Echoes from the Loafers’ Club Meeting

“Do you golf?”

“I do.”

“What’s your handicap?”

“That little windmill.”

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: two heads are better than one, but make it difficult to buy T-shirts.

I’ve learned

1. We forget what we were taught, but we remember what we learned.

2. No one washes a rented car.

3. To a wall, a door travels a lot.

The Loafers’ Club Meeting redux 

The legend lives on from the Loafers’ Club on down of an ancient policeman named Hank Uft. Hank once found a dead horse on Ignaszewski Street in town. He was required to fill out a report. Hank couldn’t spell “Ignaszewski,” so he hitched the dead horse to his squad car and dragged it to Main Street. Hank said that because of the horse’s death, the local school had to drop its driver’s education program.

It wasn’t Hank Uft

It was darker than the inside of a pants pocket as I motored home from a job. Ahead of me, a police car had a vehicle pulled over. I made my intended turn right before them. As I made the turn, I saw that the other auto pulled back into the traffic lane and continued on its way. The squad car made a U-turn and then turned down the same road as I had. It was O.K. It’s a free country. Even though my driver’s education class in school was a crash course, I think of myself as a good driver. We were just two cars traveling the same road. Suddenly, there were more lights than at a night game at Yankee Stadium. Red, white, and blue. Glaring, spinning, and blinking. I pulled to the side of the road as my mind raced in an attempt to come up with a reason why I was being pulled over. The best I could come up with was that I had driven by a couple of road signs reading, “Do Not Pass.”

The officer was pleasant. I had a headlamp that was out at the same time I was.

A budding entomologist

Kim Williams of Grundy Center told her granddaughter that she need not be afraid of grasshoppers and that they didn’t bite. The 7-year-old replied, “Then how do they eat?”

Road wars

Our roads are dotted with roadkill. Why did the chicken cross the road? To show the opossum that it could be done. Raccoons and Range Rovers don’t mix. Woolly bear caterpillars are squashed while attempting to forecast the upcoming winter. Butterflies bounce off bumpers. Paul Anderson of Albert Lea says that we have “deer crossing” signs but we need “squirrel crossing” signs, too. If only we could train the deer to cross by the “deer crossing” signs.

Nature notes

“What is the recipe for the solution to neutralize skunk spray on a dog?” Mix 1 quart of 3 percent hydrogen peroxide, 1/2-cup baking soda, and 1-teaspoon liquid soap. Wash the sprayed animal for 5 to 10 minutes. Keep the mixture out of eyes, nose, and mouth. Rinse with tap water. This mixture is the size for a small dog. Double it for a medium-sized dog and triple for a large dog.

“I saw a big, black-and-yellow spider suspended in the center of a large web? What is it?” It will have a white, zigzagging pattern of silk running vertically beneath the spider. It is an argiope. It goes by many other names such as garden spider, writing spider, signature spider, banana spider, zipper spider, and corn spider. The zigzagging pattern of silk, called the stabilimentum, is thought to camouflage the spider, attract insect prey, or make it easy for birds to see so they won’t damage it by flying into it. The little brown males are a third the size of the females.

A common sound of fall comes from the woods. "Cheep, cheep, cheep, cheep,” and “Chuck, chuck, chuck, chuck.” It continues for long periods without stop. Take a gander at a log, rock, or stump and you will likely see the singer. It’s a chipmunk. The sound carries better when the trees are freed of leaves. The chipmunk takes a break from stuffing its cheek pouches with foodstuffs in order to chime in on predator reports. Some research showed that the “cheep” warns of danger from ground predators and the “chuck” sounds the alarm to be aware of aerial predators.

Meeting Adjourned

Seneca said, “Wherever there is a human being, there is an opportunity for kindness.”

Do you have living grandparents? Are you a grandparent? Living or deceased, known or unknown, give thanks to your grandparents. Any day of the year is OK to give thanks; Sunday, September 11 is National Grandparents Day.

Sunday, September 11 is also the date of a sad day in U. S. History. Where were you on that day of the twin towers bombing in New York City? If you have living grandparents, ask them what they remember about that terrible day. Genie and I were in the Big Horn Mountains above Sheridan, Wyoming. We watched TV in shock.

