By DALE KUGATH

Sportswriter

STEWARTVILLE – The New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva wrestling team racked up its highest point total in a tournament at Stewartville Saturday.

Coach Paul Cyr’s grapplers scored 124.5 points, earning them fifth place among nine teams. New Hampton, Iowa won the meet with 186 points, followed by Rochester Mayo with 175.5. 

The Panthers scored 186.5 points last season to finish third among 10 teams. 

NRHEG is 1-0 in the Gopher Conference and 2-1 overall this winter. 

NRHEG had one champion and one runner-up, while placing nine of the 12 grapplers that wrestled. 

By DALE KUGATH

Sportswriter

The New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva boys’ basketball team ended its two-game losing streak with a pair of double-digit wins last week. 

The Panthers hammered Alden-Conger for a non-conference win on their home court.

NRHEG pounded Randolph for its first conference victory on the road. 

Coach Pat Churchill’s Panthers evened their Gopher Conference record at 2-2 (4th) and raised their overall mark to 4-8.

Alden-Conger

NEW RICHLAND – The offensive firepower of Nick Mangskau and Spencer Tollefson carried the Panthers to a 59-41 victory over Alden-Conger in a non-conference game at New Richland Jan. 7.

NRHEG Spelling Bee set for Wednesday

The NRHEG school spelling bee for grades 5-8 will be held Wednesday, Jan. 23, at 1 p.m. in the New Richland varsity gym. Contestants from these grades will compete to represent NRHEG at the Regional Spelling Bee, which will be held Feb.12 in North Mankato. Family, friends, and the general public are all invited to attend the school bee. Contestants include:

• 5th grade: Morgan Styke, Kade Reese, Karter Koziolek, Jayna Domeier, Tiara Malakowsky, Mason Ferber.

• 6th grade: Alex Buckmeier, Aubrey Johnson, Jazzlyn Johnson, Sierra Johnson, Dalton Kraay, Hailey Stenzel.

It is hard to believe that we are already 17 days into the New Year, and if you are like me, you've already broken at least one of your New Year’s resolutions. Making grandiose resolutions usually results in failure to live up to your own promises, so I've resolved to make my goals attainable. 

When it comes to making healthy lifestyle changes, I've made the following easy ones. I think you'll agree that these are choices that you can actually live with.

We all know tomatoes are rich in lycopene, which is an antioxidant that is believed to reduce the risk of prostrate cancer and several other cancers. The tomatoes need to be cooked to release the lycopene.  

Lycopene is fat soluble, so your body is better able to get the benefit from it with a bit of fat, such as the olive oil, which is found in tomato sauces. So, dousing your burger in catsup helps, as catsup is a cooked product.

Grapes are great sources of resveratrol, the same cancer protecting compound found in wine, but they don't have the alcohol of wine, which can increase the risk of breast cancer in women. Resveratrol is a vitamin D and can safely be taken in tablet form, but grapes taste better!

A diet high in onions may reduce the risk of prostrate cancer by 50 percent and the effects are strongest if eaten raw or lightly cooked. If you like a milder taste, try Vidalia onion, shallots, chives or scallions in your salads.

Another change you can make is to break the soda pop habit and start drinking fresh lemonade or limeade.  Daily doses of citrus fruits cut the risk of mouth, throat and stomach cancers in half.

Enjoying a 30-minute walk every evening after dinner is another way one can reduce their risk of breast cancer, according to the cancer research center in Seattle. Moderate exercise reduces levels of estrogen, a hormone that contributes to breast cancer. Women who lost 2 percent of their body fat had decreases in estrogen.

Another study linked to walking discovered that walking four hours a week cuts the risk of pancreatic cancer in half, probably related to improved insulin metabolism due to the exercise.

Buying organic foods is more expensive, but foods grown without those pesticides or hormones may eventually lead to cancer.

This raises a question in my mind because of all the chemicals and pesticides sprayed on lawns; is it really organically clean?

Commercial pesticides like 2,4-D are linked to non-Hodgkins lymphoma and MCPP, which are soft tissue cancers. No federal studies have accessed the safety of lawn care chemicals. 

