HOME SWEET HOME — Running in their only home meet of the season for the NRHEG cross country teams last week were Raece Johnson, top, and Missy Malakowsky. (Star Eagle photos by Chris Schlaak)

By DALE KUGATH

Sportswriter

NEW RICHLAND – Coach Mike Weber’s New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva boys and girls cross country teams held their annual Panther Invitational at Riverview Golf Course Sept. 18. It is the only home meet of the season for the Panthers. 

The NRHEG boys were able to field a complete squad for the first time this fall, finishing sixth among seven teams. 

The Panthers have a 1-40 overall record this year. 

The Panthers girls placed sixth among six complete teams in the race. 

As I start this column, my iTunes is playing “School’s Out,” the classic song that every student longs for in May. However, it has been applying to the students in Chicago recently, as the teachers union there went on strike last week.

I’ve taken a keen interest in these doings since I’m a negotiator for our local union, and I truly hope nothing like that ever happens here. As many people have been quoted, the refrain is the students are the ones who suffer. I always hope a sense of understanding of what is best for all involved pervades our contract talks at NRHEG.

What’s this strike all about? It’s certainly not about money, since the average teacher in Chicago makes around $70,000. Part of the problem lies in how the teachers will be evaluated, a task that the state of Minnesota faces in the next year. Part of our next contract will have to involve language regarding teacher evaluation.

I don’t mind being judged, but like the teachers in Chicago, I have problems with how the government wants to judge us. So much push has been placed on standardized tests that those have also become the focal point of teacher evaluations. In other words, a large portion of teacher evaluation could be made considering a one-day test for students who have no incentive to do well.

Considering that students take reading, language arts, and math tests every year from grades 3-8 under different acronyms (NWEA and MCA), and that many of these tests are taken multiple times during each year, some kids have taken 13 tests a year! Do you suppose students get burned out by testing? By junior high, if you don’t dangle a big enough carrot in front of them, there are a number who just don’t care. Would you have cared about a test that didn’t count in your grade or your ability to advance to the next grade?

Please come in and judge my performance in my classroom. But do it by measuring the progress of my students in more than just a one-day test. Look at their writing from the beginning of 7th grade to the end of 8th grade. 

Take a look at their vocabulary tests that involve reading stories and answering questions much more difficult than the MCA tests since I don’t give them the option of making a lucky guess, but encourage deeper thinking skills.

And how do you judge a teacher in an area that doesn’t have a test? Should our phy ed teachers be judged on how many kids pass the Presidential Physical Fitness Test? 

Is it the teacher’s fault if the students go home and sit in front of the TV eating chips? How about the kindergarten teacher who has a student who can’t count to 10 coming into school because the parents never worked on that or never read to the child, leading to an inability to recognize letters?

Please judge me. Come in and watch me work. Offer constructive criticism. 

I’ve changed the way I teach over the years based on advice from my peers, and I’m a better teacher for it. I hope we can take that into account when we face language like the Chicago teachers have in their contentious contract talks.

Word of the Week: Another of my favorite words this week: impeccable. Impeccable means without flaw, as in, “Tim was impeccable in both his school work and his athletic endeavors.” Impress your friends and confuse your enemies!

The scurs got it to cool down finally, but not before it reached 95 degrees first. Have we seen the last of the 90s for this year? Starting Wednesday, partly cloudy with a slight chance of rain. Highs around 70 and lows near 45. Thursday, partly cloudy and a little cooler with a modest chance of an overnight shower. Highs of 65 and lows of 45. Partly cloudy Friday with a slight chance of a shower. Highs near 60 and lows around 40. Saturday and Sunday, partly cloudy to mostly sunny, highs of 65 and lows of 40 – 45. Monday, mostly sunny, highs of 70 and lows of 40 – 45. Partly cloudy with a chance of a shower. Highs 65 – 70 and lows of 40 – 45. The normal high for the first day of autumn on September 22nd is 71 and the normal low is 45. Sunrise on the 21st will be at 7:01 a.m. and on the 25th, we will be back to 12 hours of daylight. We are losing daylight at the rate of approximately 3 minutes per day. The scurs will be trying to figure where all the lost daylight went and how to get it back.

