saw the fish and said that it was a big walleye. It probably took about four or five minutes before Mark had it in the net. It measured a little over 28 inches and after getting it unhooked and a couple of pictures, I released it to the big lake to fight again another day. That fish was a personal best walleye for me and an experience I won’t forget. Ron has told the story a few times since then and for some reason it always seems to sound like I wouldn’t have caught it if he hadn’t had that fish on first. That’s fishing with Ron; it usually includes a little good natured ribbing which works both ways.

As the day went on we caught 6 fish in all and mine was the only legal keeper because the rest were in the 20-23 inch range. Ron caught the most at three followed by Mark with two and I settled for quality not quantity with just that one. Leech Lake has a slot limit where any fish from 18-26 inches must be returned to the lake. We actually didn’t fish all that long but we did manage to catch some nice fish in that short time. With the decrease in walleye numbers that the lake had experienced a few years ago I get the feeling that the lake is definitely back and as good as ever.

I last fished the lake in 2007 during the Governor’s Fishing Opener. The focus at that time was on the resurgence of the walleye fishing on the lake and since that time I have heard from many different sources that the fishing has been very good. I know that it had to help when the DNR thinned out the cormorant population a few years back. Thanks to Ron I had a chance to see firsthand how good the fishing actually was. To me, catching a personal best walleye was great but boating that many nice fish in just a few short hours was enough to convince me that Leech is once again a top walleye lake.

— — —

Once again I have to report that there are some good fish being caught throughout our area. Fountain is still producing northern while there have been some nice crappie and walleye caught on waters in the surrounding area. Look to streams or rivers of the area and try fishing a Jig and a leech which seems to be doing the trick for the walleye in the fast running waters brought on by the rain.

I have to wonder if the high waters would make fishing New York Point a good option. It seemed to work a few years ago when we had a lot of rain and the waters were high.

Until next time; get out and enjoy some fishing in one of our many lakes and streams of the area.

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

Part 2 of 2

I don’t know about girls, but when you are a 13-year-old boy, your thoughts are pretty much limited to the here and now. You live in the present and don’t think very far ahead.

When we dropped that water balloon from the top of the hotel, we weren’t worried about the consequences of a wet, angry 230-pound football player and his desire to pound the pipsqueaks that soaked him. Jumbo was a hero at school, a good athlete, had a pretty girlfriend and was one of the leaders of the senior class. He was not used to being humiliated. As Jumbo stood there dripping wet, it occurred to Roger and me that we were in deep trouble. We looked at each other with stricken faces and ran for the elevator.

We got there, punched the elevator button, got it and started our descent. The Basinger Hotel elevator was vintage, but like today’s elevators, it didn’t stop if someone had punched the up button as the elevator went down.

We expected Jumbo and his friends would be waiting for us in the lobby. Get off at second floor? No, we would still be trapped in the hotel and eventually Jumbo would have us in his grasp.

What to do? It seemed at the time to be darn near a matter of life or death. We knew Jumbo was not the verbal type and certainly wouldn’t let us off with a cussing out. No way! We knew a bloody nose was likely and could only hope the beating would be short-lived.

Sometimes the answer to a problem is complex and sometimes simple is the best way to go. We knew Jumbo, although no mental giant, was no dummy. He wouldn’t climb the stairs, for he might miss us as we came down in the elevator.

However, we couldn’t stay in the upper floors of the hotel, for Jumbo might send his teammates to scout us out. Jumbo was camped on ground floor to give us a thumping as we got off the elevator. As he stood there dripping, Jumbo wouldn’t be very worried about hitting a couple of smart alecks. He would have one thing on his mind. Revenge!

However, we had one small advantage over Jumbo. I knew the hotel and the workings of the elevator better than he did. The elevator went one floor lower than the lobby to the basement. We could bypass ground floor and Jumbo and ride the elevator to the basement. This was a simple solution and hopefully one that would work. As we passed ground floor we looked out the wire glass window and saw Jumbo, his clothes sodden and his hair slicked down with water, waiting for us. We landed in the basement, threw open the elevator door and fled up the basement stairs to the alley in back of the hotel. No Jumbo. We split up to make a chase more difficult and went our separate ways home.

