Once again, I am reflecting back on those "good old winter days of old."

Wood was plentiful, but also a job to get ready and use to keep those old farmhouses warm. Farmers always worked hard putting up wood for the winter whenever they could, especially in the fall, but with harvest and more winter chores, woodpiles didn't always get to be the size needed.

Winter days were often spent cutting trees with a cross cut saw (or was it a circle saw?) as there were no chainsaws back then. My grandpa had an old bucksaw that he used to cut chunks of wood. 

Once the wood was cut, it had to be split into burnable size pieces. Later, the wood had to be carried into the house for the cook stove and the heater. Sometimes neighbors got together and had "wood cutting bees."

Once the wood was burned, the wood burner had to be cleaned and the ashes carried out. Some people used the ashes when they were making soap from lard or for the chickens so they could fluff their feathers, clean and remove little bugs that might want to hassle them. Some farmers spread the ashes in the garden to be worked in for fertilizer in the spring.

Sleeping cool was to be expected as the only heat that went upstairs was through a grate in the floor or from the metal chimney that went through the room and ceiling. The route down the hall and stair steps was colder than a "flight of reindeer." Hopefully, the oven door wasn't occupied so you could get your clothes on without getting too cold.

Beds were usually covered with fleece sheets, which helped keep them warm. The sheets were double, or attached at the bottom like a waterbed sheet until the toenails made holes too big to patch and they had to be separated or cut in two. 

The biggest drawbacks to those sheets attached was getting them washed and then dried as they were about 14 feet long, and most generally, they were made of heavy flannel. People didn't need to worry about their homes being dry inside back in those days, even if they did burn wood, because something was always drying inside the homes.

Wood was also needed for the cattle as there was a wood burning tank heater in the water tank outside for the cattle when they were let outside for some brief exercise.

When people talk about those "good old days" I wonder if they are remembering some of the hardships. People had to work outdoors and endure some tough times. 

Farmers, who, unlike most today who crop farm, had a variety of chores to tend to, especially when it got cold outside. My mother can remember that Grandpa was always glad once the inside of the barn frosted up. The moisture from inside the barn and the cold from the outside made freezing frost thick enough to fill the holes and cracks in the old barn so the cold air couldn't get in.

Water was a commodity. Though there was a pump in the kitchen, it usually had to be primed with water from the reservoir or from a tea kettle kept on the wood-burning stove. 

The wash dish in the sink was always frozen in the morning. The tea kettle was kept busy filling buckets for thawing things out.  

Bathing and hair washing was "cleanest person first," and not every day. All of the water for bathing had to first be heated. Hot coffee, hot tea or hot water for cocoa or a kettle of soup was on the stovetop most times, so if someone came in cold they could be warmed up quickly.

Wintertime was slaughtering time for a pig or cow or what have you, because without electricity and refrigeration, meat was not always in big supply in the summer. Those were long, hard days for the farmers. 

Usually, the end of the corn crib that was getting low on ears of corn was used for hanging the animals for skinning and so on. Nothing was wasted. The cutting, wrapping, rendering the lard, preparing special cuts like heart, tongue, and pigs’ feet was a big job.

Sausage, hams, rullepulse, and head cheese were all enjoyed —  never at my mother’s house, but neighbors often wanted to save the blood for blood sausage.

People weren't the only ones who frequented the house. Baby pigs and lambs often picked the coldest weather for being born and because some needed more heat than others to survive, they were brought in to the house in straw-filled boxes to be warmed and hand fed. 

The oven door was a busy part of the kitchen for a number of reasons. My mother loves animals, but to this day she likes to see them kept out of the house. But back in those days, it was a case of "live or let die" and "profit or loss," so you put up with a lot of things you might not like.

Next week I will once again reflect back on more of those "good old days."

— — —

Birthdays and Anniversaries:

• Thursday, January 31st: Ethan River Thompson, his 8th; Avery Routh, her 8th; Dana Jensen, Jim Worrell, Keith Hagen, Sue Richards, David Skroch, Jim & Lois Plunkett.

• Friday, February 1st: Grayson Joseph Bickler, his 5th; Richard Grunwald, Brad Hagen, Tom Olson, Shelly Wencl, Sam & Sharon Peterson, Darrin & Michelle Hanson.

• Saturday, February 2nd: Kia Jayann Buendorf, her 7th; Matt Davis, Addie Farr, Joey Farr, Michael Farr, Butch Otteson, John Fornberg, Robert Hanson, Jim Motz, Karri Bangert, Lillie Fenney.