Another week of scant precipitation meant harvest progress continued largely unabated. This is one for the record books as most would tend to agree. To have as much corn out of the fields as we have is unheard of. Yields have been far above expectations and the quality is part of the reason. Much of the wet corn coming out of the fields at 20% moisture is above 56-lb. test weight. It should pick up another point or two making it some extremely heavy corn. I know the screenings picked up at the kindly neighbor’s so far are very heavy, nearly the same weight as ground corn. The only holdup on soybeans has been the number of green beans yet in the sample. The soybeans have been testing 8 – 10% moisture, but the green material collecting on the outside of a bin is sure to cause headaches down the road for those who have to store them.

It has been tinder dry in the field and the shallow wetlands that provide resting areas for migrating waterfowl are almost all dried up. The pond here has a growth of smartweed in the main part of the basin. It makes excellent forage for ducks and geese but they need some water in order to get at it. Even the deeper pond at the neighbor’s to the north is drier than I ever recall seeing it, with areas where the bottom is no longer covered with water. The LeSueur River around the golf course is just about where it was last year at this time. There are a few shallow pools and puddles in places, but it isn’t running much.

Around the yard at the ranch, signs that fall is here continue to mount. White-lined sphinx moths have taken the evening shift on the impatiens while the hummingbirds have continued their daytime duty. It likely won’t be too much longer although they were still here on the morning of the 18th. We’ll be counting the days we still have them as a blessing. Most of the goldfinches have become occasional visitors once again. I often wondered where they went, but a visit to the CRP gave me a clue as to where some are anyway. There are plenty of native prairie plants in the aster family there making for some fresh, new food for them.

One such plant as pointed out by E.G. was prairie dock, sometimes known as prairie rosinweed. This perennial plant starts out with some large basal rosette leaves that remind one of a scrawny burdock. The leaves are scratchy however and before you know, it has shot some tall flower spikes skyward, sometimes 6’ – 8’ in height. The flowers are yellow and when mature, they have seeds that are very similar to a sunflower around the inside of the outer portion of the flower head. Another plant he identified was called rattlesnake master. This carrot-family plant isn’t of great importance for wildlife other than certain bees, but it does have a distinctive spikey white inflorescence. Interesting to note how the plant got its name. While the heads, when dried, were used by American Indians as rattles, the name came from the pioneers who believed the root of the plant was an effective antidote for the treatment of rattlesnake bites. Turns out they were mistaken.

Had occasion to travel to Preston over the past weekend to attend the retirement party of my brother-in-law. The trip brought back many memories of my youth and probably more than I would’ve imagined when we left home. Motoring down MN Hwy 16, recalled many a trip to the Fillmore Co. Fair over the years. The Branding Iron was our destination and that too brought back many memories of gatherings there over the years. I wondered whether some of my old Preston acquaintances ever ate there, but figured the chances of seeing them were slim and none. When we got there the establishment was just as I remembered. Very open and with a spectacular view of the countryside from its perch atop the hill overlooking Preston. We were greeted by the party and the festivities began, with Jim pointing out that a black bear had been spotted not all that long ago on the football field below. 

The party was relaxing and the food was delicious. As attendees began leaving for home I spotted some folks just coming in who looked familiar. I couldn’t place where I’d seen them, but it really wasn’t important. After we’d visited a little more I glanced over at the table where the people were seated and suddenly it dawned on me that one of them was the wife of an old high school friend and classmate. She was also the sister of a friend I’d known in college. Sure enough, he appeared from the salad bar along with his wife, as did my old high school classmate, who also happens to be the state representative from Preston. We couldn’t believe that we’d all suddenly run into each other like that. It had been 30 odd years since I’d seen my old college friend and 6 or 7 years since I’d seen my high school buddy. What were the odds? We talked a while and then their food came so we had to cut it short. It was probably a good thing. We were starting to delve into the sordid past of our Bailey Hall days. This included tales of death defying feats such as shoe polishing north wing toilet seats, frying squirrels in the dorm room and trips to visit Dr. Shnoxel. We were just trying to have us some fun. Honest.

See you next week…real good then.

Echoes from the Loafers’ Club Meeting

"No coffee for me."

 "Why don’t you ever have coffee at breakfast?"

"It keeps me awake."

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: few things are further from reality than reality TV.