I wasn’t looking forward to school Monday morning for I didn’t know how much longer I could elude Jumbo. He was both much bigger and faster than me. I saw Roger and asked him if he had seen Jumbo. "No," replied Roger, "do you think he’s still wet?" We giggled a little bit, but not too much for Jumbo and his 230 pounds were still very much on our minds.

We needn’t have worried, for Jumbo never bothered us. I think that he either didn’t get a good look at us or more likely Jumbo realized he wouldn’t look good pounding on a skinny 13-year-old and decided to forgive us.

Echoes from the Loafers’ Club Meeting

"I learned to ride a horse before I could walk."

"Wow! When did you learn to walk?"

"After I'd learned that I wasn’t very good at riding a horse."

Driving by the Bruces

I have two wonderful neighbor — both named Bruce — who live across the road from each other. Whenever I pass their driveways, thoughts occur to me, such as: why does a lawn covered with dandelions look beautiful compared to a lawn with only a few?

I’ve learned

Most senior moments echo junior moments.

Charging everything doesn’t make one brighter.

I enjoy the company of moody people as long as their moods are good ones.

Scary bridges

I visited with Mike Wallin of Hartland about scary bridges. Mike is a truck driver who travels on many bridges. I admit that I enjoy driving the Mackinac Bridge, even while behind the wheel of a Rent-A-Wreck. The Mackinac Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Straits of Mackinac to connect the upper and lower peninsulas of Michigan. It’s five miles long. Not everyone shares my pleasure. Gephyrophobia is an anxiety disorder brought about by the fear of bridges.

Bale tale

Dan Martin of Vermillion, Ohio told me that he grew up on a hilly farm in Southern Ohio. His father baled hay and allowed the bales to drop to the ground. Then he pulled a hayrack near the bales and his three boys loaded the hay onto the rack. One stacked them while the other two carried them to the wagon. The boys became good at the job. So good, that other farmers hired them to bale. They found employment with neighbors who paid them a penny per bale stacked. This wasn’t a white-collar job. It wasn’t even a blue-collar job. It was a ring-around-the-collar job. It was like a big glass of yellowjackets to quench a thirst. The boys put their heads together and decided they needed $1.25 an hour, each. The farmers declared the demand outrageous and refused to pay it. They hired boys from the city — for three days. After that, they met the demand and rehired the original crew.

Happy birthday

Jeanne Nielsen of Pipestone was in a hurry to get to work. Too much of a hurry. She was pulled over by a state trooper for speeding. The officer asked to see Jeanne's drivers license. The officer noticed that it was Jeanne's birthday. The trooper told Jeanne what the fine would be. Then the trooper told Jeanne that she was getting by with a warning as long as she did two things. The first, was to slow down. The second, was that Jeanne should take the money she’d have spent on the fine and buy herself a nice birthday present in that same amount.

Customer comments

Kari Johnson of Perham said, "If you're bored, it’s your own fault."

Darlene Lee of Mankato said that her husband described her as being a cross between a Norwegian and a Swede. Half of each, but mostly cross.

Ona Meyer of Hartland told me that when she was a girl and dropped food onto the floor, her father said, "Would you like your plate down there, too?"

Loren Skelton of Missoula, Montana said that one of his teachers wore her hair in a tight bun because that was the only way she could smile.

Did you know?

The Quarter Pounder Index uses the price of that McDonald’s product with cheese to gauge cost of living differences between cities. The burger costs more than twice as much in Juneau, Alaska than it does in Conway, Arkansas. Hawaii and Alaska make up 40% of the top 10 most expensive places, likely due to increased shipping costs.

Pelican Breeze

Please join me as the Pelican Breeze cruises on Albert Lea Lake at 1:30 p.m. on June 22, July 13, or August 24. Call 507-377-4370 to book a seat.