Can you walk or run? The event is Saturday, September 17th. It is a 7K run or a 4K walk. Zion Lutheran, St. Paul’s Lutheran, First Lutheran of Hope and Pontoppidan Lutheran are the area churches hosting the event, This is the Second Annual Harvest Run For Hunger, with the proceeds supporting local food shelves. Call (507) 456-4167 for details. I’ve got a hunch that even if you don’t walk or run, you can pay the entry fee. Rumor has it that LeRoy Summers of Zion will be present in his Minnesota Highway Patrol t-shirt to enforce the speed limit of the entrants.

Earl (father) and Rosemary Colstrup along with Randy and Nancy (daughter) Heideman went fishing in the Dryden, Ontario, Canada area. Earl caught and released a big walleye. Nancy caught and released a big muskie. (Their photo is in Outdoor News as proof of their catch.) As they left Canada, Rosemary (mother) and Randy (son-in-law) sang that old fishing song, “Our Day Will Come.”

Cabin #90 takes this year’s Beaver Lake award for the biggest and prettiest flower. (A super huge all-white flower.)

Some of the cabin owners have the tradition of taking their dock out of the lake by Labor Day. The rest of us have the tradition of waiting too long. I’m in the wait too long group.

The Annual Beaver Lake cabin owner’s meeting was held in August at the Beaver Lake Park. Don Ingram and Bill Kottke were recognized as the longest and oldest Beaver Lake cabin owners. Surprisingly, there were repeat winners from last year. Scott and Melanie Crabtree were the newest cabin owners with qualifications. (They have beautiful steps and dock, but no cabin as of yet.)

Remember that old song about the doggie in the window? Go slow when you go by cabin 43, because if the owners are there, you will see a pretty black kitty eyeballing you in the window.

The lake water temperature is more agreeable with the appetite of the fish. The frogs are starting to show up in the shallow water as are the hungry bass. Do you need any more information to put fishing on your list of important things to do?

Time for some trivia: What do you call a person who is late and missed the bus departure? A hitch hiker.

What is odd man out? Five Beaver Lake water skiers behind one boat, and suddenly there are four.

What kind of parade does Bolin, Iowa have that is one of a kind? A standstill parade where you walk and look at the parade standing still.

What does it cost for the Mayo helicopter to give you a ride from the Beaver Lake area to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester? $13,000 as per Beaver Lake resident Joe LaFrance.

— — —

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 36th 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 breathed a sigh of relief after coming through with some much needed rain on Friday and Saturday. They went into hiding once again after predicting rain on Tuesday. What are the odds we’ll see more rainfall this time around? Starting Wednesday, mostly clear with highs of 70 – 75 and lows around 50. Thursday through Saturday, mostly clear with highs of 75 – 80 and lows near 55. Partly cloudy on Sunday with highs of 75 – 80 and lows of 55 -60. Mostly sunny again on Monday with highs around 80 and lows near 60. Partly cloudy becoming mostly cloudy on Tuesday with a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs near 75 with lows of 50 – 55. The normal high for September 10th is 75 and the normal low is 50. The sun begins setting before 7:30 p.m. on the 13th. The scurs will be glad as it is safer for them to operate wit the windows open under the cover of darkness.

The 12th ushers in the Full Moon and since it is the Full Moon closest to the autumnal equinox it is known as the Harvest Moon. Even though relatively little will be harvested by that day the period between this and the next will likely see harvest activity. This moon is called such as it allowed those early settlers to work into the evening under the moonlight. The Ojibwe called this the Rice Moon for the wild rice they were harvesting and the Sioux, concerned with the buffalo called this the Moon When Calves Grow Hair and the Moon When Plums are Scarlett. Not much different than today; it was all about food.

The benefit to the crops from this last rain were somewhat minimal depending on how much you received and what stage of growth they were in. Much of the corn was half milk line or more so the benefit was likely nonexistent in those cases. Some of the latest planted corn if one happened to receive and inch or so probably got some mileage out of it. Likewise with some of the soybeans. Some of the flat pods may have the potential to fill yet and there may be some seed size and/or weight gain as a result of the rain as well. Following the showers, there are finally some soybeans turning so we may well harvest some of them in September yet. The rain definitely showed promise in some of the pastures and hay fields. 

