After a week where the scurs were starting to wonder if it was ever going to be spring, we were treated to some above freezing temps for a change. Will we continue our upward spiral? Starting Wednesday, partly cloudy with highs near 35 and lows around 20. Partly cloudy for Thursday and slightly warmer. Highs of 40 and lows of 20-25. Partly cloudy on Friday and warmer with a slight chance of a rain/snow mix. Highs in the mid 40s and lows around 30. Saturday, mostly cloudy with a good chance of rain. Highs near 45 and lows around 30. Partly cloudy for Easter Sunday with highs close to 40 and lows around 25. Partly cloudy for Monday and Tuesday. Highs near 40 and lows around 25. The normal high for March 31st is 48 and the normal low is 29. The scurs will be using a pick axe to plant their potatoes on Good Friday, then color their Easter eggs Saturday night. No foolin’.

The Full Moon for March falls on the 27th and is commonly known as the Full Worm Moon as the ground thaws allowing these invertebrates to leave their castings above ground, making yards rough for lawnmowers. There are other names as well, including the Full Crow Moon, the Full Sap Moon and the Lenten Moon, marking the last Full Moon of winter. The Ojibwe called this the Full Crust Moon as the snow begins to crust over with the freezing and thawing taking place. The Sioux knew this as the Moon When Buffalo Drop Their Calves. At the ranch we know it as the Moon When Gravel Appears under the Snow Piles. Didn’t realize there was still that much left on the driveway.

It seems like spring is coming slow and relative to what we’ve become used to in the past decade or so, it is. However, for those young whippersnappers who didn’t grow up in the ‘60s and ‘70s, this spring has been more typical of what we experienced during those years. Did I mention I also walked uphill in chest-deep snow both ways to school? When the first day of spring came, it usually was just a date on the calendar as the ground was snow covered and it was still cold. When it was nice on that date, one could almost count on a blizzard sometime after that to remove any doubt that spring really didn’t start until April. Even that wasn’t a given. I remember sliding down the hill in our pasture on April 29th and being disappointed when the snow melted so I couldn’t do it one more day.

The slow speed at which this spring is moving is not the worst thing in the world. The snow is leaving very gradually, which should allow more of it to remain on the landscape. Frost measured at the SROC in Waseca still showed 23” of frost in the ground as of the 25th. Slow thawing during the day allows some of the water to from the snow melt to soak in, particularly on fields where primary tillage has been performed. Freezing up overnight helps slow the potential for flooding, especially in areas to the north where a larger snow pack is in place. The sun has amazing power and it quickly burns holes in the snow-covered fields, then enlarges the areas of exposed soil daily. The fly in the ointment may be the snow pack to the north if we see another blocking high parked in Northern Canada. Without some southerly wind flow to warm us up, winds blowing from the north across that snow pack will make the odds of a quick warmup anytime soon lower.

There are some signs that spring is coming around the ranch in the bird department. There was a grackle in the crabapple tree on Palm Sunday and there were killdeers heard in the field during the latter part of the week. Chickadees continue their spring song as do the cardinals. The cardinals are almost always feeding under the trees after sunset, perhaps in order to avoid drawing attention from a hawk to the bright red males. And there has been a Cooper’s hawk visiting the yard lately so they are wise to avoid him. The redpolls seem to be taking the hint too that it might be time to start making their way back north. Their numbers are starting to decline at the feeders. There were a few goldfinches starting to in appear in their stead after having going most of the winter without seeing any.

Pruning the apple trees was accomplished on Saturday while the snow banks were still solid enough to allow good footing while reaching into the trees with the loppers. Some of the trees were in desperate need of a haircut as the amount of sapwood and suckers just since last year was atrocious. Some might think with the drought we had pruning the trees would be a bad thing. To the contrary, getting rid of some of the extracurricular growth becomes even more important if one wants apples and not just leaves. Besides, the apple trees were watered very well before freeze up last fall. Even some of the small crabapples were shaped up as it’s less time consuming to establish their shape now as opposed to waiting until they’re 20’ tall. Something that was also apparent was the time spent last October putting tree wrap around any small trees should pay big dividends. The cottontail population has continued to be a nuisance as evidenced by the chewed up wild plum and sumac on the edge of the yard. If I ever obtain my burning permit from the People’s Republic of Steele County, it’ll put a quick end to their fun and games.

It’s a mess after the fruit trees are pruned, of course, but some of the branches are cut up and used for grilling purposes. About time too because the first lamb burgers of the season came off the Weber grill just the other night. There was a little apple wood left in it from before and the smoky flavor came through. Of course those first burgers of spring are always the tastiest although one has to keep checking periodically over the course of the season just to be certain.

See you next week…real good then.

