After performing their church related duties on Sunday, January 1, four AARP-aged men left for Leech Lake. Bob Goetz was the organist at Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Austin. Paul Proft was the music man at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Owatonna. Ray Thompson was the chair of the call committee for a new pastor in Frederic, WI. Bob Hanson was the greeter at Central Freeborn Lutheran Church in rural Albert Lea. It was a slam dunk decision to perform our duties before our pilgrimage to walk on water!

We arrived in Walker, MN about 8 p.m. Sunday night, staying overnight at the amusement center motel named Northern Lights Casino.

After early morning breakfast, we stopped at the bait ship located in the Amoco gas station for minnows. Amoco is a huge corporation so everything has a barcode and must be scanned before you can buy it. It got to be ridiculous when the young lady had to scan the barcode on each minnow that we bought. After we paid, I looked at the receipt she gave us. There were 144 charges of 3¢ per minnow plus tax for a total of $4.75 for the minnows.

We finally arrived at Brindley’s Resort where we stayed for two nights and fished for two days on Leech Lake. We were taken by vehicle out on the lake to our fish house. The first thing all four of us checked was to be sure we could walk on water. We succeeded! With all of the morning happenings, we managed to be fishing by 9:30 a.m.

Fishing was very bad for the fish. We kept 60 perch, six northerns and one walleye. The daily limit is 20 perch per person so once again we proved that we are very good perch fishermen.

The accommodations at Brindley’s were great. We stayed in a house with a fireplace on each of the two floors, a dishwasher, TV on both floors, a washer and dryer, three bedrooms with three baths and showers. Wow!

The service on the lake was also great. We were driven to and from the fish house. The eight fishing holes were open; the heat was on. All we had to do was let them know when we wanted to go and come back from the fish house. They even cleaned and packaged the fish we caught. 

Each morning started out with a Continental breakfast in the lodge, which included a no-hurry atmosphere with a lot of questionable fact or fiction stories.

Brindley’s is a family run resort on Leech Lake about 10 miles east of highway 371 coming from Brainerd. Jean and Paris (mom and dad) are the semi-retired parents with their main responsibility being a supplemental monthly deposit in their checking account, plus a monthly Social Security check into the same account to keep track of. 

Sons Greg and Tim are the workhorses who keep things running smoothly on shore. Their voices sound alike; their personality is the greatest with excellent customer treatment. One of the brothers said in the eyes of the ladies he was the best looking. The only difference I could tell was one wore glasses.

Employees Pat and Mike take care of the customers on the lake. There were four groups fishing while we were there, all receiving excellent service. For example, Paul hooked a huge northern that he tried to pull up through the hole. In the process, the huge northern swam into his other line and managed to pull the pole down the hole just as the huge northern broke the line he bit on. (We each fish with two lines.) Net result: no huge northern, a busted line, a pole down 16 feet on the bottom of the lake. The next morning, Pat used an underwater camera to see the pole on the bottom while using his pole and line to snag and retrieve Paul’s pole. This is a “true” fishing saga.

Brindley’s even has a greeter named Arrow. He is what they call a “stick man.” He greets every customer with a two to three foot stick. Arrow is a well-trained young employee of the canine family.

For year-around reservations, call Brindley’s at (888) 547-5477. Mention this article and they will give you the same excellent service for one daily rate and “no” sales tax added on. This includes the possibility of walking on water!

— — —

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 will be the Hansons' 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 missed the Saturday flurries but by Sunday no one knew they were here anyway. Will our snowfall fortunes change soon? Starting Wednesday, partly cloudy with highs near 25 and lows of 5 below to zero. Thursday, partly cloudy with a chance of evening snow. Highs of only 5 - 10 and lows from zero to 5 above. Partly cloudy on Friday with a chance of snow. Highs of 10 - 15 and lows near 0. Partly cloudy for Saturday with highs around 25 and lows of 20. Sunday, partly cloudy with a chance of a rain/snow mix. Highs of 35 and lows of 20. Mostly cloudy Monday with a chance of a rain/snow mix. Highs around 30 and lows near 15. Tuesday, partly cloudy and cooler with a slight chance of snow and rain. Highs of 25 and lows around 20. The normal high for January 21st is 22 and the normal low is 4. With the sun setting after 5 p.m. since the 15th, the scurs will be staying outside a little later each night to scrape up enough snow to build the prefect snowman. Maybe by month’s end.

