Ellendale City Council

By SCOTT GROTH

Contributing Writer

The Ellendale City Council met Thursday August 23, with Mayor Engel and all council members present. Also in attendance for the meeting was Steve Louks, City Clerk, and Pete Paulson, Municipal Liquor Store Manager.

The city council took on the yearly task of determining how much and what is needed in the city to set the tax levy for the year 2013. The council felt that streets are a major concern for the upcoming years and would like start doing projects in stages. Mayor Engel pointed out to the council that the backhoe will be paid for this year and that will help a little. The council reviewed the interim budget report prepared by Clerk Louks for the meeting. After some discussion the council moved to leave the levy the same as 2012, which is $307,118.00. This amount will be sent to county for certification.

The council reviewed the fire department’s new Relief Association bylaws. As explained to the council at a prior meeting, the major difference will be in the time it takes an individual to get vested in the fire department. The council moved to accept the new bylaws for the fire department.

By NICOLE BILLING

Editorial Assistant

Habitat For Humanity is helping an underprivileged family by fixing up a donated house. Joe Fritz, building coordinator, encourages all interested volunteers to sign up by September 1. 

The house, located at 508 NW 4th St. in New Richland, needs a fair share of repairs before the family can move in.

According to Joe Fritz, "We need to replace the walls, windows and siding. There has to be Radon tests done. Volunteers won't be asked to do any of the big things, but it would be nice if they could help with little things like yard work and hammering nails into the wall. People could even help put sheet rock up if they wanted."

By KATHY PAULSEN

Staff Writer

Welcome to Everbridge.

The switch has been made and Steele and Rice County now have a new emergency notification system in place and operational.

There was a meeting of the minds on Wednesday, August 15, at the Owatonna Fire Department with Deputy Director of Emergency Management, Chris Gannon; Steele County Sheriff, Lon Thiele; Owatonna Police Chief, Keith Hiller; Owatonna Fire Chief and Steele County Emergency Management Director, Mike Johnson; Rice Steele 911 Center Administrator CEM Administrator, Timothy Boyer; City of Ellendale Maintenance/Ellendale Emergency Management Director, Roger Swearingen; as well as area media services.

The human brain is a three-pound mass of jelly-like fats and tissues, yet it is the most complex of all known structures. Up to a trillion nerve cells work together to coordinate the physical actions and mental processes that set humans apart from other species. Yet, there are those who say there is no God!

Everything we say or see or do must come through this miraculous piece of machinery that we take for granted, as it is such an automatic and conscientious servant. Only when things go wrong do we investigate why there is a problem with the brain.

Our heart is also a tireless worker, and if it stops, so do we. But even that is almost always under the control of the brain.

There are those who use their brainpower to produce and do miraculous things that make one marvel at how such things can be accomplished.

Are we any different than Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, putting forbidden food in our bodies that gives us more pain? In short, we've got a brain capable of telling us to do the right thing, but we don't always cooperate. And, eventually we pay for it.

There is an evil called cancer. The very word gives you shivers. It isn't one word or one condition; it is many, and it runs rampant. 

Our brain tells us we need to stop this evil problem, and research helps. We know that research costs money and the kindness in our soul brings out the best in us, as we provide money in the best ways we can to find a cure. But, there is a part of our brains we are slow to listen to, like prevention.

Why are we so reluctant to do all that we can? Some things are easy. Some are not. 

Are we investing in bureaucratic practices that may enhance our foods, but make healthy bodies pay the price? Regardless of bureaucratic practices, we still have the freedom of choice in what we put into our bodies.  

Like so many things, there seems to be a hint of most diseases in our bodies that seem to make it take off in the wrong direction. We need to look for things that will enhance the immune system.

Smoking, overeating, alcoholism, and sedentary living all allow cancer, diabetes, and heart problems to make inroads and hinders the ability of the body to use beta carotene. It depletes reserves of folate, thiamine, B vitamins and selenium. Folate is known to reduce the proliferation of cancer cells.

Sugar attracts bacteria. Fruits and vegetables, brown rice, and nuts are loaded with nutrition. The library is full of books on foods that will benefit health and the specific foods that help boost immunity against infection.

Common sense will tell you benefits and drawbacks. Moderation is key. 

Salt, sugar, and animal fats are to be avoided. Protective foods are associated with fruits and vegetables and are rich sources of bioflavonoids, dietary fiber and antioxidants nutrients such as beta carotene, vitamins A, C, E and selenium. 

