The Hanson horde gathered for Thanksgiving on November 26th,  2011.

The invitation read:

The Hanson Horde will gather Saturday, November 26th, 2011, "noonish." "After Thanksgiving... Are you tired of turkey? Sick of sausage? Had enough of ham? Well, this year the Scandinavians are going GERMAN!" Bavarian porkchops in sweet kraut; Jim's famous red cabbage, and peach, apple and cherry strudel. Got any German recipes you'd like to try out on us? Hot potato salad? Home-made soft pretzels? Dumplings? Speitzel? Turnips? Squash? ("The Kaiser has decreed that Tommy-toes, Chicken and Noodles, Lefse and hot dishes are ALSO German!)

Jim & Maryalice Hanson

Please RSVP with the number of members of your family that will be attending (but you know we will make enough food, anyway). German music will be provided, Scandinavian Saga's told, Schnapps sipped. Aquavit will be in abundance. Leiderhosen would not be required. Limited yodeling. Traditions are not for keeping. They are for keeping us close. 

This Thanksiving we took a walk on the wild side. The Thanksgiving meal prepared was heart health, compassionate and friendly to all involved.

For 18 years, Maryalice and Jim Hanson have opened their doors to the Hanson tribe the Saturday after Thanksgiving, something they started when Christine and Richard Hanson, the grandparents, were no longer able to have the family gathering. The tradition of Richard and Christine continues with families of their daughters, Helyn Langlie, Carole Schember and Phyllis Hagen, and their son, the late Paul Hanson. The family has expanded, but since all can't always come, the number of guests stays pretty consistant - "only about 50 or so."  Someone made the remark, "even the little ones are no longer little" (18 years). But, new little ones take their place."

Jim paid tribute to "Bestefar" in his Thanksgiving toast telling a fascinating story about the special qualities of Aquavit/English, Akavit/Danish, and how Grandpa Chris would sip very tiny amounts of it on special occasions.

Thanksgiving is about being with family and friends. It's about taking our time to stir and simmer and season, until every room of the house is filled with the sweet warmth of the holiday. It's about sitting down with the people who mean the most to us, and passing love around the table until every heart is filled.

The serving table centered around the "Bavarian" porkchops with sweet kraut and apples, "German" potato salad, red cabbage, "German" styled dressing and three flavors of baklavia, some "German" kielbasa sausage, and a reuben delight.  Bobs’s birthday cake was "German chocolate." There was "German" chocolate chip cookies, mocha cake, which must have been "German" too. 

The lefse was a little bit "Norwegian," and the homemade chicken and noodles a little bid "Dane." There was also a little spaghetti, which might have tasted a little "Italian," the fruit salad, sweet potatoes, and vegetable horderves tray, all a little "American." The breads were definitely "German", spead thick with HOPE butter, and there was "international" coffee and tea, to enjoy.

Coming the farthest distance to enjoy the day was Jim's niece, Suzy, and her husband, Taylor Smith of Oxford, Mississippi. The eldest in attendance were Helyn Langlie, of Ellendale; and the honored mother, Jim's mother, Phyllis Hanson, from Bancroft Estates. Jim's cousin, Barb, and husband, Dale Mrotz, from Ellendale also joined in on the fun. 

Barb is the champion lefse baker of the family. Their son, Victor, and wife, Kellie Mrotz, and children, Hudson and Sophia from Ellendale brought along butter for the lefse and the dinner rolls. Jim's sister, Sue Mattson, the angelic caregiver,  brought along Willie Krohn, Katy Kriese, and Aaron Scherer, all of Buffalo.

The rest in attendance were: Jayne Villareals' children, Molly and Mike Olson, Cierra and Nick of Glenville; Melinda Talamantes and her children, Skylar and Carley of Albert Lea; Natalie and Jeff Bartlett; Lily and Luke, of St. Michael; and Michael Hanson and his two sons, Maks and Kolten of Maplewood; DeLoyce and Fred Schmidt, Kelly Janning and her children, Dakota, Jaxon and Alexis; Tony Schoenrock all of Austin; Bob and Kathy Hanson of Chanhassen; Carole Schember; Daryl and Kathy Paulsen; Kade Schember and Jeff Forbes, all of Geneva and Teresa Scully, of Young America; and Phyllis and Eugene Hagen of New Richland.

May we all remember to give thanks not just on Thanksgiving but every day of the year for that which we have been given.

Some of our Star Eagle readers have commented that they like to read about the local happenings and family events such as family and school reunions, birthday andanniversary celebrations, 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, so we can then pass along the news to you.  If you have news to share, please contact me.

