100 Years Back – 1915

• Our school record for attendance and tardiness has been very bad. During the first two months of school the number of days lost was 289; number of days tardiness 115. In other words during the first two months, the entire school was absent one and one-sixth days, at a cost of $70 to the district. The superintendent will make this appeal to parents: Do not keep pupils out of school for work; also do not make them run errands just before nine o’clock. We are trying to teach pupils punctuality, yet oftentimes parents, by giving children duties to perform which cause them to become tardy, are creating just the opposite habit. Please help the school to establish a better record by insisting that your child makes a perfect attendance record.

Volleyball season ends with loss in sub-section finals

It was a very good run for the NRHEG volleyball team.

But it ended Thursday, Nov. 5 in the sub-section finals.

The Panthers, seeded second in their sub-section, were swept by top-seeded Kenyon-Wanamingo at Minnesota State-Mankato, falling 25-18, 25-7, 25-12. The Panthers finished 14-13.

“In game one, we competed,” said Panthers coach Onika Peterson.

But they struggled with serve receive and digs in game two as Kenyon-Wanamingo went on an 11-0 run and won handily.

I came across a picture the other day that goes back to the polio epidemic of years ago.

At the time, former Geneva resident and school teacher Eunice Wayne related how these children were only allowed visits from their parents about every three months while they were hospitalized.

Why? Because it was thought to be too hard on the children, as well as the parents, when they had to part. The psychology was to make it less stressful by scheduling fewer visits. Hard, but I guess it made sense.

Can you even imagine putting active young children into those almost coffee-can like containers? Cruel? Yes, but it was the only thing the doctors knew to do at the time to help keep the children alive.

Thank God and for the research that advanced medicine to change that method of treatment for this illness.

I have often wondered what happened to the children. Did those children of years ago live to outgrow the effects of that massive imprisonment?

Children are so resilient, but there had to have been psychological scars. What did people do back then to keep the normal, active child so confined, and for so long?

Not as traumatic, but back then there was the “Sister Kinney Treatment” for limbs that needed special packing and caring. My grandmother told me about how her sister, Esther, had what they supposed was polio. They packed her limbs in ice and only a few of the doctors had given up hope for her.  A neighbor who really didn’t want to interfere did tell them that the Indians treated their people just the opposite. They packed the limbs in warm, damp cloths instead of the cold treatment method.

Esther’s family thought, “What do we have to lose in trying?” so they started doing the same type of treatment the Indians were using for Esther — and she got well again.

Sister Kinny got the credit for using this basic method of treatment, but the Indians were the ones who taught discovered this method of treatment.

Think of how medicine has changed over the years and look ahead to what still may come. Unfortunately, it is also very expensive, but for good reason. Have you visited a hospital or clinic like Mayo lately? Some of the old ideas still exist, but I heard it right from one of the doctor’s mouths how there are new medicines available for cancer, and also for Alzheimer's, that they feel are promising.

It is very important for people to start getting rid of the toxins in our systems and keep them out. It is these nasty things that can really cause problems.

We all know there are side effects from things like chemicals, but we also need to respect the contents of things we might find in the foods we eat. The artificial sugars and the unprintable names of ingredients that keep our bread fresh are some of the things we need to be aware of.

We fight cancer with research and lots of money. Should we be looking at all the unspellable items on the labels to see what is in the foods that are harmful and often unnecessary? When you spray deodorant, wash a floor or clothes with ingredients that could be harmful, it is innocent but deserves our scrutiny.

Big business is out to make money and perhaps in all fairness they don’t always know that chemicals added to cleaning power or weed removal may be evil. We need to “detox” when and where we can.