All of these substances may slow, stop, or reverse processes that can lead to cancer. They do so by preventing precancerous changes in cellular genetic material due to carcinogens, radiation or other environmental factors including and reducing the hormonal action that can stimulate tumor growth.

One of the problems in making good decisions about the foods we put in our bodies is the conflicting research available to us. We've all heard different opinions of what it good and bad for us and it's hard to know who to trust.

But when in doubt, use common sense. What is good for one thing may be detrimental to something else. One example: coffee. Look at the healthy natural foods listed above and try to substitute some of these foods every day.

Friends don’t let friends fight cancer alone!

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

• Thursday, August 30th: Brett Richards, Joel Born, Danielle Cook, Katie Cleven Richards, Staci Hohansee, Donna Demmer, Everett Jensen, Grace Paulson, Craig Schwartz, Eva Elayna Thomas.

• Friday, August 31st: Carole Schember, Judy Deml, Terry Walterman, Kari Hohansee, Jerry Flugum, Tony Holmes, Connie Misgen Evenson, John Tasker,  Heather Reese, Nancy Bottelson, Garrett Avery, Ron & Karen Huber, Melissa & Tyler Moe.

• Saturday, September 1st: Jim Motz, Payton Thomspon, Daryl Nelson, Jody Farr, Catherine Carlson, Gregory Ray, Dianna & Matthew Beckman, Adam & Lalya Lang, Jim & Marian Motz.

• Sunday, September 2nd: Krista Paulsen, Brent Broulik, Barb Grunwald, Dean Richards, Logan Callahan, Peyton Moore Ayers, Randy & Barb Horan, Christine & Tom Krause, Amy & Jeff Conley

• Monday, September 3rd: Marie Carroll, Lori Ingvaldson, Joanne & Mitch Wayne, Dick & Paulette Nelson, Tatum Wilson.

• Tuesday, September 4th: Cody Blouin, Marc Vanden Heuvel, Melissa Wayne, Erin Dobberstein, Daniel Pitcock , Holly Wangsness Dau, Rachel Arends, Melody & Tim Gassnman.

• Wednesday, September 5th: Beckett Dane Rasmussen, Sydney Marie Schmidt, Jennifer Broskoff Dutton, Bruce Langlie, Beth Ann Suelter, Darren Hanson, Stacy Evenson, Grace Lorraine Kofstad, Rande Nelson, Dennis & Mary Jensen, Chuck and L‚ymra Hoogland, Brian & Angie Dobberstein.

Wherever this year takes you, may you find happiness along the way.

It seems like it was just yesterday when I was anticipating the onset of summer and now it is already winding down. We are experiencing what is considered typical August weather; warm sunny days and nice cool nights. I just don’t think that it gets much better than that!

This past week, I had a chance to spend some time at the cabin with my sister Judy, brother-in-law Mike and their granddaughter Lexi. We were treated to some great weather and the fishing wasn’t all that bad either. 

We have tried to make this an annual event for at least the last few years. I did discover that Lexi really likes fishing and the whole outdoors experience. 

While at the cabin, she took the paddle boat out by herself and did some fishing on our lake. Lexi has learned a lot about the outdoors experience by camping with grandpa and grandma and going to Rendezvous with Grandpa Mike. 

The fish in our lake seem to have gotten smaller with each passing year, but they are still fun to catch. And, there is always a chance that you will catch some table fare.

Although we didn’t keep many of the fish, we did keep enough for one meal and, I might add, it was mighty tasty. Judy likes to fish, but even more-so, she just enjoys spending time in the outdoors and taking it all in. 

Both her and Mike think along those lines when it comes to enjoying the outdoors. I guess I’ve always believed that it’s not just about the fishing but the whole outdoors experience.

Fishing in August is sometimes a challenge, but the fish are usually more than willing to cooperate.  This time was no exception. 

My fish locator decided to take a separate vacation this time. In other words, it decided to quit working. This meant fishing the old fashioned way again and I have no problem with that. 

Fishing lakes that you are familiar with makes it easier to fish without a locator. I didn’t even have to revert back to the old marking the anchor rope trick on this trip, but the thought did enter my mind for a fleeting moment.

This time of the year it is pretty easy to follow the weed line, especially if you are familiar with an area and know the approximate depth. A lot of the lakes in the area have steep drops so you can be 10-ft. from lily pads or reeds and be in 20 foot of water. 

