A few days ago I was heading West on Hammer Road and as I looked out over the slough toward the place that we knew as “Skunk Hill,” I began to think about all the fun I’d had roaming that slough as a kid. Winter was usually when I would spend many hours exploring the slough.

We kids would usually make one or two trips to Skunk Hill in the summer, but winter was when you could spend time without fear of getting wet. For some reason I was like a magnet to water and whenever we ventured there in the summer I would usually end up with wet tennis shoes. Winter had its challenges because if you ventured too close to the bull rushes there was always a chance you’d break through the ice and end up with an overshoe full of ice cold water.

There were a few times we walked the slough all the way from Bridge Street to where the creek connected to Goose Lake. On these adventures we were always looking to see what kind of fish we could spot swimming in the creek. Spotting fish or any type of wild critter was the main reason I enjoyed these adventures. There were many times I’d be at the bridge and a school of minnows would come through. These were the times that got me going and I can still remember the excitement when those minnows came through because I would hope they would swim into my homemade minnow trap.

None of us kids had anything that resembled a store-bought trap, but my neighbor Roger, who was a little older, had a pretty darned nice one. He was pretty mechanical and he had fashioned one out of heavy wire and screen. I knew from the moment I saw it that I had to make one myself. I found an old screen window from the horse barn that we had in the back yard. My mother told me I could use it, so after driving a nail in each corner I attached a wire to each and ran them to the center. After twisting the wires together in the middle I tied a rope to them and — voila — I had a minnow trap.

That was pretty easy right? Well, there were a couple of unforeseen obstacles that needed to be overcome before this could work. As I rode my bike to the bridge with my new minnow trap in tow, I was excited to give it the ultimate test. Once at the bridge the magic moment was finally there and I could feel the excitement as I dropped the net into the water. What happened next really “took the wind from my sails,” to quote my dad. Splash, the net hit the water and in an instant it floated out of sight under the bridge – wood floats. Even with this slight oversight I was determined to make it work. Rocks do not float, so I loaded it with rocks and dropped it in once again. This time it sunk to the bottom and I was ready for some unsuspecting fish to swim over the top of it.

After a short time a school of minnows appeared and began swimming over my trap. Unfortunately, the weight of the rocks made it pretty heavy, so lifting the net was a slow process; the rocks were of various weights and when I lifted it the net shifted to one side it tipped, dumping the rocks and the few dumb minnows I had tricked, back into the water.

Nobody said being a kid would be easy, so I headed home and back to the drawing board hoping my creativity would kick in and I would come up with a new and better plan. I finally did make one that didn’t involve wood, and it worked pretty well. There is never a better feeling to a kid than when he creates something and it actually works.

Hunters register nearly 120,000 deer through second weekend

Minnesota firearms hunters registered 118,599 deer through the second weekend of firearms deer season, up from 104,785 from the same period in 2014, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

Final numbers from the first 10 days show that the number of deer registered rose 13 percent from 2014. Buck harvest during the first 10 days of the firearms season was up 18 percent from last year, indicating that the population has in fact grown from its low point two springs ago.

Zone 1 total firearms harvest was up 14 percent, Zone 2 was up 17.5 percent and Zone 3 was up 7 percent. Buck harvest was up significantly in all zones

Additional deer will be harvested during the northern rifle zone season, which continues through Sunday, Nov. 22; the late southeastern season, which runs Saturday, Nov. 21, through Sunday, Nov. 29; and the muzzleloader season, which begins Saturday, Nov. 28, and continues through Sunday, Dec. 13.

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Until next time, with winter just around the corner, take advantage of the weather and get outdoors to enjoy what nature has to offer...

Remember to keep our troops in your thoughts and prayers because they are the reason we are able to enjoy the freedoms we have today.

Isn’t it strange we just assume that everyone, everywhere knows the story of the birth of the Christ child? This isn’t so. There are still areas in the world where the story has not been told.

If you have an opportunity and like to read, try and find a copy of the book, “Seven Stories of Christmas Love” by Leo Buscaglia.

It intrigued me at first because it reminded me of my Grandmother Hanson, who always had room in her bed for her grandchildren, and how they loved it.

