By KATHY PAULSEN

Staff Writer

Everyone is invited to come out to the country for a run or walk you will truly enjoy. 

The 2nd Annual Harvest Run For Hunger will be held Saturday, September 17th. The Harvest Run will provide participants a great opportunity to enjoy some beautiful scenery, as well as get to know some great people. It will also provide the opportunity to raise money to support local food shelves and those that require the much needed help that these services provide.

Last year’s participants, sponsors and volunteers made a difference in the lives of many people in Steele and Waseca counties, and it is hoped that this year’s event will be bigger and better.

A total of 122 walkers and runners participated the first year of the event, and all of the participants concluded their walk/run by 11 Saturday morning. The donations received last year were given to help people in Ellendale, New Richland, Owatonna and Waseca.

New Richland City Council

By JODY WYNNEMER

Staff Writer

New Richland City Council members Christine Gislason and Anthony Martens were absent as Mayor Tom McShane brought the August 22 meeting to order Mnday evening. The night’s agenda and consent agenda items were all approved. Notable on the consent agenda was granting of a temporary liquor license to All Saint’s Church for their Fall Festival in September, as well as a pay request from Civil Ag Group in the amount of $136,025 for work on the Dogwood Avenue sewer upgrade.

Pam and Larry Goehring were in attendance representing the “Save the Legion Building” committee.

“Our goal is to purchase, renovate, and turn the building over to the city as a community center,” said Larry Goehring. “We would like to raise $200,000 by December 1st. Plans are for relocating the food shelf and the historical society to the building. The back room will be rented out for weddings and other community events. There will be a board to oversee operations.”

“The building has been inspected,” said Pam Goehring. “There are a few issues. Landscaping has been done on the north side.

The Goehrings announced an Ice Cream Social will be held at City Hall on Saturday, Sept. 17 from 4-8 p.m.

By KATHY PAULSEN

Staff Writer

Once a year, the Ellendale Historical Society holds a special meeting held at Beaver Lake’s "Old Boat House.” Edwin and Norrine Jensen host this annual meeting to honor not only Norrine’s parents, (who provided boats and bait to countless fishermen), but also remember all who contributed to this historical site.

Ed and Norrine Jensen have been working hard to save artifacts and memories of this seemingly "pot of gold." It has been such a longtime place of enjoyment for so many people, including those who no longer live here but would love to come back for a visit.

The Jensens took the atendees on a pontoon ride around Beaver Lake following the gathering. Ed served as navigator and Norrine as narrator. She shared who the individual cabins were owned by and a few stories that have evolved about Beaver Lake over the years.

The first cabins on the north side of the lake were those of Dr. Ertel and Cecil Campbell, a longtime owner of the Ellendale Eagle. 

The Quad Cities Baseball Association is pleased to announce that, thanks to many generous donations over the past years, as well as local businesses who advertise at Legion Field, the lights for the ballpark are finally paid off! The ability to play games at night has attracted various tournaments to our community over the years, bringing more business to the town of New Richland.

The next step in the long-term plan of the QCBA is to replace the fencing, which is no longer adequate for a varsity and Legion field.  The hope is to enclose the baseball field with fence and possibly make it higher to provide better safety for ballplayers running after a ball.  New backstops are also necessary on the softball fields, again mainly for safety reasons for players and spectators.

SELDOM SEEN — A rare white hummingbird shown here is at the feeder near Ron Johnson’s cabin by Longville, Minnesota.

With every day that passes, I find more and more things that make me appreciate the outdoor world around us. If you take the time to stop and “smell the roses,” you will find that nature can put on a very fascinating show.

When we visit our cabin in the north woods, it seems that a person takes more time to sit and watch the wildlife. Wildlife doesn’t always have to be seen in rural areas. You can watch your share of critter activity right in your own back yard. We live on the south side of town where just sitting on our deck in the back yard can be interesting. 

The other day my wife, Jean, spotted a woodchuck on the edge of our yard. She called me but it had disappeared by the time I came to look. Although I had some reservations about the sighting, I was sure that she knew what a woodchuck looked like. A little later that evening I was sitting on the deck when the critter reappeared, stopped and looked at me as if it was sizing me up.

I then casually wandered away towards the neighbor’s back yard. This year we seem to have more than our share of rabbits in the yard. Of course the gray squirrel population hasn’t seemed to dwindle. Just the other day, I spotted a chipmunk in the front yard hanging out under the steps.

