Echoes from the Loafers' Club Meeting

"I got a new hearing aid and does it work great. I can hear everything clearly."

"What kind is it?"

"It’s about half-past seven."

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 someone says, "How stupid can you be?" I take it as a challenge. 

I've learned

1. A child learns that silence is both golden and suspicious.

2. Weight snacks up on you.

3. I’ll lose a tube of lip balm before I use it up.

The news from Hartland

Dog denied entrance to Down Boy Obedience School due to low SIT scores.

Local resident puts wall-to-wall carpeting in his bathroom. He liked it so much, he ran it to the house.

The ASPCAC (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Alarm Clocks) forms.

A good deed done

Two teenage gymnasts were flying from Minneapolis-St. Paul to Houston, Texas. They were seated one ahead of the other on the plane. Another passenger offered to change seats so that the two might sit side-by-side. The move was completed to the delight of the girls.

"You are awesome!" said one.

"I’m so happy to be awesome," was the reply.

£*! storm

The Weather Channel is naming winter storms. We've named them for years. I’ve heard bad ones called many names. Names give storms a personality. The worst storms should have scary names like Dracula. Milder storms should carry monikers like Bob. One year, snow covered our house at such depth that we couldn’t get out the door until July. I can’t repeat what that storm was called.

When cashews taste like earwax

Karen Daniels, a friend who lives in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, wears hearing aids. One night, Karen was eating cashews as she watched TV. She had one hand filled with cashews and in her other hand, she held a hearing aid that she planned to put in her ear. What happened next is up for speculation. Karen might have momentarily confused her left for her right or forgot the exact locations of her ears and mouth. What’s certain is that Karen popped the hearing aid into her mouth. She chewed the hearing aid. It didn’t taste like a cashew. She spit out the bits of a no longer functioning hearing aid. She'll make do. She’ll label the ear housing the surviving hearing aid as the "good ear."

Life in a small town

Bob is 92 years old and lives in a small town. Not long ago, he ran over a traffic cone downtown. The neighbors like him, but they don’t want him driving. One neighbor solved the problem by pushing a pile of deep snow behind Bob’s truck so that it’s impossible for Bob to get his truck out of the garage.

A fried chicken hound

I stopped in a fried chicken place in South Texas. I sat down to two pieces of chicken, mashed potatoes, and unsweetened iced tea. It might not have been a meal fit for a king, but it was more than sufficient for the likes of me.

A number of crickets chirped near me. They weren’t real crickets. They were ringtones. Cricket wireless stores proliferated in the area. 

A phone at the table next to me chirped. A woman answered it with, "Hello. No, we’re shopping at Wal-Mart."

I wondered why she wanted her meal at the fried chicken place kept a secret. Maybe she was dieting.

As I listened to one side of that conversation, my gaze moved to the window and the parking lot beyond it. There, lying forlornly on the pavement, was a dog. The hapless hound was not without hope. I saw her jump up and beg for food from people exiting the restaurant. I thought they might have been her owners. They were not. They got into their car and drove off. The dog appeared to have been a mother of young puppies.

I ate the mashed potatoes. A dog ate my chicken.

Nature notes

Hummingbirds migrate to exploit brief windows of opportunity in habitats that cannot support a year-round population. Photoperiod (the amount of daylight) triggers their migration. As flowers bloom and insect populations swell in the spring and decline in the fall, the birds follow the food chain. Hummingbirds migrate north to take advantage of the bounty of blooms and insects that spring brings. These provide the food and energy required for courtship, mating, nesting, and raising young.

Meeting adjourned

A good deed is a payment in kind.

Although it’s not quite Thanksgiving yet, there isn’t just one day out of the year that I’m  thankful for all of my blessings — I try to do that every day (try being the key term here). It’s tough to narrow down what I’m most thankful for, but when thinking, there are several things that stand out. I decided to make a list of the eight things in my life I’m most thankful for:

• Most of all, I’m thankful to be here: alive, healthy, and happy. I’ve got a warm house that I don’t have to pay rent for, plenty of food, clothes, and a car to get me where I need to go, which is more than a lot of people can say for themselves.