I would rather enjoy that bright little yellow flower, the dandelion, instead. They don't last long and its colorful shape makes it look like a happy face. I can live without the pesticides.

Another important bit of info: don't buy clothes that need dry cleaning. Dry cleaners still use a chemical called perchloroethylene which has been found to cause liver and kidney damage in animals if repeatedly exposed through inhalation. If you must take something to the cleaners take the plastic bags off of them as soon as you get them back home again and let them air outside before wearing them.

Acrylamide forms as a result of chemical changes that occur in foods, such as potatoes that are fried, baked, or roasted, which makes them a bad choice. Mashed potatoes are safer. 

Thirty-five percent of food tested in the U.S. has been found to have detectable pesticide residue. It is much higher in other countries.

You decide when it comes to salmon on the grill. Canadians found those who ate four or more servings of fish per week were nearly 1/3 less likely to develop blood cancers. 

Credit the omega 3s, which applies to most fish. They reduce the risk of endometrial cancer in women, but there is a catch — excuse the pun. Wild salmon is by far the best. The FDA has approved genetically modified salmon to be introduced into the US food supply. 

Genetic salmon is meant to grow twice as fast as regular salmon and deemed safe for consumption, but it does not have to be labeled as such so you don't know what you're getting. Wild, farm-raised, or genetically changed, and there are huge differences.

Do you take a multi vitamin every day? Studies suggest it is the ideal way to improve your immune system’s function and help prevent a variety of cancers.

Are you a sun bather? People have been so good at taking advice to lather on lotion to avoid the sun’s rays, but then many don't get the natural vitamin D that the sun provides. Moderation is the key because too little may increase the risk of multiple cancers like breast, colon, prostrate, ovarian and stomach cancers as well as osteoporosis, diabetes, MS and high blood pressure.

The best source is exposure to UVB rays found in natural and artificial sunlight, but a little dab will do you — like 15 minutes a day. Vitamin D also comes in calcium supplements.

No surprise: mental attitude can also be a culprit. It seems at a hospital full of high tech machinery, doctors and aides who were social psychologists hired to help patients manage their personal care could predict who would make it and those who wouldn't. (upon their departure) It depended on the patient’s attitude.

If the patient returned to a different situation than what he had originally left, he recovered. If the situation was the same as previously, he went back to the same impass. 

The disease continued its relentless course and he didn't survive. Cancer  was a ticket out of an intolerable life. 

Casting one’s self in a role of fear, victim, or distorted influences made the difference; negative thoughts and outlooks produce negative thoughts. The patients that survive almost invariably have a positive outlook. While outlook alone cannot ensue positive results, it certainly beats negative thoughts.

Thinking patterns are that powerful!

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, January 17th: Ava Elizabeth Schember, her 5th; Blake Michael Born/Norday, Don Anderson, Jan Bartsch, Annette Busho, LuAnn Johnson Prescher, David Strenge, Mike Peterson, Brayden Broitzman, Kayley Camerer.

• Friday, January 18th: Madilyn Hamilton, Deb Bohnoff, Todd Holland, Julie Bunn Hunt, Annie Miller, Tabatha Miller, Mark Misgen, Vicki Babb, Ruth Neidermeier, Garret Schley & Ellie Schley.

• Saturday, January 19th: Brian Wayne, Laura (Otterson) Ortiz, Dennis Grunwald, Steve Jon Christensen, Barb Wayne Heyer, Kent Johnson, Thomas Kasper, Francis Misgen, Peter Spande, Dick Ewing, Dick & Laurie Swift.

• Sunday, January 20th:  Brentson Lange, Jim Krause, Marc Nelson, Jenna Nicole Cooper, Pastor Alvin Cooper, Anthony Thostenson, Alicia Lizaazo.

• Monday, January 21st: Joshua Dobberstien and Gerald Wobshcall.

• Tuesday, January 22nd: Reese Hendrickson, Taylor Lunning, Christian Sletten, Tom Haried, Lyle Shaunce, Barbara Van Gorkom, Jeff Miller, Heather Sargent.

• Wednesday, January 23rd: Eugene Worke, Bob "Emeritus" Hanson, Eugene Cornelius, Rodney Sorenson, Dean Broitzman, Garnet Folie, Jeff Miller, Chris Paulson.

