(Editor's note: Looking Back is a weekly feature on the pages of the Star Eagle)

100 Years Back – 1915

• One of the happiest little girls whereabouts on Christmas was Leone, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. H. Heckes of Byron. She was awarded the huge doll given away by popular vote by Peterson Bros’ Variety Store. The little lady was offered eight dollars for her prize by the store proprietors, but wouldn’t listen to the offer.

• Hog cholera is reported at the farm of Wm. Patschke a few miles southwest of this place, Mr. Patschke having lost 13 head of swine. He informed The Star over the telephone that the disease came from the herds of his Russian neighbors, who perhaps were ignorant of the disease and took no precautions. When their hogs died they were left on the field unburied. Mr. Patschke is doing what he can to confine the disease.

NRHEG School Board

By REED WALLER

Staff Writer

In a brief open session following the Organizational Meeting Monday, January 4, the NRHEG school board’s Staff Negotiations Committee opened negotiations with Dale Carlson on terms of a contract for permanent superintendent of schools.

A positive evaluation at last month’s meeting caused the board’s selection committee to recommend going ahead with him for the position rather than beginning the costly and time-consuming selection process again.

Carlson will be the third superintendent the district has had in the last 10 years, since the resignation of Richard Lorenz in 2006. Lorenz held the position for 21 years.

At Monday’s organizational meeting, board elections were held, producing much discussion on the nomination process but no change in the board officers, who were all re-elected.

The sweet science goes back a long way in Minnesota history

(Editor’s note: Part five of a seven-part series about local, area, and state amateur and professional boxing.)

By RODNEY HATLE

Contributing Writer

Boxing history in Minnesota has deep roots. The fight game was planted previous to 1910, when the first famous St. Paul brothers, Tommy and Mike Gibbons, were young pros. That was 40 years before Del and Glen Flanagan.

One of the nationally ranked fighters of the 1940s was Jackie Graves from nearby Austin. Publicity prone media writers called him “The Austin Atom” when at age 22 he was 128 pounds. Ranked No.2 during only his second year as a pro, he got his chance at the world featherweight title in 1946. Champion Willie Pep was a year older. Pep’s lifetime record would become 229-11-1 over 26 years.

“The fight itself shook the walls of the Minneapolis Auditorium. Graves sent Pep to the canvas twice [in the sixth]. Pep dropped Graves nine times [total], winning by TKO in the eighth round.”

The NRHEG girls’ basketball team improved to 9-2 with a 60-46 nonconference victory over visiting Hayfield Saturday, Jan. 2.

The Panthers were led by the Wagner twins, with Marnie netting 19 points, six rebounds, three assists and one block and Maddie totaling 17 points, three assists and two rebounds. Others: Hailey Schuller eight points, two rebounds; Rachel Collins eight points; Kayley Camerer six points, six rebounds, two steals; Betsy Schoenrock two points.

Everyone knew the Gopher Conference would be challenging for the NRHEG boys’ basketball team.

The nonconference schedule hasn’t been a cakewalk either.

The Panthers, fresh off a third-place finish in the Bethany Christmas Tournament, let a scrappy Hayfield crew back in the game and lost 75-69 at New Richland Saturday, Jan. 2. NRHEG fell to 8-5 overall.

The Panthers jumped to an early 10-point lead, but Hayfield battled back to tie it 23-all at halftime.

“I thought we had a chance to get out ahead early in the first half, but Hayfield did a nice job of executing and hitting some shots that allowed them back in the game,” said Panthers coach Pat Churchill.

Another Christmas has come and gone. I hope you had a very blessed holiday with your family and friends.

When I look across the wide expanse of untouched white snow that covers our backyard, I am reminded of the story, "Stones in the River," only my story would have to be titled, "Squirrel Tracks in the Snow." It was really interesting watching the squirrels running here and there, tree to tree and up and down the branches. I wonder how many miles they travel in a day.

The December snow we received this year provided a beautiful layer of the white stuff just in time for those who wanted a white Christmas. It looks like everybody got their wish. There was just enough snow to cover the ground but not enough to prevent most people from reaching their Christmas destinations.

Christmas provides special events for people of all ages, but I believe that Christmas is for the children.

My mother and nephew, Kade, were able to spend Christmas Day with my nephew, Cameron, and his family this year. How can we know what children, especially babies so young, really know what it is all about? Remarkable, or so it would seem.

My mother commented that the presents under the tree were just that until it was time for opening. Like quicksilver, nine-month-old Emma dove into the first gift she was given, tearing the paper from it.