A popular question around town lately has been, “Did you go to the game?” It’s obvious what that means: did you see our girls’ basketball team win the state championship? 

I went to the game on Wednesday, the 13th, but not the other two. The idea of riding in a SUV to the Cities with my 15-year-old brother and his friends didn’t exactly sound appealing, to put it nicely. I did watch one of the games, though, and I can honestly say I’m just as proud as everyone else of the girls’ success.

I know this topic is almost literally all everyone’s been talking about lately, so I hope I don’t bore you. However, going to that game, being around so many people and just observing everything made me realize some things.

Everyone around here already knows what a great group of girls make up the team, and now that they’ve claimed a state championship, the number of people with that knowledge continues to grow. I saw an article today on Yahoo! Sports about the game, which has a large enough audience. Add that to the news stations, newspapers, and any other publications that have reported on the tournament, and you’ve got a lot of people hearing about their success.

Carlie Wagner’s talent never ceases to amaze me. She’s got so much skill, but she remains level-headed and calm on the court, where she completely dominates — breaking records and leading her team to state two years in a row, just to name a couple. The things she’s achieved before graduating high school are impressive enough and much more than most people can say they’ve done in a lifetime. And with more practice and experience under her belt as she gets older and continues her basketball career, it will be exciting to see where the future takes this player.

Looking at all the people in attendance, NRHEG had by far more fans than the other teams. The amount of community support for this team is heartwarming; it’s nice to know we can come together and support a cause as one, even if it is just for a sport. It’s the thought that counts, right?

Am I surprised they won? Not at all. I don’t see how anyone could have — they went up there with very high expectations. 

Not only were they already the No. 2 ranked team with one loss all season, they barely missed the championship a year ago when they lost to Sauk Centre. I don’t even want to know what would’ve happened if they had lost. I can only imagine all the broken hearts.

I’ve never really been interested in school events, especially after I turned 16. I’m glad I went, though. It was fun to watch, and it’s so great to see a team that’s worked so hard finally get something they deserve. Our small towns aren’t well known, but with this achievement at least a part of our community will be recognized for something great. I’m so looking forward to next season, as I’m sure it will be just as exciting as this one was. Who knows? Maybe they’ll bring home another state championship. And if not, they’ll be loved just the same by their friends and family who want to see them succeed and be happy.

When the weather was warming up and some rain was falling from the sky, my thoughts turned to mowing the lawn. I know, I jinxed things by allowing that to enter my mind, and sure enough, another snow storm hit.

I don’t actually mind shoveling snow or mowing the lawn or raking leaves that much. Okay, the eight inches of heavy snow the other week were a real pain, but a typical inch or two isn’t that bad on my driveway.

It takes me about half an hour to mow my lawn, so that’s not too difficult either. Raking leaves is a little more of a pain, especially since most of the leaves don’t come from my one little tree. It’s a tradeoff to have the nice shade on our patio from the neighbors though!

These tasks have become easier since I started my new habit a couple of years ago. I decided to turn on my iPod and enjoy some good music while attending to these homeowner’s chores. In addition to getting some good exercise, I can enjoy some good music as well.

What do I listen to while working? It’s quite an eclectic mix actually.

I wrote in a previous column about my former obsession with watching Glee. Thus, there is an awful lot of music from that show on my iPod. I love how the cast was able to take older songs and give them some new life. In some cases, I prefer the new version to the old. A good example is some music from Journey, such as “Faithfully.”

The cast has also done some good work with Queen, though nobody can touch that group’s original songs. Queen has to be my favorite band; something about their music is inspirational. Sometimes when I’m writing, if I hit writer’s block, I’ll switch over to some “Bohemian Rhapsody” or “We Are the Champions” to get my gears going again.

I’m sure my neighbors love to hear me belt out “Bicycle Race” when I feel so moved. It helps me take my mind off the monotony of the shoveling/raking/mowing, but I sometimes catch myself getting a little loud. Oops…

And why not listen to music while doing these things? After all, music has been a part of exercise programs for a long time. 

Even now, one way I work out during the winter is to turn on the Wii and dance along to the latest version of Just Dance. I find myself breathing too hard to sing much though; plus, I have a difficult time keeping up with the dance moves without trying to sing some of the words to the more modern hip-hoppity, jip-joppity music on there.

I don’t mind some of the recent music. I’ve got some Bruno Mars and Ke$ha on my iPod, but I’m also enjoying the most recent albums (can we still call them that?) from Aerosmith and Bruce Springsteen, the best work those folks have put out in a long time. It’s just proof that some of the older groups are still the best.