• Sunday, February 3rd: Bowen Gregory Jensen, his 7th; Julie Hanson, David Johnson, Sherry Misgen, Tara (Stollard) Richards, Francene Pittman, Jeremy Hanson.

• Monday, February 4th: Aaron Duane Bauers, Tyler Cerney, Tyler Sorenson, Waylen Busho Jr., Billy Glynn, David Newgard, John Lent.

• Tuesday, February 5th: Crystal Simonson, Blanche Kasper, Darrell Howell, Randy Reese, Ericka Johnson, Kylee Jace Wilson, Wesley Schoenrock.

• Wednesday, February 6th: Jean Klocek, Carolyn Hanson, Dean Jensen, David Kelly, Martin Bartness, Colleen Borchert, Troy Haddy, Jean Clausen, Sonja Thompson, Megan Stephoni, Todd Nelson, Brooke Burns, Kay Swenson.

Let the good times carry you away on your special day.

From time to time, I will receive an e-mail from my brother-in-law Lynn Johnson, a resident of Nome, Alaska. Most of the time these e-mails have pictures attached with no words or description, which sometimes makes me feel like there will be a test the next time I talk to him. 

Lynn has always been an avid outdoorsman, and living in Nome suits his passion for hunting and fishing perfectly; he’s like a kid in a candy store in this environment. He has now added another weapon to his arsenal; trapping, and it seems he has really taken to the trapping thing and, judging from the pictures he has been sending, it is going quite well.

So far this year, he has sent me pictures of fox, mink, otter and a lynx. I jokingly asked him if the lynx was good eating, to which he replied, “It was excellent.” 

He then proceeded to give me a play-by-play description of how he prepared the critter for the table. Although I’ve eaten various meals of wild game prepared by Lynn’s wife, who we call “Sister,” (an excellent cook) I would probably find it a little difficult to choke down the meat from that particular critter no matter how tasty it was. 

I guess they probably won’t be asking me to do a guest appearance on Man vs. Wild any time soon. Over the years, Lynn has hunted (successfully) moose, musk ox, grizzly bear, caribou, wolf, lynx, wolverine, arctic fox and the ferocious (tastes like chicken) ptarmigan.

In the years Lynn has been in Nome, he has been able to do a lot of things that most sportsmen just fanaticize about. Lynn actually did the “Gold Rush” thing before it became popular on Reality TV.  

He did it by walking on the bottom of the Bering Sea in a dry suit using a pump to suck up sediment from the ocean bottom and separate it using a sluice. Eventually, he decided life was too short to be doing that so he moved on to other adventures.

He has a pilot’s license and owns more than one airplane, but I can tell by talking to him that the first one is still his favorite. It is a ’48 Taylor Craft two-seater that he has landed on sand bars and in short areas. This is a land where roads end in the middle of nowhere and snow machines, ATVs and airplanes are a way of life for most.

My oldest son, Brian, has visited Lynn twice. The first time he went it was a hunting trip with his brother-in-law Travis Diaz. 

On that trip, both of them got trophy caribou, but the moose season was closed in that area at the time, so they weren’t able to get a license. On the second-to-last day, there they helped Lynn track a big grizzly he had spotted from the road. Lynn has a good eye for spotting wildlife a long way off and Brian seems to have inherited that gift; it’s a gift my grandson Trevor also has.

For the caribou hunt; Lynn had to fly them, one at a time, to a remote cabin in the area close to where the caribou herd was located. After Lynn had dropped Travis off, he flew back to pick up Brian, but a snow storm moved in and he was unable to take off until it cleared. 

They were able to join Travis the following day and start their hunt. There are quite a few cabins to take shelter in throughout the area; most of them are equipped with a stove, beds and some dry goods.

On Brian’s second trip to Nome, he was joined by Travis and Brian’s friend James Muggli. This trip was to be strictly a fishing trip and it turned out to be a good one. 

Lynn’s fishing boat is built for running in the shallow rivers of Alaska. It has a jet pump outboard motor, which is necessary for running those shallow, rocky rivers that are the only roads leading to some prime fishing.

On this trip they caught trout, silvers, grayling and pike. Yes, pike, which I still believe is Lynn’s favorite eating fish. 

Over the years, he has caught many 20-plud-pound pike and has taken a few friends to his favorite haunts. On this trip, they were able to pull the boat about 80 miles with Lynn’s pickup before launching it and going by boat the rest of the way. 