Of course, to kids I think that the wrapping paper is always the best part but it is amazing how children so young seem to know what things are all about.

Wondering what to get the wee ones for gifts is always a dilemma. It is a funny thing. The big things can be ignored, but the little ones are what they look to first. Emma’s absolute favorite gift she received was the plastic spoon still in the plastic wrapper that was included in the Fruit Loops box. My mother said that Emma examined it like it was a piece of gold.

Her uncle Kade, who has a knack for finding the unusual, had gotten Emma a fuzzy rocking horse, complete with sound effects. A little too big for her yet, but when she was put on the back of the horse she instinctively clasped her little legs of hers around it like someone from the royal guard or a like a jockey would. Children are unbelievable. If we only knew what they know.

Christmas is such a delicate day. There is so much feeling. It gets complicated when families have to divide or share the holidays with both sides of the family. And if that isn’t bad enough, there comes a time when families want, or need, to have their “own” Christmas, in their own homes. It’s hard on grandparents who don’t know which way to turn and would like to be part of all the family celebrations, which makes things bittersweet.

May you have the happiness of simple pleasures at the holidays and all through the year. Christmas as a holiday is past. But let not your hearts forget to leave room for the living Christ every day.

I am thrilled with the Christmas cards received each year and now many of them come with pictures. Yes, even if we just saw them a day or two before. It is nice to stay in touch, and of course letters updating the family goings on serve to remind the sender of the many things that have taken place over the past year. How can so many things take place in one year’s time? 

Of course it is good to have been busy, but maybe we need to set aside time to meditate and rest our bodies and minds. You need to take care of yourself, not just for your own good but for your family’s as well. When you think, "I can do this," think of what it would do to your family if you let stress get the better of you.

With each passing year, grow stronger, grow wiser, and grow richer in spirit. May the year ahead be filled with new discoveries!

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Some of our Star Eagle readers have commented that 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.

Also, if you have an idea for a story that you think would be of interest to our readers, please contact me.

If you have birthdays and anniversaries you would like to include, or news to share, 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, January 7th: Rodney Peterson, Gary Ayers, Stacy Jensen Pirkl, Karina Thompson

• Friday, January 8th: (Elvis Presley) Cameron Schember, Mike Marcus, Terry Pelzl, Dan Reese, David Jensen, Ryan Benning, Jennifer Rechtzigel, Brandon Borchert, John & Melissa Marlin

• Saturday, January 9th: Melinda Hanson Talamanates, Lisa Dunn Wayne, Mark Lee, Adam Deml, Jay Wangsness, Steve Vanden Heuvel, Becky Wayne Clark, Larry Jensen, Allen Dobberstein, Allan Swearingen, Dan & Lavonne Nelson

• Sunday, January 10th: Sue Hunnicutt, Martha Jacobson, Gary Nelson, Robert & Eleanor Leiser

• Monday, January 11th: Melissa Farr, Rick Hanson, Deb Robertson Hare, Brad Nelson, Kelly Reichl, Dennis & Barb Grunwald

• Tuesday, January 12th: Heather Mattson Johnson, Macy Misgen, Albert Diaz, Barry Jepson, Cindy Farner, Brian Milan, Chris Wilker

• Wednesday, January 13th: Lacey & Brad Grutzik, 2013, Julia Anne Marlin, Melonie Crabtree, Rita Sletten Nelson, Diane Lee, Haley Butler, Tracy Utpadel, Jay Brown, John Olson, Tracy Bergerson, Bruce Haberman, Gregory David, Jack & Gloria Jensen

• Thursday, January 14th: Brooke Sorenson Krohn, Darla Hagen Matthees, Christine Hanson, Skyler Cromwell Lembke, Jenna Marie Abbott, Mark Langlie, Ryan & Kerri Wagner

Life is a journey we begin each day. Here’s wishing that each new day is happier than the day before. Have a great day!

Surprise somebody. Call someone. Send a card and make their day. Little things mean a lot. 

In my last column I mentioned it would be nice to have a little snow for Christmas. I got my wish, just enough snow to cover the ground. Unfortunately it seems we got the bonus package and ended up with a few more inches of snow than I had envisioned. In all reality it just wouldn’t be winter in our fair state without a snow storm or two to loosen up the old shoveling arm and keep the back in shape. I did use my trusty “scoop” for most of the snow, but when it starts piling up the scoop almost gets to be too much like work.

I have a snow blower, but for some reason I find that shoveling the first substantial amount of snow just seemed like the thing to do, but now that I have piled the stuff high on both sides of the driveway my snow blower will have to spring into action for the next snowfall.