Things I’ve learned about food

1. Man does not live by bread alone. He needs peanut butter, too.

2. A little boy told me he’d learned that if eating a certain food made him throw up, he’d throw up on that food. That way, he didn’t have to eat it.

3. A big boy told me he could eat all he wanted to at a funeral because there was one less person to judge him.

The news from Hartland

• Squash court closes after being filled with excess harvested zucchini.

• Man wearing leisure suit to church claimed he was trying to be fashionably late.

• Eagle snatches cat from a yard. In hindsight, it was a mistake to get the cat a fish tattoo.

A traveling man

I was near Saginaw, Michigan. I was in a snazzy rental car because the rental company had upgraded me. The car was of the luxury kind that was much too good for the likes of me. It wasn’t a foreign car, but it was foreign to what I was accustomed to. The car had a GPS, a strange voice that told me where to go. I was OK with its presence. Not all roads lead to Rome. All roads lead to being lost. Besides, I wouldn’t have to fold a GPS like I would a paper map. I hoped I’d gotten a GPS with a sense of humor. One that would scream things like "Look out!" for no reason. I entered the address of my destination into the GPS. The voice guided me better than the voices in my head typically do. It was good, but it sounded as if it had an attitude. I saw the location, but drove past the turn in order to stop at a drugstore a block down. I needed to purchase postcards. I send my wife a postcard each day I’m away from home. The GPS voice had a conniption. It told me how to perform a U-turn. Then, I’m pretty sure of this, it sighed deeply. I appreciated that. It made me feel like my wife was seated next to me, reading a map.

Clarence

Clarence welcomed me. It wasn’t a guy named Clarence. It was a sign welcoming me to Clarence, Iowa. I was in town to visit the library. I love libraries. I parked my car in the shade. Shade provides premium parking in the summer. Before going into the library, I checked my smarter-than-I-am-phone. On that device, there was a message telling me that an old friend had died. I began to miss him instantly. Each time someone dies, it’s as if a library had burned to the ground.

Did you know?

A potato can be used to remove the jagged end of a broken lightbulb from its socket. Cut a raw potato in half and press the cut end onto the shattered glass. Be sure the power is off and that the potato is large enough to capture the glass edges and protect your hand.

The percentage of women who say they'd never date a guy who picked his nose is 84.

According to a recent survey from Pew Internet & American Life Project, nearly one-third of cellphone users have had their devices lost or stolen.

Nature notes

“I saw a nearly white robin. How common is this?” True albinos occur in about one in 10,000 mammal births. Researchers found that albinism occurs in 17 of 30,000 birds or one in 1,764 birds. Leucism in birds is much more common. It’s a condition where pigmentation cells in an animal fail to develop properly. This can result in atypical white patches appearing on the animal, or, rarely, completely white creatures. An albino’s eyes are usually pink or red.

Meeting adjourned

"Instead of putting others down, try improving yourself instead. The only person you have a right to compete with is you. In the meantime, treat others how you'd like to be treated. One trait that some of the best communicators share is empathy. A couple of kind words can not only make a person's day, but earn you a friend and supporter for life. For the rest of the week, whenever you see someone you want to judge negatively, pay them a compliment instead. See what happens." — Neil Strauss

A 2006 calendar was put out by ladies in the nude from the Winona, Minn. Area. The poses were done in such a way as to not be offensive to most people. One of the main groups behind this calendar was the Wild Women of Faith Lutheran Church in Winona. 

Various groups of nude ladies posed for the twelve months of the year. They called themselves “Women of Purpose.” 

All the profits from the calendar sales were used to help fund cancer and Multiple Sclerosis research, plus Winona Area Hospice. The calendars were so successful that sales warranted a second printing!

Why am I telling you about the Winona area ladies? Because I heard, from a very reliable source, that area coffee klatschers of men in the NRHEG school district were considering putting out a 2014 Men Only calendar, with the proceeds going to the NRHEG School District needs.

I managed to infiltrate one of the NRHEG informal coffee groups and this is what I found out.

The male calendar nude poser must be a resident of the NRHEG school district. He will receive no payment for posing, but the fame will be more than one could imagine, as there will be appearances on late night TV. The name of the calendar will be “Pant-Hers” after the school district “Panthers.”