The pasture at home greened up almost overnight following the rain as did the lawn. All told at the ranch we received a shade over ½”. The lawn will need attention again before the weekend. At Mom’s near Spring Valley, nearly 1.5” fell over the same period so the lawn there should be ready to bale by the weekend. The home pasture at the ranch has been getting shorter as the summer has progressed. However the sheep have been doing well on the native prairie portion, grazing on the warm season grasses such as yellow Indiangrass and big bluestem. With any luck we will see some fall recharge before too much longer and the cool season grasses will be more to their liking.

There are still some indications it’s not quite autumn just yet. On September 1st, there was a lone firefly still flashing us and after one of the rain showers, there was a little green tree frog glued on the outside of the living room window. Neither will likely be the case in another couple months. The barn swallows are still hanging on at the ranch although given the large flocks of swallows congregating on the wires, one of these days our little bug eating friends will fly the coop for warmer climes. The orioles have remained another week as well. There have been several mature Baltimore males this past week, some juveniles and a few female orchard orioles. They’re relatively quiet though and it’s beginning to sound more like fall with chickadee, nuthatch and blue jay calls dominating the crisp, cool air. 

Ruby is in training camp for fall. The only way to get good at anything is to practice and that’s what we’ve been trying to do every night we can. At the kindly neighbors pasture we’ve been working at putting the ewes in the barn, something that needs to happen before they can be trailered back home for another season. The first night she did well after I walked with her to the north end of the pasture where the sheep like squabbling over the apples that fall out of the old tree there. Upon spotting Ruby they took off on a dead run and the chase was on. She cut them off and after a few “stop” commands, they decided she was too quick and went in the barn. The second night, she was excited when I let her out of the truck and wanted to get out on the pasture. I opened the gate for her and she took off on her own to the north end of the pasture. Within seconds the sheep were coming at me and went in the barn with minimal effort. I love it when a plan comes together.

The garden has definitely come together as there are string beans coming out of our ears right now and the carrots are as sweet as sugar. The horseradish is tempting me to dig it this fall and rightfully so. It’s great with most red meat and is a major contributor to other condiments like cocktail sauce. One of my little fat buddies and I had lunch one noon at the local eatery and the waitress there was extolling the virtues of horseradish with the special that day. “It’ll put hair on your chest!” she proudly proclaimed. Hmmm, I thought to myself, this might explain a few things about some of the girls I used to go out with.

See you next week…real good then. 

Ellendale City Council

By SCOTT GROTH

Contributing Writer

The Ellendale City Council met Thursday, August 25 with Mayor Engel, Councilmen Helland, Reiter and Groth present. Councilman Goebel was absent. Also attending the meeting were Jeff Johnson, Clerk Louks, Dan Dailey and Steele County Sheriff Lon Thiele.

Sheriff Thiele was in attendance to discuss the contract between the city and the county. Thiele had given Clerk Louks a copy of the updated contract earlier in the day. Thiele asked the council to review the contract and approve the agreement at one of the next meetings. Thiele noted the contract was for the same amount of man hours as used in the last couple of years. The council budgets around $40,000 a year for police protection. Thiele told the council that overall things have been fairly quiet in town. Once again Thiele urged council members and anyone in the community to call the Sheriff’s Office if they see anything strange taking place. Thiele told the council that classes had just been held on the 800 mhz radios. The sheriff thought the county could go live some time around Thanksgiving.

By JODY WYNNEMER

Staff Writer

With school starting in less than a week, there will be a significant change in the routine at the Ellendale Elementary School.

In the past, students arrriving by bus were dropped off and picked up on School Street, which is on the east side of the building.

Upon completion of a new parking lot on the south end of the property, school buses will load and unload near the gymnasium. The new lot, which is 117 feet wide by 200 foot deep, will enter and exit off of 8th Avenue (Steele Cty Rd 38.) The school district had to apply for variances for the entrances from Steele County, which granted approval. It will feature off-street parking for about 42 vehicles. The property also has a newly constructed garage/storage facility near the entrance.

“Moving the loading and unloading off the street will significantly improve the safety of our students,” said NRHEG Superintendent Kevin Wellen.

Due to the fact that it involved improvements to safety, the project is eligible to be paid for using Crime Levy funds.

Parents are asked to drop off students at the curb on School Street where the buses previously loaded. This will be much safer than in the new south parking lot.

By KATHY PAULSEN

Staff Writer

Former Freeborn County Agent, Eldon Senske, stated, "4-H is about purple ribbon kids not purple ribbon animals and projects."