• My family. Even though they drive me crazy half the time, I love them, and their love and support are a big part of what keeps me going every day. I don’t show it enough, especially to my brothers, but I really do appreciate a family that loves me.

• My parents. The lessons they taught and the morals they instilled in me when I was young are a huge part of who I am today. I’m not the most pleasant person sometimes (hard to believe, I know), but they’ve done their best to stand by me and support me no matter what. I don’t tell them this enough, but I genuinely appreciate everything they have done and continue to do for me.

• My friends. I’m not the kind of person who likes to be alone for too long, so seeing my friends is something I’ve done as much as possible ever since I got my license. My friends are some of the most important people in my life — I wouldn’t be who I am today without them. 

I’ve drifted from a lot of my older friends, but I haven’t forgotten any of them or the memories we made together. They all have a special place in my heart.

• My boyfriend, Lucas. We’ve only been dating for about two and a half months, but I’ve known him since I was 15. We didn’t talk for a couple years from then to now, but I’ve always considered him one of my best friends.

We became really close again over the summer — I can count on one hand the number of days we didn’t hang out since last June. He’s pretty much amazing, though. Genuinely kind, honest, generous. . . 

He’s so great to me, and I love him so much. Every time I see him I’m reminded of how lucky I am to have him in my life. He doesn’t realize how special he is, but I’m going to do my best to show him, because he’s already doing that for me.

• My job. Not only is it my source of income, but I get to do one of the things I’m both good at (or so I’ve been told) and love to do: write. Plus, I get to meet and interact with a lot of people, which I also enjoy. This job definitely isn’t boring, which is more than a lot of people can say about their jobs, so I’m pretty lucky.

• My pets. I have two cats at my dad’s house, and I adore them. They always greet me when I come home, and if I’m upset, one of them will come cuddle with me. They’ve got great personalities and add much entertainment and joy to my house.

It’s easy to get caught up in the festivities and sometimes stress of the holidays, but Thanksgiving is a good one to remind us that we just need to sit back, be with our loved ones, and realize just how blessed we really are. 

I hope you can see what your life has been blessed with, and never forget to tell the ones you love how you feel about them. 

The scurs had their forecasting shoes on last week and it showed. Some spectacular November weather was in order after a cool start to the month following a cool October. How much longer will our good fortune last? 

Starting Wednesday, highs of 65 and lows near 45. For Thanksgiving Day, mostly clear with highs of 55-60 and lows of 30-35. Mostly clear and colder for Black Friday. Highs near 40 and lows of 25-30. Partly cloudy on Saturday with highs again around 40 and lows of 25-30. Sunday, partly cloudy with highs near 45 and lows around 30. 

Mostly sunny for Monday with highs once again toying with 50 degrees and lows around 30. Mostly cloudy for Tuesday with a chance of icy rain. Highs of 30 and lows dropping to 10 above. The normal high for November 22 is 37 and the normal low is 21. The scurs will be busy avoiding the crowds and the rush of Black Friday. There are still more than plenty of shopping days left until Christmas.

The Full Moon for the month of November falls on the 28th and is known as the Full Beaver Moon. It was at this time the trappers would be stocking up with lots of pelts before the waterways froze. 

It has also been known as the Full Frosty Moon. The Ojibwe called it the Freezing Moon while the Sioux referred to it as the Moon of Falling Leaves. At the ranch it goes by the Moon When the Ewes Return Home.

Yes, the main barn has been cleaned so the ewes can return home from the kindly neighbor’s pasture. Under Ruby’s watchful eye, we managed to haul 11 large loads out to the field. 

It seems like every year it takes a little longer to get motivated to get the job done. Despite the fact there are fewer sheep, there are more pens containing small groups. 

This means more messing around moving panels and gates as well as sheep. Ruby is ecstatic by the sheep moving part, but isn’t so keen on the panel and gate moving part. She’s more content to just watch. 

My prize farm implement even skipped a beat on me. The 520 New Holland spreader is supposed to have a slow and fast apron speed as well as a neutral and cleanout setting. 

