There was a time when this column appeared in the newspaper on a weekly basis. It was from 2005-2007, before the Star and Eagle combined. Since that time we’ve had more and better columnists. There wasn’t really a need for me to crank one out every week, so I didn’t. Now, again, we find ourselves with a space to fill and, for now at least, I’ll do my best to fill it with something worthwhile (or at least worth reading).

I’ve always been a rather private person, so sharing my thoughts in a public forum every week hasn’t always come easy. But, just like life being one day at a time, I guess it’s one column at a time, so here goes.

Can I be honest? The last couple weeks have not been easy, and as I write this Monday night, I can’t see it getting extremely easier anytime soon. There are too many memories for one thing. It was two years ago on Wednesday that my mom died after two long weeks in the hospital in Rochester. And that of course means my daughter, Jessica, turns 19 the next day, August 23. We’re both still recovering and Jessica has had other issues as well this summer.

All of this led me somewhere I hadn’t been in a long time: church on Sunday. Pastor Espe was the guest pastor at our humble First Congregational Church in New Richland, and he delivered a long and poignant sermon. You ever go to church and it seems like the minister is speaking directly to you? That’s the way it was. Come to think of it, that’s happened a lot in church, though I’m sure at least once or twice the minister really was zeroing in on me.

It’s too bad it sometimes takes unfortunate events to draw us closer to God. I want to leave the preaching to the experts, but I honestly believe that’s the way it works. When we concentrate too much on mundane or everyday things that have little or nothing to do with the big picture, it’s a recipe for misfortune.

Like this column, there was a time when I, accompanied by three children starting at age 6, 5 and 1, were weekly regulars at Sunday school and church. When the last of the three was confirmed last year, we slacked off. I don’t plan to let it continue. Things go better when you go to church. I believe that.

A lot of people have been asking about the Band Calendars and athletic schedule posters. As usual, given the tight deadlines we have with getting the schedules, they came in right under the wire, arriving Monday, just in time for Meet the Panthers Night on Tuesday. They’ll be available at the New Richland and Ellendale schools. Get ‘em while they last.

We received an anonymous Letter to the Editor last week on one of the town’s hot topics. We’d be glad to print it, but it wasn’t signed. We welcome Letters to the Editor, but in order to be printed they require a name and address at the bottom.

The Vikings didn’t look bad in their preseason home opener against Buffalo, but it is only the preseason. Just ask Dale Kugath (or read his column this week). But if you ask me, I think Kugie has had his heart broken one too many times by the purple. Speaking of Kugie, it looks like he’s lined up to be the Star Eagle’s sportswriter this fall. The 2012 Fall Sports Preview publishes next week, and it includes Kugie’s Panther previews.

Lastly, there’s an ad on the classified pages this week seeking contributing writers/photographers at the Star Eagle. You don’t need experience, but writing ability and photography skills are a must. It’s an opportunity to get paid while you have fun, or get paid to attend events you would go to anyway. It really is enjoyable work or I would not have done it for the last 31 years. And we’re easy to get along with. I promise.

New Richland City Council

By RACHEL RIETSEMA

Staff Writer

The New Richland City council commenced its first meeting of August on Monday evening, August 13 at 6:30 p.m. All councilpersons were present for the almost-two-hour meeting, with the exception of Jody Wynnemer. Council members approved the meeting agenda as written.

The New Richland police department reported 138 calls for the month of July, with one ongoing case that involves the theft of a valuable item. Then it was also stated that with some concerns and requests from townspeople, the department made use of the city’s game camera at two commercial properties.

City Clerk Wayne Billing then relayed the news about trespass issues at the water plant in town. This behavior will be taken care of swiftly under the discretion of the police department.

Ellendale City Council

By SCOTT GROTH

Contributing Writer

The Ellendale City Council met Thursday August 9 with Mayor Engel, councilmen Helland and Groth present. Absent were councilmen Reiter and Goebel.

Also attending the session were Eric Haefner, Ed Nelson, Jim Fiebiger, Municipal Liquor Store Manager Pete Paulson, clerk Steve Louks and maintenance man Roger Swearingen.