In my quest to establish a wildlife sanctuary right here at home, I had decided to put up a suet block in the back yard in hopes of attracting some of our feathered friends. That block disappeared in a couple of days without my noticing any birds. After the next block was in place, I started keeping a watchful eye. Soon the trees in the backyard were full of birds. I don’t believe anyone intentionally sets out to feed blackbirds, but they must have thought I was their new best friend as they managed to clean that suet block out in about a day.  So much for my attempt to attract finches, song birds, and various others. Maybe I’ll try something different next year. But, for now I will be content to watch the ground critters in my back yard.

When we are up at the cabin, there are finches, grosbeaks, juncos and three types of woodpeckers. There is an occasional visit by the resident chipmunks. Sometimes a red squirrel will come into the picture. I never thought I’d see the day that I’d be excited about birds visiting our feeders, but I realize that I am indeed witnessing one of the wonders of nature. 

It’s fun to watch the chipmunks because there are two of them that come from different areas. Each time they are there together, they fight until one runs off. The loser will eventually come back if it sees the other one is not around. One of them has found a way to actually get inside of the old wooden feeder. I can go up to it and tap on the glass and it will just keep filling its cheeks until it has had enough.

The other day my brother-in-law Ron had a white hummingbird at the feeder up at his cabin near Longville. My niece Jenna sent some pictures of it to a TV station in the Twin Cities and also to a wildlife research center in Georgia. They emailed her back and said it would be great if they could “tag” the bird. Now, I don’t know a lot about birds but those little rascals seem mighty quick to me. This is just another example of nature keeping us on our toes with new and exciting developments. It sure is a lot better to see a white hummingbird than a two headed toad or a toxic frog with three hind legs.

Nature can be an interesting world and if you take a little time to explore it, you may be surprised at what you will find. Visiting a state park or any of our local parks can be a rewarding experience. Just spending and hour or so relaxing in the outdoors and observing the wildlife around you is a great way to spend family time. We also have to remember that today’s youth are the ones taking care of our outdoor heritage in the future. Sitting at home in front of a computer or playing video games will do nothing to teach them an appreciation for the outdoors. 

Until next time do a little fishing, take a little time to relax and get out and explore our great Minnesota outdoors.

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

As we were growing up living at the lake, we saw the beach at Beaver Lake as a full blown picture of color. There was always an abundance of people and beach towels.

The many, many beach towels were laid out on the hillside. Everyone enjoyed the panorama of summer, swimming and sunning at Beaver Lake. People used to say that you could not get one more body on the hillside on the east end of the lake. It was so full of people.  The swimming area was full to the max with bobbing heads and bodies in the water.

Though I have seen some of those same scenes come back, and a large number of people enjoying Beaver Lake, I doubt it will ever be as populated as it was back in the middle 1960s, when it was definitely the place to be. 

My thoughts go back to Minnie again, and how she would make Tom Collins for the guys so they could relax a bit when they came from work before supper. We kids got the same thing as an afternoon relaxer, but without the liquor. In other words, we drank lemonade.  The drink was special because of all of the slices of oranges and lemons, and the cherry on top, which Minnie used to "pretty up" the glass. 

It was also our delight as well, because the men didn't often eat the fruit - we did!  It took awhile until my mother thought about the whole situation.  How stupid - the liquor would most surely go straight to the fruit.  No wonder we liked them. 

The biggest surprise came the day Minnie was out of gin and it wasn't included in the drinks. The comment was made that it was the best one she had ever made. We all shared looks but not one ever told, until now.

It has been years, but to this day, I stilI don't like a regular Tom Collins. I only like the special way that Minnie made them for the kids, delicious, decorated lemonade.

I also remember early mornings when we would hear the chomping of cattle, or so we thought, until we realized it was the carp. These early morning fish were feeding on the green vegetation in the lake.  It was so loud; I can still mentally hear it yet.

The Beaver Lake Sportsman’s Club sat on the north east side of the lake, rather dated, and seldom used.  Minnie acquired use of it, much to everyone’s delight.  Surprising what some paint, posters and a juke box will do, not to mention the best cook in the country.  That too became the place to be, just like the beach. 

We learned to clean shrimp so large they looked like chicken legs, which were also featured on the menu.  My mouth waters thinking about them. But, shucking shrimp is not without its casualties. Many times we bore the marks of sharp scales. More than one patron was ready to send back her order "because she didn't order chicken but shrimp,” because the size of the shrimp fooled her. 