Also, if our NRHEG Star Eagle readers would like to share birthdays and anniversaries of your family and friends, or you know of some that should be deleted, or names have changed, 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, December 8th: Kathy Glynn, Teri McDonald, Jeff Schei, Tracy Haddy, James Olsen, Mike Flugum.

• Friday, December 9th: Carrisa Christensen, Paitan Janis Glynn, Al Paulson, Robert Robertson, Rusty Besco, Mark Ribbe, Tony Phillips, Courtney Thompson, Brian Strand, Chuck & Cynthia Crabtree, Steve & Terri Engel.

• Saturday, December 10th: Cody Dobberstein, Steve Lee, Valarie Otterson, Karla Osmundson, Art DeNeui, Scott & Melonie Crabtree.

• Sunday, December 11th: Jane Nordhorn Allen, Justin Hove, Geoffrey Ramaker, Marty Shultz, Rick Johnson, Janice Paulsen, Beth Scripture Klucksen, Jake Thompson, Theresa Van Ravenhorst, Larry & Emily Otto.

• Monday, December 12th: Warren Sorenson, Torie Richards, Jean Groth, Addison Gayle Lyman, Bernard Falksen, Matthew Butler, Barbara Lageson, Judith Johnson Tetzloff, Kim Seath, Christopher Nelson.

• Tuesday, December 13th: Deb Bunn, Dan Carroll, Jake Pence, Eleanor Koster, Spencer Wayne, Maks Robert Edward Hanson, Michael Kelly, Mike & Michelle Peterson, Candy & Darin Baker.

• Wednesday, December 14th: Makenna Marie Smith, Alexander Jayce Quimby, Keith Bengston, Randy Lehmberg, Elizabeth Falksen Brockoff, Richard Conroy, Wayne Reese, Tina VanRiper, Catherine Lageson, Jim Ladlie, Rich Krikava, Daryl & Peggy Radjanovish.

It is your special day - take a break and celebrate!

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

It seems like I’m playing this same broken record just about every year since the Lessard Sams bill was passed. A little over a week ago, I sat down and talked with Garry Leaf and Kevin Auslund of Sportsmen for Change. They were in town to meet with some area sportsmen to discuss the latest efforts of our illustrious politicians, in that they might gain control of the Lessard-Sams council and other bills that are critical to preserving our outdoors heritage, the arts, watershed and parks and trails. They are traveling around the state speaking to sportsmen’s groups just like ours, who  enjoy the outdoors, fishing and hunting like most of us do.

I don’t know what you readers think about legislators controlling your hunting and fishing, but if they handle this as well as they have the state budget, our outdoors will be in big trouble. It seems like most politicians have their own agenda these days, and working together for the good of the majority doesn’t seem to be a priority.

The following is the message that Leaf and Auslund want to convey to Minnesota sportsmen in order to make them aware of what is going on in the State Legislature regarding “OUR” Amendment:

Local hunters and anglers have increasingly become aware that they have to know where legislators stand on outdoor issues important to sportsmen. Unless we are vigilant and speak up, we will continue to see bills introduced by legislators that will negatively affect sportsmen. Indeed, during the Legislative Session of 2011, three bills were introduced with multiple authors that strike at the very heart of habitat funding efforts that hunters and anglers have worked for over the past decade.  The bills include:

Bill #HF 0332: No-Net Gain of Public Lands. 17 authors have signed onto the bill.

No additional land could be purchased by the state open to public hunting unless an equal number of public acres are first sold elsewhere.

Bill #HF 1073: Elimination of Lessard-Sams Out-door Heritage Council. The current 12-member council made up of eight citizens and four legislators would be abolished and replaced with a council of legislators only. Nine authors have signed onto the bill.

Bill #HF 1723: Repeal of the Legacy Amendment. The constitutional amendment, passed in 2008 by nearly 60% of voters, would once again be put on the ballot in 2012 for possible defeat. 5 authors have signed onto the bill

“Sportsmen have to by necessity become more involved in politics or suffer the consequences of the Legislative Pen over hunting and fishing issues. Just a few strokes of this pen can undo the past ten years of hard work for 

Of foremost priority is for the State Legislature to pass the Lessard Sams Outdoor Heritage Council’s recommendations for spending of constitutional Legacy money on habitat projects. This council that includes a majority of citizens keeps politics out of outdoor issues and selects the best projects for fish, game and wildlife,” said Garry Leaf, Executive Director of Sportsmen for Change. Legislators will often object to land purchases that result in state ownership open to public hunting because such land would be taken off the tax roles. However, these same legislators often fail to mention that payment is still made to the counties through payments of PILT (Payments In Lieu of Taxes) by the State to the counties. Indeed, the State Legislative Auditor’s Summary Report of 2010 found that “results suggest that the PILT counties receive for most acquired land is generally greater than the property taxes they receive on comparable private land.”