Nelson was recognized to lead the discussion about the possibility of having the Steele County Snowmobile Trail Association put pull tabs back in the Municipal Liquor Store. Nelson told the council that currently the association has pull tabs in two sites in Owatonna. 

COUNTY FAIR HONORS — Marissa Mortenson, left, and her sister, Sadie, with the many ribbons and awards they received in 4-H this year. Both qualified for the State Fair. (Submitted photo)

It was a great year for local 4-H’ers Marissa and Sadie Mortenson, who qualified for the State Fair in six events.

Marissa will participate in photography while Sadie will sing “The Rose” on the State Fair Performing Arts Stage for the general encampment, when the girls stay at the state fairgrounds.

Marissa has qualified the last couple years and had a blast with other fellow 4-H’ers. This will be Sadie's first year staying up there. She's excited to meet new people, learn new things and make new friends.

At the end of September, they will both go up with their dogs to the 4-H State Dog Show.

I spent many days at county fairs in my day. Our family background was farming and 4-H was the thing. 

My Grandmother Hanson was the key leader of the Bath-Geneva 4-H Club for many, many years. My mother and her sister "Snookie," Phyllis Hagen, showed many farm animals at the fair back in their day.

My sister and I always looked forward to kids day at the fair because we would get to dress up and take our wagon, doll buggy or the trike to the fair, and a few times we won ride tickets for the carnival. 

That was the only time we saw the carnival. Those tickets were it. I didn't like to ride. My sister did, but it made her sick, so we spent a lot of time enjoying the exhibits instead.

We were always a part of the exhibit scene and that only increased as we grew older as we were in 4-H. We also took exhibits to the Ladies Building. My moment of fame probably came when I twirled my baton in my black leotard, which had spangles on it, and I wore my hair in a ponytail.

We usually had Grandmother Hanson along. That was a circus in itself. 

We often enjoyed a picnic lunch in the shade of the trees behind what is now the historical center. We knew the old log cabin, or for that matter all the buildings, like home. With the age of 4-H, things changed and we were busy from before daybreak until after dark.

There were calves to wash and walk, chickens to take care of, 4-H booths to put up, projects to show including conservation projects, sewing projects, garden vegetables, flowers, pictures, and demonstrations.  One year after the fair, we collected the colored corrugated paper from the garbage and used it to line our unfinished bedroom in our cabin at the lake.

Taking down the 4-H booth was a job. I recall one night it poured. We managed to get all our projects in our little red station wagon only to have a flat tire on the way home. Ever change a tire in a down poor, mud up to your ankles, pitch-black night and no flashlight?

Grandma held a piece of poster paper in front of the headlights to give us enough light the change the tire. My sister, Kaye, forgot to put on the hub cap and boy was my dad upset when he discovered it was not on the tire the next morning. 

We went back the next day to find it. We couldn't believe how muddy it was where we'd had the flat.

I recall another time we came home from dress revue in our finest creations - heels and all - and had a flat tire on Highway 30, west Ellendale near Russell Nelson’s farm. We had an old, second-hand Cadillac that Dad had gotten for us girls to drive because we were young. 

It was old, heavy, and built like a tank. You guessed it: a flat on a wheel that had probably never been off. It was rusted or had machine-tightened lugs that wouldn't give. 

Mom finally decided the tire was too far gone to save, so we decided to just drive home. Stupid yes, and we decided to not drive home but go to my aunt’s and walk from there to Grandmother’s house - shoes in hand - in the middle of the night. 

The next day of course my father found out and of course was angry, but the fact that the story about the lugs wasn't a lie helped cool his temper a bit.

Dad always felt anything he could do we could do also. He wasn't too interested in fairs, and couldn't understand why we were there. 

He was more a workaholic, but we did get him to take us to the State Fair. The State Fair was a continuation of the Freeborn County Fair in those days. 

Our friends, the Fergusons, taught us it was more fun to spend days camping at the fair, which meant moving the camper up to the fairgrounds the weekend before while there were still places to park. That was an event too, as back in those days we didn't drive to the cities like we do now.