Theodore Roosevelt said, "Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing."

The 750 members of the Freeborn County 4-H clubs believe in their 4-H Motto: Head, Heart, Hands and Health.

They worked hard to prepare and present some of the best projects for the Freeborn County Fair Aug. 2-7.

The Freeborn County 4-H Club organization consists of 17 clubs: Albert Lea, Alden, Bath-Geneva, Conger, Freeborn, Freeman, Hartland, Hayward, Mansfield, Moscow, Myrtle, Nunda, Oakland, Riceland, Shell Rock, Twin Lakes, Willing Workers.

More Beaver Lake memories... 

The times change. Adventures change. Boats get bigger and faster.

My mother distinctly remembers the beauty of that land as a youngster.  Districts #133 and #96 (County Line School) had taken a field trip for a nature field day with her favorite country school teacher.  The students carried their lunches for a picnic.

Taking field trips was a big deal in those days.  She believes there was once a road running north from the lake, just west of where Rick Johnson now has his home.  Because the road was in such poor condition due to some water conditions, it was eventually closed.

Picnics were popular at Beaver Lake. It was the family’s summer entertainment. The ladies always tried to bring their best food items. There was always home fried chicken and potato salad made with lots of eggs and cooked dressing. 

Yes, cooked dressing; dressing didn’t come with a label on it from the store back then. It was cooked on the stove and made with cream, eggs and oil. Mom says it was delicious. 

The picnics also included cabbage salad, home baked beans, cakes, cookies and they always had pie - even cream pie.  Group picnics sometimes had homemade ice cream, which had been packed with dry ice in silver cylinders and covered with a very thick padding.

My mother doesn’t remember anyone ever dying of food poisoning, though the days were often long. Leftovers were often eaten later in the day before everyone went back home again. 

Many remember the white building that used to be at the lake, where you could buy treats.  There was a wooden walkway in front of it, with doors over the counter top that could be turned up for access to the public.  There was penny candy, candy straws, licorice sticks and NeHi pop, which came in glass bottles.

But, mostly it was lemonade, made from real lemons. It sure quenched the thirst.  The ice probably came from ice blocks stored in the ice house, which were harvested from the lake the previous winter, then packed in sawdust so it wouldn’t melt.

Many people enjoyed listening to speakers, concerts, playing games and socializing with friends and neighbors at the lake. Though the cattle were probably moved from the area for large picnics, it was obvious this was their feeding area. You see, there was no grass cut by a rotary mower in those days.

The many picnic table benches were actually boards extending from cut off tree stumps.  Others just chose to sit on spread blankets on the grass.  Ladies wore dresses. So did the little girls. 

Men wore straw hats. A few guys sported Y pants that were tight at the knee, which required long, dark stockings to cover their legs.  Mom insists she remembers there being a rather dilapidated gazebo or screened band stand at one time. 

Some also remember the dances and the roller rink at the lake.  Roller skates could be rented and put on by using a silver skate key to attach them to the soles of the shoes.  

Games were also played in the park. Most likely, you’d find people of all ages having fun with three-legged races, sack races, plain races, all categorized by ages and gender. My mother has a distinct memory of the casting rod events for the men.  

Dr. Algie, the local dentist, was almost certain to win because he could put that “plug” right where he wanted it. Also, not to forget were the ball games.

I remember snowmobiling across the lake often on our way to St. Olaf Lake.  One year, we observed slushy spots of rather red looking ice.  We never knew why, but it was about the same time that oak trees were threatened by an oak blight.

Beaver Lake has held many large ice fishing events for sport and contest over the years.  In the ball playing days, Hank Thompson packed many fishing contests in with prizes, including automobiles, trips, butchered livestock, groceries and cash. All this helped the fast pitch softball players earn money to support their team for league and tournament play the following summers.

The polio epidemic was responsible for shutting down the beach area one year.  One family was hard hit by polio, but their love for the lake had them building a ramp type access to the lake for a paralyzed child. Then, he could get down to the lake on the steepest part of the lake’s shore terrain.

There were tales about a large inlet/outlet on the south east corner of the lake.  As I recall, there was some hassle over it because the water depth could be changed to different individuals’ liking, by removing or adding wooden planking.