The bass were hanging out along the weed edges while the northern were in a little deeper water. I even managed to catch a nice walleye on a clown colored Rapala Husky Jerk, which is my grandson Trevor’s favorite color for the particular lake that we were fishing.

Live and artificial bait seemed to produce about the same results. There are times though when I feel live bait will out fish artificial.

But, I really think that a lot of that has to do with being in your comfort zone. It was a good trip north enjoying memorable times spent with family.

Locally crappie and sunnies are being caught in the area of Edgewater bay. One local fisherman said that the crappies are in the 8-9 inch range which can make for some good table fare.

So until next time, grab your tackle and head to the lake because there’s still plenty of fishing to be done. Plus it’s just another great way to enjoy the outdoors.

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

— — —

DNR encourages hunters to apply early for deer permits, wolf licenses

Hunters who have yet to apply for an either-sex deer permit or wolf hunting and trapping licenses are encouraged to do so well before the Thursday, Sept. 6, deadline.

Nearly half of the state’s deer permit areas now are lottery areas, which means hunters must apply for and be selected to receive a permit that allows them to shoot antlerless deer in lottery areas.

Because many of these areas – focused in the northwestern, north-central and a portion of northeastern Minnesota – have not been lottery areas for years, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) strongly recommends that hunters check to ensure the area where they hunt has not become a lottery area.

Hunters already have applied for more than half of the licenses available in each of the three wolf hunting seasons to be conducted this fall and winter. Applying early allows time for hunters to gather information needed for applications.

Current and up-to-date information is available online at www.mndnr.gov/hunting/deer and www.mndnr.gov/hunting/wolf.

Echoes from the Loafers’ Club Meeting

"Where did you get that piece of cherry pie?"

"It was in the refrigerator. Someone had hidden it in the vegetable tray."

"I didn’t think you’d look there."

"I looked everywhere."

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: a container covered by a dishcloth holds good food.

I’ve learned

1. That very few of the prizes found in every box of Cracker Jack are edible.

2. If at first I don’t succeed, I need a new battery.

3. You cannot try on another’s eyeglasses without thinking them blind.

Walking at the Brown County Fair

I was sweating the small stuff. I was helping herd five grandchildren around the fairgrounds on a hot day.

It had been a good summer — no tornado sirens. On the way to the fair, I had driven by an old truck carrying a bumper sticker reading, "I’m retired. Go around me."

As I watched the kids go on wild rides named things like Call Your Lawyer, I had time to wonder why it is that guys’ shorts get longer while girls’ shorts become shorter.

We took a break from the rides and competitive eating to stop by the cattle barn. We watched Holsteins at a lactation station. The cows were being milked. The grandkids were momentarily mesmerized.

I remembered the days I’ve spent milking cows as I watched my grandchildren. I saw the past and the future simultaneously.

The Minnesota State Fair

There might be too many people at Minnesota’s great get together. I work at the Steele County Fair each year. In 2011, 306,597 people attended that fair and 2012 showed an increase to 321,926. I’m not sure how a "free" fair is able to arrive at such figures, but fairgoers were in abundance. The Minnesota State Fair had 234,384 people show up one day. At least one of them was staggering across the fairgrounds while singing poorly, but loudly, "Oh, give me land, lots of land under starry skies above. Don't fence me in. Let me ride through the wide-open country that I love. Don't fence me in."

I remember when Machinery Hill had machinery. My father went there to kick the tires of farm equipment that he’d never be able to afford to own.  

This year, there is a scarecrow at the Horticulture Building named and modeled after me. It’s not just the crowds that make the State Fair a scary place.

Nature notes

A hummingbird flew past a turkey. The extreme birds drew me outside to enjoy the day. I danced the Funky Chicken with two left feet to music only I could hear. “A-well-a, everybody's heard about the bird. Bird, bird, bird, b-bird's the word.” The song, Surfin’ Bird, by the Trashmen, included the wise words that guide my life, “Papa-ooma-mow-mow, papa-ooma-mow-mow.” Goldfinches flew from Jerusalem artichokes into a maple like leaves flying back into a tree. The air above the yard filled with feathers. Swallows were in a feeding frenzy, eating flying insects. My wife and I ate ice cream on the deck. One of the swallows hit me with a dropping. We all have to go some time. I thought about getting a tissue and wiping the poop off, but by that time, the swallow could have been a mile away. As Eliot Porter wrote, “Sometimes you can tell a large story with a tiny subject.”