May your special day be a happy memory and tomorrow a bright new promise.

As we work our way into the month of January, I get that familiar feeling I get whenever I am coming down with a cold or flu. This time the onset isn’t physical but mental, and although I know it’s too early for it to happen, I think I have a touch of the dreaded “cabin fever.” Once it comes, one of the remedies that usually works is to think about some of the places I long to be and go there, if only in my imagination.

As I started to think about Spider Lake and how I came to fish it in the first place, I considered myself lucky to have stumbled onto it years ago and to have been able to enjoy the many good times our family has had there over the years. Fishing Spider was no accident, but when I first fished it I had no idea what was in store.

I was working at the Tribune in the middle ‘70s and Charlie Thompson, a fellow worker, and I had laid plans for a fall fishing trip. Charlie and I had fished together quite a few times in the past. 

Charlie said he wanted to bring his boat which was a 12-ft. Lund with a 6-hp Johnson outboard. Not a big lake rig by any means, but a good fishing boat nonetheless. We weren’t sure where we wanted to go this time, but we had both fished the Grand Rapids area in the past, so we decided to check it out.

For many years, there was a bait shop in Grand Rapids called Rapids Tackle and each year they published a book called the “Blue Book,” which listed by category the fish, date caught and lake in Itasca County it was caught on during the previous season. If you caught a fish of a certain size and species, you could register it for the book. 

They had weekly contests and awarded gift certificates for the largest fish in each category. I still have many of these books and occasionally refer back to them whenever I get the itch to try a different lake. 

Upon looking at one of these books when planning our trip, I found Spider Lake and it had a lot of fish listed for each category, so I thought it would be a perfect place to try our luck.

Charlie was an avid panfisherman and I was more of northern/walleye kind of guy back then, but we were looking forward to fishing a lake that would offer us the best of both worlds. Aldy, the resort owner, said he could give us a few tips on what areas could be holding fish. 

Charlie was all ears when it came to crappies. I, on the other hand, was more interested in bigger things because back in those days I had the philosophy that I didn’t sit around all winter dreaming about panfish. 

I had bigger things in mind. Funny how your priorities change over time; today a mess of crappies sounds mighty good to me.

Aldy’s tip paid off and each morning we were at the same spot. The crappies would start biting within a few minutes of the previous day. 

We could also count on catching a pike if the crappies suddenly quit biting. Overall, it was a pretty good fishing trip and although it was early fall and the fishing wasn’t super, we did manage to catch some dandy crappies with a few northern and bass thrown in the mix. We ate a couple of meals of fish and brought some back, so life was good.

One day while we were fishing on a part of the lake called Third Lake by those that know it, there was a couple fishing just a little ways away from us. We noticed a man was fighting what was obviously a good sized fish for quite some time, so we stopped fishing and just watched. 

After a few minutes, the fish rolled on the surface by the boat and I could see it was a huge northern. Its fins seemed to resemble giant oak leaves. 

Just about then, the man in the boat hollered over and asked if we had a landing net. The one we had was too small to land a fish that size, plus we didn’t want to get too close fearing that “monster” would wrap around our motor and break his line. 

After what seemed like an eternity, the fish finally broke water and danced on its tail. And in that moment, I knew I was “hooked” on this lake. When it broke water it spit the hook and I estimated it to have been well over 20 lbs. 

When the fish got off his line, the man and his wife just sat there for a moment in silence and then he turned to us and said, “Now that was fun.” To him, it was an experience of a lifetime because he was only fishing for crappies.

I would play that scene over in my mind many times in the years to come; usually in February during “cabin fever” season. Yes, this is one of the things that has always made Spider Lake special to me. 

It’s not always about the fish you put in the boat, it’s also about the beauty of the lake and knowing that on any given day that “big one” could be lurking just under the surface waiting for my next cast. That’s what makes me always want to revisit what I still consider my favorite lake.

Getting back to earth, I see the fishing village that we have on the channel is keeping pretty busy with traffic. The word was that the walleye were biting earlier but have tapered off some lately. 