For whatever reason, it decided to fall in between someplace and slipped from slow speed into cleanout mode on the second load. Luckily, I caught it quickly so it caused no damage. 

Not so luckily, I had committed a cardinal sin. I’d forgotten to put my pitchfork with the authentic Dad’s Good Stuff handle on it in the bucket. Turn around and go back to the yard to retrieve the fork so the pack manure could be dislodged from the beaters. 

As luck would have it, this time it was done during some nice weather for a change. With the strong southerly breezes, it dried the barns out well after cleaning too. 

Such was not the case two years ago. The LP man stopped by to fill the tank while I was in barn cleaning mode. It was snowing, cold and windy; absolutely miserable. 

The apron chains were freezing down on the spreader and matters were not heading in a generally positive direction. When he asked how it was going I think my words were something to the effect of “it’s a laugh a minute out here.” 

That’s when one really appreciates just how nice this last weekend was. Watching the sun setting Saturday night, hauling manure on a tractor without a cab suddenly didn’t seem like such a bad job.

Last Friday night, I noticed that millions of tiny spiders hatched  in response to the warm temperatures and went through the process of “ballooning.” These spiders crawl onto whatever is handy, a stem of grass, a fence or other object that happens to be higher than they are and emit a strand of silk that carries them on the breeze, dispersing them across the landscape. We as humans get to enjoy their handiwork when the late afternoon sun reveals their gossamer strands left behind on the landscape.

Whatever happened to the little fat buddies? Oh, they’re still around, only more disperse and stealthier than they once were, thanks in large part to years of training at the Mall for Men. Take one of my little fat buddies who stopped at my place to pick up the Gator for servicing, for instance. 

He claimed he’d be there by 7 a.m. the next morning, and when I looked out the window the trailer was already gone! Must’ve slipped in under the cover of darkness.  

My guess is there was a free breakfast involved someplace and he really didn’t want to miss that.  After all, one needs to work at keeping the digestive tract expanded to capacity in order to take full advantage of the holiday season.

See you next week. Real good then.    

As you read this, you will either be preparing for the greatest holiday of the year or recovering from it. Why do I like Thanksgiving more than any other holiday? I’m glad you asked! (O.K., maybe you didn’t, but you get to read about it anyway.)

Thanksgiving is all about the three F’s. Normally, an F would be an abhorrent letter to a teacher, but not when it comes to this festive occasion. The three F’s are food, football and family.

Turkey is not my favorite meat, but there’s something about it at Thanksgiving that is amazing. The repast that is laid out on my parents’ table is pretty consistent, though I like to try out new recipes and use my family as guinea pigs on if they’re good or not. 

But the turkey, real mashed potatoes and gravy, corn, and hot buttery buns make this the one meal I would never want to miss.

And after I’m stuffed, out come the pies! There is always pumpkin, of course, and at least one other variety. One type of pie I miss since my Grandma Domeier died is mincemeat. Many people cringe at that thought (no, it doesn’t actually have meat in it), but I always loved it when Grandma made it that one time a year.

Football! It’s been rare when the Vikings have played on Thanksgiving, but that’s no excuse not to sit back and watch a little pigskin with the men in my family. 

It’s usually a good time to take a nap as well, but this year I’ll be watching with keen interest since my great fantasy football mind caused me to draft Tony Romo and whoever is starting at running back for the Dallas Cowboys that week. Yuck, no wonder I’m only .500 this year despite also having Adrian Peterson on my team.

Family is the most important reason this is a great holiday. At the end of the day, after all the eating and the grunting at the football game, it’s always good to see my family. 

As we kids have grown up and started families of our own, not everyone is always able to make it to the Domeier residence in New Ulm for this day, but it is special with whoever makes it there, including some of my aunts and uncles on occasion.

When Grandma and Grandpa Domeier were still alive, the entire family would squeeze into their small house. I remember how excited I was when I graduated from the kid table to the big one. 

I used to eat a big meal the night before to stretch my stomach and then starve myself all morning to build up a big appetite. I wanted to eat as much of that good food that Grandma put on the table as I could. I know those early Thanksgivings were what put me on the path to loving this holiday.