Camping at the State Fair gave us all more time to look at the things going on. When it was the busiest you could take a break and go back to the camper and rest a bit and then go back when the crowd thinned out a little.

Have you ever eaten at a place where food moved along on a train track/conveyor belt and when it passed, you picked out what you wanted to eat? Well, they had that "event" at the State Fair. 

It had its day, but as regulations tightened, it was disbanded because it was not unsanitary. And, if something was exposed to the warm air too long, it could cause food poisoning.

My mother remembers the birth of the corn dog years. They were probably 20 cents back then and sold like hot cakes – no, pronto pops. 

Now it is kind of competitive to see what can be sold on a stick. Some ideas are good, but the thought of some things are enough to make you sick. 

The dairy building was a favorite because sundaes, malts and great ice cream cones could be consumed while watching the demonstrations or butter sculpture of the dairy queens taking place. Milk by the glass could be bought for a pittance.

I hope that many of you have been able to attend one of our local fairs this year. The Steele County Free Fair is currently taking place. It is a great fair with many different events to take in and enjoy.

And of course, once the fairs are over, summer is over too, and it is time for the school bells to ring again.

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, August 16th: Kaven Dean Vanhal, Haley Deml, Alexander James Dufresne, Mary Lerberg, Shayla Ann Marie Pachoel, Julie Arnold, Wayne & Marie Dobberstein, Harold & Janice Jensen, Mark & Diana Sundwall, Jeff & Julie Schlei, Donny & Gail Turvold.

• Friday, August 17th: Cole Brody Thompson, Katie Klemmensen, Julie Osmundson, Luke Wiersma, Carol Nelson, Dillon Matthew Kubiatowicz, Abbey Beaber, Jackie DeVrient, Sonya Peterson, Cheryl Spurr, Steve Ladlie, Daniel Whelan, Rod & Cheryl Thompson, Tira & James Smith, Tina & Todd Wangen.

• Saturday, August 18th: Donny Bartsch, Ron Johnson, Rick Johnson, John Ross Vermedahl, David Klocek, Michael Ingvaldson, Kelly Schmidt Janning, Connie Robertson, David Rietsema, Gary & Kathy Anderson, Ryan & Jill Hanson, Tamara & David Jepson, Simon & Arlean Lee.

• Sunday, August 19th: Daxter Carter Lee, Jason Langlie, Michelle Peterson, Jennifer Popiel, Cheri Krejci, Ruth Enzenauer, Cynthia Grubish, Lois Johnson Aitchison, Jodi Wayne, David Cooper, Alyssa Kay Jensen, Larry & Karen Carlson, Jackie & Travis Olson, Andy & Julie Arnold, Larry & Mary Ellen Walton, Kayla & Patrick Krause.

• Monday, August 20th: Dale Nelson, John Scrabeck, Tammy Bergland Techau, Andy Christensen, Diane Cleven, Delbert Karsjens, Jozie Annamarie Johnson, Kim Jensen, Jamie Nelson, Larry Pierce, Tianna & Joshua Kubicek.

• Tuesday, August 21st: , Lori Moon, Avery Hullopeter, Abriana Harris, Scott Tracy, Larry Klocek, Viola Klocek, Dawn Dobberstein, Mary Richards, Cindy Anderson, Roger Johnson, Sara Degan Misgen, Jodie Lee, Jaden Jensen, Cody Lembke, Michael Olson, Jasmine Obermoller Evans, David & Cindy Callahan.

• Wednesday, August 22nd: Thayne & Becky Nordland, Ava Moon, Julie Johnson, Kyle Wallerich, La Donna Cummins Fallen, John Butler, John Glynn, Diane Butler, Dale Kelly, Aaron Ladlie, Dale Kelly, Nancy TaBelle.

Wishing you warm friendship and simple joys. Have a wonderful day!