There are, however, some panfish being caught on Fountain Lake. I usually don’t have much luck when it comes to ice fishing, but as long as my grandson Trevor and I can get together and spend a few hours on the ice, the fishing will always be good.

Until next time, take some time to enjoy the winter outdoors.

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.

When I took a halftime break during the last Viking-Packer game, it didn’t look good for the Vikings. They were down two touchdowns and replacement quarterback Joe Webb, after a good start, was looking to be in over his head. Yet, I posted on Facebook that the Vikings were still in it and they would soon unleash Joe Webb.

Why did I make such a dumb statement? It was my thinking that the Vikings would take a page from some previous teams and throw a different and unusual offense at their opponent. 

There were hints that they might do so in the pre-game show. It seemed that it was the only option left to the Vikings if they were to make a game of it.

Darryl Royal, who just passed away, was a proponent of the Wishbone offense. Barry Switzer and the Oklahoma Sooners dominated college football for a great deal of the ‘70s and ‘80s with the formation. 

The Wishbone consisted of the quarterback taking the snap from center with a number of options. He could fake or hand off to the fullback, slide along the line, pitch back to the trailing back, run it himself, or pass. It gives the quarterback four options and, if done properly, forces the defense to commit itself and take itself out of the play without the offense needing to block them.

It is primarily a running offense and that is not the NFL’s game, but it is the Vikings’ game. I thought that with the athletic and fast Joe Webb, (he runs a 4.4 40), it would be a success against a defense that was not prepared for it. Then too, the Vikings had the league’s premier running back in Adrian Peterson, who seems particularly well suited for the Wishbone.

What a surprise it would be to the Green Bay Packers! The Vikings wouldn’t use the formation until after halftime. Then the Packer coaches would not have much time to adjust the defense. And, if Webb and Peterson could remain uninjured, what a tactical advantage it would give the Vikings for the rest of the game.

There are certainly disadvantages to the Wishbone at the professional level. Your quarterback is constantly under siege and wouldn’t last long without being injured. But for one game, or in the Vikings’ case, a half of a game, he could probably escape injury. Another disadvantage to the Wishbone offense is that it is not a come-from-behind offense. All that running burns up the clock which is fine if you are ahead, but not if you’re behind.

Another problem with the Vikings using the Wishbone formation against the Packers or any other team is that it takes time to learn. The Vikings had a difficult enough time getting Christian Ponder and his receivers on the same page during available practice time. 

So, the Wishbone was not really practical for the Vikings to use, but it would have been fun to see. And as a postscript, it would have given next year’s opponents something they would have to spend time on in practice, in case the Vikings might spring it on them.

The Vikings finished with a record of 10-7, which was about five more wins than expected — a fine season regardless of the final game. Next year should be a doozy. The Vikings do have some holes which need shoring up; pass receivers primarily, but their running game is the best in the league and Peterson is talking about a 2500-yard season next year. With help from Christian Ponder and a passing game, he just might do it.

Echoes from the Loafers’ Club Meeting

"I have a cold."

"I hope you’re taking care of it."

"I am. I’ve had it for five days and it’s still as good as new."

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: when you are seeing red, it’s hard to notice when the light changes.

I've learned

1. Waiting until it’s nearly empty before filling a fuel tank is called progastination.

2. Walnuts come from broken homes.

3. To err is human, to arr is pirate.

The news from Hartland

Heat goes off in Hacker’s Smoke Shop, leaving the owner with frozen pipes.

Police believe that the woman who has been using knitting needles to stab people’s posteriors is working from a pattern.

Buffalo ranch closes. Roaming charges were became too high.

In awe of Alberta

I spoke in Red Deer. I went to Banff without knowing how to Banff. I talked to real cowboys. They didn't twang a guitar and sing depressing songs. They worked with cows. They did a lot of herd work.

The three stages of man

1. How is the mother?

2. What a lovely bride.

3. How much did he leave her?

Cafe chronicles

I was having lunch with Gary Crumb of Matawan at the Village Inn. After we finished eating, Gary said, "It’s already Tuesday. I'd just as well take the rest of the week off."

My mother said something similar. "Here it is Monday already. Tomorrow will be Tuesday. The day after is Wednesday. Then it’s Thursday, followed by Friday. The week is almost over and I haven’t done a thing."