The temperatures, on the average, are much more winter like and this is good news for those who have been patiently waiting for the lakes to freeze and the ice to get thick enough for hard water fishing. One of the problems I can foresee is the nice blanket of snow that covered the ice when it was actually not safe enough to venture out on. Circumstances like this can cause pockets of thin ice and make it dangerous for much more than foot traffic. With that said, you need to venture out carefully and take safety precautions like claws and maybe even some sort of floatation device; at least until you know the ice is safe.

Another Christmas has passed us by and we have already welcomed in a new year. This is the time of year that can leave a person with a substantial amount of leftovers when, if not consumed in the first couple of days, can lead one to ask questions like: how long do I keep this stuff before throwing it out and how can you tell if lutefisk has gone bad? Those are just a few things to ponder while moving on with winter.

The snowmobilers are happily cruising about the countryside and evidently by the look and sound of it there must be a trail in my area of town. On Thursday, New Year’s Eve day, we were blessed with sunshine and a fresh snow cover which made the countryside look like the cover of a Christmas card. Yes, there always seems to be something magical in a fresh snowfall, at least in my little corner of the world. When I venture outside on a crisp winter morning to start the vehicles I am usually greeted with the sight of fresh critter tracks. We have numerous birds, squirrels and rabbits that hang out in our yard and whenever I see those tracks it takes me back to my youth, at least for a fleeting moment.

As kids, we spent a lot of Saturdays exploring the slough by my childhood home looking for signs of wildlife. This is what I loved to do, and the sight of something as magnificent as a snowy owl perched atop a dead tree on the edge of the slough that we kids called “ours” is forever etched into my memory. We never set out to harm any of those critters because it was much more important to us to just be able to say we saw a critter like a fox or got the bejeebers scared out of us by almost stepping on a pheasant that was hiding in the swamp grass. I did take my trusty Red Ryder BB gun along, but it was only for protection, from what I don’t know. It was fun to try and shoot the heck out of a cattail and it was a challenge to see who could hit it the most from a certain distance. That was fun, harmless fun, enjoyed by a bunch of kids who didn‘t need anything more than an imagination and a desire to see what entertainment nature could provide us.  

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MUSKY TALK - Our January meeting of Crossroads Chapter 54, of Muskies Inc. will be Thursday January 7, at Eagles Club in Owatonna at 7 p.m. Our speaker is Noah Binsford, "with get the net guide service." He guides on the Mississippi River between St. Cloud and Brainerd. He is a third generation of river fisherman. He is a multi-species guide, but muskies are his specialty. We will have a chance to learn more how to fish muskies in rivers. There is no “fall turnover” in rivers.

Our meetings include updates, speaker, door prizes, raffle and lots of musky talk. Need not be a member to attend.

Bring a friend and help improve musky fishing in Southern Minnesota.

Until next time, be careful when you do decide the ice is thick enough to venture out because with the weather we have been experiencing ice safety will be nothing but unpredictable.

Please remember to keep our troops in your thoughts and prayers, n not only during the holiday season but for the rest of the year. They are the reason that we are able to enjoy all the freedoms that we have today.

Ed and Arlene Miller didn’t raise any dumb children. They raised four smart children (Keith, Dale, Nancy and Cindy).

On the 15th of December, in the year 1998, Cindy plus others of the immediate Miller family set a record on Beaver Lake for water skiing the latest ever in any year.

At the 2015 annual Thanksgiving Day get-together at Cabin 36 on Beaver Lake, Ed, with Arlene looking down from a heavenly cloud, reminded the children of how much he was impressed with their smartness. He mentioned The Farmer’s Almanac was predicting a late fall/late winter. Based on the prediction, he suggested they watch the weather and try to stay the record holder as he was very proud of them being the latest ever to water ski Beaver Lake in December.

The four smart children watched the weather very closely and decided by December 14th they must have a plan of action to maintain their December 15th record.

Did the children go water skiing to keep their record? Oh no. They are much smarter than that. They put up a sign at the ramp saying, “Extreme danger, Beaver in Rut ‘til Lake Freezes Over.”

Now you know why it can be said Ed and Arlene Miller didn’t raise any dumb children.

In case you’re wondering, Beaver Lake froze over December 24th, 2015, the latest ever. I froze over December 20th in 1998, the former record.