It’s clear by the three introduced bills above that some anti-sportsmen legislators will, if they can, stack the cards against hunters and anglers. Only by speaking up at the local level can hunters and anglers put legislators on notice that their actions are being watched and will ultimately be held accountable on election day.

The purpose of the Grassroots meetings set up by Leaf and Auslund is to make people aware of what certain politicians are doing to overturn the Amendment that we, as voters that voted on and passed. We need to let to let the politicians know that the average guy can make a difference. Contact your local legislator and let he or she know how you feel.

I did contact my local representative Rich Murray. He responded to my e-mail to give me an update on those three bills. 

If you want to voice your opinion to your representative, you can contact Tony Cornish at: 437 State Office Building, 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Saint Paul, Minnesota 55155, 651-296-4240 or 800-704-8525.

— — —

There are still some perch being caught in the open water of the channel by Frank Hall Park and Front Street. Minnows are the best bet for the bigger ones. With the temperatures still flirting with the 30s, there should be open water for a while longer so you might want to take advantage of it.

Until next time, play safe and enjoy the outdoors experience and be sure to make your voice heard.

Please remember to keep our troops in your thoughts and prayers during the coming year. They are the reason we are able to enjoy all the freedoms we have.

Echoes from the Loafers' Club Meeting

"I couldn't find my car this morning."

"It wasn't in your garage?"

"It was, but I’d forgotten I had a garage."

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: Life has no remote. If I want to change it, I need to get up.

I’ve learned

1. We are all in shape.

2. To err is hunam.

3. To always give 100% unless I’m giving blood.

Those thrilling days of yesteryear

It was during that time of my life when I was a human TV remote and garage door opener. One of my best days was when I had enjoyed a glass of freshly-squeezed Tang and after the bus had dropped me off at school, I saw the janitor on the roof. That was always a good thing. He was up on the flat roof to throw all the balls down that had become trapped there during the year.

It happened just the other day

My mother-in-law was visiting.

There was a knock at the door.

I opened the door to a couple of sheriff’s deputies. I naturally assumed that they had come for my mother-in-law. I love her, but that is what I thought.

What they were looking for were witnesses who might have seen copper thieves at work. The thieves had stolen the copper from a lofty communications tower in the neighborhood.

They asked me if I had seen any suspicious behavior. I had not. The police officers left.

My mother-in-law breathed a sigh of relief.

Show and tell

Charlene Lincoln of Frost was a teacher for many years. One year, she had a grade school student bring a Cool Whip container filled with wood ticks. Charlene must have had a certain look on her face as the child said, “Don't worry, Mrs. Lincoln, I punched air holes in the cover.”

Milking

I drank almond milk the other day. I used to milk cows. There were days when I thought I was crazy to milk cows, but a guy would have to be nuts to milk almonds.

Tales from one marriage

Harold Moe of Roseville told me that when he headed to Europe as a soldier during World War II, his father warned him to look out for French girls.

Harold brought home a German bride.

His father had not warned him about German girls.

And from another

My wife and I were eating in a nice restaurant. It had menus that were hard to read because of the low lighting meant to provide an ambiance that encouraged ambitious spending. I pointed to a couple seated across the restaurant from us and said to my wife, “That’s us in ten years.”

My lovely bride glanced in their direction and replied, “That’s a mirror.”

Things are looking up for looking down

I was waiting for someone to pick me up at the ferry terminal in Haines, Alaska. I was looking up at the antics of magpies and ravens. A van parked near me, a man stepped out, and picked up a $20 bill from under his foot. I need to look down occasionally.

Nature notes

Trumpeter swans are the largest native waterfowl species in North America. A tundra swan is nearly as large as a trumpeter and both have a white plumage and black bills. Field guides show that a tundra swan has a yellow spot at the base of the bill near the eye. This is a good identifier, but not all tundra swans have this. Trumpeters don’t have this yellow spot. The trumpeter’s bill is longer than the tundra’s. Slight differences make accurate identification difficult. The two are distinguished by differences in their calls. The trumpeter swan has a deep, loud trumpet-like call. The tundra has a high-pitched, quavering call similar to a Canada goose.

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s FeederWatch found that the bird most likely to appear at your feeder in the winter is the downy woodpecker. The rest of the top 10 in descending order are black-capped chickadee, dark-eyed junco, blue jay, American goldfinch, white-breasted nuthatch, northern cardinal, hairy woodpecker, house sparrow, and house finch.