Customer comments

Leon Schoenrock of New Richland writes, “I enjoyed your discussion of how to eat corn (on-the-cob) in your column. I have a way of doing it that only a farmer could appreciate. That is to go lengthwise down the rows, but only after taking the headlands off each end.”

Roger Batt of Algona sends this, “People say a house burned up. Others say the house burned down. Which is it? Does milkweed juice really work on a wart?” Roger, I believe they’re equivalent. If the house burned to the ground, it burned down. If it burned to the ground, it burned completely, so it also burned up. Similarly, when you drink down a cup of coffee, you drink it completely, so you drink it up. I’m no herbalist nor do I play an MD in the newspaper, but I’ve heard from many readers saying that milkweed sap eliminates warts.

Steve Borge of Albert Lea told me that when he bent over to pick up a can of varnish, his cellphone slipped from his pocket and fell into the varnish. It was quite a finish for the cellphone.

Meeting adjourned

A kind word grows larger with time.

It’s an honor to have a celebrity spouse, especially when the spouse is named Genie.

The mechanical hoist is named “The Genie.” The new bra is named “The Genie Bra.” The best thing to come out of Iowa is not I-35, it is “Genie” from Clear Lake, Iowa.

In honor of the Seventh Decade of her life, Genie was treated to seven meals at seven different locations plus one coffee hour. She received thirty birthday cards plus numerous well-wishes over the phone and in person.

The Hanson relatives’ birthday celebration for Genie was held at Olivia’s Restaurant in Owatonna. Olivia most certainly knows how to get repeat business. 

We were most blessed in having Olivia as our waitress. The coffee cup was never empty, she provided crayons and coloring books for the youngsters, the portions were man-sized, and the food and service were excellent. She made Genie feel like the queen of the occasion too. It may be a bit tricky to drive into, but all 14 of us from St Peter, Minnesota to Sacramento, California were very please with Olivia’s.

For your information, I tried to collect a royalty fee for using the name “Genie” for the hoist and the bra. No luck. 

The copyright judge threw my case out by stating, “A copyright only lasts five decades, and Genie is in her seventh decade. Therefore, your claim is frivolous and Genie is most certainly not frivolous.”

We have a Cooper’s Hawk here at Beaver Lake with a connoisseur’s taste in food. The entrees that we have seen eaten are a “Sparrow on the Sand” and a “Blue Jay in the Grass.”

Fair Fact or Fiction – You Decide: 1. Two 70-plus-year-olds danced to the White Sidewalls at the Steele County Fair. 2. Genie and I were the dancing couple. 3. One of the singing Ebnets family from New Richland did not perform on stage at the Steele County Fair (the one who brings home his fishing catch via the local grocery store).

Many mornings you can see an old green Ford pickup with a boat trailer in the Beaver Lake parking lot. The old guy driver will be out on the lake water skiing. The green Ford and the guy are both in fantastic looking shape. Who is the older? Only Joel of the Blooming Prairie area knows!

Birds are flocking, leaves are turning, corn is dented, apples are ripe, night time temperature is fit for open window sleeping, the pollen count is high, and two beavers have made a year-round home in a tree at cabin 22 for themselves. (You must see the change in the former elm tree.) What do you think all this means? Someone is going to be the “Fall” guy for them.

How about that? A blue moon in August (The first was Aug. 1, the second Aug. 31).

The three baby ducks visit us every day for corn and bread crumbs. They have gotten a lot bigger and we know they are wood ducks. We can tell one is a female, one is a male, and the third one is questionable.

For the man who has everything, an excellent Christmas present could be: a mankini, and a murse. Yes, there is now a male bikini and a male purse. I wonder if Genie will give me a mankini and a murse for Christmas?

— — —

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. 

The scurs were overoptimistic about rainfall, but at least we got some. Will we get any more this week? Starting Wednesday, mostly sunny with highs near 95 and lows around 65. Slightly warmer (okay, hotter than Hades) on Thursday with highs nearing the century mark and lows around 65. Mostly clear on Friday and Saturday with highs dropping down to 90 and lows of 60-65. Mostly sunny on Sunday with a slight chance of an evening shower. Highs around 85 and lows of 60-65. Mostly sunny and cooler on Labor Day with highs of 80 and lows of 60. Partly cloudy with a chance of showers on Tuesday. Highs of 85 and lows of 55. The normal high for August 31st is 78 and the normal low is 54. The scurs will be resting their weary carcasses on Labor Day after a grueling hot summer.