Precipitation continues to be sparse while our temperatures continue to be above normal and moderate for this time of year. It’s always amusing to hear the blow combs and drama queens forecasting the weather from the Twin Cities talk about the “bitter cold” and gloss over the fact the cold snap will only last a couple days. Sensationalism sells so that’s why of course but after you’ve lived here long enough, you know when to count your blessings. No sub-zero cold in the Twin Cities? We had three nights below zero in early December here and we’re 80 miles to the south. Think of it this way: When we have highs in the single digits, that’s a shoe size not a temperature.

 Measuring snowfall has been a challenge as of late. Without being around to constantly monitor it, the stuff tends to blow away within a few hours of falling. Not that what has fallen lately amounts to a lot of precipitation it’s just nice to be as accurate as possible. At this point every drop may count, with may being the operative word. At a recent presentation by Jeff Vetsch at the SROC, some interesting data to illustrate several points was presented. One, when fall moisture has been short as it was last year, we typically do catch up or it averages out. By the same token, when we have large amounts of stored soil moisture in the fall, the tendency is for it to either maintain roughly that amount or to dry out slightly. Most importantly, there is no consistent correlation between low fall soil moisture and corn yield the following year. Yes, it’s nice to have some gas in the tank going into the growing season but it’s no guarantee that above trendline yields will result. The growing season itself has more to do with that than stored fall soil moisture.

Once again I have reassumed my position as the largest producer of snot and phlegm in the free world. Yes the alien finally struck and after being coughed and sneezed on for the past three weeks I was actually amazed it didn’t happen sooner. I honest to God don’t know how schoolteachers survive until retirement. This one has been unique for the simple fact that it has affected my sleep patterns so severely. Over-the-counter drugs are much improved however. One can almost feel semi-human again, at least until they wear off. So far it hasn’t kept me from doing chores, running errands or being the physical plant manager around the house. There are always light bulbs to replace, fixtures to clean, water and furnace filters to change, feed to procure and trips to get replacement parts for all the stuff that wears out or breaks around the ranch.  

One of my recent replacement purchases was a new handle for a pitchfork I’d broken several years ago. A new one would probably cost about the same as buying a replacement handle and getting it repaired. Rather than throw it away and buy a new one though, I’d kept it. It had some sentimental value as it was one my late father-in-law had given us for Christmas. Besides, the vision of the tang or tines from a rusty old pitchfork stuck in several implement tires over the years was planted in my brain. It was nowhere near as worn out as those were.

As anyone who is familiar with the inner workings of a pitchfork knows, there are some you like better than others. This model is a 4-tine manure fork that always allowed for good leverage on the sheets of sheep manure pack, possibly how it got snapped in the first place. Looking for handles at the store where you go to the bathroom in the big orange silo, there were several to choose from. I purchased what appeared to be the right one and took my prized possession to the proprietor of Dad’s Good Stuff the next day for repairs. I walked in the front door and the old wood floor creaked as I walked towards the back of the store. I spied the owner as well as the former CEO of the A & P Corporation. My lucky day: two  characters in a building with character! I quizzed the latter to see if he could identify the item I held in my hand. Scratching his ear, he denied ever seeing one or knowing what it was used for. Oddly enough I believed him.

After presenting my “special project” to Double W he told me he might not get to it today and that was fine by me. There was another pitchfork we were using elsewhere in the barn; it’s just nice to have another one handy for peeling hay off the round bales we feed to the brood ewes outside. We’re very fortunate to have someone in town who still fixes things like windows, hammer handles and even fork handles. And once I discovered he’d done his tutelage under Tommy Bruzek, I was certain this was the right man for the job. About mid-afternoon I got a phone call saying the item was repaired and I could pick it up. The bill of sale was too cheap, worth at least twice the price especially when all the wisdom and knowledge gleaned was factored in. I had a nice visit, paid the bill, then took the fork and left thinking to myself, look what I would’ve missed out on if I’d thrown it away. With people nowadays looking to push the easy button and in a hurry to get nowhere, this is one of the parts of small town living that some can’t comprehend. What’s more, most of them will never appreciate the concept behind the proper placement of a finely tuned pitchfork.

See you next week…real good then.

Esplan, Lassahn net 100th career wins

MAT MILESTONE — NRHEG senior David Lassahn, top, was one of two Panther wrestlers to record his 100th career victory at Stewartville Saturday, along with senior Dustin Esplan. Both reached the finals as the Panthers placed third. (Star Eagle photo by Chris Schlaak)

By JIM LUTGENS

Editor/Publisher

There are times when it can be a challenge to please NRHEG wrestling coach Paul Cyr.