As summer works its way toward fall I’m sure that a lot of folks, including myself, are looking forward to cooler temperatures. I know that as Minnesotans we have certain “whining rights” when it come so the weather, but as long as we choose to live here we will always have something to start a conversation with. How many times this summer have you heard this one? Is it warm enough for you? Another great question is: are you staying cool? Then there is the I don’t mind the heat but it’s the humidity that I don’t like – now that’s a great ice breaker (pun intended).

I spend a fair amount of time traveling north during the summer and occasionally I will take a moment to look back on my younger days and reflect on those times. On one such trip I noticed a sign that had three words on it and it reminded me of what has often been referred to as those three little words. On this day those three little words read “Road Work Ahead” and they can be seen on just about every road that you travel. I spent last weekend driving through Iowa to Galena, Illinois for a wedding where I am sure those three original little words were spoken. While I was able to see the new three words time and time again, it made me wonder if there is any significance to the number three when making a road sign. Let’s face it – there is prepare to stop followed by left (or right) lane closed, reduced speed ahead, and on it goes. For many years we Minnesotans have gone under the assumption that we were the only ones suffering from constructionitis when in all actuality our neighbors are in the same boat as us.

As we venture further on towards the end of summer and move on to fall I can’t help but feel that summer has gone by all too fast. There were quite a few days when the temperatures made it pretty hard to want to spend a lot of time outdoors. Looking back to my younger days (again) I have to wonder how I ever survived without air conditioning. I can remember going to the Northside Creamery (Dairy Bar) on a hot summer day for an ice cream treat and occasionally a worker would walk out of the cooler and I’d feel that rush of cold air and think wow, I wish I could take that home.

We actually did manage to survive those days without air conditioning and I think that having experienced those times actually makes us appreciate what we have today and not just take it for granted. I don’t really know how old I was when I quit calling a refrigerator an ice box but I can remember what one looked like because my grandpa and grandma had one. The Albert Lea Ice House was a place where you could buy ice by the block. I think that it sat at about the same place that Godfather’s is today. I have an ice pick that came from the Albert Lea Ice House with its name inscribed on the handle. I can still see my grandpa shoveling coal into the furnace and when the “coal man” came he would dump the coal down a coal chute that emptied into a coal bin in the basement.

We have come a long way since those days that some of us refer to as “the good old days,” but those times weren’t always easy and everything wasn’t there at the tip of your fingers. We had no TV, Internet, Smart phones or IPods, just movies and the radio. At the movies you’d see newsreels of the most important events of the week and I can still see my grandpa sitting in his chair on Saturday night listening to Gunsmoke on the radio. I was at my grandparents’ house when I first heard the song “How Much is That Doggy in the Window?” It’s funny how some things stick in your mind. Yes, times were harder and day-to-day living was a lot more work, but those days were also a lot simpler and I believe that in a lot of ways that’s what made them “the good old days”.

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Deer licenses now on sale; lottery applications due Sept. 6

Deer hunting licenses are now available for purchase. Hunters who want an either-sex deer or special hunt permit for the coming season must apply by Thursday, Sept. 6, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

Hunters should carefully review the list of lottery areas; because many of these permit areas have not been lottery areas for a significant period of time. Currently, 58 of the state’s 127 permit areas are lottery areas.

Many of these areas, focused in the northwest, north central and a portion of northeast Minnesota, were designated lottery areas in response to hunter desire to see higher deer populations.

People can purchase a deer license and apply for the lottery or a special hunt at any DNR license agent, by telephone at 888-665-4236 or www.mndnr.gov/buyalicense>online. Lottery winners will be notified in October.

Hunters can apply for lottery deer areas and special hunts using both their firearm and muzzleloader licenses. Although a hunter can be selected for both licenses, successful applicants still can only take one deer. In the case of special hunts, a person may draw both a firearm and muzzleloader permit, in which case they must adhere to the bag limits established by each special hunt.

