The scurs kept it coming last week with another dose of cooler temperatures, making July a more distant memory. Can they deliver more of the same? Starting Wednesday, mostly cloudy with a modest chance of showers during the day and a good chance of rain in the evening. Highs of 85 and lows of 60. Thursday, partly cloudy and cooler with a slight chance of shower. Highs near 70 and lows around 50. Friday and Saturday, mostly clear with highs near 70  with lows near 50. Mostly clear on Sunday and Monday with highs of 75 and lows of 55. Partly cloudy on Tuesday with a slight chance of showers. Highs of 75 and lows near 65. The normal high for August 20th is 75 and the normal low is 65. The scurs have some last-minute school shopping to finish up, but that won’t keep them from lounging for a few last lazy hours as they await the return of the yellow livestock haulers.

Crop progress continues to amaze for the calendar date and a little rain hasn’t hurt. Rainfall has already surpassed the inch we got in the month of July at the ranch and is close in the gauge in town. 98-day corn planted April 11th was half milk line late last week meaning it is about 7-10 days from physiological maturity. Some of the early planted soybeans in the 1.8 maturity range are a bona fide R6 stage meaning they have at least one pod at a node on the main stem with a fully expanded trifoliate where the seed fills the pod cavity.  Recent rains probably won’t do much to benefit the corn but will certainly help the soybeans fill some of the pods that have been set late in the season. The question still remains however how many will be set, what will the moisture and temperature conditions be from here on out and how much time do we have left before a killing frost. The recent cooler temperatures have reminded us that Mother Nature still has a mind of her own and is capable of changing it whenever she feels like it.

A little more of the garden at the ranch continues to come online with each passing week. Both yellow and green beans are reaching full capacity along with the zucchini and cukes. More melons and squash are showing up and they are huge. One visitor noted the nice pumpkins and I had to point out that they were actually Mooregold squash. The tomatoes have been slow to ripen with just a few of the small yellow pear tomatoes. Luckily I stopped in to visit someone I had been meaning to meet for quite some time who happens to be a tomato aficionado extraordinaire. After getting a tour of his garden he gave me a generous bag with a sampler of 4 or 5 different heirloom tomatoes. They were absolutely fantastic and am hoping we can reciprocate with some melons as they get ripe. I’ve done some more planting here as well. July 31st the winter radish crop was seeded and within a week they were up. They are starting to thicken up so that one can easily tell there is another radish crop on the way. The winter radishes are unique in that they are fairly large and sliced like a kohlrabi they remind one of that. The initial texture and taste is similar but usually about 5 seconds later the similarity ends when they unleash their firepower on your taste buds. Over the past weekend, more snap peas were planted along with some lettuce and another row or radishes-this time some usually designed for spring seeding but mentioned the option for fall/late summer seeding so thought I’d give it a try. 

The pasture welcomed the recent rains as well and has greened up in response. The sheep have dipped into the native prairie pasture at the ranch already so it would help if the rains continued to recharge the batteries of the cool season grasses in the remainder.  In our home pasture and the pasture at the kindly neighbors weeds have been relatively well controlled for this season anyway. However looking closely one can see there are some bull thistle and musk thistle rosettes appearing, apparently also benefitting from some of the recent rains. These are true biennials so they will either need to be dealt with this fall if time allows or early in the spring when they’re still vulnerable. They can be controlled when they get larger but it takes more chemical to accomplish the job. It still bothers me to see a thistle or two sticking up where I can see it so I always carry my trusty bean hook in the truck just in case. Have bean hook, will travel.

At the kindly neighbor’s pasture the young bluebirds have fledged and they are hanging around the oak trees. It appears the last of the barn swallows has taken wing at the ranch. The interesting thing is they continue to come back and roost in their nest. The hummers have continued to increase in number and activity, keeping the feeders and flower pots worked over daily. The orioles we nearly gave up on a few weeks ago have made a rapid resurgence. There are still some young orchard orioles but most now are young Baltimore types with an occasional brightly colored male in the mix. At times there are up to a half dozen at the feeders or in the tree where they hang so the jelly and sugar water consumption rivals that we experienced earlier in the season once again. Some young goldfinches are appearing now very drab in color and smaller in size than the rest of the crew. They are all hungry it seems and keeping the feeders full has been a full time job. As mentioned last week, there are few acorns. Checking at the kindly neighbors pasture, there is evidence a few must have fallen from up high in the trees where temperatures were warmer and the flowers on the oak trees were not frozen. All that’s left though are the cups that held the acorns, making one wonder if the squirrels have put them away for safekeeping or squandered them while eyeing the birdfeeders.  

See you next week…real good then.

Laurie Manthe, age 66, of Good Thunder, MN, and recently of Waldorf, MN, died Thursday, August 9, 2012 at St. Mary’s Hospital in Rochester, MN. A Memorial Service will be held Monday, August 13, 2012, at 2 p.m. at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Mankato, MN. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service at the church. Pastor Wayne Eichstadt will officiate. Bruss-Heitner Funeral Home in Wells, MN is in charge of arrangements.

Phyllis Irene Peterson, age 79 of New Richland, died on Wednesday, August 8, 2012 at St. Mary's Hospital in Rochester.