When the park was developed, a walking underpass from the parking lot to the beach area was put in for safety concerns. The wooden bathhouse on the west side of the road had been replaced by a modern concrete building on the east side of the road.  The new bathhouse had his and hers changing areas, cold water showers and concession stand. 

A picnic pavilion was built, and play ground equipment installed for the children. The fishing dock put in by the DNR has been a welcome and well-used addition to the lake.

When my mom worked at Lerberg’s in Ellendale, right out of high school, (which is 65 years ago now), I remember an enterprising gentlemen. He managed the lumber yard in Ellendale, and bought a couple of cabins from “gasoline alley” in Albert Lea that had to be moved because of road work. 

He moved them to the north side of Beaver Lake.  My mother said to him, “Good move. Just keep on going.”  Though he looked at her rather strange at the time, he took her advice and did just that. He went on to develop the west end of Beaver Lake.

During the Beaver Lake Tour held earlier this summer, I visited with people who now own the cabin formerly owned by Geraldine Rasmussen, of the Austin Daily Herald.  My mother and dad had worked on that cabin many years ago, and a good share of others around the lake. 

Who were the first lakeside year round residents at Beaver Lake? Was it Nels Jensen or  Clarence Peterson?  Or was it whoever lived in the houses on the Kast shoreline? The Wistercils have had two non-typical cabins on the north side for a long time. Who lived there?

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 and anniversary 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, September 1st: Jim Motz, Payton Thomspon, Daryl Nelson, Jody Farr, Catherine Carlson, Gregory Ray, Dianna & Matthew Beckman, Adam & Lalya Lang, Jim & Marian Motz.

• Friday, September 2nd: Krista Paulsen, Brent Broulik, Barb Grunwald, Dean Richards, Logan Callahan, Peyton Moore Ayers, Randy & Barb Horan, Christine & Tom Krause, Amy & Jeff Conley.

• Saturday, September 3rd: Marie Carroll, Lori Ingvaldson, Merton & Trudy Nelson, Joanne & Mitch Wayne, Dick & Paulette Nelson, Tatum Wilson.

• Sunday, September 4th: Cody Blouin, Marc Vanden Heuvel, Melissa Wayne, Tea Boerner, Erin Dobberstein, Daniel Pitcock,  Holly Wangsness Dau, Rachel Arends, Melody & Tim Gassnman.

• Monday, September 5th: Beckett Dane Rasmussen, Sydney Marie Schmidt, Jennifer Broskoff  Dutton, Bruce Langlie, Beth Ann Suelter, Darren Hanson, Stacy Evenson, Grace Lorraine Kofstad, Rande Nelson, Dennis & Mary Jensen, Chuck and L‚ymra Hoogland, Brian & Angie Dobberstein.

• Tuesday, September 6th: LeAnn Hjoberg, Cindy Sloan Scheevel, Jackson Kilian, Tina Thostenson, Luke Trumble, Brian & Nancy Erickson.

• Wednesday, September 7th: Tanner Ryan Green, Caleb Wacek, Bert Van Hal, Janice Nelson, Charles Phagan, Allen Wacek, Jenny & Jed Popiel, Summer & Wayne Schultz, Erik & Gina Cooper, Al & Becky Larson, Brant & Rhiannon Boerner.

• Thursday, September 8th: Pastor Joel Xavier, Natalie Aaseth, Cindy Loberg Smolinski, Anna Lois Erickson, Brittani Hagen, Karen Briggs, Kelly Hagen, Amy Johnson Svoboda, Jennifer Johnson Popiel, Jimmie Olson Jr., Jamie Thompson, Bob & Karen Vaith, Brian & Jody Wayne, Jessica & Jay Eidem.

• Friday, September 9th: Eva Lauren Wayne, Charlie Pence, Paul Aronson, Bruce Cerney, Corey Haddy, Steve Hanson, Roger Herbst, Jim & Mary Brocker, Randy & Deb Parks, Spencer & Suzanne Wayne.

Wherever this year takes you, may you find happiness along the way.

One of the things I enjoy doing from time to time is driving around our city and reflecting on some of my earlier years. It is fun to look around and remember what the town had in years past, as far as businesses and places I frequented growing up in Freeborn County.