Talking to the Holstein

I was talking to the Holstein the other day. The Holstein is a retired milk cow, so she has time to talk. I told the Holstein that when it comes to weather, I expect the unexpected.

The Holstein chewed her cud thoughtfully and said, “Doesn’t expecting the unexpected make the unexpected the expected?”

Meeting adjourned

A kind word blesses the giver as much as the receiver.

The scurs’ slight chance of snow on Saturday turned out to be our first major snowfall event of the season. Will we add to the accumulation or are the snow gods content with this amount? Starting Wednesday, partly cloudy with highs of 25 and lows of 15. Thursday, partly cloudy with highs around 20 and lows of zero to 5 above. Mostly clear and cooler on Friday with highs of only 15 and lows again of zero to 5 above. Warmer on Saturday under clear skies with highs of 25 and lows near 20. Mostly cloudy and warmer on Monday and Tuesday with highs of 30 – 35 and lows of 20 – 25. On the 10th we slip below 9 hours of daylight with sunrise at 7:37 a.m. and sunset at 4:36 p.m. The normal high for December 10th is 29 and the normal low is 11. The scurs will be retrieving the Festivus pole from the crawl space and readying themselves for feats of strength.

Winter has come to Bugtusslians one and all. Snow covers up the ugly brown and gray as well as brightening the landscape. This past weekend’s snowfall generally brought accumulations of 4” – 6” of wet snow. It came down gently though and blew around very little after falling. The moisture content of the snow was welcome, with .38” worth of water being melted out of the snow at the ranch. The new snowboard for measuring snow and determining moisture content associated with it saw its first use of the winter. It proved to be more accurate than just catching the snow in the gauge as in the past. The more accepted official method is to place a piece of board 16” x 24” on the ground in an area where it is representative, avoiding trees and buildings yet be somewhat sheltered so the wind doesn’t blow the area clear. Using the gauge as a cookie cutter, a “biscuit” is cut out of the snow accumulated on top of the board then melted down to be measured. How much more accurate is it? Just a for instance when comparing the two methods of measurements, only .27” of water was melted out of the gauge located in its usual position. Over the course of the winter, those differences can add up.

There are lots of things happening astronomically this month, not the least of which is the Full Moon on Dec. 10th. This Full Moon is known as the Full Cold Moon, the Full Long Nights Moon or as the Moon before the Yule. The Ojibwe called this the Small Spirits Moon while the Sioux referred to it as the Moon of Popping Trees or the Moon When Deer Shed Their Antlers. At the ranch it is the Moon Where We Don Longjohns. 

After consulting with Vista’s noted Swedish astronomer, it turns out there are lots of planets to be viewed this month as well. Jupiter continues to be prominent in the eastern sky at dusk and remains visible most of the night. It sets in the west in the early in the morning. Jupiter, however, has been upstaged by our sister planet Venus and is the brightest object in the evening sky other than the moon. Check low in the southwestern sky at dusk and it should be easy to spot. As the month wears on it will rise higher in the sky and by the New Year will shine for 2 ½ hours after sunset. Mars and Saturn are also visible, with Mars rising in the east just before midnight and Saturn in the southeastern sky well after midnight. Saturn’s rings have opened to about 15 degrees from horizontal so this is a good time to view the planet with a small telescope. As the noted astronomer and I discussed, it would probably a good time to awaken your wife or girlfriend (but not both at the same time) so they can enjoy the planets too.  

It has been the time of year to sell off this year’s lamb crop and bring the feed bill back down to reality. The lambs were fairly cooperative about loading, but as is sometimes the case, a couple of the buck lambs we held back decided staying in a pen wasn’t their idea of a good time. Upon arriving in the barn for chores that night, I noted neither was in their pen. Of course they were in the pen with some ewes we’d kept open. Doing it all, I corralled one of the escapees only to see it jump over the wood panel as I attempted to catch the other fugitive. That meant the pen needed major reinforcement, which I did before finishing chores. Afterwards I decided if they were out again by morning they would have new names to replace the unprintable names I’d just given them. Their new names: Sausage and Tube Steak.