The Panthers made sure Saturday was not one of those days.

The NRHEG boys did some of their best wrestling of the season at the Stewartville Invitational, where they finished third among 10 schools.

“This was by far and away our best outing of the season, not only in the number of team points and place, but in overall intensity and effort against good competition. It was great to see our guys wrestle at this level.”

Senior nabs 797th career board as NRHEG basketball girls stay unbeaten

GAME BALL — Anna Schlaak was presented a trophy ball and received some words of wisdom from coach John Schultz after garnering her 797th career rebound last Tuesday, becoming the school’s all-time rebounding leader. (Star Eagle photo by Chris Schlaak)

By JIM LUTGENS

Editor/Publisher

Mark another milestone for the 2011-12 NRHEG girls’ basketball team.

Anna Schlaak, a senior, set the all-time school record for rebounds last Tuesday, just two weeks after sophomore Carlie Wagner topped the 1,000-point mark for her career.

The game? Oh yeah, the undefeated and No. 3 rated Panthers rolled 90-22 at Medford.

As when Wagner hit her milestone, the game was stopped and Schlaak was presented a trophy ball by coach John Schultz after pulling down her 797th career rebound. Schlaak is slated to play college volleyball in the fall.

The Panthers totally dominated the game, taking a 53-11 halftime advantage.

LIFE IN THE PAINT — Spencer Hanna of the Panthers hangs onto a rebound despite being harassed by WEM defenders at New Richland last Friday. (Star Eagle photo by Chris Schlaak)

By JIM LUTGENS

Editor/Publisher

The NRHEG boys’ basketball team put together a winning streak for the first time this season last week.

Waterville-Elysian-Morristown put an end to it.

After defeating Medford 63-58 on Tuesday and topping Randolph 57-41 Thursday, the Panthers fell 68-55 at home Friday night to Gopher Conference-leading WEM.

The Panthers, who started the season 0-5, improved their record to 5-10 overall and 3-5 in the Gopher Conference.

At home against Medford, the survived a back-and-forth contest, going on a 6-0 run to take a 26-18 halftime lead and starting the second half on a 7-0 run. Medford battled back but couldn’t get any closer than four after that.

Funeral services for Bernice Marie Yanke of Ellendale, MN, will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday, January 17, 2012 at the First Lutheran Church in Ellendale. Pastor Richard L. Sliper will officiate. Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service at the church. Interment will be in the First Lutheran Cemetery, Ellendale.

Bernice died on Saturday, January 14, 2012 at the Homestead Hospice in Owatonna, MN. She was 87 years of age.

Bernice was born February 15, 1924 in freeborn County, the daughter of Harold and Cora (Rickhiem) Loberg. She grew up in rural Ellendale, graduated from Ellendale High School in 1942 and began working at the First National Security Bank in Ellendale. She also worked for Jostens Jewelry in Owatonna, MN. On June 3rd, 1951 she was united in marriage to Willis Arron Yanke. They made their home in Ellendale. To this marriage two sons were born, DeWayne Arron Yanke on October 5, 1954 and Bruce Daniel Yanke on October 27, 1960.

Bernice was a lifetime member of the First Lutheran Church in Ellendale and was active in the Altar Guild, Bible Study and all church activities. Other enjoyments were raising her family, great involvements with many years of Cub Scouts, watching her family grow up and many events with fishing.

Bernice truly loved life, her family and people in general with all of her heart. She volunteered the majority of her time in the Ellendale and Owatonna Libraries and many years at the Cedar View Nursing Home in Owatonna. She also loved writing articles for the Ellendale Eagle Newspaper.

Bernice is survived by her son Bruce and Jeanette of Ellendale, MN, granddaughter Michelle, daughter of DeWayne and Melanie Yanke, grandchildren; Cherish, Ashley, Michael, Matthew and Joey. Brother Raymond and Doris Loberg of Ellendale, MN, Brother Laverne and Marilyn Loberg of Ellendale, MN, niece Linda (Patrick) Gronlund, nephews Steven and Larry Loberg, and numerous other relatives.

She was preceded in death by her parents Harold and Cora Loberg, husband Willis Arron Yanke, son and daughter in law DeWayne and Melanie Yanke, and Brother Carol (Genelle) Loberg.