My grandmother used the time to talk and tell stories, but mostly it was a time of shared love. It was not unusual for her to have six, seven or even eight or more little ones in her bed, probably laid crosswise to accommodate them all. Back then there was no such thing as a king or queen size bed, so things were really tight.

The children are adults now and have children of their own, but they all remember Grandma and the times spent with her in her bed. It was an honor and a gift they always looked forward to and remembered.

Back to the story. Buscaglia was a professor who went beyond modern civilization into the green wilderness of Bali. He reminds us that Christmas can last more than one day of the year, and that the true spirit and magic of the season can be felt every day of the year.

The natives he encountered had never heard the Christmas Story. As he told the story they were spellbound by the tale and especially intrigued in the fact there was no room in the inn for the Christ Child.

Part of their culture was like my grandmother’s. The natives honored Buscaglia by inviting some of the people to share his bed. Nothing sexual about it, just the touch and warmth of others. Is that what Grandma shared?

The natives kept referring to the fact that there was no room for Jesus and his family to stay. We must not let that happen to our church families. There must always be room for our religion and it should be a honor.

 Perhaps there is a story there.  No, we don’t have to share our bed, but it could be a symbol that we could, or should, always share our lives in a loving way with those around us. We can share our love and feelings with those around us and always make room to add one more. There should always be room for more — more religion, more acts of kindness, more love for others, and more service to our Lord.

We should always have room in our life for God and all that He stands for! No room in the inn?  Make room and glorify God.

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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, November 26th: Darlene Krohnberg, Cody Christensen, Robert Gasner, Linda Stieglbauer, Drew Vangen, Ashley Bergerson, Al & Diane Lee, Jamie & Kate Cameron

• Friday, November 27th: Jack Kuchenbecker, Kyle Goslee, Olivia Rae Kohn, Paul Kasper, Cyrstal Spurr, Mike Draayer, Lorna Berg, Sandra Tonsing

• Saturday, November 28th: Quinn Lauren Wayne, Vicki Peterson, Jackie & Scott Miller

• Sunday, November 29th: Connie Smith, Dean Peterson, Emily Butler, La Vonna Ruhl, Christy & Tim Berry, Pastor Carrie & Dan McElfresh

• Monday, November 30th: Dan Mrotz, Lindsey Hagen, Lindsey Schlaak, Sophia Jepson, Eric Knudson, Norell Wood,             Kellen Utpadel, David & Lizell Swearingen, Andy & Emily Butler

• Tuesday, December 1st: Ethan Elliot Marzoff, Kyle Anthony Neidermeier, Jim Cornelius, Brian Waage, Laurie Ellis, Teri Horan Finke, Barbara Wangsness

• Wednesday, December 2nd: Maryalice Hanson, Liam William Philip Abbott, Allura Danon Johnson, Leah Wayne, Allura Danon Johnson, Paige Sorenson, Lyle Paulson, Jean Richards Worrell, Helen Sawyer, Heidi Wangsness, Heather Peterson, Dale Schewe

• Thursday, December 3rd: Eric Degan, Ethan Fletcher Cornelius, Brian Van Ravenhorst

• Friday, December 4th: Sue Mattson, Jessica Shultz, Sandy Larson Russo, Sue Brown Asplund, Shawn Vangen Steffen, Jeff Kasper, Skylar Larson, Holly Pichner, Max Jensen, Casey & Jon Homuth

May you find joy and pleasure all around you on your special day. Thanksgiving, and every day, are days for "thanks giving."

Echoes from the Loafers' Club Meeting

When my wife first began to snore, it was so cute I could hardly stand it, but now...

But now what?

Now I can hardly stand it.

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: If you leave dirty dishes on the counter long enough, they grow a new meal. The trouble with ignorance is that it's confident. If you allow a cellphone into your life, don’t blame it for ringing.

The cafe chronicles

Bring your shovel and pitchfork to the Eat Around It Cafe. The portions are that big. It’s where the dessert can be an apology for lunch and the alphabet soup spells disaster. What is the nostalgia special? Leftovers. The cafe is where the lettuce salad doesn't sell well. Most of the patrons get enough green food from the back of their refrigerators.