— — –

Birthdays and anniversaries:

• Thursday, November 12th: Harbor Lee Pence, 2012; Trinity Tracy Vulcan, Tatum Charlotte Vulcan, Samuel Henry Kaplan, Lois Johnson Aitchison, Jill Jensen, Holly Thompson, Craig Clausen, Helen Kellem, Scott & Jan Sorenson, Jill & Shannon Jensen

• Friday, November 13th: Geoffrey Nelson. Abbey Louise Titus, Bill Johnson, Jeffrey Nelson, Diane Brighton, Earl & Janis Klinger, Steve & Pennie Ladlie

• Saturday, November 14th: Brickyn Moen, Cassandra Hill, Dakota Tracy, Kaye Larson Allen, Jill Ottesen Kehne, Kim Anderson, Gloria Tufte Keehn, Dawn Farr, Brandon Grunwald

• Sunday, November 15th: Eli Fussy, Sydney Ann Collins, Greg Riley, John Flor Jr., Daniel Mucha, Lee Waage, Cynthia Callahan, Jacob Douglas Bell

• Monday, November 16th: Ross Sletten, Asa Daniel Russell Johnson, Matthew Marcus, Betty Brandt, Ronald Johnson, Fred Schmidt, Miranda Dubois

• Tuesday, November 17th: Presley Ann Broskoff, Brynn Routh, Mikayla Sue Brouwers, Stuart Kubat, Nathan Larson, Milton Wayne, Gloria Jensen, Nathan Schmidt, Elvern Holland, David Kasper, Jim Olson, Daniel Ingvaldson, John Nelson, Trisha Cyr, Eli Lutgens, Brad & Donna Borchert

• Wednesday, November 18th: Edrea Marae Kubista, Toni Wayne Smith, LeRoy Peterson, Kim Lehmberg, Ernest Anderson, Paul Groth, Allen Schewe, Gordy & Karol Carroll

May God bless you with a beautiful year! Make your special day one you'll never forget, filled with smiles, good cheer and laughter!

The firearms deer hunting season is now underway in our area and, just judging by the number of deer I have seen around the area, it should be a successful one for local hunters. I hope everyone has had or is having a safe hunt.

Minnesota has 1,440 public wildlife areas with 1.29 million acres of habitat, from prairies and wetlands to forests and swamps, for Minnesota's wildlife species. There are recreation areas for upland, waterfowl, and deer hunters. Wildlife watching opportunities including: sandhill cranes, herons, prairie chickens, shore birds, waterfowl, and more. There are 13 WMAs in Freeborn County alone and you can find out more by going to the DNR Web site.

A few years ago I did a story and in it I mentioned there seemed to be fewer trappers in this area than there were years ago. I found out soon after that there are still a few folks who do trapping in this part of the state. A gentleman named Lloyd Kaplan who lived northwest of Ellendale at the time told me that although he was in his 70s, he still trapped. Lloyd said his season starts the last week in October for land trapping and a week later for water. He said the season actually starts a little too early for mink because their pelts aren’t prime until about the second week of November. After talking to Lloyd for just a short time I could already that he wasn’t in it for the money. I asked Lloyd, who was 72 at the time, why he still continued to trap. He said he was a heart patient and he felt there was no better exercise than trapping. He also said that walking through the water carrying a coon is no easy task. That is only one of the many reasons he does it, because he feels that by trapping skunks, possum, coon, fox and coyote, he is protecting the pheasant population which he felt was on the verge of a very strong comeback in the area at the time.

I don’t actually believe that most folks who are avid trappers are in it to get rich, but do it more so for the sport and the chance to be outdoors and close to nature. I’m not sure where the cost of furs is at these days, but the Minnesota Trappers Association can furnish you with a list of folks who buy furs. The price of a raccoon may vary depending on what part of the state you are trapping. For example a Northern Minnesota raccoon will bring a higher market price than one from Southern Minnesota.

The trapping season for raccoon, red fox, gray fox, badger and opossum runs until the 15th of March in both the North and South Regions. Trapping for beaver runs until May 15 in both zones while mink and muskrat run until February 29 in both.