All the male models must be a bit rusty around the edges. For example, bald, love handles, overweight, beer gut, farmer’s tan, etc. In other words, most of the men over 50 will qualify.

The main organizer is Torge. Baldy, Tubby, Skinny, Fats, Knobby Knees, and Nose are each in charge of the event in their town.

If you’re a member of a NRHEG male coffee klatsch, you know the details. If you’re not a member, get with the program!

A certain male New Richland police officer, on the younger side, pulled me over for no headlight on low beam. When he recognized me, he asked me not to give his name if I wrote about the incident. I agreed not to give his name. He did say it was okay to mention his wife was expecting twins! Do you suppose a certain NRPD officer will make a proud daddy?

Most of you are aware of the Farmer’s Almanac. How many of you are aware of the Farmer Wives Almanac?

The following is basically what it says for the next year: An early fall followed by less than average winter, with no late (May) snowstorms. Those alive at the end of 2013 will be one year older. The high for the year will be more than 90 degrees and the low for the year will be less than 10 below. For further info, go to the Farmer’s Almanac, says a footnote on the last page!

Many of the Beaver Lake cabins have signs on their front doors. For example: “Rest Assured,” “Our Cabin,” “Up Nort’ Now,” “Welcome,” “Come Early – Fish Late,” “Welcome to Paradise,” “Home Away From Home,” “Hi” (on the entry side) “Bye” (on the leaving side).

A classic is the sign above the bathroom stool.

“If it’s yellow

Let it mellow

If it’s brown

Flush it down.”

— — —

Bob is a retired AAL (Aid Association for Lutherans) agent. 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. This is the Hanson’s 37th summer at Beaver Lake. They leave the lake in mid-October to go south — to Albert Lea — and return in April. Bob says if you enjoy his article, 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. 

It used to be that our society placed a great deal of emphasis on "being a man." Exponents of this were John Steinbeck and Ernest Hemingway. 

Hemingway was perhaps our most popular author at one time. He had men displaying their courage against others, the elements, or against a bull where both antagonists were male.

He also promoted the manly art of self-defense where men fought each other in a prize ring "mano-a-mano" until there was a winner. Boxing was popular the first half of the 20th century as men gathered around the radio or television to watch and listen to the Friday Night Fights. The sponsor was Gillette Blue Blades for men.

As our society changed, prize fighting became less important. And when Mohammad Ali dies, boxing will have lost its last world-wide figure. I also bet there are not 50 people in Southeastern Minnesota who can name boxing’s heavyweight champion. 

And, would you believe they even have women boxing in the Olympics? I can imagine what the old boys who held the spit-bucket for their fighters would think of that. Rocky Balboa’s manager Mickey would throw up his hands in disgust.

Certain things were expected if you were a man. If you were sick, you were expected to get up and go to work. Now, not so much. 

As our society headed toward the latter part of the century, men were expected to become more sensitive. Look at Alan Alda.s Hawkeye in M*A*S*H* — he was just about the epitome of the sensitive caring man. Now most people are not against men becoming more caring, but I can imagine how Hemingway would have viewed it.

However, since M*A*S*H*, the pendulum has swung the other way and men are again being appreciated for masculine qualities. In fact, just recently I saw a study how children need men for role models.

On that positive note, I would like to say that our Minnesota Twins have displayed manly traits. They have showed up every day and are playing with courage and determination. 

When the Twins lost four in a row they still came out the next day with grit in their gizzards and won. They lost four in a row due to bad pitching, but the next day, they fought to win. It’s easy to put down a losing pitcher, but it takes a certain amount of courage to keep coming back and trying to pitch well.

The player I admired most this year is Justin Morneau. It has taken a great deal of courage to go out there day after day knowing that one play could be his last. He could have taken an easier route. 

Gardenhire had started playing him as a designated hitter. Then, Morneau would not have to play in the field and be subject to collisions at first base. 

He chose to play and has played well. I’m glad Ryan didn’t trade him to the Dodgers.

From the actions of Morneau and others, it appears that while men may not be acting quite as Ernest Hemingway would have us act, we are a long long ways from Ashley Wilkes in "Gone with the Wind." Us guys are doing pretty well.

I don’t mean to imply that women are not courageous too. If men had to have the babies, there would be a definite dip in population growth.