Glen Leroy Stensrud, age 86, of Freeborn, MN, died Friday evening, January 13, 2012 at Parkview Care Center in Wells, MN.  Funeral services will be held Tuesday, January 17, 2012 at 11 a.m. at West Freeborn Lutheran Church, rural Freeborn, MN.  Visitation will be held Monday, Jan. 16, from 4-7 p.m. at Bruss-Heitner Funeral Home in Wells, and will continue one hour prior to the service at the church on Tuesday.

Glen Leroy Stensrud was born in Freeborn to Olaves and Erma (Olson) Stensrud on December 16, 1925.  He has lived in this area all his life.  He graduated from Freeborn High School in 1943.  He played high school sports and as a young adult played basketball and fast pitch softball for Freeborn town teams.  He was a loyal fan of Minnesota Gopher Athletics, the Twins and even the Vikings.  His travels included a trip to Hawaii and another to the Rose Bowl game and parade in California.

Glen was a farmer and always kept up on the latest and newest trends through magazines and newspapers.  He would drive his pick-up all over to check the nephews or other neighbors in their fields or just to look at crops.  He had served on the Freeborn Township board years ago and was a clerk for many years.  He was a member of the ASC board at one time. He gave blood regularly to the American Red Cross and has donated over 10 gallons through the years.  Glen enjoyed many years of driving school bus for Freeborn and then USC.  He was always interested in the kids and what they did and could do.  His church and the church family were very important to him.  He helped on many projects and always enjoyed the visiting and coffee time after service.  Glen was an honest, hardworking, humble man who liked the simple life.  He will be greatly missed by those who knew and loved him.

Glen is survived by his brother: Elmer (Merle) Stensrud, his sister: Myrna McKean; nephews and nieces: Carol (Brian) Schultz, Joel (Linda) Stensrud, Dale (Stacie) Stensrud, John (Marcia) McKean, Kevin McKean, Susan (Gary) Lofthus, Christian McKean, Cathryn (Derek) Espy; great nieces and nephews: Katie (Nate) Walton, Jennifer (Eric) Wendinger, Sarah Schultz, Laura Schultz, Andrew Schultz; Chad Stensrud, Jessica Stensrud, Kayln Stensrud, Brayden Stensrud; Kelcey McKean, Kaylea McKean, Keith McKean, Ben (Heather) Lofthus, Matthew (fiancé Jenna) Lofthus, Patrick (Heather) Lofthus, Melanie Lofthus; Taylor McKean, Bailey McKean; Cade Espy, Brock Espy; 3 great-great nieces and nephews; two aunts: Marvel Bickel and Gen Dullum, and cousins by the dozens.

Glen was preceded in death by his parents, one brother, Dale B. Stensrud, his brother-in-law, Bert McKean and several aunts and uncles.

Lavern A. Ewert, age 86 of Waldorf, died on Friday, January 13, 2012 at Mayo Clinic Health System-Albert Lea.

Funeral services will be held on Monday, January 16th at 2 p.m. at First Lutheran Church in Waldorf with Rev. Michael Mathews officiating.  Interment with military honors will follow in the church cemetery in Waldorf.

Visitation will be held on Sunday from 2 to 5 p.m. at Arnoldt-McRaith Funeral Home in Janesville, and will continue on Monday afternoon for one hour prior to services, at church.  In lieu of flowers memorials preferred to donor’s choice.

Lavern August was born on May 12, 1925 in Waseca, Minnesota to August and Marie (Jaeger) Ewert.  He was baptized and confirmed at First Lutheran Church in Waldorf.  Lavern was active in baseball and basketball during high school, and was Salutatorian of his Waldorf High School graduating class.  He went on to attend Mankato Teachers College until he was called into the Army Air Force Cadet program. Lavern served in the Army Air Corps on a B-24 crew during WWII.  Following his honorable discharge he attended the University of Minnesota before returning home to take over the family business, Ewert’s Fairway Store.  Lavern was united in marriage to Margaret Bleck on September 19, 1948 at Zoars Church in rural Waldorf.

Lavern served as Waldorf’s Postmaster for over 48 years, retiring in September of 1988.  During his career Lavern earned numerous awards, including Postmaster of the Year for the State of Minnesota.  Lavern was a 35-year member of the Waldorf Volunteer Fire Department.  He was recognized for 50 years of service in the DNR Firearms Safety Program for the State of Minnesota.  Lavern was instrumental in the formation of the Waldorf American Legion Post #587.  He was very active in the post, and for many years served as coach for the Babe Ruth Legion baseball team, among many other volunteer positions.  In 2006 he was recognized for his contribution of 60 years of continuous service to the post. 