Because he could have fished 24 hours a day, nonstop, Mark Christensen, Minnie’s nephew, often brought us little fish that we dutifully filleted. Yes, we filleted them though they were so little.  Minnie dubbed them "Beaver Lake Shrimp.” They were often served free of charge to those who came to the "Sportsman’s Club" and marveled at their goodness. 

Minnie had a way of battering items for deep frying.  She worked on it for years trying to get just the right touch.  The egg mixture was not over handled and let to sit or rest.  The breading was finely crushed cracker crumbs. She added some corn meal, and I don't recall the rest.  The fish were dipped in the egg mixture - not too much. And then, it was dipped into the dry mix, but not too much.

The food to be fried was room temperature. Minnie dried it carefully before she put them in the egg mixture, never oversoaking them. After that, they were placed in the dry mixture - not too thick.  Minnie felt that was best, as she said the lighter amount would stay on.  If the mixture got too thick, it had a tendency to come off in the frying.

The people, who populated "the joint" as Minnie called it, were the best.  You can learn so much from people.  I remember the cute little couple who lived on the north side of the hill.  The cabin almost hung on by its teeth, so to speak.  It was probably the oldest cabin and has since been renovated by the Kast family.

"Fun" was the name of the game. People laughed and talked and forgot their problems, always coming back for more and more.  One old gentleman showed up wearing shorts one night.  Realize this was before shorts were "the thing," like they are now.  He allowed us to decorate not only his knees with happy faces, but his stomach, his naval and his face with lipstick and all.  

The juke box was also a factor in the funnery.  Of course songs that were popular then were such sensible songs. The favorite was "Mack the Knife" and other such oldies but goodies.  The place wasn't that big but there was always room for dancing.  There were those who just sat and watched and didn't say much. But, the grin on their faces showed that these shy people were enjoying everything.

Then there was the morning Mark came up from the lake with a fist full of money he had found floating along the shore.  It was a mystery, only until we remembered one of the avid fishermen, who might have been at "the joint" the previous day, had sort of rolled down the hill, no doubt depositing his hard earned money in the lake.  The sober individual was ever so thankful when his money was returned to him.

I hope that many of you have enjoyed the "lake stories.” I also hope that they have helped you enjoy some really great stories and memories of your own.

If you have some experiences or memories that you would like to share, please contact me, so that others can enjoy them as well.

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, August 25th: Chloe Lynn Muilenberg, Carl Glienke Jr., Evelyn Anderson, Renee Brandt, Ted Dahl, Jayme Hohansee, Craig Kammerer, Jessica Kubat, Pete Rietveld, Mary Larson, Melissa Peterson, Jim & Lynn Arends, Mark & Deb Killesheim, Deb & Jim Bohnoff, Rachel & Michael Grunklee, Leah & Dama Clark, Everett & Linda Lang.

• Friday, August 26th: William Michael Rodney Tuttle, Christopher Cook, Clarice Pence, Catherine Haugen, Mike Riley, Elijah Lee Ackland, Catherine Mae Haugen, Tim Falksen, George Stieglbauer, Michael Rodney Tuttle, Sharon Peterson, Travis & Kelly Johnson, Angie & Michael Den Herder.

• Saturday, August 27th: Martin Johnson, Kory Kress, Alice Randall, Sandra Thostenson, Dee Ann Jensen, Jim Collins, Mary Lageson, Sharon Ramaker, Terry Pelzl, Angela DeGeus, Jessica Marie Nygaard Paulson, Corlyn & Janice Paulsen.

• Sunday, August 28th: Mitch Helmers, Larry Motl, Bev Newgard. Waynetta Peterson, Rosy Fisher, Lorraine Christensen, Justine Randall, Marlys Van Kampen, Tammy Johnson, Gerritt Molenaar Sr., Jacquelyn Jensen, Linda Kelly, Marvin Thomspon, Jim & Fran Ladlie.

• Monday August 29th: Mark Lee, Eunice Smith, Barbara Klinger, Cheryl & Brian Boettcher.

• Tuesday, August 30th: Brett Richards, Joel Born, Danielle Cook, Katie Cleven Richards, Staci Hohansee, Donna Demmer, Everett Jensen, Grace Paulson, Craig Schwartz, Eva Elayna Thomas.