Fall is in the air! It’s time to think about hunting as the small game. 

Archery seasons are now open, so it’s a great time to get out and enjoy the outdoors with the many different hunting opportunities that will be available to us.

Looking back to my days as a youth, I don’t have many memories of doing any actual hunting until I was a teen. Pheasant hunting was the only hunting I did that didn’t involve my Daisy Red Ryder BB gun. 0 

When hunting with my trusty BB gun, I of course never hunted anything that was actually considered game. Usually none of the critters that were afoot or in flight had any need to worry when me and “Old Red” were on the prowl.

I can remember waiting for summer vacation so that I could do anything (within reason) I wanted for almost three whole months. The first couple of weeks of my summer vacation were spent anxiously awaiting the arrival of my first copy of the Weekly Reader. 

I didn’t get much mail (I was a kid) so I’d be patiently waiting for the mailman to drive up to our mailbox just hoping that he’d have that mail that was just for me.

I guess like most kids, after a couple of weeks of summer vacation, I would get bored. But, there were ways to solve that little problem. 

Does anyone remember a game called stretch, or did we just make that one up? Roger, the oldest kid in our neighborhood came up with this game where you had to stand in one place and throw a knife so it would stick in the ground. You’d then move one foot out so it touched the knife while keeping the other foot in place. 

The one that had the longest stretch would win. You could do as many sticks as you dared in order to extend your leg. 

If we got caught by one of the “warden moms,” the knives would be confiscated and the party was over unless a butter knife was snuck out of the kitchen drawer. 

I don’t think we ever figured out why Roger, who was older and taller always won at that game.

Do you know how smart a guy must have looked when he stabbed himself in the foot with a butter knife? Boy that hurt!

There are a few sayings that I used to hear while growing up that most kids today wouldn’t have a clue as to the meaning. Most of these are phrases that I heard used by the adults (mainly my mother).

A few weeks ago, we had what is called a Blue Moon, which is two full moons in the same month. And because that is rare, the phrase “once in a blue moon” was more than likely derived from that. 

Have you ever had to toe the line? Are you worth your salt? Have you ever taken someone under your wing or worked on something until the cows came home? 

I can remember the saying go to bed with the chickens and don’t let the bed bugs bite. At one time or another, we have all gotten up at the crack of dawn or gone on a wild goose chase and, when you didn’t have much to say, someone would undoubtedly ask you if the cat had gotten your tongue? 

This would sometimes be followed by a penny for your thoughts, which isn’t much in today’s money market. If you had found some lint somewhere or a dust ball that was called “roosk.” 

You could have as many of something as Carters had little liver pills. If you were trying to achieve a great feat, you were attempting to make your mark and, someone may have told you that you were a chip off the old block. 

You could be fit as a fiddle and cuter than a bug’s ear, but if someone told you that you were full of beans, it could make you madder than a wet hen.

Small game hunting big opportunity for new hunters

Minnesota small game hunting seasons are an ideal way for friends and families to get outdoors and discover the opportunities Minnesota has to offer, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

Small game hunting started on Saturday, Sept. 15, when the season for ruffed grouse, rabbit and squirrel began.

“Small game season is a forgotten pleasure,” said Mike Kurre, DNR mentoring program coordinator. “With nothing more than a small caliber rifle or shotgun, a bit of patience and some blaze orange, Minnesota’s fields and forests are there to be explored and enjoyed.”

Small game hunting is inexpensive. Youth licenses (age 15 and under) are free and those for 16 and 17 year olds are just $12.50, a discount from the standard license price of $19.

Hunters must meet firearms safety requirements or obtain an apprentice hunter validation and go afield with a licensed hunter. Minnesota’s apprentice hunter validation program enables those who need but have not completed firearms safety training to hunt under prescribed conditions designed to ensure a safe hunt.

“Once you’re in the field, careful observation of wildlife habits and a bit of stealth will begin to give small game hunters the experience they need,” Kurre said.

— — —

Until next time, hunt safe and always try to take a little time out of your busy day to enjoy the outdoors experience.

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

That Al Batt scooped me. I was just planning on a story on junk drawers and he did it first. At least it shows great minds think alike.

I was just trying to clean up a junk drawer that managed to outgrow its home and move into another drawer and decided that enough’s enough.