Not all rams are difficult to get along with however. Friday afternoon before the snow was forecast, it was time to get the ewes back home for winter. Luckily for me the kindly neighbor himself was walking about the pasture as I pulled up with the pickup and trailer. Best of all he offered to help load them. Ruby was along, but her services weren’t needed. Being the stealthy guy I am, I’d slipped the sheep some hay on my way by earlier and snuck around the end of the barn to close the door behind them. Direction to back me in perfectly to the door was provided and we moved a panel around so the sheep had no other place to go but in the trailer. That doesn’t necessarily mean they go in easily, although this time luck was on our side. The ram we call BernaRRd has always been a big teddy bear and easy to catch so I latched onto him. Leading him over to the trailer door we had a quick one-sided conversation that went something like, “I know you probably don’t want to go in there but just this once let’s pretend.” He must’ve read my mind or can understand English because he suddenly jumped right in. As sheep will do, the 10 ewes followed right behind him. Once the last one was in the trailer I quickly slid the door shut. The kindly neighbor looked on in amazement as I laughed, telling him that sheep were put on the earth to make turkeys look intelligent. After witnessing that I think he probably believed me.

See you next week…real good then.

Kindergarten classes at NRHEG Elementary in Ellendale held a “Back to the ‘50s Day” in November. Above is Mrs. Buendorf’s class. Front from left: Hunter Mudgett, Annabelle Petsinger, Jaden Buchli, Reese Routh and Alexus Hovey. Middle: Garett Degan, Tayler Schmidt, McKenzie Mueller, Ned Bell and Kiyah Mikesell. Back: Wyatt Melendrez, Clay Routh, Samuel Houle, Zander Flatness, Hallie Schultz, Shelby Born, Madison Murray and Keira Lenort. (Star Eagle photos by Carol Jolly)

Mrs. Knudson’s class — Front from left: William Tuttle, Khaler Grant, Hunter Johnson, Anna Blatti, Meha Hnatyszyn and Sean Casey. Middle: Emilee Dalbec, Rose Rolfing, Malonna Wilson, Brenna Sommer, Sydney Lewer and Makiya Hartwig. Back: Natas Doyan, Graden Karl, Levin Kitzer, Gavin Briggs, Payden Loverink, Jason Reese and Carter Iverson.

Mrs. Mangskau’s class — Front from left: Tristan Ingvaldson, Drake Hershberger, Dacoda Malakowsky, Faith Nielsen, Hope Nielsen and Kyra Spies. Row two: Isabel Stadheim, Erin Peterson, Gracie Williams, Kyli Johnson, Evelyn Nydegger, Riley Hendrickson, Jayden Purdie, George Roesler, Daltyn Harshman, Daxter Lee, Preslie Nielsen, Brian Possin and Kia Buendorf. Back: Paraprofessional Mrs. Jacobson and Mrs. Mangskau.

Geoff Ramaker scored this nice 10-point buck at Wykoff/Preston, Minn., area. It weighed 168 pounds. He was hunting with his dad, Donnie Ramaker, an uncle and cousins. (Submitted photo)

100 Years Back – 1911

• It is indeed a pleasure to know that the M. & St. L. depot at this place is soon to be electric lighted. In addition several lights will be placed on the outside so as to light the platform, giving visitors to our burg the impression that our town is the metropolitan place it really is.

• “My darling, I must confess I have deceived you. I am not rich; I am poor. Will it make any difference to you?” “Not the slightest, Fred.” “I’m thankful for that. You are sure it will make no difference to you?” “Not a bit, I can marry Mr. Richley.”

• Starlight — Sale and oyster supper by the Ladies’ Aid Society next Saturday evening. Miss Amanda Schwartzkoff returned to her home in Otisco after a sojourn of several weeks in New Richland.

• Notes from Meadowbrook Farm — Free range for hogs does not mean that they should be allowed to run over our neighbor’s farm. It has never seemed advisable to sow alfalfa in the fall with rye.

• Hound Street — One of our trappers caught a fine raccoon and a red fox, and another trapper caught two minks and several muskrats during the past week.

NRHEG School Board

By REED WALLER

Staff Writer

The NRHEG School Board has scheduled a work session for Monday, Dec. 12 at 5 p.m.

In past years work sessions have been dominated by discussion about budgetary problems and staff and program cuts due to restricted finances and declining enrollment. This session will be to come up with solutions to ensure adequate resources for a growing elementary student bodyenrollment.

In a related action, the board approved the purchase of a 10-passenger van, price not to exceed $25,000.

The district has a schedule wherein they purchase buses and lease or purchase minivans on a rotation basis. This time growing need calls for a larger vehicle.

“I think we may have exceeded minivan class,” said Supt. Kevin Wellen, referring to the increasing Elementary Special Education numbers.

Hearing problem

While the board examined a $2,500 payment to LinguaOne, Inc. for ASL translator and materials for New Richland High School, Supt. Wellen reviewed the situation with the company.