• Wednesday, August 31st: Carole Schember, Terry Walterman, Kari Hohansee, Jerry Flugum, Tony Holmes, Connie Misgen Evenson, John Tasker,  Heather Reese, Nancy Bottelson, Garrett Avery, Ron & Karen Huber, Melissa & Tyler Moe.

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

May your day be filled with everything you enjoy most.

John Foster Dulles, Secretary of State under Eisenhower’s administration, had a phrase for a change of direction during the Cold War. He called it an agonizing reappraisal. I’ve used his term before in describing the Minnesota sports scene, but it never has been more appropriate when wondering what to do about the Minnesota Twins.

One could dwell on the reasons for this bad season and take general manager Bill Smith to task. We could go on and on about the pitching, middle infield and the lack of production from some of the regulars. We are looking at the end result of decisions made by Smith and by player injuries, but now the important question is what to do for the future.

The team has not hit well, defended well, or pitched well. That leaves a lot of room for improvement. First of all, let’s look at two players that likely will stay with the team, Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer. While they were supposed to be the heart of the team, neither has performed up to expectations. Previous thinking was that the two were fixtures and that they would always be Minnesota Twins and end their career with the club. There has been very little thought of trading the two MVPs. Should the team reconsider and put them on the market there would be little response to the oft-injured Morneau and the very high-salaried enigma that is Joe Mauer.

It is almost certain that Mauer and Morneau will be with the team next year. How they will perform in 2012 is in the laps of the gods and Mauer and Morneau. Let’s assume that they will perform to their average. That would be good enough and may help the Twins to once again be contenders. However when looking at this year’s version of the Twins they need more than average years from the M and M boys.

As usual, improvement boils down to money. Morneau and Mauer combined salaries totaled $40 million for this year. That’s more than 40% of this year’s payroll. That doesn’t leave much for the Twins to revamp the team. Keeping that in mind, let’s first look at third base. They have reasonably priced Danny Valencia who has disappointed this year after a fine rookie year. Although adept at driving in runs, even though hitting only .244, his biggest letdown came at the defensive end. He has not played well consistently, but you could call him an adequate third baseman and given his low salary and the Twins’ need at other positions, he will have to do. So, we have a catcher and first and third basemen.

Next up is shortstop Tsuyoshi Nishioka. Nishioka joins the group where much was expected and little given. You could forgive his lack of hitting if he was superb defensively. He is not and has much to learn about being a major league shortstop. What are Bill Smith and Ron Gardenhire to do? My suggestion is to cut the cord. Let’s not go through another year of Nishioka at shortstop. How about the $5 million spent for the right to negotiate with Nishoka and the $3 million salary this year? Walk away and chalk it up to international relations. Try to negotiate Nishioka’s next year salary and look for a decent hitting, good fielding, shortstop. There are a number out there as the Twins proved when they got Cabrera in 2009 and Hardy last year.

That is half the position players, but there is a lot more to do next week.

Echoes from the Loafers’ Cub Meeting

 “Do you have any hobbies?”

 “I collect insects.”

“Where do you keep your collection?”

“On the windshield of my car.”

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: it is easier to put up a “Bump” sign than to fix the road.

I’ve learned

1. A sweet tooth should take advice from a wisdom tooth.

2. To never disturb the turbed.

3. Life has become so complex that not even teenagers have all the answers.

My neighbor

My neighbor, Grunting Gus, used to have many trees in his yard. After the tornado hit, he had only one tree and it belonged to another neighbor. Right after the tornado, Gus bought a lottery ticket. He figured the bad luck would bring good luck. Gus told me what he would do if he won $83 million in a lottery.

“First, I’d go to the State Fair and park as close to it as possible. Then I’d replace that headlight that burned out on my car a couple of years ago. Finally, I’d buy jumper cables for everyone in my family.”

Gus is the guy who deals with telemarketers in a unique way. When one phones, he tells the caller, “I’m Amish. I can’t talk to you on a telephone.” 

I wasn’t really sick

I admit it. As a boy, I would occasionally feign a stomachache. I wasn’t a hypochondriac in the making. I faked tummy trouble in order to get pop. Some call such a beverage a soft drink or a soda, but to me it was pop. Mothers favored one of two kinds of pop to bring about relief for digestive disorders. My mother preferred ginger ale. It had magical powers meant to calm a stomach. It was good and well worth a faux bellyache.

Some things are meant to happen

My cousin Marilyn Benson of Algona was worried that a maple tree might fall on her car. The tree was dying and had suffered the ravages of storms and age. When a thunderstorm was predicted, Marilyn moved her car out of reach of the maple. The wind blew and a pine tree fell on Marilyn’s car.