I envision nice clean drawers with everything in its proper spot. Dream on.

Only my late uncle, Arnold, could boast the perfect drawer. He could call his wife and tell her exactly where something was. I try, but like Al said, big things keep getting in the way. 

That drawer is so handy to hold whatever needed to be scooped off the counter or things you didn’t know what else to do with it. My little niece, Ava, helped me recently. She is good at finding things and interestingly asked, "What is this?

A junk drawer is a terrific way to entertain a child, but don't forget to check for things that could be dangerous first. They will have fun, but don't be surprised that you get intrigued and join the fun as well. 

It is a time when you can explain things and their uses as well as sort out the goodies.

When all else fails, dump the stuff in the next drawer down; it is probably full of "stick away junk" items, too.

What we find in junk drawers: night lights, a screw and washer from a toy, old flashlight batteries, clippings, scotch tape, dried up pens. . . the list goes on.

There are junk drawers and there are paper junk drawers. I have one with clippings and little notes about things of interest I didn't know, and might enlarge and make them a part of my own wisdom, but I'll share. It may be eclectic, but they at least intrigued me.

For instance, did you know Fannie Farmer, of candy fame, was the one who started using measuring cups? Before that, recipes called for a fist full of flour or a gob of shortening. 

Good cooks turned out good food with solely the value of a good eye. But many of us aren't able to do that — we need those measuring cups.

The smartest toys can be the simplest. Blocks can build more vocabulary skills, partly because of interaction with their parents. 

Children play more creatively with generic toys than with movies and television. Before kids had blocks they probably stacked rocks!

Did you know that a newborn baby’s brain triples in size in the first two years of life? A child’s intelligence, in terms of brain development, is determined by the time they celebrate their 4th birthday.

Work is the greatest thing in the world, so we should always save some jobs for tomorrow.

In 1990, there were about 15,000 vacuum cleaner accidents in the United States.

Little League baseball is a very good thing. It keeps parents off the streets.

The oldest person to manage a major league baseball team was Cornelius McGilicuddy, Sr., known as Connie Mack. He skippered the Philadelphia Athletics through the 1950 baseball season when he was 87 years old. 

The Hall of Famer managed an astonishing 7,755 games in his career. His grandson was Senator Connie Mack III. (He was related to my Grandma Schember.)

The bathtub was invented in 1850 and the telephone in 1875. In other words, if you had been living in 1850 you could have sat in the bathtub for 25 years without having to answer the phone! Now cell phones go with their owners everywhere.

Since AARP and the AARP Foundation launched "Drive To End Hunger," the initiative has donated more than 6.6 million meals to older Americans. Think twice before you throw it away.

Do you know what a pedant is? My dictionary describes it as a person who emphasizes trivial points of learning, showing a scholarship lacking in judgment, as well as a narrow-minded teacher who insists on exact adherence to rules. A pedant person instructs us with what he knows, then of what we are ignorant.

If all the rich people in the world divided up their money among themselves there wouldn't be enough to go around.

However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

What other people think of you is none of your business.

Cooked tomatoes have more lycophene than raw. Even ketchup, though it has sugar, is good for your heart.

Eating tomatoes and carrots will keep down high blood pressure.

The cartenoids in orange colored fruit and vegetables can make you look thinner.

Eating carrots, tomatoes, plums, and sweet potatoes every day will give you a healthy glow.

We all have big changes in our lives that are more or less second chances.

Rattlesnakes gather in groups to sleep through the winter. Sometimes, up to 1,000 of them coil up together to keep warm.

The world’s tallest fountain is found in Fountain Hills, Arizona. Built at a cost of $1.5 million for McCullock Properties, Inc., the 564 tall columns of water weigh more than eight tons.

The average person falls asleep in seven minutes. (I guess I am not average.)

In the United States, both the "National Pig Day" and "Peanut Butter Lovers Day" are observed on March 1st. Hopefully not at the same time in the same place.

A barometer is a device for measuring the weight of atmosphere. The word is derived from the Greek word baras, or weight.

Time is free, but it is priceless. You cannot own it, but you can use it. You can keep it but you can't spend it. Once you lose it, you can never get it back.

If there is a friend you are thinking nice thoughts about, let him/her know.