A couple of weeks ago, Ed Shannon had a nice article about the many things that were manufactured right here in Albert Lea. My grandfather, Albert Herfindahl, worked for the American Gas Company, and Ed mentioned that business in his article. The pictures that appeared in the paper looked almost identical to the Coleman products of the ‘60s and ‘70s. 

I had just gotten into camping in the early ‘70s. I couldn’t be a real camper without the famous Coleman lantern. I also had a green metal cooler made by Coleman and bore a strong resemblance to the Kampcold cooler.

My folks had a Kampcold cooler that I believe got thrown out after living in my cellar for a few years. It’s funny how what a person sees as junk at the time may be a collectible later on. If you ask my wife, she’d probably say I haven’t thrown out anything in the last 41 years.

When I was in Vietnam, we had our generator go down so we broke out an auxiliary lantern and, when I pulled it out of the box, to my surprise it was made by The American Gas Company in Albert Lea, Minnesota. I was pretty excited about this. It kind of gave me a connection with home in a place I felt was about as far away from there as you could possibly get at the time.

There were a lot of pretty neat businesses around when I was growing up. Almost every neighborhood had its own little family-owned grocery store. I can remember riding my bike into town and going to a little store on the corner of Minnesota and Johnson Streets; I’m not sure of its name but we called it Russell’s Store. Maybe because that was the grocer’s name, or it was actually named that. That store had, beyond a doubt, the best selection of candy and ice cream treats in town. I also liked to go to the Albert Lea Creamery and buy a sundae. My favorite was chocolate marshmallow, which was chocolate ice cream with creamy marshmallow topping.

In those days, I never got an allowance so I would use my paper route and lawn mowing money on anything that was considered frivilous. I could usually get my mom to give me a little change when it came to buying fishing tackle like hooks and sinkers. But, if I wanted a lure, I was pretty much on my own. 

I can remember going into Simonson’s sporting goods store to buy fishing tackle, live bait and even get the old Johnson Outboard motor repaired. The store was located on Clark Street right around the corner from Interstate Power. I would love to go into that store just to look around, even though I usually didn’t have enough money to buy anything. I do believe I bought my first Daredeville spoon there. 

I still have a jointed lure I think was made by Mirro-Lure that I had purchased there. I was excited about that lure. I just knew that it was going to catch fish. The only thing that lure has actually ever caught is the kid who bought it. I still have it hanging up in my basement with a few of my other old lures and my most prized possession, the old Shakespeare Marhoff reel with a fiberglass rod. 

When I was about ten years old, my uncle Ben had talked to my dad. He told him that I should have a good rod and reel. My dad agreed he would pay for it and Uncle Ben purchased it. I can still remember the day they gave it to me and how happy I was. I don’t think I fully realized at the time the sacrifice my dad had to make in order to buy, as we didn’t really have a lot of money to spend on extras. Once I had that reel, I spent hours in the backyard casting at a tire swing in order to get accurate and avoid getting the dreaded backlash.

Thinking back to that sporting goods store and outboard motors brings back memories of the old 5-horse Johnson my Uncle Ben used to have. The smell of the gas fumes that old motor emitted was what fishing was supposed to smell like. I can still hear that old motor putt-putt-putting along as we cut through an early morning fog on a northern lake. 

In my youth there were only two ways I would ever get to go “up north” fishing. One way was to read about it and then lean back, close my eyes and picture in my mind the fishing adventure I had just read about. The other was when Uncle Ben and Aunt Marcie would invite me along on a fishing vacation to Northern Minnesota.

In those days a trip north or even to Minneapolis was a pretty major undertaking. On those fishing trips, we would head north on the highway past Lake Mille Lacs. Along the way, we would stop at Hickory Lake where there was a little wayside rest and some picnic tables. Aunt Marcie would pack a picnic lunch which consisted of potato salad, cold meat sandwiches and, of course everyone’s picnic favorite, Van Camp’s pork n’ beans. For some reason, I don’t think I have ever tasted a picnic lunch as good as that one. Maybe it was actually the food, but I really think it was all about the time and the place. 

Yes, memories are precious, but in this day of rapidly changing times, they are a great way to slow things down and forget about your everyday problems. When I was in the service, there was an observation  some of us made: eventually you only remember the good parts and the bad parts fade into the background.

Until next time, do a little fishing, take a little time to relax and get out and make a few memories in our great Minnesota outdoors.

Please remember to keep our troops in your thoughts and prayers during the coming year.