Speaking of older groups, I even have some good old polka music on there! I am from New Ulm, after all…

The next time the snow falls (and we all know it’s inevitable), pop in your iPod and find at least some measure of enjoyment as you look ahead to lawn mowing season and the eventual turn to leaf raking and right back to shoveling again. But it’s easier to do these things with a little shuffle on your iPod and in your step!

Word of the Week: This week’s word is occuplanids, which means the little plastic clips found on bread bags in supermarkets, as in, “His study of the different varieties of occuplanids led him on a tour of all the area bakery shelves.” Check out www.horg.com for more information! Impress your friends and confuse your enemies!

NRHEG High School winter sports awards were presented at the annual ceremony in the New Richland gymnasium last Tuesday.

They were, by sport:

Boys’ Basketball

• Panther Award — Nic Mangskau

• Most Improved — Kevin Kalis

• Practice Award — Noah Krell

• Top Defensive Player — Trevor Tracy

• Captains — Mangskau, Krell

• All-conference — Spencer Tollefson; honorable mention — Mangskau

Registration information is now available for the 2013 NRHEG Summer Recreation Program.

There will be evening practices and games. Practices will be held the first week of each session, with a game schedule to follow.

If you have a child who is a preschooler (age 4 by June 1, or was in kindergarten this year), they will be playing T-ball. First and 2nd-graders will be playing baseball. The season for pre-k, K, 1-2 grade will begin June 10.

Third and 4th-grade boys will be playing baseball. Their practices will begin June 3.

Third and 4th-grade girls will have the opportunity to play softball, but they will need to register with Wendy Schultz at the NRHEG Elementary School.

Ellendale native David Bunn hired as high school principal

By REED WALLER

Staff Writer

New principal hired

At a special meeting of the NRHEG school board Monday, March 25, a two-year contract was approved for David Bunn, who will be replacing the retiring Paul Cyr as high school principal this coming year.

Bunn has spent the past five years as high school principal at Prescott, Wis., where he was instrumental in implementing programs such as Response to Intervention and PBIS, as well as an iPad initiative.

It only remains to find a superintendent, and quickly.

Superintendent search

With Superintendent Kevin Wellen’s contract expiring on June 30, and time to look for a replacement growing very short, last week the NRHEG board arranged a meeting with a consultant from South Central Services Cooperative to see if it might be a better idea to have them facilitate the search, than have to undertake the time consuming process without help. NRHEG is a member of SCSC and contracts their services annually.

Remembering the life of Harold A. Jacobson…

Funeral services for Harold A. Jacobson, of Ellendale were held at 2 p.m. Saturday, March 23, 2013 at LeSueur River Lutheran Church, rural New Richland. The Reverend Brian Gegel officiated.

Interment was in LeSueur River Lutheran Cemetery. Visitation was one hour before services at the church.  Bonnerup Funeral Service Ellendale is assisting the family with arrangements.

Harold died on Wednesday, March 20, 2013 at the New Richland Care Center. He was 94.

According to her mom, NRHEG softball coach Wendy Schultz, junior Jade Schultz’s knee injury suffered in the Panthers’ state tournament semifinal game against Minneapolis Washburn is worse than expected. An MRI showed she wrecked her ACL, MCL, and meniscus. She will need surgery and will be out the entire softball and volleyball season. She hopes to work hard and be able to play some of the basketball season next year.

‘Bye Bye Birdie’ to be presented this month

NRHEG High School’s 2013 spring production of “Bye Bye Birdie” will be presented at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, April 19 and at 3:30 and 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 20 in the high school gymnasium in New Richland. Directors for the play are Mrs. Fredrickson and Mrs. Inouye, with musical direction by Mr. Siewert.

Registrations accepted for Panther Preschool

Registrations are now being taken for the Panther Preschool in Ellendale and New Richland.   Panther Preschool is available for area residents who have children ages 3 through 5 (2013-2014 school year). Registration forms can be picked up at both sites in the main offices. There are several sessions from which to choose. The registrations forms along with the $25 registration fee are due by April 15.  If you register after April 15, the registration fee is $35. Contact Marilyn Dobberstein at the New Richland High School at 417-2667, if you have further questions or wish to have a registration form sent to you. 

Students must complete online course before local event

The New Richland Sportsmen’s Club is planning another Firearm Safety Day on Saturday, April 6 at the New Richland Area Sportsmen’s Club house on Highway 13 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Note: we are only having one Field Day a year from now on.

To complete the course:

1.. Register for class in the school office on the sign up sheet. You must be at least 11 years old to attend the field day. Give your name, address and phone number so we can contact you when it gets closer to the field day.

2. Go online at www.huntercourse.com, complete the online class, take and pass the test at the end and purchase your Field Day Voucher, which is $24.95, and print it out. You will need to bring the voucher with you to the Field Day or you will not be able to participate that day.