Lynn and Travis flew there while Brian and James pulled the boat. After they arrived at the outpost cabin, they could fish for trout and grayling just a little ways from the cabin. 

I believe they all caught fish that were considered “trophy size” and this was definitely one trip they will definitely not forget. From time to time, they talk about going back. 

Actually, Brian would really like to take Trevor with the next time. I told him if Trevor goes up there, he may not want to come back.

I have always considered myself an outdoors person, but compared to Lynn, most of my experiences are pretty tame. Although I have never visited Lynn in Nome, I know I would really enjoy it. Who knows, maybe someday that will actually happen.

Until next time, enjoy the many things that make spending time outdoors in Minnesota on a winter day special.

Please remember to keep our troops in your thoughts and prayers because they are the reason that we are able to enjoy all the freedoms that we have today.

In William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, there is a passage that pertains to life and maybe even to sports and our Minnesota teams.

Brutus and Cassius are debating whether to attack Octavian’s and Marcus Antonius’ forces during Rome’s Civil War. Cassius is in favor of resting their troops and Brutus is against laying up and has this to say to Cassius:

"There is a tide in the affairs of men. Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune." He goes on to say, "Omitted, all the voyage of their life is bound in shallows and in miseries. On such a full sea are we now afloat, and we must take the current when it serves, or lose our ventures."

In other words, Shakespeare is saying there is a good time to make your move and if you don’t, you’re going to regret it. Looking at the various Minnesota teams, is this the time they need to make their move and if they don’t, the moment is lost?

First, the Minnesota Twins. Are they prepared to make their move? The answer is simple. No, they are not! No matter what Terry Ryan says to bolster attendance, the Twins are far from that moment. They have traded two regulars for the future and the pitching they have acquired is stopgap. They have no front line pitchers and adequate starting pitching is the best we can hope for. High tide is not coming until 2014 and more realistically 2015.

Our Minnesota Gopher football team is moving forward and getting better, but there is such a long way to go that no one should feel badly if they just ascend to the middle of the pack. Their time is not now and one can only hope for the future.

The Minnesota Timberwolves were on the fringe of marching to the playoffs. It appeared the tide was coming in and the Wolves would make their move. It was not to be, as injuries have dismantled the team. Injuries have turned the Timberwolves into a fair team that can, on some nights, be a little better than fair. 

The state of the team is much like Cassius and Biutus’ army, if they were ask to attack Octavian and Marcus Antonius without one of their legions. The Wolves’ spirit is strong, but their flesh is weak.

Our Minnesota Vikings are on the cusp of being a very good team. Sure, many point out there are weaknesses in the team and they need another year of draft choices and free agent stocking to be of championship caliber. That may be true, but a championship destiny could come a number of years earlier or even as little as one year earlier than expected.

President Barrack Obama is a good example of that tide rolling in sooner than expected. Obama had not held national political office until he was elected Senator from Illinois. This all stemmed from his keynote speech at the Democratic convention where he said, "We are not the red United States of America, we are not the blue States of America, we are the United States of America." Obama had the reputation of an up and coming politician. He could have laid back as a new inexperienced Senator and waited for events to unfold. Instead, he took on heavily favored Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination for President. He took the rising tide and is now being inaugurated for his second term as President.

So there is a time and place to catch the tide and one should take advantage of it, for it may not come again.

Echoes from the Loafers’ Club Meeting

"So you’re remodeling the house, eh?"

"Do you think I could put the wallpaper on myself?"

"I’m sure you could, but it would look better on the walls."

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: I shouldn’t worry. I can’t do everything wrong at the same time.

I’ve learned

If criticism had any power, skunks would be extinct.

When the game ends, the king and the pawn go into the same box.

Airplanes should load window seat passengers first instead of loading by rows.

The news from Hartland

Lindsay Lohan, the Kardashians, and Donald Trump were not seen in Hartland during the past week.

Employee injured while putting up "Safety first" sign sues for damages due to irony.

A pile of discarded toilets proves to be an ancient goldfish burial ground.

New Year’s resolutions

How are you doing on those promises you made to yourself? Are you one of those who couldn’t resolve your way out of a wet paper bag? I believe in setting goals, but I don’t make New Year’s resolutions.

The last one I made was to juggle three chainsaws. I came close. I juggled three instruction manuals for chainsaws.

Craig Ferguson said, "Resolutions just set you up for failure. My resolution last year was to learn Spanish, and that only lasted dos weekos."