He is survived by his wife Margaret, sons Danny Ewert of Minneapolis and Rex (Kris) Ewert of Marine on St. Croix, by his daughter Becky (Francis) Pfeffer of Albert Lea, and his daughter-in-law Mary Ewert-Knodell (David Knodell) of Corcoran, by 8 grandchildren and 3 great grandchildren, by his sister Vernell Adams of Watertown, SD.

He was preceded in death by his parents, his son Lanny Ewert, sister Iraline (George) Eichorst, and a brother at infancy. 

Casketbearers are:  Jerod Pfeffer, Chaise Ewert Meyer, Amy Pfeffer Madsen, Alex Knodell, Claire Knodell, Brooke Ewert, Gunnar Ewert and Paige Ewert.

Memorial services for Jay Martin Andersen, age 95, of Albert Lea will be held at 2 p.m. on Sunday, January 15, 2012 at Trinity Lutheran Church of New Richland.  Rev. Paul Andree will officiate.  Interment will be at St. Olaf Cemetery at a later date.  Visitation will be one hour prior to the service at the church. To sign the guest book, go to www.bayviewfuneral.com.

Jay passed away peacefully surrounded by his family Thursday, January 12, 2012 at Mayo Clinic Health System Albert Lea.

Jay Martin Andersen was born on January 4, 1917 to Harry and Ethel (Gettis) Andersen in Leland, Iowa.  He went to school in Chester, IA.   On January 13, 1940 Jay was united in marriage to Pearl Helle.  They farmed in the Emmons, Glenville and St. Charles area.  The couple later moved to the New Richland area where Jay spent many years farming and working at the Huntting Grain Elevator in New Richland.  Jay was an active member of Trinity Lutheran Church in New Richland.  He enjoyed woodworking, fishing, storytelling, traveling.  Jay loved spending time with his family especially with his grandchildren.  He will be deeply missed.

Survivors include his wife of 72 years, Pearl; children, Jon (Teresa) Andersen of Albert Lea, Suzanne (Tom) Zeller of Hugo, MN and Kristin Higginbotham of St. Peter, MN; grandchildren, Victoria (Andy Sharp) Andersen, Sabrina Andersen, Shane (Dena) Moore, Simona (Dan) Boler, Monte Byron, Nichole (Stefan) Schwartzwald, Jade Zeller; Callie (Erik Mead) Higginbotham, Abby (Mark Krogmann) Higginbotham and Britta Higginbotham; great-grandchildren, Taylor and Jackson Sharp, Charlotte and Sarabeth Moore, Fiona, Tierney, Maeve and Kaelin Boler, Gabriel, Vivian and Luciana Byron, and “granddaughter” Brooke Talamantes; sister, Margaret (Don) Hanson of Los Alamos, NM; brother-in-law, Tom Bresee of CA; sisters-in-law, Rita Andersen and Evelyn (Carl) Larsen both of Albert Lea; many nieces, nephews and cousins.

Jay was preceded in death by his parents; son, Perry Andersen; and siblings, Ode Bresee, Audrey Oppegard, Cora Bennett, Pat Andersen, Woodrow Andersen, Madonna Towne and Darlene in infancy.

Hazel R. Olson, 75, of Ellendale, died Wednesday, January 11, 2012 at her home after a good fight with cancer.  

Hazel was born December 13, 1936 in Lemond Township, Minnesota the daughter of Raymond and Esther (Ristau) Schmanski. Later she was married to William C. Olson on September 16, 1954. She was a member of Zion Lutheran Church. She worked for Brown Printing in Waseca for 28 years and retired. 

She loved planting in her garden and still being involved in farming. She was a member of Women Extension Club, the WELCA group and the Dumor Club.  She loved pictures and telling stories. 

She is survived by a daughter, Jeanette (and Roger) Schwartz of Waterville; two sons, John (and Jennelle) Olson of Ellendale; Raymond Olson of Ellendale; 12 grandchildren and 18 great grandchildren

Hazel was preceded in death by her husband William; her parents; a daughter Elsa; two great grandsons, William Carl Johnson and Alex John Karsten.

Visitation will be at Zion Lutheran Church on Friday, January 13, 2012 from 1 to 2 p.m.  Funeral services will be held Friday, January 13, 2012 at 2 p.m. at Zion Lutheran Church with The Reverend Gary Rusinko officiating.  Interment will be in the LeSueur River Lutheran Cemetery in Lemond Township.  Memorials are preferred to Homestead Hospice House or donor’s choice.  Michaelson Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.