As I mentioned, not everyone can make it every year, and not everyone is still alive to give thanks with us, but every year I thank God that I have these people in my life and get the chance to be with them. This year, I will also give thanks for all of you who have given me feedback on my column and all of you who read it weekly. I appreciate the support – thanks!

Word of the Week: This week’s word is gemutlichkeit, which means comfortableness and friendliness, as in, “New Ulm offered a sense of gemultlichkeit to all those who visited for the holidays.” Impress your friends and confuse your enemies!

Elroy Utpadel, 76, of Owatonna, died peacefully at home on Saturday, November 17, 2012. Funeral services will be at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, November 30th at Trinity Lutheran Church, Owatonna, with the Reverend Julie Malone officiating. 

Visitation will precede the funeral from 9-10:30 a.m. at the church. Interment will be in the Geneva Cemetery.

Elroy was born on July 12, 1936, in Berlin Township, the eldest of four sons to Eldo and Cordelia (Verplank) Utpadel.  He was united in marriage to Eileen (Cornelius) Utpadel, on April 17, 1954, at the United Methodist Church in Geneva.  They moved to California in 1956, and returned to Owatonna in 1994, where he currently resided.  

Evelyn “Marie” Oseland age 94 of Crosby died on November 15, 2012 at her granddaughter’s home (Richard and Denise Olson) in rural Ellendale.

Marie was born on April 7, 1918 in rural Crosby to Carl and Ella (Miller) Peterson. She married Philip “Dan” Oseland on May 21, 1937 in Fairfield Township. 

She was a resident near Lake Adney in rural Crosby for most of her life. She was co-owner and operated a fabric/dry goods store in Crosby. She also was a census worker. 

Marie was a member of the Emily United Methodist Church. She enjoyed working as a church treasurer, Sunday school teacher and ladies aid member for many years.

Ellendale City Council

By SCOTT GROTH

Contributing Writer

The Ellendale City Council met Thursday, November 8, with Mayor Engel and all Councilmen present. Others attending the meeting were Roger Swearingen, maintenance; Pete Paulson, Municipal Liquor Store; and Steve Louks, City Clerk.

During his monthly report, Swearingen informed the council there will be a new drop-off site for recycling. The council had been informed at its last meeting that the county would like to start using a larger container and that they would be in contact with the city about possibly changing the site. 

Swearingen told the council that Waste Management and a person from the county had stopped by earlier in the week to look at possible sites. He said the group liked the advantages of the property next to the railroad tracks on 8th Ave. 

The advantages are no overhead wires, easy access for users and easy loading and unloading for the haulers. Swearingen added that the county will pay for the site preparation and provide signage telling of the move. 

Area elections

By JIM LUTGENS

Editor/Publisher

There were no big surprises in area communities on election day Tuesday, Nov. 6.

In Ellendale, 384 voters turned out. Roger Swearingen, running unopposed for Mayor, was elected with 270 votes. There were 88 write-ins. For the Ellendale City Council, Duane Goebel received 241 votes, Dick Lassahn 215 with 62 write-ins. The biggest issue on the local ballot, Sunday Liquor, passed 243-134.

The City of Geneva had a 95.33 percent voter turnout, reelecting Mayor Steve Bailey with 247 votes. There were 16 write-ins. For Geneva City Council, Taff Worrell received 237 votes, Janelle Tufte 214 with 13 write-ins.

The biggest question mark in the area is in Hartland, where there were no candidates for mayor and two city council positions.

Indoor Marching Band concert Nov. 19-20

NRHEG’s 2012 Indoor Marching Band Concert is set for Monday, November 19, and Tuesday, November 20 in the high school gymnasium in New Richland.

The concert will start at 7:30 p.m. Doors will open at 7 p.m. Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for students. This year’s theme will include music from “The Phantom of the Opera.”

UMC Community Worship November 21

A Community Thanksgiving Service will be held Wednesday, Nov. 21 at 7 p.m. at the United Methodist Church in Ellendale.  You may bring non-perishable food items for the Ellendale Area Food Shelf. Everyone is invited to attend.