Jimmy Kimmel joked, "My New Year's resolution this year was to get a gym membership, use it twice, and then never use it again. I'm already halfway there."

Oscar Wilde wrote, "Good resolutions are simply checks that men draw on a bank where they have no account."

My neighbor Weasel told me that he'd resolved to inhale, exhale, and blink. Steve Goodier wrote that he has a lot in common with a wooden pencil. He has an eraser to correct mistakes and does better if he were sharpened occasionally.

I told Weasel that he should resolve to be more like a pencil. He erased my suggestion.

The cafe chronicles

The table of infinite knowledge was filled with lip flappers of some renown. It was a place to enjoy the breeze. It’s hard to believe that in school, these guys chanted that silent mantra, "Please don’t call on me." They don’t need to be called upon to offer their perspectives today. They don’t raise their hands to say, "How many angels can dance on your head?" They can forget, but still remember. Some keep ancient phone books to refresh their memories. One kibitzer wondered when cars stopped being do-it-yourself projects and eliminated hand-cranked windows. None could remember their junior high school locker combinations. They have little memory of the periodic chart of the elements. What they remember are things said in hospital rooms.

A peregrination

My wife and I attended the Cancer Auction held in Geneva. Whitey Hagen and the others make donating a jollification. On the way there, we drove by a 430,000-bushel grain bin owned by a couple of fine fellows who were brothers even before they were farmers. I drive by it often. I call it Big Bin. It’s no Big Ben, but thanks to it and Geneva, I can imagine I’m driving from London to Switzerland.

From over there

I stood next to a 17,400-pound ball of twine. The 12-foot diameter ball was in Darwin, Minnesota and it’s claimed to be the world’s largest twine ball rolled by one man. Francis A. Johnson rolled twine for 4 hours a day for 29 years. We had a rope-making machine on the farm that allowed me to turn baling twine into rope. I didn’t do that for 4 hours a day for 29 years. If I had, I might have an exceedingly long rope for people to come to see after they’d been to Darwin. Weird Al Yankovic might have sung about it.

Did you know?

A University of California-Santa Barbara study found that our minds wander at least 30% of the time while we do routine tasks and as high as 70% when we drive an uncrowded highway. Research showed that people whose minds wander often are more creative and are better problem solvers.

Nature notes

“Do crows mate for life?” Unless a mate dies or is incapacitated, crows seem to stay with the same mate year after year. There are exceptions. If a young pair bred unsuccessfully, they might break the pair bond. Only the female incubates the eggs.

Meeting adjourned

The true test of manners is to meet bad ones with good ones. Be kind.

Upon graduation from New Richland High School, I knew as a farm boy I didn’t want to farm. A fellow farm boy, John Hanson, felt the same way. 

We found out that if we joined the U.S. Navy at age 17, we would be discharged just before turning 21, and then Uncle Sam would help support us four years in college to get a degree. We said “Deal!” and off we went to Great Lakes, Ill. for boot camp.

At boot camp, we were tested to see what we might qualify to do as U.S. Navy enlisted men. My result was Naval Intelligence, or spying on Russia. 

This required an extensive background check. I passed the check and was off to Intelligence School after boot camp. (I later found out Gene Dodge in New Richland was one of the persons giving me the green light.)

Both John and I received four-year degrees from Mankato after our Navy tour.

After graduating from the Naval Intelligence School in California, I was sent to a Naval base of about 300 in Japan for 30 months. There were military personnel (all men) from England, Canada, France, Australia, the Scandinavian countries, and the United States, plus a few other countries.

About the second week there, an order came through over the loudspeaker system for all hands to report to the Chapel on the double. I was assigned the job of running with a heavy rope across the rooftop to a person on the ground, who then helped stake the rope into the ground. 

The person next to me and I exchanged introductions. He was Tony Blare from England.

When the Chapel was secured, we were ordered to the basement of our barracks as the typhoon was imminent. As Tony and I talked in the basement, the All-Clear signal was given, as the typhoon had changed course. Tony went into a tirade about the stupid U.S. Navy saving a chapel first.

The last Easter sunrise service while we were in Japan, I asked Tony to join me. (By then we were good buds, he the non-believer and me the believer.)

We were in full uniform as we were bused to an open field facing east. As we got off the bus, we were given one sheet of music and told to put it in our pocket. We were lined up in two lines and parade marched to the east end of the field and ordered to stand at attention. 