Bear with me

I came across bear scat in North Carolina. That's what bears do when they forget the words to songs. Bears hibernate. There is safety in numb bears. If you encounter a bear, don't run from it. A bear likes fast food. What is a fear of bears called? Common sense. Please remember that bear spray doesn't work the same way as mosquito spray. A black bear fell through a skylight onto a table of cupcakes at a kid’s birthday in Juneau, Alaska. A bear called Tripod, because of a bad foot, raided the coolers on boats in Haines harbor. The bear was trying to find its bearings. Haines, Alaska, is so beautiful that bears hug themselves with joy. Bear hugs are fine things, but do not hug bears. I spotted the footprints of a gigantic bear in Alaska. It was overbearing. What do you call a grizzly half buried in a snow bank? A bear mid-drift. A friend told me to be careful when passing a grizzly den. I asked if there was a safer route? "No," she replied. "That's a bear you'll just have to cross."

I saw a bear one day and then I saw it again two days later. That bear’s repeating.

Travel tales

As I arrived in Lafayette, Louisiana, I said, "Lafayette, we are here."

The small city of Haines, Alaska, doesn’t have a stoplight, but it has a brewery and a distillery.

I’d worked in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. I’d said goodbye to the ocean as I left for home. The ocean didn’t say anything. It just waved.

I shoehorned myself into the seat of an airplane. The captain's voice came over the speaker, "If there is anything we can do to make your flight more pleasant, we don’t want to hear about it."

There were many kids from Juneau on the Alaska ferry with me. They were off to a debate tournament and some basketball competitions. They were rambunctious, but I think they were good kids. There were at least four of them that didn’t bump into me or step on my feet as I sat in my seat.

I took a short tour of a big city. Big buildings on my left. Big buildings on my right.

I was the auctioneer at a fundraiser far from home. It was an enjoyable gig. People were generous and kind. One of the things I auctioned off was a combination hot dog and bun toaster. If my wonderful mother still walked the earth, she’d be beaming with pride.

I returned to Minnesota in time for the first real snow at my home. As I am after each snowfall, I was grateful that I send my driveway out to be cleared. My father claimed that when the dark-eyed juncos, called snowbirds by many, returned, we’d have trackable snow in six weeks. The juncos predicted November 18. The snow event was on November 20. Pretty close.

Nature notes

A white Christmas is defined as having 1 inch of snow on the ground on Christmas day. According to the Minnesota State Climatology Office, here are the chances of a white Christmas shown as a percentage for each city. Albert Lea 69, Austin 67, Brainerd 97, Bricelyn 71, Detroit Lakes 90, Duluth 97, Fairmont 76, Faribault 78, Lanesboro 73, Mora 92, New Ulm 64, North Mankato 68, Owatonna 71, Rochester 78, Twin Cities 71, Waseca 81, Wells 72, and Winona 78.

Meeting adjourned

May you have all you need this Thanksgiving. May the word "kind" define you.

Vince Peterson’s Christmas display auction on Sunday, Nov. 22 was labeled a success.

“It went real good,” said Peterson. “We had a big crowd. It was real nice. It’s just about all gone.”

Peterson didn’t know an exact total, but figured around $6,000 was raised, half donated to Trinity Lutheran Church and half to the New Richland Area Fund. Auctioneer Tracy Holland donated his services, assisted by Tom Peterson.

A total of 55 bidders were registered for the auction and upwards of 100 attended. At least one area television station was there.

Peterson said many of the items will remain in the area.

“They did a real good job,” said Peterson. “I’d just like to say thank you on behalf of our family.”

My long-time readers know that Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of the year. It’s not just the food, family, and football, but also the opportunity to reflect on all the blessings in our lives. Please indulge me as I do that in a rather public way.

There’s so much to thank God for, isn’t there? He has given me so many gifts. When I’m writing every week, I think about how much I enjoy writing and how easily ideas come as I type most of the time. God gave me the basis of this talent and enjoyment and has allowed me outlets to use it, both here and with my novels. I maintain that everyone should write, even if it’s just a diary entry; it’s a great way to cleanse the soul.

God also gave me a talent for music and ways to express that too. I’m so thankful my parents encouraged me with the piano and the trumpet growing up and never let me stop playing. I get such pleasure from playing in the Litomyscellaneous polka band a couple times a year and even just messing around on the piano at home. I’m thankful for the swell of singing around me in church and the ability to contribute my voice to it.