In 2013 about 10,000 fur trapping licenses were purchased statewide. After a downturn in the market caused mostly by anti-fur campaigns it seems like there has not been as much publicity about trapping in recent years. It seems as if a lot of the celebrities that hopped on the anti-fur bandwagon a few years ago have moved on to other causes. That is not to say that the animal rights groups have given up; quite to the contrary they continue to protest.

In Minnesota owners of hunting dogs are up in arms, so to speak, about the use of traps called body grippers because they can trap and kill a full grown hunting dog. I wrote a column a while back about the push by sportsmen’s groups to change the law that allows this type of trap. The old standard foot traps can still trap a dog, but the foot can usually be removed without much damage to the animal.

My brother-in-law Lynn was home from Nome, Alaska this past month and although he was home to do a little deer archery hunting, he still had trapping on his mind. We drove to Runnings in Austin one day so he could pick up a few hunting necessities. While there he found some traps he said would be ideal for trapping wolves back in Nome. Although I know practically nothing about trapping, I could see that these things would hold a pretty good sized animal. I usually have trouble setting a mouse trap so these babies were way out of my league.

Plan safe backyard campfires this fall

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources reminds everyone to be safe with backyard campfires this fall.

All campfires should be:

• Clear of any combustible material five feet in all directions around the fire. Contained within a designated fire ring. To build one, scoop out a depression in the center of a cleared area and arrange a ring of rocks around it.

• Three feet or less in diameter and 3 feet or less in height. Legal—check if the local municipality requires a permit.

Additionally, it’s important to select a safe place for a campfire. Choose a level area not near dry grass, shrubs or logs, and free of overhanging branches. Always have a shovel and water available to extinguish a fire. Watch the fire at all times — even a light breeze can cause the it to spread. Finally, extinguish fires with water or dirt, and stir the embers repeatedly until every ember is out cold.

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

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

Echoes from the Loafers' Club Meeting

I almost bought some exercise equipment.

Why didn’t you?

The guy at the store where I was going to buy it said that I’d have to carry it to 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: When someone picks up his cellphone, everyone else does, too. Whoever sits in the middle seats of an aircraft should earn more frequent flyer miles than those in other seats. Why trust the media regarding the economy when you can listen to your cousin's neighbor's brother-in-law who hasn't worked in 25 years?

The cafe chronicles

I stopped at a lighthouse in North Carolina to use the little lighthouse, if you know what I mean. The lighthouse was like Tom Bodett’s commercial for Motel 6; they kept a light on. They kept it on all night. It was probably a low-energy light bulb. I wonder how many lighthouse keepers it takes to change a light bulb? I ran into some friends there. They asked if I wanted to go to the beach and get something to eat. I said I shore would. I had an Elvis at an eatery named The Point. It was a grilled sandwich with peanut butter, banana, and applewood bacon.

It was powerful good, but it wasn’t health food.

John Mortimer said, "I refuse to spend my life worrying about what I eat. There’s no pleasure worth forgoing just for an extra three years in the geriatric ward.”

The weather was beautiful, but it's not always so in that area. It's a place that is hit with hurricanes and nor'easters. Those strong winds are why some businesses end up overseas.

A dear and a deer

"Are you going out of the house looking like that?" my wife asked. 

How do I answer that question? I couldn't say "No," because that would mean I couldn't leave the house. I couldn't say "Yes," because that wouldn't work on many levels. This happens regularly at the Batt house. I have no concept of color coordination. My wife knows that, but I still try to keep it a secret. 

It's no way to treat a man who has developed the ability to sleep wrong. For many ailments, sleep helps. If you sleep wrong, more sleep might not be the cure.

Besides, I’d hit a deer. Not the whole deer, just an antler. It was the first deer I've ever hit. 

A neighbor was working a farm field near a state park. His father had told him to drive slowly because of the great number of deer in the area. He drove slow. His vehicle was hit in the rear by a deer. 

I hit a cow once when I was 17 years old. I was just lucky that I wasn’t on foot. Such occurrences are how cars develop personalities. The front end of my old Ford plowed into the rear end of a beef cow. The cow won. The car made mooing sounds for the rest of its existence.