August 31st will provide us with one of those somewhat rare occurrences, namely a Blue Moon. Originally a Blue Moon was defined as the 4th Full Moon in a season, although today’s generally accepted definition calls a Blue Moon the second Full Moon in a month. It can also be called a Blue Moon if the moon itself appears blue due to dust particles suspended in the atmosphere.  Actually the frequency with which a Blue Moon occurs is about once every 19 months although it is not a given and there may be several years in which it does not occur. Since this Full Moon has essentially no name, a la Clint Eastwood in the Spaghetti Westerns, some have dubbed it a Full Fruit Moon and others since the September Full Moon will be the Harvest Moon, are calling this one the Full Corn Moon. Oddly enough, since Native Americans used the moons as one of their methods of measuring time, it doesn’t always mesh with our monthly format. At the ranch however we have no such problem, it’s known as the Moon When the Garden Overwhelms Us.

The grueling hot summer decides to come back in late August for an encore performance. Thought maybe we were done with 90-degree heat, didn’t you? Coupled with the continued sparse rainfall, that heat has pretty well cooked the goose of any chance we had at adding additional soybean yield on later-maturing soybeans. For the most part corn has reached physiological maturity and the heat will hasten the dry down. No doubt about it, there will be plenty of corn harvested in September here as stalk quality and weak ear shanks could become an issue. Everyone got a reminder of how costly that dry corn could be this past spring when all the volunteer corn showed up. Ten to 20 bushel per acre on the ground would’ve paid for a lot of dryer gas.

The garden has been ultra-productive this year, although due to some miscommunication, it seems we’ve made more promises than we can keep. When I’ve wanted something to eat or promised someone something, suddenly the cupboard is bare. Oh well, the snap peas are up and the winter radishes continue to look impressive as we approach the fall season. They should after the watering they’ve had. Certainly hasn’t hurt to supplement the scant rains they’ve received. Thanks to some additional timely watering muskmelon crop has started out as good as it looked with some of the sweetest cantaloupes we’ve raised in many moons. The tomatoes should throttle up this next week. Watering has also helped the posies. The 4 o’clocks and the morning glories have become an explosion of blooms the hummingbird population can’t seem to resist. The morning glories are approaching the halfway point on the yard light pole. It appears only a hard freeze stands between them  reaching the top.

The sheep have ground their pasture down pretty well and look forward to all the vegetable peelings and leftovers sent their direction over the fence. Sweet corn husks and cobs are among their favorites although the melon rinds and cucumber peelings disappear quickly. There are no apples for them this year at the ranch after a banner year last season. The last SnoSweet apple was destroyed by a bird so we’ll need to wait at least another year to sample any from our own tree. That said with the dry weather conditions it’s probably not a bad idea to water the fruit trees this fall. The last update from the SROC in Waseca indicates lower available soil moisture in the top 5’ than we had at any time last year. We certainly didn’t make any miraculous recovery this past week.

The birds are in a transition stage around our yard right now. Thinking there still might be an oriole or two around yet after my week long absence, I put a couple dollops of jelly in their feeder and refilled their nectar feeder. Checking the feeders the next morning, it appeared there had been some activity. The scolding from the trees above confirmed my suspicions: They’re still here!  

Another Pro Farmer Crop Tour is in the books and best of all I lived to tell about it. Never have I witnessed so much poor crop over such a vast area. One of the interesting things though was the low amount of destroyed and harvested crop relative to what I’d seen the network media report in early July. While there were some corn fields where the yield was essentially zero, most had at least some corn in them that would still make them worth harvesting. And, in some areas where rains fell a few weeks ago, the soybeans actually looked respectable all things considered. Not saying it isn’t a disaster but sometimes it seems especially at the national network level, the media would rather the facts didn’t get in the way of a good story. On my level, I’m just glad for the opportunity to participate in this event and call it as I see it yet another year. Like everything else I do though, it seems when I reached the ripe old age of 50, it takes more time to recover. Most importantly though, as I’ve said in years past, Oh Auntie Em, there’s no place like home!

See you next week…real good then.

Memorial services for Edythe Mae Brandenburg of Mankato, MN, will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, September 1, 2012 at St. Peter’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in New Richland, MN. Pastor Scott Williams will officiate. Friends may greet the family one hour prior to the service at the church. Interment will be in St. Peter’s Cemetery, New Richland, MN after which there will be a gathering at the church for lunch and sharing of memories.

Edythe died Wednesday, August 22, 2012 at the Pathstone Crossing Home in Mankato, MN. She was 95 years of age.