I’m thankful for the opportunity I received here at NRHEG twenty years ago and the people who helped nurture and guide me to where I am today as a teacher. I’m glad I have the chance to turn around and pay that back to younger staff, both as teachers and coaches. Working here has opened so many doors for which I’m thankful including coaching, announcing, and friendships I cherish.

Of course, working here helped me meet my wife Michelle, a native of Ellendale. I’m so thankful that my cousin Marlys knew Michelle’s mom in college and helped set us up. My thankfulness knows no bounds for the tremendous life Michelle and I have carved out together, especially our children, Jayna and Anton. I’m very thankful that my children have been relatively healthy and stayed mostly safe over the years. I’m also glad they are motivated kids who work hard in school to strive for the best.

I’m even thankful for our cat, Chewbacca. I never would have dreamed that I would enjoy having a cat in the house, but when he comes to meet me at the door every day after work, it’s nice to see that friendly, furry face, even if he really just wants me to turn on a water faucet from which to drink!

I’m thankful that my family gets along. It’s easy when we get together with my parents, my grandma, and my sisters and their families to feel comfortable. I know some families end up dealing with plenty of drama, but we all like each other and truly enjoy the opportunities when we’re all together, which is too rare.

I’m very thankful for Michelle’s family as well. There are no stereotypical in-law jokes from this guy! Having her mom just up in Owatonna has been great, and every time the Spinlers get together is a blessing and not to be missed. These are times where I sometimes find myself just sitting and listening, which must seem strange to those who know me, but I’m always thoroughly entertained, and well fed!

There are so many great books I get the opportunity to read, and I love that I can’t get enough of them. I’ve been trying to think of the best book I’ve read this year for my second annual best-of column at the end of December, and it’ll be a tough decision. Again, I know not everyone enjoys reading, but I’m grateful that I have this love, which has given me so many hours of pleasure.

I also know not everyone enjoys sports, but I’m thankful that these competitions have been a huge part of my life. Some of my best memories are from sporting events such as the 1991 World Series and the back-to-back state championships for NRHEG Lady Panther basketball. Sure, I know I’m doomed to be disappointed while watching the Vikings, but it’s the thrill of the moment and the hope for a favorable outcome that keeps me coming back year after year.

Thank you for humoring me by reading this list of thanks. I hope you get the chance to reflect on all the great things in your lives this week and to find all the positives amidst a world of hard knocks. Thank you also for continuing to read this column every week and for your continued support. It’s something I’m thankful for on a weekly basis.

Word of the Week: This week’s word is sternutate, which means to sneeze, as in, “After sternutating, he was thankful when everyone chimed in, ‘God bless you!’” Impress your friends and confuse your enemies!

The scurs were a bit overly optimistic in their temperature estimates for this past week. Has the Weather Eye come back down to earth or will we see an encore performance of warmer than normal again? Starting Wednesday, mostly cloudy with an increasing chance of rain into the overnight. Highs in the low 40’s with lows in the mid 30’s. Thanksgiving Day, mostly cloudy with a good chance of rain, becoming mixed with sleet and then a chance of snow. Highs in the upper 30’s and lows in the mid 20’s. Partly sunny and cooler Friday with highs in the upper 20’s and lows in the mid-teens. Saturday, mostly sunny with highs in the low 30’s and lows in the upper teens. Mostly sunny on Sunday with highs in the low 30’s and lows in the low 20’s. Monday, partly cloudy with highs in the low 30’s and lows in the upper teens. Partly cloudy for Tuesday with a chance of flurries. Highs in the low 30’s and lows in the mid-teens. The normal high for December 1st is 32 and the normal low is 16. Avoiding Black Friday at all costs is the scurs’ goal for the week. Easily accomplished. Lots of time before December 25th. 

The Full Moon for the month lands on the 25th of November. It is known as the Full Beaver Moon as this was the time that trappers were getting their supply of warm winter furs. It is also at this time that beavers are laying in their supplies for winter. The Ojibwe called this the Freezing Moon and the Sioux knew it as the Moon of the Falling Leaves. At the ranch, it is known the Frozen Ground Moon, making it possible to clean the barns with reckless abandon.