My car had escaped damage from the poor deer except for a flat tire. A tine had stabbed the tire. I hadn’t changed a tire in 20 years. It was the opposite of fun.

I recall riding home with a friend when I was 17 when his ancient Chevy suffered a flat tire. That was no problem for the likes of us. We changed flat tires as often as we changed underwear. That’s what happens when your tires are at best retreads and more often junkyard rejects. The night was as dark as your favorite simile. We had a flashlight that refused to shine. Even so, we managed to remove the hubcap from the injured tire and place it on the ground. We skillfully employed a lug wrench to remove the lug nuts. 

We put the lug nuts into the hubcap just as we’d been taught by our fathers. That made it easy to find them when they needed to be put back on. We were doing things lickety-split.

Then my buddy stepped on the hubcap. This catapulted the lug nuts into the air. We couldn’t see them fly, but our keen ears heard them land in the grassy ditch with a series of small thumps. Our cherubic demeanors had flown with them.

It became a longer night.

Nature notes

Birds can bathe in the winter because the feathers of healthy birds shed most of the water, preventing it from leaking through to the insulating down and skin. 

Meeting adjourned

"I saw that." —Karma

Continued warmth spewed forth from the Weather Eye, pleasing the scurs yet puzzling them. Will it ever cool off, or are we stuck with the “finter” they pondered? (Thank you Jonathan Yuhas for the new season name). Starting Wednesday, mostly cloudy with a good chance of rain. Highs in the low 50’s and lows in the upper 30’s. Thursday, mostly sunny with a slight chance of rain and snow showers. Highs in the mid 40’s and lows in the low 30’s. Sunny Friday with highs in the low 40’s and lows in the mid 20’s. Saturday, mostly sunny with highs near 50 and lows in the mid 30’s. Sunny on Sunday with highs in the low 50’s and lows in the mid 30’s. Monday, mostly cloudy with highs around 50 and lows in the mid 30’s. Cloudy for Tuesday with a chance of light rain or drizzle. Highs in the upper 40’s and lows in the low 30’s. The sun rises after 7 a.m. CST on the 10th. The normal high for November 15th is 42 and the normal low is 25. In a week’s time we lost about four degrees off both the highs and lows. The scurs are wondering if there will be enough snow to build a snowman. They have a spare leftover from last year saved in the freezer just in case.

Crop farming continues to wind down for the season. Many acres of anhydrous ammonia were applied this week and for our business soil sampling is coming to a close. Most of what’s left has been worked so it makes for slower, rougher going. Conditions to the west have been wetter than around Bugtussle itself so anhydrous applications were delayed somewhat in that area. Rains have continued to hold off allowing those who haven’t finished harvest to do so. Whether or not it will allow tillage to be performed on some of those late harvested acres remains to be seen. The primary goal however is still to get the crop off and worry about tillage later. Many of those acres will be going into soybeans next year anyway.

The nice weather allowed for some preliminary groundwork on the annual manure spreading extravaganza. The oil was changed on the tractor and skidloader, readying both for next weekend. The Ruby and Fudgie always enjoy this part of the process as it gives them one more opportunity to bark, growl and bite the tires on both implements. On sunny days like Saturday it just feels good to be outdoors doing something and watching them a couple Border Collies through their paces. They can’t help themselves and it’s entertaining. Of course I am easily entertained.

I took some time to take inventory on some tree limbs and branches that ticked me off this last summer while mowing, also making note of those needing tree wrap. Somehow the bunnies haven’t started messing with them yet although I’d better not hold my breath. I know where the tree wrap lives. I also discovered a few more tomatoes that had been green and ripened under the mat of recently fallen leaves. Another project: Grind up the leaves with the lawnmower. The late season bonus tomatoes have been delicious and welcome treat. The Tumbling Tom tomato on the patio deck is still blooming and bearing so we should still have a few fresh ripe tomatoes of one kind or another for Thanksgiving.