Lottery deer areas in 2012 are permit areas 103, 108, 110, 118, 119, 122, 169, 171, 172, 183, 184, 197, 199, 234, 235, 237, 238, 250, 251, 252, 253, 258, 260, 261, 262, 263, 264, 265, 266, 269, 270, 271, 272, 273, 274, 275, 276, 277, 278, 279, 280, 281, 282, 283, 284, 285, 286, 288, 289, 290, 291, 292, 294, 295, 296, 297, 298 and 299.

The DNR encourages hunters to review new deer hunting regulations, permit area designations and boundary changes before applying. Current and up-to-date information is available online  at www.mndnr.gov/regulations/hunting.

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Until next time, enjoy the outdoors and take a little time to teach a kid about fishing and he’ll be hooked for life.

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.

Echoes from the Loafers’ Club Meeting

“I’ve started a business of removing wolverines from homes.”

“We don’t have any wolverines here.”

“I know. That means I’ll have no competition.”

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: the inventor of the doorbell did not own a small dog.

I can’t prove it, but I suspect that

1. Brain freeze from eating ice cream is what causes zombies.

2. Women like men in uniform because their shirts match their pants.

3. When food falls on the floor, a mother germ will not let her young jump on it until five seconds pass.

The news from Hartland

The theme of the new theme park located just outside of town is waiting in line.

Duper Supermarket makes shopping easier by moving the magazines next to the toilet paper.

The Stop That! Chemical Dependency Center erects a sign at its gate reading, “Abandon all dope, ye who enter here.”

We drank the Kool-Aid

My mother sometimes poured Kool-Aid into one of those metal ice cube trays. Then she’d put a recycled Popsicle stick into each cube before putting the tray into our freezer, which was a small compartment at the top of our refrigerator. Once the cubes were frozen, we had a tray of poor man’s Popsicles. Mark Roche of Albert Lea told me that his mother used toothpicks for handles. I remember a fellow kid telling me that his father had made some of the frozen Kool-Aid treats, but could find no toothpicks. He used wooden kitchen matches instead.

Customer comments

Judy Tweeten of Hartland said that she and her husband Arlo took grandchildren on a trip to Canada. A grandson became very homesick. He texted his mother, asking her to come and get him. She refused. "O.K.," he responded, "I’ll say I’ve been kidnapped when we go through customs." Fortunately, he didn’t carry through with the threat.

Al Quade of Albert Lea told me that he enjoys listening to the radio. He has five stations that he likes to listen to during the day. He owns five radios. He has each radio tuned to a different station. All he has to do is to turn on the radio that is set to the station he wants to listen to.

Andy Dyrdal of Albert Lea is a retired postman. He said that if the mail was ever a bit late, he told anyone who complained that it was tomorrow’s mail. He added that he has a number of friends who have aches and pains associated with injuries they suffered while participating in sports. Andy said he is thankful that he wasn’t good enough to play.

Neil Burtness of Brownsdale told me that he often took his father-in-law, Vernon Moe of New Richland, to clinic appointments. Afterwards, they stopped for treats at a McDonald’s drive-through lane — an ice cream cone each. Neil said they could tell if they’d gotten their money's worth of ice cream if they passed a certain road on their drive home before the cones disappeared. If they drove past that road and there was ice cream still to be eaten, they had made a wise purchase.

Those thrilling days of yesteryear

I ran the bicycle downhill from the house to the end of the drive.

I was young, much younger than the bicycle. The bike had a truck steering wheel instead of handlebars. The bike was too big for me. I could hit only one pedal at a time. The slant of the drive made acceleration easy, but there was a problem stopping. Being unable to apply both feet at once to the pedals forced me to employ a method of stopping that required colliding with something. More than once, that something was a barbed wire fence. This produced anguished cries, but I was steadfast. I pushed that bicycle up to the high point of the drive. Down we sped until the bike hit the barbed wire again. It was a vicious cycle.

Nature notes

Dave Ausen of Alden wonders if civet cats survive. The abundance of small farms in the early 1900s facilitated an expanding population of civet cats (eastern spotted skunks). They denned under buildings and fed on stored crops, rodents, eggs, and chickens. Only six civet cats have been documented in the last 20 years in Minnesota and it’s an endangered species in Iowa. Farm consolidations, modern agricultural practices, and pesticide use have contributed to the decline.