Cymbals started clashing and just as the sun came up, a booming voice said “Present Music!” We did, and sang “Battle Hymn of the Republic.” Upon completion of the singing, an order of “About Face, Parade March” was given, back to the bus. (There was many a tear shed that early morning by everyone, including Tony.)

As we left Japan to be discharged, we exchanged military caps. The years passed very fast, with Tony asking me to visit his beloved England and me asking Tony to visit my beloved Beaver Lake.

This January, I received a telephone call and a male voice said, “This is Tony Blare. I’m on an English goodwill tour of the United States. I know where your beloved Beaver Lake is. Please meet me there at 7:30 a.m. in the Parking Lot on Wednesday, January 23, for your birthday, with my military cap.”

I agreed.

We met about 7:30 a.m., exchanged caps, and Tony said, “Listen to the instructions on the tape in my Embassy car.” The instructions were exactly the same as that Easter service in Japan, including the cymbals.

We got back to his Embassy car, exchanged caps again, a big hug, a handshake, and Tony said, “Thanks for making me a believer. I’ll see you in our next life.”

Yes, there were tears shed by both of us as Tony drove away.

———

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 were close once again with their temperatures but missed the rain that fell on Sunday. Will they clean their crystal ball better this time around? Starting Wednesday, mostly cloudy with highs of 15 and lows near 5 below. Colder and cloudy for Thursday with highs struggling to make it to zero and lows dropping to 10 below overnight. Partly cloudy and warmer for Friday with a slight chance of snow in the evening. Highs of 10 – 15 with lows near 10. Partly cloudy and warmer for Saturday with highs of 25 and lows around 10. Partly cloudy and slightly warmer with highs near 30 and lows around 15. Mostly cloudy with highs of 25 and lows of 15 – 20. Mostly cloudy and warmer again for Tuesday. Highs should reach 35 with lows near 20. The normal high for February 2 is 24 and the normal low is 5. We will experience a few minutes more than 10 hours of daylight on February 4th for the first time since early November 5th. The scurs are just hoping they see their shadow on the 2nd, meaning spring is just around the corner. It usually is, only somewhere farther south.

We continue to struggle accumulating much for precipitation although we did finally manage to garner some measurable snow, 1 inch, finally, at the ranch. It was so fluffy however, there wasn’t enough moisture in it to even make a hundredth of an inch worth of water. It was enough however to cover up the remaining patches of ice, making booby traps in the yards which Mrs. Cheviot discovered too late. When the afternoon winds came up however it was all in the fencelines, ditches and groves once again. Something that was of a concern on Friday was the presence of blowing soil with the lack of snow cover. While it wasn’t long lived it still served as a reminder of how dry it is and how long it is yet until spring is likely to arrive. Luckily the Sunday and Monday night rains came to the rescue, dumping .2” and .08” respectively at the ranch. To our benefit, the rain didn’t run off. While rain in the winter can be a real pain, about the only thing that happened at the ranch was loss of satellite TV reception.

It has remained deceptively slippery on the highways and byways however in spite of the recent warm air temperatures. Watching the weather as is my wont, it only makes sense that when we’ve had zero or below for highs that the road surfaces will refreeze with a vengeance. Apparently for some this is not the case as they continue to tailgate and travel at unsafe speeds. Now, I drive a 4-wheel drive pickup and have for much of my life. I am equipped with tow straps, tow hooks, clevises, chains, etc., to pull people out. However, my inclination when I see people driving like maniacs who end up in the ditch is to (1) smile, (2) wave, (3) utter some vituperation and (4) keep driving. And while you likely won’t get a ticket, there are plenty of friendly tow truck operators who will gladly take your money. 

Ruby hasn’t allowed the recent cold or ice to change her daily routine much. She uses her toenails as ice cleats and is ready to go whenever the words “do the chores” are uttered. She’s had some company too as Fudgie has made an extended stay. It’s a big job to roust the brood ewes from their slumber outdoors in the 10-below stillness of a dark morning. Both Border Collies get plenty of exercise running between the house and barn while keeping the sheep eyeballed and intimidated with their ferocious growling. Now if that energy could just be channeled into hauling buckets and bales we’d really have something.

Ruby still responds to “Should we watch the Gophers?” although the way the men’s basketball team played the past couple weeks I’m not exactly sure why. What looked like a program turning the corner now looks more like one that made a wrong turn down a dark alley. The same players who were contributing to their wins have suddenly disappeared in their losing streak. The hockey team however continues to make those hours after chores enjoyable. Even when they’ve lost, there’s been no question about their effort. Perhaps the basketball team could learn something about team play by watching some hockey game film sometime. Or perhaps giving them sticks would help.