A friend says, "Good morning, good afternoon, good evening, good night," in case he doesn’t see the person he is greeting again that day.

It’s a beautiful world if we take the time to look

I watched the sunset over Vern Eide Chevrolet while I manned a Salvation Army kettle. It was beautiful. It’s nice to enjoy the sun instead of racing it. The world is a postcard. Not long before, I’d stopped at the 33 Mile Roadhouse on the Haines Highway. This home of the Super 33 Burger offers the last gas, propane, and cigarettes in the United States. Some people think Alaska is so cold that new colors were added to the weather map to cover it. Others imagine that shoveling snow there is a Sisyphean effort. Alaska was once an imaginary place to me. I’d uncorked a bottle of Alaskan dreams with an insatiable appetite for the written word. I’d read my way there — books by John Muir, Jack London, Robert Service, Joe McGinniss, and others.

Years ago, I went to Alaska for the first time. I keep going back. I like going where baked Alaska is called "baked here."

"Alaska?" one of you is saying. "They eat whale meat and blubber there."

You’d blubber, too, if you had to eat whale meat.

Did you know?

According to a survey done by Harris Interactive for Everest College, 73% of workers are stressed at work. The most stressful jobs, according to a survey by CareerCast.com, are in order: 1). Enlisted military personnel 2). Military general 3). Firefighter 4). Commercial airline pilot 5). Public relations executive 6). Senior corporate executive 7). Photojournalist 8). Newspaper reporter 9).Taxi driver 10). Police officer. The least stressful job is a college professor.

Texas tales

Over the river and through the woods to Grandma’s house we go. As soon as we leave, Grandma is on her way to Texas where winter coats are as scarce as rocking horse manure.

"Trespassers: If you hear a shot, it means I missed — this time."

That’s a sign I saw in the Lone Star State, alongside a FM road, indicating "Farm to Market." Freddy Fender's image is on the water tower in San Benito. Freddy sang the hits "Before the Next Teardrop Falls" and "Wasted Days and Wasted Nights." Mesquite trees abound as a testament to their toughness. When the world ends, cockroaches and mesquite trees will survive.

Roy Bean was appointed justice of the peace for Pecos County in 1882. He settled at Eagle's Nest Springs, which acquired a post office and a new name, Langtry, in honor of the English actress Lillie Langtry, whom Bean admired. Bean became known as an eccentric interpreter of the law. When a man carrying $40 and a pistol fell off a bridge, Bean fined the corpse $40 for carrying a concealed weapon. Although known as "The Hanging Judge," there’s no evidence that Bean ever hanged anyone.

Meeting adjourned

Be kind. Just because.

They say what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, and the older I get, the more I realize the truth in that statement. After all, I’m still here, and I’ve seen what feels like more than my fair share of hard times. Don’t we all experience that at least once in life, though?

It’s so easy to look at our misfortunes and feel sorry for ourselves. The hard part is getting back out there, picking up the pieces, and moving on. 

That’s the part that makes you stronger. It’s not easy, but it turns out a lot better than if you were to give up.

When I think about the hardest moments of my life, three vivid memories come to mind.

The first is the day I received the call from my dad telling me my grandma had a stroke. I was only 16, and had never experienced the loss of someone so close to me before. The two weeks that she was in Rochester were two of the most difficult of my life, and I would’ve never gotten through it without the help of my best friends at the time.

The second was the phone call from my best friend, Jasmine, telling me Billy was dead. I can hear those words as clear as day. Words cannot describe how painful, how hard it is to lose someone you love. Time is the only thing that can begin to heal the wound left from losing a friend, relative, or anyone else you love and care about. 

Then there was the day I decided to break up with my ex boyfriend. I’m aware of how juvenile that sounds, and five years from now I probably won’t care, but it was an incredibly difficult decision for me. 

It was the longest relationship I’d ever been in. He was my first love, and we lived together. 

I gave him everything without question because I cared that much. I ended it because I couldn’t stand to be with someone who lied to me, I couldn’t trust, and I was no longer happy with. 