God loves you because of who He is, not because of who you are.

And that is just the start of one of my "junk" drawers, that I guess really isn’t junk to me!

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, September 20th: Trinity Starr Wocelka, her first; Jade Hill, Tricia Wayne, Alice Simonson, Sarah Mills, Cheryl Lonning, Bruce Born, Mardelyn Thompson, Jennifer Thorn, Jason & Michelle Gordon, Irvin & Kathy Jensen.

• Friday, September 21st: Addie Haugen, Tiffany Shelton, Tim Sorenson, Dan Richards, Ann Hamilton, Margaret Deml, Thomas O'Conner, Pastor Richard Spande, Richard Axmann, Sherri & Chad Fritz, Jodi & Brandon Wayne, Marty & Karen Johnson.

• Saturday, September 22nd: Noah Rasmussen, Lee Nelson, Gary Jenkins, Kaleb Christensen, Diane Stollard, Kathy Underland, Doris DeNeui, Mark & Rachel Lee.

• Sunday, September 23rd: Aiden James Manges, Allison Groth Muilenburg, Melissa Lonning, Sara Corenlius Routh, Kristin Hamburg, Lance Jepson, Theresa Langlie, Debra Harding, James Robertson, Galen Montanye, Elizabeth Lageson, Mark Kasper, Robin Christensen, Judy & Tad Lunning.

• Monday, September 24th: Gilmore Nelson, Nancy Pence, Jayna Domier, Jazmyne Tayton Martinez, Brandon Wayne, Cherysh Christina Hill Marcks, Brody Carlson, Michael Bedney, Trevor David Barber, Jill Vanden Heuvel, Kathie Lein, Susan Mickelson, Sophie Miller, Iris & Stanley Jensen.

• Tuesday, September 25th: Amelia Christine Powers, her first birthday: Maykayla Jayme Haberman, Trevor David Barber, Geraldine Vangen, Tom Lageson, Pat Conklin, Suzanne Enzenauer Skaar, Cameron & Dayna Schember, Kellen & Alison Utpadel, Dwight & Loretta Schewe, Harmony & Ryan Anderson, Amy & Rick Storlie, Wendy & Marty Schultz, Larry & Elaine Paulsen.

• Wednesday, September 26th: Becky Tindal, Tammy Beenken, Lori Klemmensen Suchanek, Marc Horan, Verdel Humberg, Virginia Miller, James Henry.

Neidermeier, Connie Menefee Calderon, Lee Johnson, Glenn Beckman, Marty & Lee Nelson.

May your special day hold the promise of many bright tomorrows!

By JIM LUTGENS

Editor/Publisher

Though the event was held at the New Richland Sportsmen’s Club, no guns were fired and nothing was shot.

Instead, Waseca County Commissioner candidates Jim Peterson and Jody Wynnemer squared off in a battle of words at a forum hosted by the Waseca County Corn and Soybean Growers Association Tuesday, Sept. 11.

Who won? Neither candidate, because no scores were kept. The winners were the people who showed up to learn more about the men running for office. It was far short of the number expected, but there was a reason.

“We didn’t know this was going to be in the middle of harvest,” said Leon Schoenrock, one of the event organizers.

Peterson and Wynnemer alternated answering questions asked by Soybean Growers Association Chairperson Tammy Haley, some prepared in advance and some taken from the audience. A couple farmers showed up with lists in hand.

Spotlight: teen suicide

By JESSICA LUTGENS

Editorial Assistant

In the state of Minnesota, suicide is the second leading cause of death in teens; in the United States, it’s the third leading cause of death, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In southern Minnesota alone, there have been six teen suicides this summer, and thousands of teens across America commit suicide every year. What is causing this? What can we do to prevent it? 

Suicide is not a subject to be taken lightly, and although people of all ages do it, it’s most commonly attempted by those aged 15-24 years old. Teenagers have many stressors in their lives, including school, sports/extracurricular activities, friends, family, their appearance, cliques, jobs, trying to fit in, the pressure to excel in whatever they do and the fear of failing and disappointing not only themselves, but those close to them. 

Combine that with the hormones that come with adolescence which make it even harder to handle all of the emotions that come with being a teenager. The result can be a feeling of hopelessness and having nowhere to turn to deal with your problems.