Our little feathered friends, the redpolls, continue to delight, their numbers at the birdfeeders swelling to a couple dozen over the past couple weeks. While I’m not sure if the cold made them more numerous, it probably didn’t hurt. More thistle seed has been procured to satisfy their hunger. Several, including a former pygmy goat farmer and his muffin, have also noticed these numerous wayward little finches. The redpolls are towards the south edge of their winter range here but seldom do we see numbers such as we have this winter. As I restocked the thistle feeder, a couple more ears of corn were put in place. The red-bellied woodpeckers were glad to see them as were the super-sized blue jays. There has been a Cooper’s hawk sighting as of late so that has suddenly meant fewer house sparrows and starlings. He’s always seems happy to have them over for lunch.

Speaking of lunch, there was another sighting of an impromptu little fat buddy meeting last Thursday noon, which oddly enough coincided with Artery Clogging Day at the Willows. There were 6 little fat buddies in total, snarling and hurling epithets at one another while waiting for their food. When the plates arrived, it looked like a hungry pack of wolves working over a deer carcass. You wouldn’t want to stick your arm in there or you could lose a limb.

See you next week…real good then.

As I prepared to preside over this year’s school spelling bee, I looked over the word list to make sure I would pronounce words correctly and to eliminate some words in advance that I felt didn’t have a place in the bee. I took out the first 24 words since they were simply too easy and would make the bee drag on. I decided against a few others because of difficulty to pronounce correctly or just words I had not heard before (whiskery?).

I realized there is no such thing as too easy a word anymore. Despite the fact that all our spellers made it through at least two rounds before missing a word says more about their functionality as good spellers than it does about the ease of the words. I would guess there were a number of middle school students who would have missed words like “could.”

What has happened to spelling? We used to take great pride in spelling words correctly. I still remember how upset I was in third grade when I missed my only word the entire year. I was devastated!

The first downfall was the advent of spell-check on computers. I’m not nearly as good at spelling as I used to be since I don’t really have to think too hard about words. Prime example: As I typed the last sentence of the previous paragraph, my computer automatically changed the spelling of devastated since I had put an “e” after the “v.” Words like that are auto-corrected without even a thought.

A big problem with this is that students will run spell-check, but still misspell words. How is this possible? A prime example is students’ use of the word definitely. 

Teenagers love this word. However, many of them spell it as defiantly. I couldn’t figure out such an egregious error for a long time. Finally, I was watching as one student was trying to spell definitely and saw the auto-correct change the misspelled word to defiantly.

Spell-check will also not tell you if it should be to/too/two or there/their/they’re or your/you’re.  Gone are the days where we would ponder a homophone to remember if we should use its or it’s. If there is not a red or green line under a word, most people don’t worry about it anymore.

Another issue, of course, is texting. I don’t text much because I still insist on capitalizing words, spelling them correctly, and using apostrophes. Thus, it takes me a long time to peck out a text.

Most of my students could read my column headline better than we adults. This is their version of English. Why use more space or time than is necessary to get your message across? That seems to be the mantra of Generation Text (my new term for this generation). We old fuddy-duddies can stick with our full words and lack of abbreviations, but kids look on us as dinosaurs.

And they might be correct. Much as it pains me, I see the changes happening. I don’t think I’ll ever accept u instead of you in a paper, but we’re inching somewhat faster than glacier speed toward a language revolution. OMG.

Word of the Week: This week’s word is discombobulated, which means upset or frustrated, as in, “The English teacher was so discombobulated by the bad spelling that he dropped his red pen.”  Impress your friends and confuse your enemies!

Funeral services for Jean C. Johnson of Ellendale, MN, will be held at 2 p.m. Wednesday, January 30, 2013 at the First Lutheran Church in Ellendale, MN. The Reverend Richard Sliper will officiate. Visitation will be held Tuesday evening from 4 until 7 p.m. at the Bonnerup Funeral Service in Ellendale, and one hour prior to the service at the church. Interment will be in the First Lutheran Cemetery, Ellendale.

Mrs. Johnson died on Friday, January 25, 2013 at the Thorne Crest Retirement Center in Albert Lea, MN. She was 88 years of age.

Jean was born July 13, 1924 in Graceton, MN, the daughter of John and Clara (Huseby) Koranda. She attended public school.