Meeting adjourned

“How beautiful a day can be when kindness touches it.” — George Elliston

Grace Lutheran Church of Albert Lea and F.R.O.G. of Central Freeborn Lutheran Church Rural Albert Lea sponsored a bus for Lutheran Night at the Twins both Monday and Tuesday night.

Both games were exciting, as the Twins won by one run on Monday night and lost by one run on Tuesday night against the division-leading Chicago White Sox.

A total of 112 Twins tickets were purchased, with 111 sold. The Monday night bus was full while the Tuesday night bus had one vacancy.

The Twins bus fans were from Ellendale, Geneva, Waseca, Rochester, Alden, Hartland, New Richland, Emmons, Clarks Grove, Otisco, Glenville, Albert Lea, Northwood, Clear Lake, and Blooming Prairie, plus other area towns. Surprisingly, neither the town of Lemond nor the town of Steele Center was represented.

Nieces, nephews, uncles, aunts, grandkids, sons, daughters, cousins, spouses, brothers, sisters – only area dignitaries were allowed on the buses.

A sister from the Hartland area brought a sister from Waseca. A sister from the Otisco area brought a sister and her children from Lake Mills. Two families had their adult children meet them at the ball park. 

Darin Passer of Albert Lea celebrated his birthday by going to the game Tuesday night. His name and a “Happy Birthday” was on the Twins scoreboard (Yes, he got a picture of it!). The bus people also sang “Happy Birthday” to Darin. 

Three generations of the Shultz family were on the bus. It was decided that fourth generation Kayla Lou, born May 7, 2012, was a bit too young to enjoy the Twins (those attending on the bus ranged in age from four to 84).

All Lutheran Church bodies were represented by dignitaries. The opening pitch at each game was thrown out by the hefty lady from the Church Basement Ladies (The baseball was thrown about halfway to Home Plate). The ladies also helped lead in singing the National Anthem.

There were even people from the bus who had their names drawn. Nathan Rork of Clear Lake, Iowa was drawn to be part of the group in Center Field leading in singing the National Anthem on Monday night. Genie Hanson, with her “Circle Me, Bert, I’m Almost 70,” was drawn to lead Tuesday night.

The other ten prizes on each bus were Twins-related items, for example: 2012 Yearbook, fishing lure, Rubber Duck baseball cap, 1987 and 1991 World Series ice cream bucket, coke can, etc.

Thanks to Dairy Queen in Waseca and Dairy Queen North in Albert Lea for giving coupons as prizes on each Twins bus. Stop in at Waseca or Albert Lea, mention this article to Katie or Pat in Waseca or Le Ann or Genesis in Albert Lea, and you will be given a coupon for your next purchase. This is in addition to a Senior Discount if you qualify. Katie, Pat, Le Ann, Genesis, you’re great!

The next F.R.O.G. bus trip will be leaving Albert Lea at 3 p.m. Saturday, December 1 to Clear Lake, Iowa for Christmas by the Lake. This includes the lit Christmas parade, fireworks over the lake, KFC buffet, drive through a live Nativity scene, and back to Albert Lea by 9 p.m. Details and cost later.

The Historical Society meeting at the Old Boat House Saturday morning, August 4, was most interesting. See Chuck Crabtree for the info on the twitching of cows’ tails in Beaver Lake. See Barb Mrotz for the proper apparel when you went to Beaver Lake in the Old Days.

A reminder to Beaver Lake cabin occupants of the Annual Association Meeting Sunday, August 26 at 1 p.m. in the Beaver Lake Park Pavilion. Be sure to have lunch before attending, as these will be “No Free Lunch.”

If you were a teacher and your wife was a homemaker, and you had sons Chris and Erik with a doggie named Meeko – would you like to spend part of your summer vacation at a cabin on a lake? Even if it meant driving 2,000 miles one way? The answer was a definitive “yes” to the Todd and Renee Olson family of California staying in their cabin on Beaver Lake.

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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.