Where is my hammer?

There was a hammer on the roof of the house of my brother Donald’s neighbor. It had been left there after some shingle repairs had been completed. When informed of the whereabouts of his hammer, the neighbor said that the hammer was there so he would know where it was.

Why we need nationalized health insurance for cats

The woman from Mantorville told me that she had kindly taken in a stray cat. She took it to a veterinarian who neutered and declawed the feline. He gave it shots, wormed it, and worked to cure the cat of other ailments. By the time the cat was back on its feet with at least seven of its nine lives still intact, the good Samaritan was presented with a $623 vet bill.

My father liked cats. He had many of them through the years. That said, I do know what he would have called a cat with a $623 vet bill. A dead cat.

Dad knew he could get countless free cats for the dairy barn for $623.

A plethora of people

Charlie Johnson of Wells told me that over 200,000 people are added to the world’s population each day. As I drove from Des Moines to St. Cloud, I concluded that at least 200,000 drivers had been added to the highways that day alone.

Nature notes

Our summers are filled with disgruntled robins noisily expressing irritable fowl syndrome. The robin is the quintessential early bird. Its “Merrily, verily, see?” song is summer’s background music. It sings to command territory and to entice a mate. The robin’s voice is comforting like wind chimes in a breeze. Each summer morning brings the song of the robin—a sunlight of sound. Robins typically have two broods a year, with three being uncommon. If a robin was successful in raising young in a nest, she’ll sometimes build a new floor for that nest to raise another brood or may build a nest on top of one in a perfect location. Robins don't reuse a year-old nest. Old nests become frail, parasite eggs or larvae may overwinter in a nest and attack nestlings, and robins have an instinct to build a new nest each year. About 25% of hatched robins survive a year.

In gratitude

My thanks to the readers of this column that I encountered while speaking at the Freeborn County Fair, KATE Radio, Bancroft Creek Estates, KBEW Radio, Pelican Breeze, KMSU Radio, Golden K-1 Kiwanis, KTOE Radio, Cloverleaf Lions Club, Steele County Fair, Owatonna Today, Kernel Days in Wells, and Henderson Hummingbird Hurrah.

Meeting adjourned

A kind word scatters a hundred slights.

Early Friday morning, August 5th, Genie and I left Beaver Lake and headed for Bearskin Lake, Ontario, Canada, to teach Vacation Bible School. Bearskin Lake is a First Nation of about 500 people in Northern Ontario. This was arranged through LAMP (Lutheran Association of Missionaries and Pilots.)

We drove to Dryden, Ontario the first day, staying overnight at the Comfort Inn. From Dryden, we drove to Sioux Lookout, Ontario to fly to Bearskin Lake on a 15-passenger plane. The plane was owned by Wasaya Airways, a native-owned airline, which flies to about 25 locations in Ontario. While at the airport, we met another LAMP team from Northfield, MN flying to another Ontario First Nation village.

We met Tamara Alkema from Grimsby, Ontario, our team leader, at Sioux Lookout. The three of us were the team at Bearskin Lake. We taught Vacation Bible School from 10 a.m. - noon, and 2-3 in the afternoon, Monday through Friday for one week. The kids ranged in ages from 5-13.

We were housed in a two bedroom duplex with all the modern conveniences except no radio, phone or newspaper. (Cell phone reception is non-existent).

Grocery shopping was a real eye opener. For example: $15.49 for a gallon of milk; $14.99 for a 12 pack of Coke; $7.29 for a box of Rice Krispies; $13.99 for a pizza; $14.99 for a small container of ice cream; and $1.78 for an envelope and stamp mailed to the U. S. The above prices are payment in Canadian currency. If you paid in U. S. currency, it was 10 percent more as the rate of exchange is: 90 cents Canadian for every American dollar. The cost of freight to get supplies into Bearskin is about $1 U.S. per pound. The minimum wage is $10.25 per hour in Canada; $9.60 per hour minimum for persons under 18. With the exchange rate, freight cost, plus minimum wage, you can see why prices are high.

It was very dry in Northern Ontario with the lakes and rivers being two to three feet below normal. They had a dry lightning storm (no rain with lots of lightning) which caused about 100 forest fires. Some of the First Nation settlements were evacuated because of the smoke and potential danger.