Born on September 18, 1932 in Woodville Township, Waseca County, Minnesota she was the daughter of Levi and Helen (Naske) Robran. Phyllis graduated from Waseca Central High School in 1951. She married Rolland L. Peterson on February 21, 1953. Phyllis worked at the E.F. Johnson Co. in Waseca and was also a nurse's aide at the New Richland Care Center and later Country Neighbors in New Richland, but her true passion was helping on the farm. She loved her gardens and yard and Phyllis especially loved cooking and baking and sharing the food that she made with others. She was an active member of Vista Covenant Church.

Geneva cooks up another cancer fund-raiser

By KATHY PAULSEN

Staff Writer

Many people from the area have have done so much to support research in hopes of finding a cure for cancer. 

Once again, the Geneva Cancer Committee, established in 1985, is asking for your help. It is everybody’s chance to come together to remember loved ones, inspire others and celebrate life while making a difference in the fight against cancer.

This inspired group of people would like to publish a cookbook that will include the favorite recipes of people in our area who are dedicated to this cause, and also from all those who have been touched by cancer.

The cookbook committee would like the people of our area to contribute recipes for a loved one they want to remember, or recipes to symbolize a future of freedom from cancer. They are asking people to submit 3-5 of their favorite recipes for this special cookbook.

Congratulations to Waseca County 4-H members advancing to the State Fair.

Livestock youth will be attending the fair August 25-29, and the non-livestock youth will have their projects judged August 31-September 2.

Trip winners are as follows: Emily Barbknecht, Joe Barbknecht, Amy Beckstrand, Jamie Beckstrand, Trevor Beckstrand, Zach Clayton, Etta DeLong, Austin Hansen, Michaela Hansen, Bruce Harguth, Emily Hildebrandt, Paige Hildebrandt, Rob Jewett, Samuel Jewett, Joshua Johnson, Natalie Jewison, Nick Jewison, Jill Kalis, Kevin Kalis, Tanyce Krause, Tatiana Krause, Emma Kruger, Erin Larson, Nicole Larson, Ben Lewer, Katharine Lewer, Owen Lewer, Katie Manthey, Justin Manthey, Sarah Manthey, Alex Merritt, Marissa Mortenson, Sadie Mortenson, Jessica Nafe, Carson Parker, Hannah Perry, Emily Prigge, Sam Prigge, Tyler Raimann, McKinsy Rew, Emily Riihl, Tucker Roeker, Stephanie Root, Camielle Rykhus, Abby Sankovitz, Eric Sankovitz, Caroline Scheffert, Brady Schumacher, Grace Schlueter, T.J. Sommers, Simon Sommers, Chris Stenzel, Jessica Stenzel, Luke Stenzel, Zach Stenzel, Kenny Strobel, Matthew Strobel, Alex Snyder, Ben Snyder, Samantha Snyder, Lauren Summers, Ellen Thompson, Aaron Walechka, Jarrod Witt, Bailey Wolff and Andrew Yock.

The Waseca County Arts-In crew and the Homegrown Explorers will also be attending the State Fair.

NRHEG High School football and volleyball practice for grades 9-12 starts Monday, Aug. 13 at 7:30 a.m. Cross country practice begins the next day at 7:30 a.m.

Also on Tuesday, Aug. 14 is a mandatory meeting for all fall athletes and parents at 6:30 p.m. in the high school gymnasium. You will be able to pay athletic fees and turn in necessary forms at this time.

Meet the Panthers Night is set for Tuesday, Aug. 21 from 5:30 to 8 p.m.

Seventh and eighth-grade football and volleyball practice begin Tuesday, Aug. 28.

Results of the Karl’s 4-Person Best Shot Tournament at Riverview Golf Course Saturday, Aug. 4:

Championship flight

1. Josh Warke team

2. Lonnie Kormann team

3. Nate Waldhauser team

4. Jake Bohannon team

First flight

1. Al Shultz team

2. Dennis Greenwod team

3. Tony Schlaak team

4. Russ Hansen team

The 2012 Waseca County Fair was the highlight of the year for more than 250 members in Waseca County 4-H.

Below are 4-H youth who received recognition for their project work at the 2012 Waseca County Fair:

DOG SHOW RESULTS -  Saturday, July 7

& Monday, July 9, 2012

• Champion Beginner A Obedience – Mikayla Heyer, Home Grown Explorers

• Reserve Champion Beginner A Obedience – Autumn Thompson, Vista Busy Bees

• Champion Beginner B Obedience – Grace Schlueter, Janesville Jacks & Jills

• Reserve Champion Beginner B Obedience – Lauren Summers, Janesville Jacks & Jills

• Champion Graduate Beginner Obedience – Hannah Perry, Home Grown Explorers

• Reserve Champion Graduate Beginner Obedience – McKinsy Rew, Palmer Sunbeams

• Champion Novice Obedience -  Zachary Clayton, Riverside Ramblers

• Reserve Champion Novice Obedience – Lydia Perry, Home Grown Explorers

• Champion Graduate Novice Obedience – Benjamin Lewer, Vista Busy Bees