Sunday after church we cruised to Albert’s Leaf in the Silver Hawk to check out new phones and hopefully bring Mrs. Cheviot into the 21st century. It was also time to replace my phone, which I wasn’t sorry about. I had a love-hate relationship with it from the get-go. Having switched originally from a Blackberry, I found the touch screen on the Galaxy S4 jumpy. Many times if I grabbed it the wrong way, it sent me off into the techno rhubarb faster than I could figure it out. After a while I got used to it, but the learning curve was pretty steep. It was a tough phone though. I had the thing, though, for over three years ,which many remarked was incredible that I hadn’t smashed it. Don’t think I wasn’t tempted, I told them.

Sunday was a bright, beautiful day for a cruise though. A little cool perhaps but the with the heater control valve allowing a little antifreeze to seep through to the heater core, the temp was about right inside the car. We got the phones picked out and the young lady did an excellent job of explaining how to operate them. Luckily we both got the same phone and for me it was just an upgrade so Mrs. Cheviot could learn from my tutelage. We chuckled at the people who would crawl by the Studebaker craning their necks in their vehicles as we watched from inside the store. One guy even got out, walked around the car and snapped several photos. We had no idea we’d cause a gawker slowdown in a parking lot. 

After finishing the phone paperwork we had to go to DQ and celebrate our purchases. A Buster bar for Mrs. Cheviot and a butterscotch dipped cone for me. We filled up with non-oxygenated fuel across the street and made our merry way home. We went on a smoother, albeit longer route. However the distance doesn’t really matter on picture perfect days like Sunday. The longer the cruise the better. We sailed on home with the tail wind pushing us on our voyage. Once we arrived we played with the phones for a while until I looked up to see sheep walking across in front of the barn, again. Fun’s over I thought. Having to deal with animals out of their pens is a source of great irritation for most males of the species and I am no exception. Once that problem was solved and chores were done, it was time to go back inside to play with the phones some more. Not so fast. Someone calling on the landline and leaving a message, namely the fearless leader from the paper, sheepishly requesting I submit my article a day early. Yup, fun was definitely over. Back to reality. See you next week…real good then. 

This year might be it for coaching basketball. The first team I coached was back in 1994 while at Winona State. This will be my 20th season of coaching basketball, and while I never say never, it seems like a fitting time to hang up my whistle. But I’ve said that before.

Going into the 2006-2007 season, I had been coaching junior high basketball since I started here. However, I knew that I wanted to help coach my daughter’s group when they entered 3rd grade and figured I could use a break from coaching, knowing that I’d have to approach elementary players differently than I did junior high players. Thus, in 2010 I brought the whistle out of retirement and took on that task. My longtime readers know that I’ve had a blast coaching that group of girls and am happy with their development.

I had hoped at one point that there would be coaches in place in junior high and I’d be able to sink back into the stands. That was not the case, and anyway, I’d developed the itch to again coach a full season of basketball and was pleased to finish my time with those girls last year.

That’s right, my time with them is done. Even though I’ll still be coaching junior high girls’ basketball, I’ll have the group behind my crew, this year’s 7th graders. Our varsity coach would like my girls to hear a different voice, and I wholeheartedly agree. We’ve all reached a point where we know each other so well that moving forward is more difficult. I still get to coach and will still work sometimes with the 8th graders, but they will have a different voice at the lead.

And I couldn’t be happier with that lead voice, Kate Quam. I coached Kate years ago and was always pleased with her 100% work ethic and competitiveness. She busted her tail for me that year and was part of one of the more memorable teams that I’ve had the privilege of coaching. The chance to mentor a young coach, especially one who already understands how I operate, is exciting.

I know she’ll demand the respect of the girls. I know she’ll have high expectations for them. I know she’ll kick their butts if need be. But I also know that she will care about them and will soon discover the connections you make as coach and player go so far beyond what you see in the classroom. There’s something about running and sweating for someone that adds a new layer to a relationship!