I finally decided, after far too long, that I deserved better. And although it hurt then, I’m so happy I ended things when I did. I’m a much less naive, much stronger person because of it.

As I go through life, I will experience many more obstacles. But the more experience I get, the more prepared I’ll be to face them.

I’m a much different person than I was three years ago. I’ve been knocked down, heartbroken, and at what felt like rock bottom. But here I am: happy, independent, successful at a stable job, and surrounded by family and friends who I love.

Life is going to knock you down. It will deal you more than you think you can handle. But it’s also a precious gift that everyone has been blessed with. What will you do with it — overcome your obstacles and come out stronger and happier, or let life keep you down? 

One of my favorite song lyrics reads, “You get what everyone else gets — you get a lifetime.” I first heard it when I was 13, and it’s just stuck with me ever since. It’s true, though. You, and everyone else around you, has been given a lifetime. What will you make of it?

Baseball is the most sacred of sports to me. Growing up in New Ulm, everyone played baseball, and we were taught from early on to treat the game with respect and a level of reverence unseen in any other sport.

There is so much perfection in the set-up of the game. The way the diamond is situated, the preciseness of a pitching rubber set at 60 feet and six inches, three strikes to get out but four balls to walk: all these create such an awesome game that I’m always much more eager for the start of baseball season than any other sport.

Another great thing about baseball is the diversity of each field. There are no two alike. The height of the outfield walls varies, even within a stadium. The amount of foul territory is different. A good grounds crew will manicure an infield to fit the abilities of the home team. All these things serve to give a true home field advantage, more so than any other sport. Just think of how many baseballs opponents lost in the roof of the Metrodome compared to our Twins!

One of the best things, though, about baseball is its Hall of Fame. Visiting Cooperstown is on my bucket list, and I have a feeling I could spend days wandering around. I’ve read a number of historical baseball books over the years, and part of my love of the sport is my appreciation of its past. For football and basketball, I couldn’t name more than a few players before the 1960s. In baseball, I can go back to the 1800s to talk about things I know. The rich history of this sport is part of its appeal.

And that leads me to the election process for the Hall of Fame. There was much wailing and gnashing of teeth this past week when nobody was elected this year. I read some articles and listened to some baseball people on the radio because I was initially shocked by all this. However, it’s probably a good thing nobody got in this year.

The Hall of Fame is supposed to be special. Sometimes I think it’s already overloaded. Did Jack Morris deserve to get in? Well, was he one of the greatest to ever play the game? He was a great pitcher, and no Minnesota Twins fan will ever forget Game 7 in 1991. But…was he one of the greatest to ever play the game?

I don’t necessarily go on just numbers when I look at baseball players. If so, we’d never elect another pitcher again after Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux get in, because it’s highly unlikely that any will reach 300 wins again. I heard all kinds of numbers supporting Morris’ election, but nothing that showed me he was one of the greatest to ever play the game.

When Bert Blyleven had to wait and wait to get in, I don’t think that was right either. What makes a player not worthy one year and then worthy the next? Will something about his career have changed? Blyleven was one of the greatest to ever play the game, and his long wait was a disgrace.

On the other hand, with all the suspicion of performance-enhancing drugs in this year’s and future crops of potential inductees, maybe it’s better to wait and see if anything ever comes out of investigations. I’d never vote Barry Bonds into the Hall of Fame, but I would consider Roger Clemens, based on current evidence.

Maybe it’s a good thing they don’t let me vote. I’d probably hem and haw, just like some of these current voters. In the end, the process usually seems to work. It’s just like who gets left out of the NCAA basketball tournament or who doesn’t make a BCS bowl game: there will always be people who disagree. That doesn’t tarnish the greatest game and the best Hall of Fame in sports.

Word of the Week: This week’s word is borborygmus, which is the rumbling noise your stomach makes, often when you’re hungry, as in, “The borborygmus that his stomach uttered was loud enough to disrupt the noon meeting.” Thanks to Tali Wayne for giving me another awesome word! Impress your friends and confuse your enemies!