It was indeed a good weekend for cleaning the main barn. Fields that had become wet from the rains back on the 12th suddenly got wetter last week. Some areas saw well over an inch where at the ranch we recorded .95” and in town 1.15”. Friday’s snow measured at an inch at the ranch and melted out, contained .12” of liquid equivalent precipitation. Not a lot of snow but enough to give the snowplow operators a chance to clean all the dead skunks and raccoons off the road. 

Conditions on Friday were such that the frost in the ground allowed anhydrous ammonia application and for some late fall tillage to be performed. The ground was pretty hard on Saturday morning however with overnight lows falling to 12 at the ranch. This meant that it was definitely time to get the barn cleaned and I was not alone. While inside the barn running the skidloader I spied the Dubya’s tractor and spreader heading up the road to do battle. Doug and David’s field where I spread had been worked although one could tell it was squishy under the layer of frozen soil. Sunday it started to get a little greasy about the time I finished the 12th the last load about 2:30.  The roads were getting thawed off in places so it was time to be done without tracking a lot of mud.

A small group of our ewes as of this writing remain at the kindly neighbors’ pasture, supplemented with a medium-sized bucket of screenings at night. The recent snowfall made me think that I should probably give them a couple slices of hay in the morning over the weekend just to see if they would clean it up. Silly me. They’re sheep. Pigs got nothin’ on sheep when it comes to eating. If you’ve ever watched a group of greedy ovines gobble down their grain too fast then barf it up you know what I’m talking about. Of course they cleaned the hay up. The ewes then proceeded to forage through the trees and feed on the remaining grass the rest of the day. They came up out of the pasture as I arrived with their screenings Sunday night. I figured they’d be all about me showing up to feed hay Monday morning. I plopped the slices into the tubs expecting to see them come on a dead run. Guess again. They were all the way down in the far north end of the pasture where there was sufficient grass for their taste. Later I got a call from the kindly neighbor asking if it was OK to toss the leftover pumpkins and corn stalks over the fence to them. At this rate they may never want to come home.

Thursday is Thanksgiving Day of course and our plan is to lay low. Mrs. Cheviot has been on a whirlwind tour it seems and yours truly has had his hands full riding herd on the ranch and all the critters. Sometimes we just need to exhale. Hopefully the weather cooperates as per usual turkey on the Weber is slated as standard fare. Doesn’t seem possible that just last week I mowed the lawn and went for one last ride before mothballing the Stude for winter. After that beautiful weekend, we really did have something to be thankful for. There are still plenty of things to get done, but Thursday is one of those days best left alone at the ranch. 

Ruby and Fudgie have always enjoyed Thanksgiving dating back to the times when Mom brought Fudgie along on her visits. Along with olfactory overload and organ meats on the naughty list these days, the giblets wind up being their property. That’s OK by me and they deserve it. The numerous times over the course of a year that we’ve called upon the dogs to give us a hand or their companionship and unconditional love qualifies them. They are a pretty intelligent lot as dogs go and relatively obedient. Both Border Collies definitely know which buttons to push, yet usually know when they’re getting pretty close to crossing the line. They’re a lot like kids that way, although I don’t recall seeing kids shed quite like these two.  

See you next week…real good then.

“He planted more than he cut.”

Paul James Thompson, age 84, passed away peacefully in the early morning hours on Monday November 23, 2015, due to heart complications. He had been in hospice care for fourteen days at Pathstone Living in Mankato, Minnesota.

 Paul was born to Guy and Esther Thompson at home in rural Waseca County January 6, 1931. His only sibling, Roger, died in 1939 of an unknown illness. He was raised on a farm outside of New Richland, Minnesota where he attended a one room school and graduated from New Richland High School in 1949. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Luther College in Decorah, Iowa in 1953. He was drafted into the US Army and served in the Counter Intelligence Corps from 1954 to 1956. He went on to earn graduate degrees from the University of Minnesota and the University of Iowa.

Clausen, Dr. Craig, age 80, of Ellendale MN, passed away peacefully surrounded by family November 19. He is survived by his loving wife, Clarice, sons David (Lori) Clausen, Steven (Jean) Clausen, and Christopher (Shelly) Clausen, and grandchildren: Samantha, Dain, Adyn, Benjamin, and Anna.  He is preceded in death by his parents, Clayton and Oma (Halling) Clausen of Albert Lea.