Other unusual occurrences because of the warm weather:

1. Getting out of the car in the parking lot going to church, I saw and picked up a huge night crawler on December 13th. I put the crawler on a crawler harness and went fishing at the channel between Fountain Lake and Albert Lea Lake for a big walleye on Monday, December 14th. My first cast, I got a snag. It came loose, flying back and becoming hopelessly entangled in a branch overhead. The red and white bobber, harness and night crawler are all yours for the taking as I cut the line.

2. My neighbor, Jim S., mowed his lawn the week of December 14th.

3. I picked dandelions on December 22nd.

4. More rain than snow in December.

5. No hard frost with snow on top to kill the allergies.

6. If you wanted to golf in December, no problem to find a course in Minnesota.

7. Santa’s sleigh with rubber tires left tracks on our green, green lawn.

8. A black Christmas is defined with less than one inch of snow on the ground at high noon on December 25th. Thus, a black Christmas in this area.

In summary, what a December!

In case you’re wondering if any of this is fiction, the answer is “YES.”

All this brings up the question: “Could this be due to the full moon on December 25th?”

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Bob is a retired AAL (Aid Association for Lutherans) agent, currently working on his master’s degree in Volunteering. 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. Bob says if you enjoy his column, 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.

Echoes From the Loafers’ Club Meeting

Enjoying your melon-sized muffin?

Yup.

You're supposed to take the plastic wrapping off the muffin before you eat it.

I thought it was a little chewy.

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 world might not be ready for four-way stop signs. Why can’t misery love being alone? Think twice, speak once. I want slow food fast.

I almost wrecked my Hesperus

It’s nearly impossible for me to walk by a backhoe without watching it work. Each backhoe is an expedition in itself. Not quite like Lewis and Clark, but close.

I consider the Lewis and Clark Expedition to be this country’s great, epic adventure. It boggles the mind as to how they were able to accomplish what they did without the use of a single selfie stick.

I found my mother's memory just as amazing.

My mother liked Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. She memorized "The Wreck of the Hesperus." She was able to recite this long, narrative poem until her dying day.

I couldn’t memorize my school locker number.

I decided to learn things by heart other than the statistics on the back of baseball cards.

I tried to find contentment in memorizing one of Longfellow’s quotes, "We judge ourselves by what we feel capable of doing, while others judge us by what we have already done."

I needed to do more. I told my mother that I was going to memorize Evangeline, an epic poem by Longfellow. This poem is longer than our winters.

I tried. I felt like Wile E. Coyote trying to catch the Roadrunner, but I kept at it.

And I did memorize it, but just the title.

Serving as a bad example every winter

I don’t think that it’s the difference between optimism and pessimism, but when a winter storm is forecast, my wife expects the worst and I expect it will miss us. I figure that those in the weather predicting business tend to foretell more storms than we could ever get. They do so for two reasons. If they predict a storm that doesn’t happen, we are happy. We’ve dodged a bullet. If they hadn’t informed us of a possible storm and we get one, we are unhappy. My wife is wise in taking precautions. The cold and snow can be a lethal combination. I marvel that -40° Fahrenheit equals -40° Celsius. We get lots of snow at home. We’re subject to river-effect snow. The LeSueur River can be cruel.

I shoveled deep snow and put letters in the mailbox. I lost both my shoes in the process. My Crocs weren’t winter ready. My shoeless feet became so cold that my feet turned blue. Actually, only one was blue. The other foot was black. I was wearing mismatched socks.

It could have been worse. When I was a boy, walking five miles to school, uphill in both directions, I was too poor to have shoes. I wrapped my feet in barbed wire.

When basketball players rush the stands

I watched a high school boys’ basketball game between the Triton Cobras (Dodge Center, Claremont, West Concord) and the GFW Thunderbirds (Gibbon, Fairfax, Winthrop) played on a neutral court. It was an exciting game with Triton winning by a single point.

After the game, the players and staff of the two teams shuffled by one another, touching hands and chanting the traditional, "Good game." Then the GFW players walked across the court and moved into the stands to shake hands with their fans and thank them for being there. That was nice.

I asked the coach of the Thunderbirds, Rich Busse, about the habit. He said that the team had instituted the custom some years ago to express appreciation for support and to let everyone know that it’s not all about the final score.

I found it a delightful sign of respect and gratitude from a team worth rooting for.

Nature notes

American goldfinches molt twice a year, acquiring bright, yellow feathers in the spring before breeding and olive-brown feathers after nesting in the fall. The fall feathers are denser, providing needed insulation. The color of their legs, feet and bill change with each molt. In fall and winter, their legs, feet and bill are a dark grayish-brown. In spring and summer, they change to a buffy yellow-orange.

Meeting adjourned

William Arthur Ward said, "Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it." Be kind.