And those relationships are what coaches value so much. I’ll admit to feeling proud that one of my players is eager to coach and still remembers so much of what she did back in 8th grade for my team. Like I always tell my teams, once you play for me and put up with my eccentricities for a year, you can come and ask for help anytime; that bond will stay solid.

With that in mind, I especially want to recognize those girls who were part of my last group from the start, those that started basketball in 3rd grade and played all five years I was the coach: Mackenzie Butler, Katie Cliff, Jayna Domeier, Mia Farr, Madi Kormann, Sydney Koziolek, Skylar Lembke, Tiara Malakowsky, Paige Peterson, Annie Prigge, Makenzie Sundve, Micaela Vaale, and Diamond Woollard. They might not all be playing again this year and likely will not all be playing by the time they graduate, but I’m appreciative that so many stuck through it for five years; believe me, I’m not always easy to play for!

Helping with all this the past four seasons has been Todd Born. I’ve praised Todd before, but I’ll embarrass him one last time. Todd and I had an adversarial relationship prior to that; after all, he was a referee and I was a coach! I didn’t always like his calls and he didn’t always like my sideline demeanor. However, I now consider Todd a friend. His help has been invaluable these past four years, and we provide two different perspectives that often help get the girls to the best outcome for their basketball careers. I’m so pleased that he’ll be volunteering again this year to help Kate and me. His experience will help Kate grow as a coach and will continue to help both our original group and my new group to get better.

I love coaching, and I’ll put everything I have into this year, just as I have every other year. But in the back of my mind, I keep hoping the coaching staff at the high school will remain stable so I can enjoy the four years of high school from the stands and behind the microphone and watch the fruits of our labor bear results. Plus, I hope the boys program is covered so when my son comes through, I can do much of the same. Again, I never say never, but it might be time for the whistle to be hung up for good this February.

Word of the Week: This week’s word is dotterel, which means someone who is easily fooled, as in, “The coach worked on the dotterel to get all the calls his team needed.” Impress your friends and confuse your enemies!

By JIM LUTGENS

Editor/Publisher

With the unseasonably warm weather it hardly seems possible, but Carlie Wagner is ready to hit the basketball court for another season.

Wagner and the University of Minnesota women’s basketball team begin play for 2015-2016 Friday night at Williams Arena in Minneapolis, hosting Wofford University in a 5:30 p.m. tipoff.

Wagner, NRHEG’s Golden Girl who led the Panthers to three straight state tournaments and consecutive state championships, is starting her sophomore season for the Golden Gophers.

Funeral services for Clifford Russell Olson, age 87, of Hartland will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, November 14, 2015 at Cross of Glory Lutheran Church in Hartland. Rev. Mark Hillmer will officiate. Interment will be at the Hartland Cemetery. Military honors will be accorded by local servicemen’s organizations; VFW and American Legion. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service at the church. Online condolences are welcome at www.bayviewfuneral.com 

Clifford died Tuesday, November 10, 2015 at his home peacefully surrounded by his family.

NRHEG Community Education is planning a trip to the Assissi Heights and Mayowood Christmas Tour in Rochester Monday, Dec. 7. The Historic Mayowood Mansion will be decorated for Christmas. This 38-room mansion was occupied by Doctor and Mrs. Charles W. Mayo. The group will also tour the Assisi Heights Convent. This is a beautiful, peaceful place with spectacular architecture on a prominent hill overlooking Rochester. The entrance is an ornate lobby with slate floor, 60-foot tall Italian marble columns, and hand-blown stained glass windows from Germany. This is the home of the Sisters of St. Francis. The structure bears a striking resemblance to the Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi in Italy.

The group will leave Ellendale (pick up will be at Gopher Stop, intersection of I35 and Hwy. 30) at 8:45 a.m. Cost is $40 (lunch extra). Register by calling 417-2667.