The scurs were right on the money until Tuesday rolled around with some higher-than-anticipated temperatures. As the days lengthen, will the cold strengthen or are we out of the woods? Starting Wednesday, partly cloudy with a moderate chance of snow. Highs near 35 and lows around 15. Partly cloudy and slightly cooler Thursday and Friday with highs of 25 – 30 and lows near 15. Mostly cloudy on Saturday with highs again of 25 – 30 with lows cooling down to the low single digits. Partly cloudy and much colder with highs on Sunday of 10 and overnight lows of 5 below. Partly cloudy on Monday with highs between zero and 5 above and lows of zero to 5 below. Temperatures rebound slightly for Tuesday with highs stretching to near 15 and lows of zero to 5 above as we see a possible shift towards some precipitation. The normal high for January 20th is 22 and the normal low is 3. The scurs are bracing for the longer days ahead even though it means less dark in which to sleep. Naps are always a prime alternative.

We finally got on the scoreboard for precipitation in January, although we have yet to record any measurable snowfall. That’s right, at the ranch we collected .13” of rain on the 11th and at the SROC in Waseca, .22” was tallied. Frost depth there was measured at 14” back on the 8th under bare soil. Under cover or snow there would likely be less. Of course that would mean there would actually have to be some snow as much of that left with the rain and warm late-week temperatures. Probably the best part of it was since the rainfall amount was relatively light, virtually none of it ran off. However, snow left packed on the driveways made them into hockey rinks and very treacherous to navigate. It also made some of the ice fishermen who had put their houses out a tad nervous that the ice conditions on the lakes would deteriorate as they’ve done some years. Not to worry as the weekend cold came through with a blast of arctic air that reminded us what wimps we’ve become. It’s supposed to be cold this time of year.

Some have wondered what impact the open fields and cold temps have had on what appeared to be a rather large population of overwintering insects from this past summer. Probably not much yet anyway. In order for it to really trim their numbers it will likely need to get well below normal and stay that way for a few weeks in order for soil temperatures to become cold enough. The good news: If that happens it may be a good deal for killing them off. The bad news: As dry as the soils are, the risk of frozen water lines increases dramatically. Open, dry soils freeze more quickly and deeply than wet soils so careful what you wish for.

We continue to see a substantial number of redpolls at the birdfeeders, primarily on the thistle feeders. Nice to have them as the goldfinches that typically occupy them are virtual no-shows. Was afraid with the warmer temperatures the redpolls might move out but they have remained. When they’re hungry they’re fairly undeterred, remaining in the trees as one walks by. Since they’re finches their song sounds similar to the goldfinches and always makes me grab the bird glasses to see for sure who they are. 

The ewes continue to enjoy what for them has been a relatively mild winter. Their 3 – 4 inch-long wool comforters are about a month from shearing and allow them to sleep outside even when temps are in the single digits. The exception of course is when there are windy conditions. While the erect ears on a Cheviot allow them to hear very well, they also catch the wind making the breed exceptionally good at finding places to get out of it. Hence part of the reason for shearing in February. Rather than dump their lambs outside in the snow banks behind the barn where they can get their ears frozen off, the ewes are forced to seek the warmer barn. This makes the whole process more user friendly, particularly for the dummy who has to pen them up. 

As more garden seed catalogs continue to pile up it’s time to get the seed ordered. Last year’s drought took its toll on supplies and the prices of the seed reflect that in some cases. For instance, some varieties are sold out already or simply unavailable from the usual distributors. In addition, the muskmelon seed that used to run about $1.95 for generous packets of seed, more than I’d have room to plant, is now over $4 for a packet containing 25 seeds. Do you suppose it’s because Michelle has everybody all fired up about eating more produce, thus creating more demand? More likely to be caused by an increasing number of people throwing the rotten produce at politicians methinks.

Vista’s noted Swedish astronomer paid a visit the other day to inform me of some of the celestial changes. As January continues to roll on, we see some changes in the nighttime sky. Mars will eventually be taking a leave of absence from the western horizon. It will be several moons until it reappears. Venus will be disappearing from view low on the horizon in the early morning eastern sky after mid-month. Jupiter continues to be a little higher overhead in the east each night as chores are wrapping up around 7 p.m. I asked the astronomer if it can be viewed without the chores and he said most definitely. I might have to try that sometime. 

See you next week. real good then?