No matter where, kids are all the same. Some are curious. Some learn fast. Some learn slow. Some just don’t learn. Bearskin kids weren’t any different. The kids found out it was Genie’s birthday August 12th and gave her many handmade birthday cards. (It was the seventh time Genie has had a ninth birthday.) 

I tried to find an adult who didn’t know the meaning of the word “nice.” No such person did I find. For examples of nice: Junior took me on a very plentiful walleye fishing trip. Mel, the projects coordinator, explained his job as anything to do with building, he was involved. Vivian, the manager of the Northern Bay General Store is a great lady. Reverend Alex Fox is one savvy preacher. Evelyn, in the Band Office, is a very helpful computer person. 

Our team mission statement was, “God has a plan, and He will work it, not you!”

— — —

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 managed to scare up some light showers last week, darn light showers that is. What’s on tap this go round? Starting Wednesday, mostly clear with highs near 85 and lows around 60. Thursday and Friday partly cloudy skies, highs in the low 80’s and lows near 60 with a slight chance of rain Friday. Slightly warmer on Saturday with highs of 80 – 85 and lows again near 60. Sunday, partly cloudy, with a slight chance of a shower. Highs near 75 and lows of 55. Mostly sunny for Monday and Tuesday with highs of 75 and lows of 55. The normal high for August 28th is 79 and the normal low is 55. The scurs will be making a beeline to their favorite foot long hot dog stand on the northeast corner of the Coliseum at the MN State Fair.

Crops continue to march towards harvest with much of the corn denting or starting to this past week. Moderate temperatures have helped this crop hang on but time is starting to run out. Each passing day without rain takes the potential yield down a fraction. The soybeans are in a similar predicament, having largely finished flowering. There are clusters of pods on top hanging in the balance. Given some timely rain soon, they may keep a large percentage of those pods. Without it, the opposite is likely to be true. There were still some fields where soybean aphid numbers were continuing to build after early spraying in July. It may be beneficial to check these fields just to see what the infestation levels are. Third cutting hay appears to be a short commodity as little rain falling within the last month will limit tonnage substantially.

The garden at the ranch is kicking out zucchini at such a rapid pace, I’m wondering if we should sneak them into the neighbors Harvestore. Cucumbers are showing up at a rapid pace too. Between them and the zucchini that get too large, the sheep are waiting at the fence when it looks like there may be some goodies that land on their side. The second planting of sweet corn appears almost ready to begin harvesting. If temperatures remain moderate and it stays good as long as the first planting did, we should have corn well into September. The string beans kicked out several gallons of beans this past week and there are more developing. The tomatoes are loaded as are the muskmelons, leading one to believe if Jack Frost stays away for much of September. There should be an ample supply of both. Apples are beginning to blush and the chokeberries are black, meaning we’d better hurry or the birds will have consumed them all.

Would appear the hummingbird migration is underway. There are lots of them darting around the yard, sampling flowers such as the salvia, petunias and 4 o’clocks now in full bloom. They’re also pulling harder on the nectar feeders. The orioles have started to say their goodbyes I’m afraid. The male orchard oriole was a no-show this past week for the first time in months. Likewise with some of the more brightly colored male Baltimore orioles. There is still a gang of young of both species but the amount of jelly they’re consuming makes me wonder how much longer it’ll be before they’re gone. Makes one sad that they can’t stay longer. 

Through the marvels of technology, this slightly abridged column is being written while I’m on the road as part of the Midwest Pro Farmer Crop Tour. The trip out to Columbus, OH was largely uneventful and there was little in the way of rainfall for much of the distance. It had just rained in Columbus prior to our arriving there however. The corn crop looked about as advertised from the road: Variable and suffering from diseases such as Goss’s wilt in addition to obviously being nitrogen deficient across much of IL and IN. The soybeans at least  from the road appear to have fared better from a plant health standpoint. Although, some may be behind maturity-wise, if a sample plant is pulled to make an indication. We’ll know the scoop better by the evening of August 25th after sampling fields across the Midwest. 

Packing for the Pro Farmer Crop Tour, it became apparent that I lack clothes folding talent. Women apparently are naturally born with this gene. When I pack the clothes usually look like they rode around wadded up under the seat in my pickup for a week. When Mrs. Cheviot packs them for me, the clothes always look like they did hanging in the hanger. Word to the wise: Always have your wife pack your suitcase. That way you can get on to bigger and better things like taking a nap to rest up for your trip, wherever it may be.

See you next week…real good then.