Nature notes

A deer is the most dangerous mammal in North America. November has the highest rate of these car/deer collisions. Deer are in rut then. Cars may be, too. The harvest removes hiding spots in cornfields and daylight hours grow shorter, meaning dawn and dusk (deer are crepuscular) coincide with the busiest commuting times. According to State Farm’s most recent report, West Virginia is the state where a driver has the greatest chance of colliding with a deer (1 in 40 annually). South Dakota 1 in 68, Iowa 1 in 72, Michigan 1 in 73, and Pennsylvania 1 in 76 round out the top 5 states with the highest risk of a buck-to-bumper. Montana is 1 in 78, Wisconsin 1 in 79, and Minnesota is in 8th place at 1 in 80. Watching for deer crossing signs helps; deer whistles mounted on bumpers don't. When you see one deer, look for another.

Meeting adjourned

A kind word is priceless.

‘Twas an early morning in May when four excellent open water fishermen headed for Leech Lake by Walker, Minn. It was the kind of late spring day with sunshine and warm temperatures, the kind of day when it’s great to be alive.

We arrived at our destination by 3 p.m. Plenty of time to get organized, eat the evening meal and go fishing till about 10 p.m. for the hog walleyes. After buying our minnows and putting the two boats in the water, we checked into the Blue Water Lodge. Amy, the Great One, was waiting for us to arrive. Amy has the ability to make you feel like you’re a VIP. She assigned us Cabin #5 on the southwest side of Walker Bay, overlooking Leech Lake.

Cabin #5 has a loft with a bedroom, two queen beds, a flat screen TV that can be seen while laying in bed, a full bath, a ceiling fan, log furniture – just beautiful.

On the lower level, Cabin #5 has a bedroom with one queen bed, a flat screen TV that can be seen while laying in bed, stacked washer and dryer plus shower in the bathroom, a ceiling fan, log furniture – just beautiful.

On the main level is a full kitchen with a dishwasher, gas fireplace, ceiling fan, hide-a-bed, big windows with two sliding glass doors onto a deck overlooking a shallow water bay, log furniture – just beautiful.

We fixed our usual first-night steak dinner with all the trimmings including Moose Tracks ice cream. The big meal “done us in” so we decided not to go fishing. We played cribbage instead. 

Bad mistake.

Saturday morning was a light rain that continued all day, so we played cribbage and visited the Amusement Center in Walker – better known as Northern Lights Casino. 

Bad mistake.

Sunday morning was a light rain that continued all day. We held our own Sunday morning church service after breakfast in Cabin #5. We had a place setting at the breakfast table in honor of the fishermen now deceased who were part of the AAL Fishing Team, which was formed 38 years ago. We played cribbage and revisited the Amusement Center in Walker. 

Bad mistake.

Monday and Tuesday were the worst weather-wise, as it rained and was very, very foggy. We decided to play cribbage plus visit the Entertainment Center in Walker. 

Bad Mistake.

Wednesday morning was more of the same – five mornings in a row of rain and not fishing. We decided, no more mistakes of not fishing, so we went fishing after lunch. We did catch a few as the rain quit.

Thursday we were up early and fishing, as it was a beautiful day of no rain, very little wind, and besides it was our last day. We all caught fish. (I caught a 27-inch eight-pound walleye.)

Summary:

1. We managed to catch about 10 walleyes, 20 jumbo perch, five big crappies and one Northern – not too good for a week, but yet not too bad for the amount of time actually spent fishing.

2. We contributed to the cause at the Amusement Center.

3. Paul got a 28-point hand in cribbage (29 is a perfect hand).

Ray Thompson, Frederick, Wisc., Bob Goetz, Austin, Minn., Paul Proft, Owatonna, Minn., and Bob Hanson, Albert Lea, Minn. were the four excellent fishermen who thought they would fish only under ideal conditions. They now know better!

I should mention that Amy charges according to how busy they are. They weren’t full, so we got a pretty good rate. The facility is very nice. Amy can be reached at 218-536-0385.

Kenny Toft, BLIF, A Time to Be Born 06-09-1926, A Time to Die 05-25-2103. Thanks for the years of conversations. “BLIF” is a True Definition of what you were (Beaver Lake Important Farmer).

———

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.